FTC wants to extend rules on child online privacy

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Federal regulators want to update rules aimed at protecting children’s online privacy to account for newer developments such as Facebook and mobile games.

A 1998 law requires websites to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. But the digital world has changed greatly since then.

The proposed new rules make it clear that someone’s location counts as personal information. They also extend the parental-consent requirement to third-party ad networks and so-called plug-ins, which could include toolkits that Facebook Inc. distributes to generate the “like” button on sites across the Internet.

The Federal Trade Commission had proposed some of the changes in September, but it is expanding the proposal Wednesday after receiving feedback. The FTC is accepting comments on the new version until Sept. 10.