Re: Online Age Verification Law Could Kill Whistleblowing (fwd)

[robert <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>]

https://www.schiff.senate.gov/contact/get-in-touch/
https://www.padilla.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/

Below is the letter I sent to Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla.

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I urge you to oppose the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act (H.R.
7757). Based on the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) detailed
analysis and consistent opposition to this type of legislation, the bill
poses severe threats to free speech, privacy, and access to essential
information for people of all ages.

The KIDS Act incorporates the controversial Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)
framework, requiring apps and websites to take unspecified actions to
prevent enumerated harms to children.  This vague mandate creates a high
risk of over-censorship, likely leading platforms to remove any
information even tangentially related to these harms to avoid liability.
Critically, this could result in the removal of vital resources for
minors, including information regarding addiction recovery, mental health
support, and gender-affirming care. By incentivizing platforms to remove
content the government may deem "inappropriate," the bill silences online
speech and jeopardizes the right to learn and access diverse viewpoints.

Furthermore, the legislation endangers user privacy through its proposed
expansion of age verification tools.  These requirements would force
platforms to collect sensitive identity data from all users to verify age,
significantly increasing the susceptibility of personal information to
data breaches. Such measures threaten the anonymity relied upon by
journalists, whistleblowers, and individuals seeking sensitive health
information, effectively putting our data at risk. This approach violates
First Amendment protections and undermines the privacy rights of all
online users, not just minors.

While the bill includes provisions for AI chatbot disclosures and
safeguards against predatory behavior, the overarching "reasonable
policies" standard and mandatory age verification create a framework for
government overreach into digital communication. The House version of the
bill, which passed on June 29, 2026, avoids a "duty of care" but still
imposes compliance pressures that could fundamentally alter how the
internet is built and accessed.

Given these profound risks to civil liberties, I request that you vote
against the KIDS Act in the Senate and support alternatives that protect
children without sacrificing free speech and privacy rights.