Dictionary of Marketing Terms: Child On-Line Protection Act (COPA)
Child On-Line Protection Act (COPA)
federal legislation, originally scheduled to take effect February 2, 1999, that would bar marketers from collecting personal information from children under 12 years of age, via the Internet, unless parental consent has been obtained. It also prohibits purveyors of "harmful" material from providing access to minors. The intent of the legislation is to prohibit children from viewing on-line pornography and to require that all viewers submit proof of adulthood. As of publication, a coalition led by the ACLU that opposes COPA has succeeded in indefinitely postponing implementation.
