Starting March 17, the U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) said it will monitor providers of online file-sharing and file-storage services that pose particular risks to users from child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for potential enforcement activities under the Online Safety Act (OSA).
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R) urged the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee on Friday to deny NetChoice’s request for a preliminary injunction on a bill requiring age verification to access social media accounts following the decision in CCIA & NetChoice v. Uthmeier (see 2503170061). NetChoice responded Tuesday, asking the court to grant the preliminary injunction and enjoin the AG from enforcing HB-1891, as the ruling in the Uthmeier case “has no bearing here.”
NetChoice filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Middle Louisiana against Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) over an act that would require age verification before a user could access social media platforms. The action Tuesday alleges the legislation violates the First Amendment and poses a serious threat to online safety and cybersecurity.
Privacy Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week, in case you missed them. All articles can be found by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey (D) raised privacy concerns Monday concerning a social media bill requiring age verification. Maine’s joint Judiciary Committee received testimony on LD-844, which would require age verification and ban accounts for kids younger than 14, while allowing them for 14- and 15-year-olds with parental consent (see 2503060022).
Google slammed Meta this week for supporting state bills requiring app stores to verify users’ ages. However, an advocacy group for children online rejected the idea of a single best way to verify ages.
Despite originating as a way to protect children from harms in the digital world, age-verification practices have morphed into a serious risk to privacy and digital rights, Rindala Alajaji, legislative activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), wrote in a blog Friday. “What started as a misguided attempt to protect minors from ‘explicit’ content online has spiraled into a tangled mess of privacy-invasive surveillance schemes affecting skincare products, dating apps, and even diet pills, threatening everyone’s right to privacy."
Three amicus briefs were submitted to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday supporting California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) in a case about a bill regulating social media feeds for minors. The legislation, S.B.-976, would make it illegal for internet-based services and applications to provide an addictive feed to a user younger than 18 unless the operator does not know that the user is a minor.
State fervor for child online safety bills continued apace this week. Wyoming and Utah approved age-verification measures, while several states advanced bills or introduced them. Kids privacy and online safety have been a major focus for state legislatures this year (see 2502250017 and 2501170053). Accordingly, Privacy Daily is tracking more than 100 of these bills across the country (see map).
A U.S. district court judge approved an agreement by the parties Tuesday delaying California AG Rob Bonta (D) from enforcing certain provisions of the state’s Age-Appropriate Design Code Act until at least April 5. NetChoice is challenging the legislation in court.