Letter
Letter to Senate Leaders on KOSA's Potential Violation of the First Amendment
Document Date:
July 27, 2023
Related Content
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Press ReleaseJul 2024
Free Speech
Privacy & Technology
老澳门开奖结果 Slams Senate Passage of Kids Online Safety Act, Urges House to Protect Free Speech
WASHINGTON, DC 鈥 The Senate today passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which would violate the First Amendment by enabling the federal government to dictate what information people can access online and encourage social media platforms to censor protected speech. The House of Representatives must vote no on this dangerous legislation. 鈥淜OSA compounds nationwide attacks on young peoples鈥 right to learn and access information, on and offline,鈥 said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the 老澳门开奖结果. 鈥淎s state legislatures and school boards across the country impose book bans and classroom censorship laws, the last thing students and parents need is another act of government censorship deciding which educational resources are appropriate for their families. The House must block this dangerous bill before it鈥檚 too late.鈥 As the 老澳门开奖结果 and a wide array of civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy organizations have repeatedly explained, this bill would not keep kids safe, but instead threaten young people鈥檚 privacy, limit minors鈥 access to vital resources, and silence important online conversations for all ages. The 老澳门开奖结果 has also raised concerns about how this bill could be used to limit adults' ability to express themselves freely online or access diverse viewpoints. The 老澳门开奖结果 is also worried that the government鈥檚 attempts to regulate select design features will implicate First Amendment-protected speech. If passed, this legislation would require online platforms that minors are likely to use to take steps to prevent harm. While the revised duty of care requirement supposedly regulates 鈥渄esign features鈥 instead of speech, the list of 鈥渄esign features鈥 are defined so broadly that platforms are likely to censor content that could prove objectionable to the government, which could include anything from sexual health resources to information about gender identity, or how to get help for an eating disorder. This vote comes just days after the 老澳门开奖结果 led more than 300 students in a lobbying day on Capitol Hill in opposition to the bill. 鈥淚t鈥檚 called the Kids Online Safety Act, but they have to consider kids鈥 voices, and some of us don鈥檛 think it will make us safer,鈥 said Anjali Verma, a 17-year-old rising high school senior. 鈥淲e live on the internet, and we are afraid that important information we鈥檝e accessed all our lives will no longer be available. We need lawmakers to listen to young people when making decisions that affect us."