This may come as a bit of a shock to those who think Microsoft believes itself above the law - but Microsoft actually has been following the rules of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. That's the good news. The bad news: that's cost a good number of Hotmail customers their e-mail accounts.
Microsoft had enacted some changes to come in line with the new regulations, which include parental consent for Net users 13 years old and under. The Act also requires websites collecting personal information to get parental consent for the same age group. Microsoft had warned American users whose profiles showed them to be under 13 they would need to show parental consent.
The company said April 28 part of the Hotmail closures involved customers who provided incorrect ages when they opened accounts with the free e-mail service. Some, however, reportedly said they had no memory of receiving any warning.
And CNET reported that Microsoft wasn't exactly confident on those fallen accounts returning to their original owners. The company did say, though, that those owners could create new Hotmail accounts and provide the right information to comply with the Act.
