COPPA Safe Harbor Services
The CARU Safe Harbor Seal
Put your trust in the first and longest-running COPPA Safe Harbor Program in the U.S. The Children’s Advertising Review Unit’s (CARU) COPPA Safe Harbor Program is open to any content creators or publishers, and their vendors, with products (e.g., website, mobile app, platform, connected device or toy, etc.) or services directed to children under age 13.
Get certified and demonstrate your dedication to children’s privacy with the appropriate CARU COPPA Safe Harbor seal.
Child-Directed Audiences
General Audiences
Mobile Products
Connected Products
Safe Harbor Services
The CARU COPPA Safe Harbor certification process includes a comprehensive audit and findings assessment for your product as well as ongoing monitoring and support from the CARU Team.
Comprehensive Audit
The CARU team will guide you through a comprehensive review of your product (website, mobile app, platform, connected device or toy, etc.).
Data Collection Evaluation: CARU will evaluate your product’s data collection practices for compliance with COPPA, CARU’s Privacy Guidelines, and other relevant standards and laws, such as CaCPA, CAN-SPAM, data security/breach laws, Canada’s PIPEDA and CASL (anti-SPAM) laws, and others.
Tracking Assessment: CARU will review your product to vet all data collection, including first- and third-party trackers, through any digital advertisements, APIs, plugins, and third-party vendors (such as credit card processors, analytics providers, ad networks, etc.).
Document Review: CARU will give your product’s privacy policy, terms of service, consumer notices, and/or EULAs a thorough review to ensure necessary requirements pertaining to targeting a child audience (directly or indirectly) are met.
Findings Assessment
The CARU team will provide you with a written assessment of any issues it finds with your product’s practices involving children, directly or indirectly, prior to initial COPPA Safe Harbor certification and on an ongoing basis to ensure continued compliance.
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Clear Instructions: CARU will provide clear recommendations and specific direction on next steps to achieve compliance with COPPA and other relevant data privacy and security requirements, laws, and best practices.
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Developer Checklists: CARU will provide tailored checklists to help your developers facilitate privacy by design at the outset of product development.
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Personalized Consultations: CARU will answer your questions about the complexities of differing privacy laws both in the U.S. and globally.
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Regular Monitoring: CARU’s hands-on support through the year will include regular and ongoing reviews of your product to ensure you remain in compliance.
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Real-Time Alerts: Outside of regular compliance reporting periods, CARU will alert you to identified issues in your product that require attention.
Benefits
- The confidence that your CARU COPPA Safe Harbor certified product is fully compliant with COPPA, CARU’s Privacy Guidelines, and protected from enforcement actions by the Federal Trade Commission solely as it relates to COPPA violations.
- The hands-on support you need when privacy and data collection laws, regulations, practices, and guidelines change.
- Ongoing guidance from CARU’s team of lawyers, including counseling with fast turnaround time and sensitivity to your deadlines.
- Complimentary educational opportunities via webinar, on-site visits by CARU team members, custom privacy trainings, etc.
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