FTC Seeks Public Comment on AgeCheq, Inc.’s Proposed Parental Consent Method under COPPA

The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday that it seeks public comment on a new verifiable parental consent method application proposed by AgeCheq, Inc., to enable apps, websites and advertisers to obtain parental consent to collect children’s personal information. Per COPPA’s final Rule, interested parties can propose and request FTC approval for additional methods for obtaining verified parental consent not presently permitted by the Rule. AgeCheq’s proposed consent method would allow parents to register themselves and their child’s devices with a third-party common consent administrator, which then would verify the parent’s identity via other methods permitted by the Rule and link that verification to their child’s devices. The FTC will accept public comments on AgeCheq’s proposal until Sept. 30, 2014.