To amend the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 to strengthen protections relating to the online collection, use, and disclosure of personal information of children and minors, and for other purposes.
The source supplies the latest action, but no lifecycle stage.
Latest action (24 Jul 2019): Referred to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.
What this bill does
Here is a summary of H.R. 3900 based on the provided text.
H.R. 3900 would amend the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) to expand and update federal protections for the online personal information of both children (under 13) and a newly defined category of "minors" (ages 13–15). It would broaden definitions of "operator," "personal information," and "directed to a child or minor" to cover a wider range of websites, apps, connected devices, and services. The bill directs the Federal Trade Commission to issue new regulations requiring clearer notice, "verifiable consent" (extending beyond parental consent to include minors themselves), data-deletion and access rights, limits on retaining or requiring excessive personal information, and safeguards for data security. It also references Fair Information Practices Principles limiting how and why data is collected, used, or shared, and directs the FTC to publish related compliance reports.
The bill would primarily affect companies operating websites, mobile apps, online services, and connected devices aimed at or used by children and minors, as well as telecommunications carriers and cable operators newly brought under FTC enforcement for these rules. Parents, children, and minors would gain expanded rights to control, access, and delete personal data collected about them online.
The bill was introduced in the House on July 23, 2019, by Rep. Bobby Rush and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. It did not receive a vote and did not become law.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
This bill extends to minors (ages 12 16) privacy protections previously applicable only to children (ages 0 12) and otherwise establishes greater online privacy protections for children and minors.
Specifically, the bill prohibits an operator of a website, online service, online application, or mobile application directed to a child or minor with constructive knowledge the user is a child or minor from collecting the user's personal information without
• providing notice and obtaining consent,
• providing a parent or minor with certain information upon request,
• conditioning participation by a user on the provision of personal information,
• establishing and maintaining reasonable procedures to protect the personal information collected from users.
The bill also prohibits targeted marketing directed to a child or directed to a minor without the minor's consent.
The bill further outlines a set of principles governing how operators should collect and use personal information, as well as provide information to a parent or minor. A parent or minor must be able to challenge the accuracy of personal information, and an operator must provide for the erasure or correction of inaccurate personal information. Operators must also implement mechanisms for the erasure or elimination of personal information at the request of users and make users aware of such mechanisms.
Timeline
24 Jul 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 3900 do?
- Here is a summary of H.R. 3900 based on the provided text. H.R. 3900 would amend the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) to expand and update federal protections for the online personal information of both children (under 13) and a newly defined category of "minors" (ages 13–15). It would broaden definitions of "operator," "personal information," and "directed to a child or minor" to cover a wider range of websites, apps, connected devices, and services. The bill directs the Federal Trade Commission to issue new regulations requiring clearer notice, "verifiable consent" (extending beyond parental consent to include minors themselves), data-deletion and access rights, limits on retaining or requiring excessive personal information, and safeguards for data security. It also references Fair Information Practices Principles limiting how and why data is collected, used, or shared, and directs the FTC to publish related compliance reports. The bill would primarily affect companies operating websites, mobile apps, online services, and connected devices aimed at or used by children and minors, as well as telecommunications carriers and cable operators newly brought under FTC enforcement for these rules. Parents, children, and minors would gain expanded rights to control, access, and delete personal data collected about them online. The bill was introduced in the House on July 23, 2019, by Rep. Bobby Rush and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. It did not receive a vote and did not become law.
- Has H.R. 3900 become law?
- The source does not supply a confirmed lifecycle stage for H.R. 3900. Check the latest action and official source below.
- Who sponsored H.R. 3900?
- H.R. 3900 was sponsored by Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), with 0 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 3900?
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. (24 Jul 2019).
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