____ is an act, directed at Web sites catering to children, that requires site owners to post comprehensive privacy policies and to obtain parental consent before they collect any personal information from children under 13 years of age.

The children's online privacy protection act abbreviated as COPPA was passed by the United States Congress in 1998 to protect children under the age of 13. This act took effect on April, 2000. It is being enforced by the Federal Trade Commission who after carrying out a survey on various sites discovered that most them collected data from children and could not disclose what the data were used for.

In order to protect children, the COPPA stipulates that these sites obtain parental consent which is verifiable, before collecting children's information. This serves to prevent children from meeting with potentially dangerous strangers online and also protect them from getting targeted by advertising companies. It helps parents get involved in children's activities online.

COPPA requires that all websites collecting data from children should write and indicate a privacy notice on their site stating who is collecting the information and what it is being used for and also provide the ability to revoke consent. Failure to comply leading to a hefty fine and court summons.