The Children's Internet Protection Act

Technology Acts Paper

Josephine Martell

University of Phoenix

January 27, 2014

Technology Acts Paper

The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was presented to Congress in 2000. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was signed into law in Oct. 21, 1998 but it was modified effective April 21, 2000.

Computers are becoming a part of our lives not only for adults but as well as young children from the time they are five. Children are around computers most of the day; even if a child does not have a computer at home they will use one in school. Where there is a computer there is internet, the internet will connect computers, smart phones, tablets and any other electronic device that will connect to the internet (Gil, 2012).

Any person can use a computer and view any websites regardless who they are or how old are they. They can see explicit online adult content and click on any link that will lead them to pornographic materials; this is where Congress came up with the Children’s Internet Protection Act and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

The CIPA was signed into law by the former President Bill Clinton. The CIPA is a federal law made to protect the children; children cannot access the internet to see offensive content or materials while they are on the internet on school grounds or in public libraries. Both schools and libraries are to place content filters on their computers or systems to block and or keep minors from seeing content that is defined as obscene. This would keep minors from getting to inappropriate sites. The Children’s Internet Protection Act’s purpose is the safety of our children, to protect them from bad contents that could result from surfing the internet when a parent is not around (“Children’s Internet Protection Act”, n.d).

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is also to safeguard our children from the internet. This law is more for commercial web sites who operate any web page and online services and it is directed for children under the age of 13 that collect personal information from children. It is for operators of general audience sites with actual knowledge that they are collecting information from children under 13. It was signed into law in Oct. 21, 1998 but it was modified effective April 21, 2000. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act prohibits unfair acts in connection with the collection, use, or disclosure of personally identifiable information about children on the internet (“Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, 2004-2011).

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and the FTC’s rule require those institutions to provide the parents with