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US Senators Richard Blumenthal (Democrat-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (Republican-Tennessee) reintroduction Today’s bill holds social media companies accountable for adding online safeguards for children. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) was first introduced last February (sponsored by the same pair) but never made it to the Senate floor after backlash from advocacy groups. The revised law “provides specific tools to stop big tech companies from disseminating toxic content to children and hold them accountable for prioritizing profit over safety,” Blumenthal said. It follows another bill introduced last month with a similar purpose.
Like the original KOSA, the updated bill would require annual independent audits by “experts and academic researchers” to address the online dangers posed to children by regulation-hating social media companies. Force like However, the updated law could do more harm than good due to concerns that led to the downfall of previous iterations, namely that its overly broad nature requires oversight and censorship of younger users. We are trying to address your concerns.EFF explained The February 2022 bill “fails to adequately distinguish between harmful and harmless content, giving politically motivated state attorneys general the power to define what harms children.” It is a heavy-handed plan to leave the platform and spy on young people.” One of the main concerns is that states may use flimsy definitions to ban content for political gain. ”
The revised bill would add new protections to services such as the National Suicide Hotline, LGBTQ+ Youth Centers and Substance Abuse Organizations to avoid unnecessary harm. Additionally, social platforms will begin to offer minors options to protect their information, turn off addictive features, and opt out of algorithmic recommendations. The Strongest setting should be enabled.In addition, promoting suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and the use of “illegal products for minors” such as gambling, drugs, and alcohol. Specifically prohibited: Finally, social enterprises must provide “academic and public interest groups” with data to help investigate the impact of social media on the safety and well-being of minors.
The American Psychological Association, Common Sense Media, and other advocacy groups support the updated bill. 26 from both parties, including members from Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to Chuck Grassley (Republican-Iowa) and Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) I have a co-host. Blackburn told CNBC today that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) “he stands 100% behind this bill and efforts to protect children online.” .
Despite renewed optimism by senators about passing the bill, some organizations believe the bill is still too broad to avoid net negative consequences. “The changes made to the bill do not address our concerns at all,” Evan Greer, director of digital rights advocacy group Fight For the Future, said in an email to Engadget. “Had Senator Blumenthal’s office been willing to meet with us, we could have explained why. We’ll see where the changes were made.” trial To address their concerns, they are unable to do so. Even with the new changes, the bill would allow extreme right-wing attorney generals to dictate what content platforms can recommend to younger users. ”
The ACLU also opposes the reinstated bill. “KOSA’s core approach is to protect the privacy, security, and privacy of both minors and adults by proxying all kinds of platforms to monitor users and censor content under the guise of ‘duty of care.’ It still threatens free expression,” said Cody Venzke, senior policy adviser to the ACLU. Said CNBC“To achieve this, the bill would legitimize the data collection already prevalent on platforms to identify which users are minors when trying to curb data misuse. Additionally, while parental guidance in the online lives of minors is important, KOSA mandates surveillance tools regardless of the minor’s home situation or safety. It would be a step back in making it a safer place for adults.”
Blumenthal claims the bill was “very deliberately narrowed” to prevent harm. “I think we have responded to such proposals very directly and effectively,” he said at a press conference. “Obviously, our doors remain open. I would be happy to hear and talk to you about other kinds of suggestions that I am sure you will hear in today’s session, and I have spoken to a number of groups that have received a lot of criticism, and a lot of them actually did. I have withdrawn my objection, so I think our bill has been clarified and improved in response to some of the criticisms: no one bill can solve all the world’s problems. But we are off to a very important start that is measurable.”