According to the AVN's of the world, p*** is in danger, Will
Robinson, if the Trump-Vance ticket makes it to the White House and Operation
2025 takes root...
.... but the U.S. Senate on a broad bipartisan basis on
Thursday advanced two online safety bills- KOSA and COPPA 2.0- that would force
social media companies to take responsibility for how their platforms affect
children and teens.
It's all about the kids, politicos always say, but these or
more wolf-in-sheep's clothing bills that could eventually lead to a censorship
of p***.
The bills cleared a critical procedural hurdle 86-1, setting
the stage for a final vote next week.
"Big Tech, we no longer trust you to make decisions for
us," said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal [photo], one of the bills'
sponsors.
"Car manufacturers are required to install seatbelts
and airbags. The same has to be true of social media companies."
The Kids Online Safety Act makes explicit a "duty of
care" that social media companies have when it comes to minors using their
products, focusing on design of the platforms and regulation of the companies.
It would require social media platforms to enable options
for minors to protect their information and disable addictive product features
by default, preventing and mitigating dangers to minors including suicide and
disordered eating.
The Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act would
ban targeted advertising to minors and data collection without their consent,
and give parents and kids the option to delete their information from social
media platforms.
The bills, nicknamed KOSA and COPPA 2.0, respectively, are
the first major move to ensure children's safety online since COPPA was
initially passed in 1998, before the advent of smartphones.
The bills would also allow researchers greater insight into
companies' algorithms and how they impact children online, said Kris Perry,
executive director of Children and Screens, a research nonprofit focused on the
impact of digital media on minors.
"We've been in a decade-long experiment with children's
well-being and platforms, and it's overdue to make the products safer and allow
us to move to a new stage of deeper understanding of children's digital
lives," Perry said.
Some tech companies have publicly backed congressional
efforts to protect children online, with major players including Microsoft Corp
(MSFT.O), opens new tab and Snap Inc (SNAP.N), opens new tab expressing support.
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab spokesperson Stephanie Otaway said that while the company supports standards for kids and teens online, federal law should instead require app stores to seek parental approval for downloads by users under age 16.
The Biden administration on Thursday backed the bills it said "would finally advance bold actions to hold Big Tech accountable," urging lawmakers to send it to Biden to sign into law "without delay."
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