Surveillance Doesn’t Make Kids Safe
Congress
During Congress’ final weeks in session, lawmakers are trying to pass a dangerous bill that would lead to more surveillance online.
Let’s be clear: the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is not a kids privacy bill, nor is it a “safety” bill. If anything, it will subject kids to far greater surveillance online, requiring platforms to collect more personal data in order to verify the identity of users. The bill also makes vulnerable kids less safe by denying them access to resources and community, and could give state AGs the authority to decide what content is or isn’t “appropriate” for minors—a power that could easily be abused to target LBGTQ+ youth (this bill was literally name-checked by the Heritage Foundation as a tool against trans kids).
Privacy, free expression, and LGBTQ+ advocates have been raising concerns about this bill, but lawmakers need to hear from even more people like you to keep it from passing (especially Senator Schumer, who has the power to keep it from being attached to other bills). Send a message to your lawmakers and to Sen Schumer right now and tell them to keep KOSA off the omnibus spending package.
Sponsored by
To:
Congress
From:
[Your Name]
I’m writing to urge you to reject the Kids Online Safety Act, S. 3663, and ensure it is not attached to the must-pass omnibus spending bill.
KOSA would fail to address the root issues related to kid’s safety online. Instead, it would endanger some of the most vulnerable people in our society while undermining human rights and children’s privacy. The bill would result in greater surveillance of children online by requiring platforms to gather data to verify user identity. This not only impacts kids, but it also implicitly requires identification of all users to verify their ages.
KOSA would also give state Attorneys General the power to decide what content kids should and shouldn’t have access to online. This power could be abused in a number of ways and be politicized to censor information and resources.
This bill, although well-meaning, is not ready for passage and should not be included in any must-pass legislation. Please protect privacy and stop the spread of surveillance online by opposing KOSA.