Efforts are underway internationally by both the the Federal Trade Commission and 27 members of the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN), a group of privacy enforcement agencies around the world, to protect children's online privacy. Studies by the FTC in 2012 found that many apps and websites weren't arming parents with the information they needed to make informed decisions about protecting their children's privacy. The FTC, in conjunction with privacy experts from the FTC's Office of Technology and Research and Investigation have started an initiative to analyze privacy disclosures, interactive features and information collection practices of children’s mobile apps. Findings are expected to be released before the end of the year.  Businesses looking for guidance on how to comply with COPPA can reach out to CARU, which is the FTC's first COPPA-approved Safe Harbor program. To learn more, please contact Jay Black [jblack@caru.bbb.org/(212) 705-0111] or Wa

CARU's Annual Conference is just around the corner so mark those calendars for September 30, 2015 ! It's one of the most well-attended conferences in the industry about marketing to children and you don't want to miss it!  Expert panelists will explore the challenging issues facing companies that advertise to children.  There will be a sharp focus on mobile and online technologies and how they have changed the way companies market products, both in the US and abroad. A significant emphasis will be placed on the modifications to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Federal Trade Commission’s revisions to the COPPA Rule, including discussions on how companies are implementing new practices to comply with these changes in their online and mobile marketing. To register, please click  here. To sponsor, please contact Reshma Persaud, 212.705.0113, rpersaud@asrc.bbb.org

CARU held its annual Supporter's Council Meeting at Davis & Gilbert LLP this week in New York City. The Supporter's Council Meeting is a chance for CARU's supporters to meet and discuss the latest developments in the industry and pressing issues that companies are being faced with. It's a chance to network with other industry professionals as well and learn how they're dealing with them. This year, we kicked off the day by revisiting the COPPA changes and discussed how they are continuing to affect the industry. Attendees had the chance to discuss the law's grey areas and their implications on business. CARU welcomed the feedback, which it plans to take to its ongoing discussions with the FTC about the law's more nuanced intricacies. Next, Jon Brescia from the Online Interest-Based Accountability Program spoke about evolving methods of online tracking such as cookie-less tracking on both desktop and mobile devices. Participants had a chance to learn