Standards Comparison

    COPPA

    Mandatory
    1998

    U.S. regulation requiring parental consent for children's online data

    VS

    IEC 62443

    Voluntary
    2018

    International standard for IACS cybersecurity framework

    Quick Verdict

    COPPA mandates parental consent for kids' online data to protect privacy, while IEC 62443 provides risk-based cybersecurity for industrial systems. Companies adopt COPPA for legal compliance amid hefty fines; IEC 62443 for OT resilience, supplier assurance, and market edge.

    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 child data collection
    • Expands PII to persistent IDs, geolocation, multimedia
    • Targets operators with child-directed content or knowledge
    • Imposes civil penalties up to $43,792 per violation
    • Grants parents data review, deletion, revocation rights
    Industrial Cybersecurity

    IEC 62443

    IEC 62443: IACS Security Standards Series

    Cost
    €€€
    Complexity
    Medium
    Implementation Time
    18-24 months

    Key Features

    • Zone and conduit risk-based segmentation
    • Security Levels SL-T/A/C for targeted protection
    • Seven Foundational Requirements FR1-FR7 mapping
    • Shared roles for asset owners, integrators, suppliers
    • Secure SDLC and ISASecure certifications

    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), enacted in 1998 and effective 2000, is a U.S. federal regulation enforced by the FTC. It safeguards children under 13 from unauthorized personal data collection by commercial websites, apps, and services. Core approach mandates verifiable parental consent before collection, use, or disclosure, with 2013 amendments expanding scope to modern tracking.

    Key Components

    • Verifiable parental consent via 11+ methods (e.g., credit card, video call).
    • Broad personal information definition: names, persistent IDs, geolocation, audio/video.
    • Privacy notices, data minimization, security safeguards.
    • Parental rights for access, review, deletion, revocation.
    • Applies to child-directed operators or those with actual knowledge of child users.

    Why Organizations Use It

    Mandatory compliance avoids crippling fines (e.g., YouTube's $170 million). Mitigates risks from edtech, gaming data practices. Builds parental trust, enhances reputation, supports global operations targeting U.S. kids. Meets legal baselines amid rising enforcement.

    Implementation Overview

    Conduct audience analysis, deploy age gates/VPC mechanisms, post policies, audit trackers. Targets web/app operators; safe harbors ease via self-regulation. No formal certification but FTC exams/penalties up to $43,792/violation drive ongoing diligence. Scalable for SMBs via tools, intensive for enterprises.

    IEC 62443 Details

    What It Is

    IEC 62443 (ISA/IEC 62443) is an international series of standards for industrial automation and control systems (IACS) cybersecurity. It provides a comprehensive, risk-based framework defining roles, processes, security levels, and requirements across the IACS lifecycle for all stakeholders.

    Key Components

    • Four groups: General (-1), Policies (-2), System (-3), Components (-4)
    • Seven Foundational Requirements (FR1-FR7) mapped to ~140+ system/component requirements
    • Zone/conduit model, Security Levels (SL0-4: SL-T/A/C), CSMS maturity (ML1-4)
    • ISASecure certifications for components, systems, SDLC

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mitigates regulatory risks (NIS-2, NERC CIP), downtime, supply-chain threats
    • Enables competitive bidding, insurance savings, OT-IT alignment
    • Builds supplier assurance, future-proofs IIoT/cloud adoption
    • Enhances resilience, reputation in critical sectors like energy, manufacturing

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: sponsorship, gap analysis, risk assessment (3-2), design, deploy, monitor
    • Applies to asset owners, integrators, suppliers globally
    • Involves training, audits; optional third-party certification via IECEE/ISASecure (180 words)

    Key Differences

    Scope

    COPPA
    Children's online privacy under 13
    IEC 62443
    Industrial automation cybersecurity

    Industry

    COPPA
    Online services, apps, adtech
    IEC 62443
    Energy, manufacturing, utilities

    Nature

    COPPA
    Mandatory US federal regulation
    IEC 62443
    Voluntary international standard

    Testing

    COPPA
    FTC audits, no certification
    IEC 62443
    ISASecure certification, penetration testing

    Penalties

    COPPA
    $43k per violation fines
    IEC 62443
    No legal penalties, certification loss

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions about COPPA and IEC 62443

    COPPA FAQ

    IEC 62443 FAQ

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