Connecticut BBB Encourages Parents to Be Vigilant about Holiday Websites Targeting Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) December 12, 2011 -- Check Privacy Policies on “Dear Santa” Websites

More than 60 domain names have been registered in the name of Santa Claus, offering children a wide range of opportunities to email St. Nick. Sadly, some of them are not trustworthy and can be a dangerous portal to unwittingly sharing personal information. Better Business Bureau is advising parents to do their homework before letting children write to Santa this holiday season.

Sending a note to Santa is a longtime tradition, and, while it is supposed to be fun, it is very important for adults to carefully review online Santa websites to determine who is seeking a return address and other personal information, how it will be used and whether it will be shared with others.

According to the BBB’s Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), all websites directed at children or containing a special children’s section should have a privacy policy that explains the site’s information collection practices. That privacy policy must include the name of the company and its complete contact information.

It also should state whether the company shares information with third parties, including advertisers, and whether it publicly discloses or retains the information for any future purpose.

CARU offers the following ‘Dear Santa’ site review tips:

Check to see what they want you to hand over - Websites directed to children should not ask a child to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the activity – a first name and email address, for instance.

Limit the personal information children share with Santa and omit physical addresses - In many cases, there really shouldn’t be a need to share this information, especially since Santa already knows where all the children live.

Check websites for unwelcome content - Some sites are geared toward adults and may contain language or advertising that adults may not want children to see.

Check the links - Since hyperlinks can allow children to move seamlessly from one site to another, investigate the hyperlinks to assure children don’t access inappropriate content.

For more information on website safety and children, please visit CARU at http://www.CARU.org and for more information you can trust, visit http://www.ct.bbb.org/.

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