What is the primary objective of **COPPA**?

**The primary objective of COPPA is to protect the privacy of children under 13 years old by placing parents in control of personal information collected online.** Enacted in 1998 and effective April 21, 2000, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act requires operators of commercial websites, online services, mobile apps, and IoT devices directed to children—or with actual knowledge of collecting their data—to obtain verifiable parental consent (VPC) before any collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, such as names, addresses, persistent identifiers (e.g., IP addresses, device IDs), geolocation data, or audio/video files [1][2][7].

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with **COPPA**?

**Operators of commercial websites, online services, mobile apps, and IoT devices that direct content to children under 13 or have actual knowledge of collecting their personal information must comply with COPPA.** This includes entities benefiting from data collection, like ad networks, and applies extraterritorially to services processing U.S. children's data; non-profits are exempt if not commercial [2][3][7].

Does **COPPA** require an external audit or third-party certification?

**COPPA does not mandate external audits or third-party certification for all operators, but participation in FTC-approved safe harbor programs involves self-regulatory audits.** Examples include iKeepSafe (approved 2014) and ESRB modifications (2018), which provide compliance safe harbors through audited programs [1][3].

How often should an assessment for **COPPA** be performed?

**COPPA does not prescribe a fixed frequency for assessments, but operators must conduct ongoing reviews to ensure continuous compliance with evolving data practices and FTC guidance.** Regular evaluations are essential for actual knowledge determinations, VPC mechanisms, and data security, particularly amid FTC regulatory reviews like the 2019 comment periods [1][7].

What are the consequences of non-compliance with **COPPA**?

**Non-compliance with COPPA results in civil penalties up to $43,792 per violation, enforced by the FTC as unfair or deceptive practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act.** High-profile cases include YouTube's $170 million fine in 2019 for unconsented tracking on child-directed content; state AGs may also pursue actions [3][7].

An **COPPA** be mapped to other international frameworks?

**COPPA serves as a standalone U.S. federal law and is not formally mapped to other frameworks in its regulations.** However, its principles of parental consent and data minimization for children under 13 inform global child privacy practices, with extraterritorial application to services targeting U.S. children [2][3].

What is the first step to begin implementing **COPPA**?

**The first step to implement COPPA is to conduct an audience analysis to determine if your service is directed to children under 13 or collects their personal information with actual knowledge.** Post a comprehensive privacy policy, assess collection practices, and prepare verifiable parental consent mechanisms like credit card verification or video calls [2][7][10].

What is the primary objective of **CIS Controls**?

**The primary objective of CIS Controls is to provide a prioritized set of 18 cybersecurity best practices across 153 actionable safeguards to reduce organizational attack surface and mitigate the most common cyber threats.** CIS Controls v8.1, developed by the Center for Internet Security, focuses on pragmatic measures like asset inventory and vulnerability management, organized into Implementation Groups (IG1–IG3) for scalable adoption by organizations of all sizes.

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with **CIS Controls**?

**No organization is universally legally required to comply with CIS Controls, as they are voluntary, consensus-driven best practices rather than a mandated regulation.** However, CIS Controls are professionally expected for CISOs, security architects, IT managers, and compliance officers across all industries and sizes—from SMBs targeting IG1 to enterprises pursuing IG3—especially where referenced in U.S. state guidance, contracts, or insurance requirements for demonstrating reasonable cybersecurity hygiene.

Does **CIS Controls** require an external audit or third-party certification?

**CIS Controls does not require external audits or third-party certification, as it lacks a formal certification program.** Organizations self-assess using tools like CIS Controls Navigator or CIS-CAT against the 153 safeguards and IG1–IG3, with optional validation via internal metrics, penetration testing (Control 18), or acceptance by regulators, insurers, and partners as evidence of baseline controls.

How often should an assessment for **CIS Controls** be performed?

**CIS Controls assessments should be performed continuously for key safeguards like asset inventories and vulnerability management, with full maturity reassessments at least annually.** IG1–IG3 gap analyses, using CIS RAM or Navigator, occur during initial implementation, quarterly reviews for operational metrics (e.g., patch SLAs), and after major changes like cloud migrations to ensure alignment with evolving threats.

