This article explains how PRIVO impacts instructors and academic institutions that support minor learners (under the age of 13) using CompTIA platforms.
What is PRIVO?
PRIVO is a third-party privacy solutions provider that CompTIA uses to securely collect Verifiable Parental Consent (VPC) for learners under the age of 13.
PRIVO is an FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor organization and manages the parental consent and adult verification process on behalf of CompTIA.
Why is PRIVO required for minor learners (under the age of 13)?
CompTIA requires Verifiable Parental Consent (VPC) before allowing minors under the age of 13 to create accounts or access learning and certification services.
This ensures compliance with COPPA and global child data privacy regulations and protects minors’ (under the age of 13) personal information.
What is the instructor’s role in the PRIVO process?
In most cases, parents or legal guardians are responsible for granting consent.
In certain academic environments, institutions may authorize instructors to provide consent on behalf of minors under the age of 13 only when parents are unable or unwilling to do so.
Instructors should not grant consent unless their institution has completed this authorization process.
How does instructor-based consent work?
When instructor consent is authorized:
- The student creates a CompTIA Central account and provides an instructor or authorized administrative email to request consent
- The instructor receives an email requesting them to give or decline consent
- If consent is granted, the instructor completes the PRIVO workflow, including adult verification
- Once completed, the minor under the age of 13 gains access to CompTIA Central and related services
Until consent is granted, the student’s account remains on hold with no access.
Are instructors required to verify their identity?
Yes. Instructors granting consent must complete a one-time adult verification process through PRIVO.
Verification options may include:
- Government-issued ID
- Credit card
- PayPal or Stripe
- Partial Social Security number
All verification is handled securely by PRIVO and used only for consent purposes.
What happens if consent is revoked?
If consent is revoked by a parent, guardian, or authorized instructor, the minor under the age of 13 immediately loses access to CompTIA Central and all related platforms and services.
Can instructors request account deletion for a minor under the age of 13?
Instructors may request deletion of learning data only.
If an instructor wishes to request deletion of a minor’s (under the age of 13) learning data, a special request must be placed with CompTIA & PRIVO.
To initiate this request, contact PRIVO Support at support@privo.com or call 1-866-567-7486 (U.S./Canada) or 1-571-297-1799 (outside U.S./Canada).
Any requests involving certification data must be made by a parent or legal guardian. Once completed, deleted data cannot be recovered.
If an instructor granted consent, can a parent revoke it?
Yes. Parents or legal guardians retain ultimate rights over their child’s data.
A parent or guardian can revoke consent or request deletion at any time. If consent is revoked, the minor under the age of 13 immediately loses access.
In some institution-managed scenarios, coordination with the institution or CompTIA Legal team may be required for deletion requests.
What happens for existing minor (under the age of 13) accounts when PRIVO launches?
After launch, all users returning to CompTIA Central will be prompted to confirm their age:
- Adults continue as normal
- Minors under the age of 13 enter the PRIVO consent workflow
If consent is not granted, the account remains on hold, and after 90 days, a record deletion workflow may be triggered.
Who can instructors contact for help?
- For CompTIA platform, account access, or technical issues: Contact CompTIA Customer Support
- For PRIVO consent or adult‑verification issues: Contact PRIVO Support at support@privo.com