Children's Internet Protection

The Children's Internet Protection Act

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Neighborhood Internet Protection Act (NCIPA) went into effect on April 20, 2001. These laws place restrictions on the use of funding that is available through the Library Services and Technology Act, Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and on the Universal Service discount program known as the E-rate (Public Law 106-554). These restrictions take the form of requirements for Internet safety policies and technology which blocks or filters certain material from being accessed through the Internet. The deadline for complying with NCIPA was July 1, 2002 for those libraries receiving 2002 E-rate discounts for Internet access or internal connections. The deadline for compliance with CIPA was July 1, 2004, following the Supreme Court ruling in 2003.

Find information below for librarians with questions about CIPA at their libraries, scholars interested in the legislative history of CIPA, or those interested in the ALA's position on CIPA. The site is divided into four major areas, with further subdivisions within each:

  • Legal History: This section details the history of CIPA, beginning with its inception, and following it through the legal challenges brought against it. If you are looking for historical information or documents (such as legal briefs, etc) related to CIPA, check in here.

  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): A variety of questions that are commonly asked by libraries and the public about implementation, LSTA, applicability, and some sample scenarios.

  • Background Resources: ALA background information on related topics such as filtering and other federal Acts, links to other resources that have useful information for librarians about CIPA, and federal regulations and guidance for CIPA.

  • Archival materials: News articles, reports from the field, tools and worksheets that can be used to determine how best to make your CIPA policies work.

  • CIPA Briefs: CIPA legal briefs

*information provided by the ALA 10/15/2019

childrens_internet_protection_act_cipa.pdf

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

The Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act, imposes certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age.

COPPA has a number of requirements, but some key ones are that tech companies making apps, websites, and online tools for kids under 13 must:

  • Sites must require parental consent before collecting information from kids;

  • When and how sites can seek consent from parent or guardian;

  • Outlines what must be included in a 'privacy policy' and that it should be posted anywhere data is collected;

  • Responsibilities of companies to keep information they collect from kids confidential and secure;

  • Restricting types and methods of marketing are allowed for kids;