Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Privacy Notice
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires that we gain verifiable consent for your child to participate in the AAVSO’s International Year of Light 2015 contest. We are asking for your permission to retain your child’s information (first and last name, age, grade level, email address) as well as the parent’s/guardian’s contact information (first and last name, primary phone number, and email address) for the purpose of monitoring the program participation, for allowing contest entries and content submissions, and for notifying contest winners. If you consent, we may use your child’s name, grade, and location -- state (if USA) and/or country -- to promote the contest.
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Your child has entered the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) International Year of Light 2015 (IYL) contest, a free, international science competition hosted by the AAVSO as part of the IYL celebrations. This contest was created to get children more involved and interested in astronomy.
Via email or postal mail, your child has provided information (first and last name, age and/or grade level, and email address along with their parent’s/guardian’s first and last name and their email address and phone number) and his/her submission to the contest. Since your child is under the age of 13, the information collected will be kept confidential in compliance with COPPA and other similar state and federal laws.
The AAVSO is the sole owner of all of the information that is collected during the contest.
- The personal information provided by the child is used for monitoring the program participation, for allowing contest entries and content submissions, for notifying contest winners.
- Only with the parent’s/guardian’s consent, the child’s name, grade, and location -- state (if USA) and/or country -- may be used to promote the contest. This includes, but is not limited to promotion on the AAVSO website, social media, etc.
- The AAVSO will not require a child to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the contest as a condition of participation.
- No information will be disclosed to third parties; this means that information will not be shared with any businesses and/or added to any mailing lists.
- The parent can review the child’s personal information, ask to have it deleted and refuse to allow any further collection or use of the child’s information. Parents/guardians should contact the project coordinator, Rebecca Turner, with questions and/or concerns.
Please fill out and return the attached consent form. The contact person for any inquiries regarding the AAVSO IYL contest is:
Rebecca Turner, AAVSO Operations Director
49 Bay State Road
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
phone: 617-354-0484
fax: 617-354-0665
email: IYL@aavso.org