40.  Geocities, Docket No. C-3849 (final consent Feb. 12, 1999)

Respondent: GeoCities

Type:  Privacy - the first FTC case

GeoCities, one of the most popular sites on the World Wide Web, agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it misrepresented the purposes for which it was collecting personal identifying information from children and adults, in the first FTC case involving Internet privacy.

Under the settlement, GeoCities has agreed to post on its site a clear and prominent Privacy Notice, telling consumers what information is being collected and for what purpose, to whom it will be disclosed, and how consumers can access and remove the information. To ensure parental control, GeoCities also will have to obtain parental consent before collecting information from children 12 and under.