Children's Privacy and the iWatchDog™ Program

The iWatchDog Program was one of the very first efforts to recognize that when it comes to the Internet, children, especially those under the age of 13, deserve even greater attention to their unique needs. On the average, a child under the age of thirteen has no reasonable comprehension of the risks while using the Internet.  With their being taught to be honest since birth, they fail to recognize that providing personal information without parent's permission, can place them in danger.

You will find all kinds of seals for child safety, privacy, and a number of other ideas but there will always only be one original, the iWatchDog™ Kids Seal.  A Web site displaying one of the iWatchDog™ Kids Seals, is in agreement to support and remain compliant with iWatchDog Program regulations to obtaining prior verifiable parental consent when and if information will be collected, as well as giving parental notice of how that information will be used.

Parents and children who visit sites that post one of the  iWatchDog™ Kids Seals will also know that the iWatchDog Program staff are providing ongoing review to ensure the site is not violating its privacy statement, and that a formal complaint and resolution process exists if consumers perceive that the site may not be in compliance with the  iWatchDog™ Kids Seal program.

Specifically, all sites directed at children under the age of 13 wishing to be licensed by the UFCWS must adhere to the provisions of the standard ICCS™ certification in addition to the following:

  iWatchDog™ Kids Seal Requirements.

A Web Site which is directed at children under 13, WILL NOT:

• Collect online contact information from a child under 13 without prior verifiable parental consent or direct parental notification of the nature and intended use of this information, which shall include an opportunity for the parent to prevent use of the information and participation in the activity. Where prior parental consent is not obtained, online contact information shall only be used to directly respond to the child's request and shall not be used to re-contact the child for other purposes.

• Collect personally identifiable offline contact information from children under 13 without prior verifiable parental consent.

• Distribute to third parties any Personally Identifiable Information collected from a child under 13 without prior verifiable parental consent.

• Give the ability to children under 13 to publicly post or otherwise distribute personally identifiable contact information without prior verifiable parental consent, and will make best efforts to prohibit a child from posting any contact information.

• Entice a child under 13 by the prospect of a special game, prize or other activity, to divulge more information than is needed to participate in such activity.

The site must also place prominent notice where personally identifiable information is collected, requesting the child to ask a parent for permission to answer the questions.