What are the consequences of non-compliance with **CIS Controls**?

**Non-compliance with CIS Controls exposes organizations to increased breach risk, operational disruption, regulatory findings, and contractual penalties rather than direct fines, as it is not legally binding.** Poor hygiene enables common exploits, leading to data breaches, recovery costs averaging $4.45M (IBM 2023), lost partnerships, higher insurance premiums, and litigation leverage in states citing "reasonable security" standards.

An **CIS Controls** be mapped to other international frameworks?

**Yes, CIS Controls v8.1 provides official mappings to over 25 frameworks including NIST CSF 2.0, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR via the CIS Controls Navigator tool.** These automated crosswalks align the 18 controls and 153 safeguards—e.g., asset management to NIST Identify—to enable unified compliance programs, reducing duplication in multi-framework environments.

What is the first step to begin implementing **CIS Controls**?

**The first step to implement CIS Controls is to secure executive sponsorship and conduct a baseline maturity assessment using CIS RAM or Controls Navigator to determine the target Implementation Group (IG1–IG3).** Follow with Phase 0 governance: define scope, charter, KPIs, and asset inventory (Controls 1–2) to prioritize quick wins like MFA and vulnerability scanning.

COPPA vs CIS Controls

Standards Comparison

COPPA

Mandatory

1998

U.S. law requiring parental consent for child online data collection

CIS Controls

Voluntary

2021

Prioritized cybersecurity framework for essential cyber hygiene

Quick Verdict

COPPA mandates parental consent for child data collection on child-directed sites, enforced by FTC fines up to $170M. CIS Controls offer voluntary cybersecurity hygiene across 18 domains via Implementation Groups. Companies adopt COPPA for legal compliance, CIS for resilient defenses.

Children Privacy

COPPA

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

Cost

€€€€

Complexity

High

Implementation Time

6-12 months

Key Features

Mandates verifiable parental consent for under-13 data collection
Targets child-directed websites, apps, and online services
Defines broad PII including geolocation, device IDs, multimedia
Imposes FTC enforcement with $43,792 per-violation penalties
Provides parents data access, review, and deletion rights

Cybersecurity

CIS Controls

CIS Critical Security Controls v8.1

Cost

€€€

Complexity

Medium

Implementation Time

12-18 months

Key Features

18 prioritized controls with 153 actionable safeguards
Implementation Groups IG1-IG3 for scalable adoption
Asset and software inventory as foundational hygiene
Mappings to NIST CSF, ISO 27001, HIPAA frameworks
Free Benchmarks and Navigator tools for implementation

Detailed Analysis

A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

COPPA Details

What It Is

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a U.S. federal regulation enacted in 1998, effective 2000, enforced by the FTC. It protects children under 13 from unauthorized online data collection by commercial websites, apps, and services directed at kids or with actual knowledge of child users. Core approach mandates verifiable parental consent (VPC) prior to collection, use, or disclosure, with 2013 amendments expanding personal information (PII) scope.

Key Components

**Operator obligationsPrivacy policies, VPC, parental access/review/deletion, data security, minimization.
**PII definitionNames, addresses, persistent IDs (IP, device), geolocation, audio/video files.
**VPC methods11+ options like credit cards, video calls (sliding scale by risk).
**Safe harborsFTC-approved self-regulatory programs (e.g., ESRB, iKeepSafe).
Compliance model: No certification but FTC audits, penalties up to $43,792/violation.

Why Organizations Use It

Legal mandate avoids massive fines (e.g., YouTube's $170M). Enhances trust, reduces breach risks, enables global operations targeting U.S. kids. Builds reputation in edtech, gaming; supports data minimization for efficiency.

Implementation Overview

Assess audience for child-appeal, deploy age gates, VPC mechanisms, policies. Applies to commercial operators worldwide if U.S. kids targeted. Key activities: Audits, training, third-party reviews. No formal certification; ongoing FTC compliance via documentation.

