Scrutinizing Coppa: The Privacy of Our Past, Present, and Future

As the Internet has grown, children’s lives have become increasingly intertwined with online goods and services, which has raised concerns about their digital privacy and safety. This thesis scrutinizes the economic and legal implications of Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA, “the Rule”), which regulates the data collection and retention policies of online services to protect the privacy and safety of children. It examines selected enforcement actions, proposed amendments, privacy policies and practices of platforms used as education technology (“EdTech”), incorporating the concerns and opinions of industry experts. In doing so, this thesis finds that COPPA has shortcomings in its methods of enforcement, compliance efforts, and the legislation itself. This thesis concludes after an evaluation of the legislation and proposals to update the Rule.