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AgeCheq makes COPPA compliance easy for mobile app and game publishers

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Harmeet
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LOS ANGELES, USA: AgeCheq, a new company aiming to help mobile app and game publishers comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), announced that its free multi-platform API is now available to developers and publishers looking for a simple and low-cost way to adhere to the US government's COPPA regulations to avoid costly fines and other penalties.

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AgeCheq also gives parents unparalleled visibility and control over the mobile apps and games their children use. The basic AgeCheq service is completely free for both app publishers and for parents.

COPPA was passed in 1998 to protect children under the age of 13 as they used the Internet, and it was revised in 2012 to extend its privacy protections to mobile apps and games. In force since July 1, 2013, the updated COPPA now addresses the explosive growth of online data collection, behavioral marketing, and the ubiquitous use of tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices by young children.

COPPA is designed to strengthen kids' privacy protections and give parents greater control over their children's personal information. Any app or game that could be reasonably used by children aged 13 or younger must be COPPA compliant. Penalties for non-compliance include fines of up to $16,000 per user.

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Launched from the Game Developer's Conference (GDC Next 2013) in Los Angeles, AgeCheq's complete "COPPA compliance ecosystem" serves the needs of both app developers, who must comply with the law, and parents, who want to regain control of their children's digital privacy. AgeCheq offers app publishers a frictionless path to make their apps and games COPPA compliant, at no cost.

"The process of validating a parent's ID, providing complete disclosures that parents can understand, and gaining parental approval for a child to play an app are completely new friction points for app and game publishers," said Roy Smith, founder and CEO of AgeCheq.

"Implemented poorly, these friction points could reduce game play and limit monetization, yet they are required elements for COPPA compliance. If each publisher were to create their own verification system, parents would quickly tire of validating their identity over and over. As we've seen already from some of the early attempts at compliance, the "disclosures" offered by publishers vary widely from unintelligible to acceptable.

"The mobile app industry requires a single, simple-to-use system that manages COPPA compliance for both publishers and parents, and that is exactly what AgeCheq is."

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