Google Endorses COPPA 2.0 Legislation Ahead of Wednesday Markup
Google on Tuesday announced its support for legislation that would update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
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Introduced by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) is scheduled for a Senate Commerce Committee markup Wednesday (see 2506180068).
Google President-Global Affairs Kent Walker, in a statement, welcomed legislation “extending meaningful privacy protections to teens, prohibiting ads personalization to minors, and expecting companies to do more to understand users’ age.”
“This endorsement is further evidence of the broad support for COPPA 2.0,” Markey and Cassidy said in a statement. “Our legislation has been intensely vetted, passed the Senate by a 91-3 vote last year, and has wide bipartisan support.”
The Computer & Communications Industry Association, which counts Google as a member, said Tuesday the bill's passage would bring a "less safe internet." CCIA Vice President-Federal Affairs Brian McMillan said: “While COPPA 2.0 is a well-intentioned bill, each of its policy changes are backed by a confusing compliance mandate which makes it unclear when a company’s duties are triggered. To avoid liability, companies would be forced to utilize age verification technologies, raising serious First Amendment concerns that could silence lawful speech, and create greater privacy risks for all internet users through unnecessary data collection mandates.”