CIS Controls Details

What It Is

CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls) v8.1 is a community-driven, prescriptive cybersecurity framework of prioritized best practices to reduce attack surfaces and enhance resilience. It applies to all industries and organization sizes via Implementation Groups (IG1–IG3), using an asset-centric, risk-based approach with actionable safeguards.

Key Components

18 controls across hygiene, organizational, and advanced domains, with 153 safeguards.
Focus on asset inventory, data protection, access management, vulnerability remediation.
Built on real-world attack data; scalable via IG1 (56 essentials), IG2/IG3 (advanced).
No formal certification; self-assessed compliance with mappings to NIST, ISO 27001.

Why Organizations Use It

Mitigates 85% common attacks, cuts breach costs, accelerates compliance (NIST, HIPAA).
Builds trust with insurers, partners; enables efficiency, cyber insurance discounts.
Strategic ROI via reduced incidents, operational streamlining.

Implementation Overview

Phased roadmap: governance, discovery, foundational (IG1), expansion (IG2/IG3), validation.
Key activities: asset inventories, automation, training, metrics tracking.
Universal applicability; free tools like Benchmarks, Navigator aid SMBs to enterprises.

Key Differences

Aspect	COPPA	CIS Controls
Scope	Child privacy online data collection under 13	Comprehensive cybersecurity across 18 domains
Industry	Commercial websites/apps targeting children globally	All industries/sectors, all organization sizes
Nature	Mandatory U.S. federal regulation, FTC enforced	Voluntary cybersecurity best practices framework
Testing	No formal testing; compliance via audits/consent	Penetration testing, continuous assessments (Control 18)
Penalties	$43,792 per violation, e.g. YouTube $170M	No legal penalties, reputational/business risks

Scope

COPPA

Child privacy online data collection under 13

CIS Controls

Comprehensive cybersecurity across 18 domains

Industry

COPPA

Commercial websites/apps targeting children globally

CIS Controls

All industries/sectors, all organization sizes

Nature

COPPA

Mandatory U.S. federal regulation, FTC enforced

CIS Controls

Voluntary cybersecurity best practices framework

Testing

COPPA

No formal testing; compliance via audits/consent

CIS Controls

Penetration testing, continuous assessments (Control 18)

Penalties

COPPA

$43,792 per violation, e.g. YouTube $170M

CIS Controls

No legal penalties, reputational/business risks

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about COPPA and CIS Controls

COPPA FAQ

CIS Controls FAQ

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COPPA

CIS Controls

Quick Verdict

COPPA

Key Features

CIS Controls

Key Features

Detailed Analysis

COPPA Details

What It Is

Key Components

Why Organizations Use It

Implementation Overview

CIS Controls Details

What It Is

Key Components

Why Organizations Use It

Implementation Overview

Key Differences

Scope

Industry

Nature

Testing

Penalties

Frequently Asked Questions

COPPA FAQ

What is the primary objective of COPPA?

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with COPPA?

Does COPPA require an external audit or third-party certification?

How often should an assessment for COPPA be performed?

What are the consequences of non-compliance with COPPA?

An COPPA be mapped to other international frameworks?

What is the first step to begin implementing COPPA?

CIS Controls FAQ

What is the primary objective of CIS Controls?

Who is legally or professionally required to comply with CIS Controls?

Does CIS Controls require an external audit or third-party certification?

How often should an assessment for CIS Controls be performed?

What are the consequences of non-compliance with CIS Controls?

An CIS Controls be mapped to other international frameworks?

What is the first step to begin implementing CIS Controls?

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NIST 800-53 Private Sector ROI Reality Check: Isolating Control Family Impacts on 2024 Breach Costs

The 'Black Box' Risk: Why Human-in-the-Loop is the Ultimate Fail-Safe for 2026 Security Operations

Run Maturity Assessments with GRADUM

Check out these other Gradum.io Standards Comparison Pages

ISO 56002 vs Basel III

ISO 14001 vs PIPEDA

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