CHAPTER 13 Computers in Society: Today
Penalties for Copyright Infringement's More Severe
The United States federal government's Sentencing Commission has decided to increase punishment for crimes involving copyright and identity theft violations. The creation of counterfeit intellectual material, such as software, music, and books, can result in prison sentences up to 16 months, no matter what the motivation of the perpetrator. The greater the market value of the counterfeit copies is, the stiffer the punishment is.
COPPA
Now in effect, The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is the first law governing online privacy. The new law requires that Internet web sites obtain verifiable consent from parents before collecting personal data from children under the age of 13. There is a two-year transition period giving Internet organizations an opportunity to gear up for conforming to the new law. The law offers a variety of methods for parental consent, including e-mail, snail mail, fax, and so on. Parents are overwhelmingly in favor of this law, however critics say that it may limit the variety of activities that children will have on the Internet.