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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release June 4, 1998

                   STATEMENT OF VICE PRESIDENT GORE
                ON STEPS TO PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF KIDS

I welcome the steps that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced today to protect the privacy of children -- which will move us further towards the creation of an "electronic bill of rights."

Protecting privacy is a cherished American value, and it is even more precious when it involves those too young to protect themselves.

President Clinton and I commend the FTC's determination to investigate and sanction firms or individuals who mislead children about privacy protection on the Internet.

In addition, we welcome the FTC's call for legislation to give it the legal authority to require that operators of Websites on the Internet get parental consent before they can collect and distribute certain privacy sensitive information.

The FTC study shows disappointing results -- that many Websites failed to meet a minimal requirement of protecting a privacy policy. The private sector has made some progress towards effective self regulation by offering privacy statements on Websites, but it needs to do more to implement meaningful, enforceable, privacy standards.