When it Comes to Santa Sites,
BBB Says 'You Better Watch Out ...'
Dozens and dozens of web domain names have been registered in the name of Santa Claus, offering children and their parents a wide range of opportunities to e-mail, watch or track St. Nick. Before children are allowed to share personal information for a “Letter to Santa” or create a personal message from a web site, the Better Business Bureau and Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) recommend that adults carefully review the site to determine who is seeking the information, how it will be used and whether it will be shared with third parties.
“Parents looking to add a wide-eyed experience for their child could be surprised by the trouble they cause for themselves if they enter personal information on the wrong holiday site,” said David Polino, Better Business Bureau President. “Parents should know that even Santa is required to protect personal information and comply with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.” The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act requires sites to get a parent's permission before collecting or sharing personal information from children under 13.
All web sites directed to children – or web sites designed with a special children’s section – should have a privacy policy that explains the site’s information collection practices. The privacy policy should include the name of the company and the company’s complete contact information – a physical address, phone number and email to contact them should you need to.
“Privacy policies can reveal a lot about a business, who they do business with and what their goal is if they do share information,” Polino added. “Some of these Santa sites are purely fun, but others are hoping that your visit will turn into profits for third parties, advertisers, or other future offers. What you enroll in now can become a completely unrelated solicitation later.”
BBB and CARU offer the following questions to ask and ‘Dear Santa’ web site review tips:
*Does the site ask for or collect credit card information? If so, BBB recommends you research the company and the company’s parent names with bbb.org and other sources to find someone you can trust.
*Does the site ask for personal information beyond your first name or email address? You should protect your child’s personal identification and your own financial information at all times. If the web site asks for more than required to participate in an activity, or you are uncomfortable, navigate away. Children may not understand, but you can find a trusted Santa elsewhere …Plus, Santa already knows where you live.
*Are you signing up for future solicitations or communication from the company? Using email or game tools on some web sites can lead to automated responses and future invitations. Read the fine print before you click submit.
*Check web sites for unwelcome content. Some sites are geared toward adults and may contain language or advertising adults may not want children to see.
*Check hyperlinks. Since hyperlinks can allow children to move seamlessly from one site to another, investigate the hyperlinks first or sit with your child to assure they don’t access inappropriate content.
*Make sure there is a privacy policy. Details of a privacy policy can give you pause, but absence of one should be a red flag, leaving all of your questions about use of personal information unknown, so make sure the Santa site you’re on has one.
BBB offers some popular Santa sites and their privacy policies that can be found by clicking on the links below:
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=228
http://www.claus.com/privacy.php.htm
http://emailsanta.com/privacy.htm
http://www.northpole.com/privacy.asp
http://www.santaclaus.net/Terms.asp?session=E7EF36F06CAA4B20A9E2F4D2D4FCF2EF
http://www.saintnick.org/html/letters.html
http://www.kriskringle.com/about-us
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/privacy-statement#terms-pol
BBB does not currently have Reliability Reports on the Santa web sites listed above and therefore encourages the public to read the entire privacy policy before providing personal information. BBB Reliability Reports are formed through marketplace activity, either during the BBB accreditation application process, inquiries made or complaints filed. When a company does not have a BBB Reliability Report it simply reflects there has not been recent marketplace activity for BBB to report and should not be seen as a positive or a negative.
“Parents looking to add a wide-eyed experience for their child could be surprised by the trouble they cause for themselves if they enter personal information on the wrong holiday site,” said David Polino, Better Business Bureau President. “Parents should know that even Santa is required to protect personal information and comply with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.” The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act requires sites to get a parent's permission before collecting or sharing personal information from children under 13.
All web sites directed to children – or web sites designed with a special children’s section – should have a privacy policy that explains the site’s information collection practices. The privacy policy should include the name of the company and the company’s complete contact information – a physical address, phone number and email to contact them should you need to.
“Privacy policies can reveal a lot about a business, who they do business with and what their goal is if they do share information,” Polino added. “Some of these Santa sites are purely fun, but others are hoping that your visit will turn into profits for third parties, advertisers, or other future offers. What you enroll in now can become a completely unrelated solicitation later.”
BBB and CARU offer the following questions to ask and ‘Dear Santa’ web site review tips:
*Does the site ask for or collect credit card information? If so, BBB recommends you research the company and the company’s parent names with bbb.org and other sources to find someone you can trust.
*Does the site ask for personal information beyond your first name or email address? You should protect your child’s personal identification and your own financial information at all times. If the web site asks for more than required to participate in an activity, or you are uncomfortable, navigate away. Children may not understand, but you can find a trusted Santa elsewhere …Plus, Santa already knows where you live.
*Are you signing up for future solicitations or communication from the company? Using email or game tools on some web sites can lead to automated responses and future invitations. Read the fine print before you click submit.
*Check web sites for unwelcome content. Some sites are geared toward adults and may contain language or advertising adults may not want children to see.
*Check hyperlinks. Since hyperlinks can allow children to move seamlessly from one site to another, investigate the hyperlinks first or sit with your child to assure they don’t access inappropriate content.
*Make sure there is a privacy policy. Details of a privacy policy can give you pause, but absence of one should be a red flag, leaving all of your questions about use of personal information unknown, so make sure the Santa site you’re on has one.
BBB offers some popular Santa sites and their privacy policies that can be found by clicking on the links below:
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=228
http://www.claus.com/privacy.php.htm
http://emailsanta.com/privacy.htm
http://www.northpole.com/privacy.asp
http://www.santaclaus.net/Terms.asp?session=E7EF36F06CAA4B20A9E2F4D2D4FCF2EF
http://www.saintnick.org/html/letters.html
http://www.kriskringle.com/about-us
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/privacy-statement#terms-pol
BBB does not currently have Reliability Reports on the Santa web sites listed above and therefore encourages the public to read the entire privacy policy before providing personal information. BBB Reliability Reports are formed through marketplace activity, either during the BBB accreditation application process, inquiries made or complaints filed. When a company does not have a BBB Reliability Report it simply reflects there has not been recent marketplace activity for BBB to report and should not be seen as a positive or a negative.
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