[OpenID] OpenID and the COPPA

[SitG Admin]

>requires service providers to obtain permission from a parent to
>collect, disclose, etc information from a child less than 13 years of
>age.

The questions I am about to add may seem highly 
improbable, but anticipating fringe cases for the 
benefit of those who need to be thorough is 
something I've been doing for too long to wave 
them off as "Oh, this will never happen." or 
"We'll just burn that bridge and write it off as 
'a necessary cost of doing business' when we come 
to it."

If the next Torvalds is 12 years old and running 
his own server through his own computer, does he 
need to obtain permission from his parents to do 
this? If so, is he at risk of being charged with 
statutory disclosure of information when he 
introduces himself to another child at the 
playground without asking his parents' permission 
first? If not, who *does* get blamed?

His parents, for giving their young prodigy a 
computer with which to productively develop his 
talent? The ISP, for respecting Network 
Neutrality and neither inspecting packet contents 
nor blocking his server? Or the OpenID "cult", 
whose fanatical advocates made it popular enough 
that little "Torvalds, mark 2" thought it was the 
Cool Thing to do?

-Shade