Back in December, they tried to get an even WORSE FISA extension bill through as part of the NDAA – without even a vote on it – and the pushback was strong enough that they abandoned the plan. In 2020 grassroots activism kept them from rauthorizing Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act . In 2015 grassroots activism kept them from doing a straight reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act. So there really is a track record of it being effective on this issue.

The key dynamic here is that both parties are split on the issue – progressive Dems along with Libertarian and MAGA Republicans all favor reform. So even representatives in a district that one party always wins have to consider the politics: Republicans wanting to keep their MAGA cred against MAGA challengers, Democrats facing progressive challengers (or progressive Dems who need strong support from their base against centrist challengers). Plus there are a handful of centrist Dems in purple districts who might vote the right way if it can pick up some Republican votes.

Oh well, thanks for trying.

From https://www.stopkosa.com/

First, KOSA would pressure platforms to install filters that would wipe the net of anything deemed “inappropriate” for minors. This = instructing platforms to censor, plain and simple. Places that already use content filters have restricted important information about suicide prevention and LGBTQ+ support groups, and KOSA would spread this kind of censorship to every corner of the internet. It’s no surprise that anti-rights zealots are excited about KOSA: it would let them shut down websites that cover topics like race, gender, and sexuality.

Second, KOSA would ramp up the online surveillance of all internet users by expanding the use of age verification and parental monitoring tools. Not only are these tools needlessly invasive, they’re a massive safety risk for young people who could be trying to escape domestic violence and abuse.

Here’s more on how the Heritage Foundation says they’ll use it to censor LGBTQ content, and about how KOSA denies young people freedoms of expression and privacy

Agreed. At the Senate Commerce Committee hearing, both Cantwell and Markey said they had heard from a lot of consituents about the bill’s problems, especially for LGBTQ+ people, and that there’s work to do before going forward … so at least the pushback is getting noticed.

Quite true. EFF’s article at https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/kids-online-safety-act-still-huge-danger-our-rights-online discusses some of the other problems with the bill.

That’s true, and legislation that passes in the US also influences legislation elsewhere. However quite a few people from outside the US have repeatedly asked for discussions of this and other legislation to include something in the title that indicates that it relates to US legislation, so I went with US-specific on this post.

Yeah really. They’re being polite.

Yeah I have no idea why they linked to that video. The reason KOSA is likely to increase suicides is that if it passes, platforms are likely to preemptively block conversations about suicide (as well as substance use, eating disorders, and other topics that the bill specifically enumerates) to avoid liability. Here’s an article from EFF in May, and here’s a letter from 90+ human rights and LGBTQ organizations, going into more detail.

That’s pretty much how I look at it to. It might work, it might not … but you can’t win if you don’t play!

Glad it’s useful … that’s what I was hoping for! And agreed, too many people in Congress have no clue about the technology.

Grassroots opposition has helped digital rights and privacy organizations stop bad internet bills from passing many times before, including some of these same bills just last year. Of course it is true that money talks and so deep pocketed companies and politicians have a lot more influence than we do, so cynicism is definitely warranted; and grassroots opposition doesn’t always win… But on bills like these, getting involved can make a difference.

#BadInternetBills

Thanks! I tried editing the post to include this important information up top, but for some reason it’s not letting me … I’ll try again later.

Agreed that the threat to free and clear access to the internet increases the chances of fascism coming to America. But there are plenty of Democrats who support these bills – they all have bipartisan sponsorship. And more positively, he Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act – a good privacy bill – also has bipartisan sponsorship. So this is one of the rare issues that still cuts across party lines.