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The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission is seeking public comment on a proposed verifiable parental consent method that AssertID, Inc., has submitted for Commission approval under the agency’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.

Under the rule, online sites and services directed at children must obtain permission from a child’s parents before collecting personal information from that child. The rule lays out a number of acceptable methods for gaining parental consent, but also includes a provision allowing interested parties to submit new verifiable parental consent methods to the Commission for approval.

In a Â鶹´«Ã½ Register notice to be published shortly, the FTC is seeking public comment about the proposed AssertID verifiable parental consent method; whether the proposed method is already covered by the existing methods included in the rule and whether it meets the rule’s requirement that it be reasonably calculated to ensure that the person providing the consent is actually the child’s parent. The Commission also seeks comment on whether the program poses a risk to consumers’ information and whether that risk is outweighed by the benefits of the program. The comment period will last until Sept. 20, 2013.

NOTE: Publication of this Â鶹´«Ã½ Register notice does not indicate Commission approval of the program. The Commission has 120 days to review proposed verifiable parental consent methods and must set forth its conclusions in writing.

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.  To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online  or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).  The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.  The FTC’s website provides .  Like the FTC on , follow us on , and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.