The Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule requires an operator of a commercial website that collects personal information from children to post a privacy policy notice on the homepage of the site and links to the privacy policy everywhere personal information is collected from children.

Location of the Privacy Policy Notice and Links

The privacy policy notice must be posted in a clear and prominent place on the homepage of the site. Every area of the site that asks children for their personal information must contain a clear and prominent link to the privacy policy notice. The link must be near the request for information, and it must be clearly labeled.

Contents of the Privacy Policy Notice

The privacy policy notice must be written in clear and understandable language. The notice must completely and accurately describe the information practices of the website. The privacy policy notice must contain:

* contact information for each operator who collects or maintains personal information from children, including the operator's name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;

* an explanation of the types of personal information collected by the website and whether the information is collected actively (e.g., through registration forms) or passively (e.g., through the use of cookies or other identifiers);

* an explanation of how the information will be used;

* an explanation of whether the operator of the website discloses the information to third parties, the types of third parties to whom the information is disclosed, how the third parties will use the information, and whether the third parties have agreed to maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of the information;

* a statement that the parents can consent to the collection and use of their child's personal information without consenting to the disclosure of the information to third parties;

* a statement that website operators cannot condition a child's participation in an activity on the child's disclosure of personal information that is not reasonably necessary for the activity; and

* a statement that parents can review the personal information collected from their child, cause it to be deleted, and refuse to permit the collection of further information, and an explanation of how parents can take those actions.

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