Information Technology Acts Necessity

Children are our society’s most valuable and fragile resources. It is our responsibility as parents, adults, and caregivers to provide our children with as many safeguards to protect them from physical and virtual dangers. Children are spending more and more time on the internet and without the proper protection and supervision they can be exposed to indecent or harmful material or predators that seek to harm them.

What children are encountering on the Internet, particularly in terms of indecent or otherwise unsuitable material or contacts with strangers who intend to do them harm, is an issue of major concern. ” (Smith, 2001). The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) of 2000 and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 were put in place as an attempt to protect our children from the harm that could befall them on the internet from harmful materials and predators that target children.

Children’s Internet Protection Act, 2000 With children doing so much of their school work and research on the internet it is important to try to maintain a safe, appropriate environment especially when they are using the internet at school or the library. “The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law enacted by Congress to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers.

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CIPA imposes certain types of requirements on any school or library that receives funding for Internet access or internal connections from the E-rate program – a program that makes certain communications technology more affordable for eligible schools and libraries. In early 2001, the FCC issued rules implementing CIPA. ” (FCC, n. d. ). CIPA was enacted to protect children while they use the internet at school or libraries where they should feel safe from being exposed to inappropriate material.

This act is not one hundred percent effective but it places an additional safeguard that can help in protecting our children from the dangers on the internet while in the safety of their school or library. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), 1998 “The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was signed into law in Oct. 21, 1998 and modified effective April 21, 2000.

The rule applies to operators of commercial web sites and online services directed to children under 13 that collect personal information from children, and operators of general audience sites with actual knowledge that they are collecting information from children under 13. COPPA prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with the collection, use, or disclosure of personally identifiable information from and about children on the Internet.

The law spells out what a Web site operator must include in a privacy policy, when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent and what responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online. ” (Information Shield, 2011). This act permits parents to review the information supplied by their children and remove any information the parent deems to be unsafe to disclose or inappropriate. This adds an additional safeguard against predators that could target children under the age of 13.

Just like the CIPA, this act is not a one hundred percent guarantee of children’s safety from online predators but it does assist parents in the fight to keep their children safe. Conclusion While the Children’s Internet Protection Act and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act are in place to protect our children from harmful and indecent material on the internet and from online predators, it is our responsibility as parents, adults, and caregivers to go the extra steps to better ensure the safety of our children.

With so many children using social networking sites, like Facebook, it is even more important to find ways to protect them from predators that target children. There are many software options available for free or to purchase that add extra protection through the use of parental controls that can be downloaded to home computers and laptops that children use.

But the strongest and most effective tool available to parents, adults, and caregivers is talking openly to children about the dangers that they may face on the internet. Just like we teach them to look both ways before crossing the road and not talk to strangers, it is just as important to teach them how to be safe while using the internet.

References

1. Federal Communications Commission. (n. d. ). Children's Internet Protection Act. Retrieved from http://www. fcc. gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
2. Information Shield. (2011). Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Retrieved from http://www. informationshield. com/coppaoverview. htm
3. Smith, M. S. (2001). Internet - Protecting Children from Unsuitable Material and Sexual Predators: Overview and Pending Legislation: RS20036. Congressional Research Service: Report, 1.

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