On December 11, 2008, the FTC announced the settlement of a $1 million civil action against Sony BMG Music Entertainment. According to the FTC, Sony had violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), the COPPA Rule, and Section 5 of the FTC Act by knowingly collecting personally identifiable information from over 30,000 children under the age of 13 on 196 of the company’s music sites without first obtaining parental consent. In addition to the $1 million fine, the consent order requires Sony to delete all personal information collected and maintained in violation of COPPA, and to include a link to certain FTC consumer education materials on web sites it operates that are subject to COPPA or that offer users the opportunity to create publicly viewable profiles.