With just six months until the Children’s Code comes into force, The Information Commissioner’s Office, ICO, is urging businesses to act now.
Initial findings from industry research set up by the ICO show that three quarters of businesses surveyed are aware of the Children’s Code.
Some 500 services and businesses were part of a survey to gauge understanding of the code, and the opportunities and challenges that it may present to organisations. The full findings will be published in May but initial analysis shows businesses are still in the preparation stages.
And with just six months to go until the code comes into force, the ICO is urging organisations and businesses to make the necessary changes to their online services and products.
What is the Children’s Code?
The Children’s Code sets out 15 standards organisations must meet to ensure that children’s data is protected online. The code will apply to all the major online services used by children in the UK and includes measures such as providing default settings which ensure that children have the best possible access to online services whilst minimising data collection and use.
The importance of the code will be reflected by Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham when she addresses the Oxford Internet Institute later this week.
Details of the code were first published in June 2018 and UK Parliament approved it last year. Since then, the ICO has been providing support and advice to help organisations adapt their online services and products in line with data protection law.
ICO calls for Transparency Champions
The ICO has launched a call for transparency champions. These are organisations that are designing projects using privacy information in ways that are easy for children to understand and engage with.
The Children’s Code hub has a variety of resources for organisations to understand the code and whether they are in scope of it.
The ICO has been holding webinars with online sectors and will be hosting a workshop at the Festival of UX & Design 2021 for the design community to raise awareness of the code and explain how it can be applied to innovative projects. The ICO wants to understand if there are any further challenges for businesses in this area so it can provide tailored guidance and support.
For more information visit ico.org.uk/childrenscode