Information Technology Acts

Information Technology Acts

Terry Cerami

BIS 220

April 27, 2014

Jason Miller

Information Technology Acts

According to (Gray, Thomas, & Lewis, 2010) 97% of teachers have computers available in the classroom and use them 40% of the time to teach students. As computers are a vital asset to utilize in schools and are consistently being used at a younger age, an increase on internet use can provide ample opportunity for access to inappropriate material and online predators. In an effort to mitigate crimes such as identity thief and accesses of unsuitable material by minors, the United States Congress has passed numerous judicial actions addressing these concerns. The Children's Internet Protection Act and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act are two of these laws enacted by congress in an attempt to protect children from the harm that could emerge from destructive materials and predators targeting them online.

The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law that was passed by Congress in 2000 to confront the issues of the easy retrieval of obscene or harmful content over the Internet (Federal Communications Commission). CIPA requires schools and libraries to meet several guidelines before being eligible to receive any federal funding. The main purpose of CIPA is to guard children against the hazards of the internet, which is accomplished by the use of internet filters. These defense measures must stop or filter internet access to pictures of child pornography, obscene or any material that may harmful to minors. CIPA directly tackles the issues of children gaining access to unsafe material on the internet, but it does not directly address the concerns of outside entities gaining personal information from minors.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) was passed in April, 2000 and revised in March, 2013 ("Kelly / Warnar", 2013). This law controls the online gathering of personal information from anyone under the...