Khan: Ads Targeted at Kids a Key Concern in COPPA Update

It’s important for policymakers to “turn off” targeted advertising for children as a default setting, FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan said Thursday during an open meeting. Khan discussed the agency’s effort to update rules under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The advertising issue is a “noteworthy” provision included in the agency’s update, which is open for public comment (see 2312280030), she said. Business models built on monetizing data can create a business incentive for “endlessly vacuuming up people’s data,” said Khan. The COPPA update ensures companies don’t “over-collect information about our kids in the first place” and makes it easier for parents to keep their children’s data out of the advertising technology ecosystem, said Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. Behavioral advertising can also result in inappropriate ads for children, but the FTC's core concern is that companies can create commercial relationships with children and prey on “the fact that they’re kids,” Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said.