Blog:Aelita Schaeffer/PSA: South Park Archives and COPPA
Hi everyone. Given that we've had to deal with several underage users in the recent months, I am putting out a public service announcement.
What is COPPA?
COPPA stands for Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. It is a United States federal law that was passed in 1998 and went into effect on April 21, 2000. The bill details that any "general audience" website (that is, a website that may be collecting information from users under the age of 13) hosted in the United States (Wikia, for instance) is required to obtain verifiable consent from the legal guardian of the child as well as restrict certain features from the child. COPPA is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The full text of the bill can be found here.
How does Wikia comply with COPPA?
As a response to COPPA, Wikia has barred any person under the age of 13 from using the site. This is detailed in their terms of use:
- In order to use certain portions of this Service, you will need to first register for membership in the Service. You are prohibited from registering for membership in the Service where prohibited by law. In addition, the Service is intended solely for users who are thirteen (13) years of age or older. Any registration by anyone under 13 is unauthorized, unlicensed and in violation of this Agreement. By registering for the Service Site, you represent and warrant that you are 13 or older and that you agree to and to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
How does South Park Archives enforce this?
South Park Archives complies fully with Wikia's terms of use. As such, any user that is confirmed to be under the age of 13 will face a banning of their account and their details may, at the administration's discretion, be forwarded to Wikia staff, who may globally disable the infringing account. Please note that being outside of the United States does not exempt you from COPPA, as Wikia is hosted in the United States.
Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments, but be aware that our compliance with COPPA will not change, nor will any exceptions be made. We are not willing to violate Wikia's terms of use nor federal law.