Such methods can cause a substantial delay before a child can participate in a web site's activities and involve a substantial paperwork burden for web site operators. They may also depress consent rates, due to lack of fax machines, postage, and convenience. Two other methods provided as examples in the proposed rule are expensive to implement. Toll-free numbers are too expensive for many web sites to operate as they involve significant telephone charges, labor expenses for a dedicated telephone operator, and capital and storage expenses for creating a tape verification system. Using credit card verification at a free site is also expensive, with a substantial charge for each verification and no revenue for operators to offset these verification charges from credit card companies.
Electronic verification is more promising.
This can currently be accomplished effectively as long as parents have a separate e-mail address or password that has not been provided to the child. The use of digital signatures is an emerging technology that will also allow verifiable consent. The Commission also discusses the possibility of third parties or online service providers offering parental consent services. A related consideration is the use of filtering technology to provide consent. This emerging technology will allow parents to match their privacy preferences with the information practices of web sites their children may visit.