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IMPORTANT: Regarding under-13s and COPPA.

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Nihilego

[color=#95b4d4]ユービーゼロイチ パラサイト[/color]
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Hi PokéCommunity,

The PokéCommunity staff have recently been discussing our forum's stance on COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. As a website hosted in the United States of America, we are by law required to enforce this.

What this means is that we as staff are under obligation to identify any members who admit to being under the age of 13 and to request consent from a parent or guardian of such members for their use of this website or, failing that, to terminate their accounts. While we are aware that this has the potential to impact many of our members, we are required to take these actions by law.

What this entails for our users is as follows;
  • for unregistered members under the age of 13 - our registration page will no longer allow you to register if you are under the age of 13. Please do not attempt to bypass this. For your privacy, you are not required to publicly display your age after registration.
  • for registered members over the age of 13 - you need not do anything; even if you are still considered a child in your country, COPPA does not apply to you.
  • for registered members under the age of 13 - it is very important that, should you publicly disclose your age or have had a staff member approach you due to disclosure of your age, you understand the following. If you are found to be under the age of 13, your account may be restricted. This will block you from posting or interacting with other members. In order to remove restrictions on your account, you must follow the instructions sent to you, or, once you've reached the age of 13, you may contact us.

All of this said, it is now not advisable that you regularly change your displayed birth date - especially not to one under 13. If you have any questions or concerns, you may reply to this thread or send a PM to myself or another staff member. Thanks for your understanding.

-the PokéCommunity Staff
 
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reniersnyder

The Glaceon Girl
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Would I be safe? Just Wondering even thought Im 15. I didnt see anything about registered members currently in the US that is over the age of 13.
 
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Would I be safe? Just Wondering even thought Im 15. I didnt see anything about registered members currently in the US that is over the age of 13.
Yes. You are safe and won't have to do anything. You are not considered a "child" in the US in the matter at hand.
 

«Chuckles»

Sharky
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Yeah what happens if "Chuck Norris" is 11 and he wants to join so he gets his pal "Bruce Lee" to send in an email of saying "My son is allowed to go on your site" also what about people who just set the age to like 18 but are really 10 or something? I live in australia so does this count for me even though I am over 13?
 

Paige Berlitz

HAPPY SAINT PATTIES DAY
282
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Yeah what happens if "Chuck Norris" is 11 and he wants to join so he gets his pal "Bruce Lee" to send in an email of saying "My son is allowed to go on your site" also what about people who just set the age to like 18 but are really 10 or something? I live in australia so does this count for me even though I am over 13?

The Coppa rule doesn't apply to you. Just to those who live in the United states.
 

Nihilego

[color=#95b4d4]ユービーゼロイチ パラサイト[/color]
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Does this mean that anyone under 13 needs to have parent proof to be on this site?

Yes, if someone is under 13 they should provide proof of parental consent for their use of this website.

Yeah what happens if "Chuck Norris" is 11 and he wants to join so he gets his pal "Bruce Lee" to send in an email of saying "My son is allowed to go on your site" also what about people who just set the age to like 18 but are really 10 or something?

Then we can't really do anything about that. We are required to enforce this to the best of our knowledge, and if someone is underage outside of our knowledge then that is out of our hands.

I live in australia so does this count for me even though I am over 13?

Yes, it applies to all users of this website due to the fact that it is hosted in the US.

The Coppa rule doesn't apply to you. Just to those who live in the United states.

No. It applies to all users of this website due to the fact that this website is hosted in the US, and thus follows American laws.
 
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Our servers and whatnot being in America are therefore subject to United States legal jurisdiction, meaning anyone who seeks to use this site must be over the age of 13, unless you have parental consent. Regardless of where you may be from.
 

Emburn

<3
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I like this rule for other reasons as well. I think it makes for a mature community. I remember having to do this for a few forums ages ago when I was under 13 and it was so hard to get my dad to give consent! D:
 

Palamon

Silence is Purple
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Well, at least I'm 16 now. If this rule was implemented when I was younger, I'd be in trouble. So my account is safe. Stinks that law had to clamp down on PC. =\
 

antemortem

rest after tomorrow
7,481
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Well, at least I'm 16 now. If this rule was implemented when I was younger, I'd be in trouble. So my account is safe. Stinks that law had to clamp down on PC. =\

In a technical sense it's been enforced, but it wasn't all that clear up to this date so we thought it appropriate that it be announced from an official standpoint that this is a matter we are enforcing in a serious regard.
 
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I'm 20 so I'm all but safe, but I do have prune my friends list of members who have been banned as a result of these new rules. But it's all part of keeping young children exposed to what could be inappropriate content.
 

Seth Rollins

Holding on to You |-/
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Hi i'm ExtremeGamer im banned because of this rule. This is my old account...>.<

Used it for some last vms...well i think you can ban it now :)
 

Corvus of the Black Night

Wild Duck Pokémon
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I like this rule for other reasons as well. I think it makes for a mature community. I remember having to do this for a few forums ages ago when I was under 13 and it was so hard to get my dad to give consent! D:
It's not a matter of a rule, it's actually a law - that's why a lot of sites ask you for your age before registration.
 

Hannah

beep bop boop
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Oh no. I won't turn 13 until next year. D:

Yes, if someone is under 13 they should provide proof of parental consent for their use of this website.

What kind of parental consent is needed? My parents know perfectly well that I go to PokéCommunity.
 

Cordelia

Banned
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Oh no. I won't turn 13 until next year. D:



What kind of parental consent is needed? My parents know perfectly well that I go to PokéCommunity.

Have them handwrite a letter stating your username and consent to be on the forum. Take a picture of the letter. From coppa 's website there doesn't seem to be an official form...
 

Hannah

beep bop boop
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Have them handwrite a letter stating your username and consent to be on the forum. Take a picture of the letter. From coppa 's website there doesn't seem to be an official form...

Can I not get banned until my mom/dad gets home? They're both at work right now and I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. Pretty please? :(
 

Sydian

fake your death.
33,379
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I don't understand why they have that law and say that parental consent is required, but they don't have a form for it. If you're going to have a way to get around it, have an actual way not just a figure it out on your own type of deal.
 
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