Hey, An Online Censorship Bill That Was Introduced Into The US Senate Is Going To Be Under Consideration

Hey, an online censorship bill that was introduced into the US senate is going to be under consideration on 07/27/2023

Same shit different day. These corrupt bastards in the senate want to pass KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act) which, as we have seen with similar bills in the past, is nothing more than a ruse using the “safety of children” as a guise to induce sweeping online censorship and surveillance.

If you want a more detailed understanding as to why KOSA in particular would be terrible for us, check out what the Electronic Frontier Foundation has to say about it here, here, and here (this last one is more of an aid for talking about why KOSA is bad). There are plenty of people and organizations talking about why this bill would be detrimental to us, and I encourage you to seek them out (if you’re playing around on Tiktok, maybe look up what people are saying about this shit). 

Essentially, KOSA would grant state governments the power to sue social media platforms for allowing unfettered access to what they deem as inappropriate content. The range of what constitutes as inappropriate content would depend on the state’s definition of said content (e.g., if you’re in a conservative state, LGBTQ+ information is often thought to be inappropriate for children). In order to prevent being sued, social media sites would have to institute massive surveillance over the content the user base posts/interacts with, ensure that users are legally of age to view “explicit” content (e.g., requiring you to upload a government issued ID), and preemptively censor content that could be considered “inappropriate for children.”

We know that this is a direct attack on our first amendment rights.

We know that this is just a way for them to control us.

We know this is going to actually hurt everyone looking for information online, especially LGBTQ+ kids who would (in many states) no longer have access to LGBTQ+ resources online.

Please call your senators (find out who they are here), especially if they are on the committee for commerce, science, and transportation. Tell them to vote NO on KOSA, tell them that it is a direct violation of our rights to privacy, and our first amendment rights. Tell them that, SHOULD KOSA BE PASSED, you will do everything in your power to support a candidate in opposition to them that is against KOSA during their next election cycle. If you are currently not of voting age, call them and let them know that you will not support them should they pass a bill that doesn’t actually act in your best interest.

I know phone calls are scary, but what’s scarier is an internet under the total control and discretion of the bigots that are ruining our lives.