US accelerates legislation to protect minors on the Internet and social networks (including porn)

Norm follows the model of another initiative implemented in Turkey since January 1. Louisianawhere is she verification requirement An age limit applies to all pages where at least 33.3% of the content is pornographic. And it’s just one of the laws in the United States that has seen the light of day. impulse both are level situation like federal related to legislative initiatives To try protect minors both of them Internet like social networks.

Congress Initiatives

This urge has been strengthened after the discovery and research of the negative impact of websites and apps on minors. So far, it has borne more fruit at the state level, where there are six people approving the regulations and 21 people debating them. Moreover Congresshowever, they at least five proposals are discussed, including three introduced or retouched this week. They contain one bans account opening for social networks under 13 years old, directly outside I would ban TikTok In the US and third, to combat the distribution of child abuse images, weakens and criminalizes encryption.

Laws in effect in Utah and Arkansas past age verification, given imposing social networks acquired by minors consent of parents or guardians Utah law, which will begin to apply on March 1 next year, also requires applications to: block access to minors 22:30 – 06:30 unless the setting has been changed by an adult; blocks strangers from sending messages and prohibits the display of advertisements and the collection or use of personal user information. In one of its most controversial points, it is also allows adults to access the content of minors’ accounts.

Alliances and controversies

In any case, the standards have bipartisan supportIt’s unusually polarized these days in the US and has the support of various associations and groups that work with minors and parents. They also face, however, opposition and rejection and not just what can be expected of him sector technological.

More than one hundred human rights groups and some politicians blow it up alarms before a legislation they warn that endangers freedoms and rights, technologies like encryption, and vulnerable communities. progressive groups, especially undesirable consequences at a time when legislation may have America’s right is embroiled in culture wars. Since Joe Biden’s arrival in the White House, they’ve intensified the crusade targeting the LGTBQ community, reproductive rights, or history. racial.

“More harm than solution”

“Most of the suggested solutions are causative more damage than the problems they fix”, reassures in a phone call jain samirVice President of Policy Democracy and Technology Center (CDT), for example, “age verification privacy concern”, as it will force providers to provide information and may also “affect the right to expression or access to information anonymously”.

According to adult consent required or access to the accounts of minors, the expert reminds that the model can work between parents and children who get along well. “However, we know that have bad relationships“For example, one might consider a young LGBTQ young woman without family support, or a young woman who needs access to reproductive health or abortion-related information and is afraid of what her parents have to say. “One of these initiatives is negative impact on rights privacy and freedom of expression”, warns Jain, especially of adolescents.

culture wars

Those are the concerns shared at a virtual press conference that representatives from civil rights and technology groups held this week, focusing on federal legislation. inside, Democrat Senator Ron Wyden He warned that the laws were on the agenda in the chambers”they will weaken encryption, which threatens the privacy and security of all law-abiding Americans.”

Wyden also noted with concern: political moment where this legislative impulse is produced. Democratic California has a law that focuses more on the needs of tech companies, but most come from conservative states and focus on “parental rights.”

extremist governors

“To give extremist governors Authority to decide which content is safe for children is not an option. Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott (Governors of Florida and Texas) put all their strength persecuting queer and trans children, censoring reproductive health information and erase basic racial history in the United States,” the senator denounced. I urge you to focus.

Evan Greer, director of the Fight for the Future organization, at the same event ” the disgusting alliance between well-meaning legislators who want to protect children and others who are pushing more than 400 anti-LGBT laws across the country to control online speech and curtail freedom of expression for marginalized communities.”

Greer argues that legislators and regulators “absolutely” abusive practices should be prosecuted regulates such matters. surveillance advertisement it feeds business models that harm minors. “However we must do it right -Additional-. Most of these laws are based on the following principles: The idea that we protect children by isolating them from discussion of important issues like eating disorders, mental health or substance abuse, but we know from data and evidence that they are safer when they can argue Discuss these issues with peers and experts.

Other problems

Beyond that, Samir Jain, Democracy and Technology Centerindicates other undesirable directions. According to them “online services can feel pressure to remove content, including legal onesFor fear that authorities such as Attorney Generals might think this is not in the best interests of the child. Also, it continues Legislative differences between states “raise questions about effectiveness”. For example, the law that went into effect this week in Utah vpn usagevirtual private networks that hide location and thus manage to escape age verification requirements.