The Mississippi attorney general fired back Monday against NetChoice, opposing motions for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against a law that requires social media platforms to verify users' ages, obtain parental consent for minors to have accounts, and limit the content minors are exposed to on the platforms.
The U.K. digital identity industry is feeling reassured about the upcoming GOV.UK Wallet following a meeting with, and apology from, the government, according to Iain Corby, executive director of the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA).
A tech industry group raised privacy and other concerns with a Texas bill (HB-186) that would require age verification and ban kids younger than 18 from creating social media accounts.
Texas and Nebraska governors will consider signing age-verification bills soon.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) hailed a "strong bipartisan vote" in the state legislature on a social media age-verification bill. The House voted 121-26 Wednesday in favor of HB-6857, sending it to the Senate.
The European Commission Tuesday launched a consultation on draft guidelines for protecting minors online under the Digital Services Act. The move offers privacy attorneys a golden opportunity to influence next-generation child protection, one lawyer said.
Four porn sites were sued Monday for allegedly failing to implement age verification on their websites as Kansas law requires, announced the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) Law Center, co-counsel for the suits. Filed on behalf of a 14-year-old minor in the U.S. District Court for Kansas, the suits are the first in the U.S. that challenge violations of age-verification laws, NCOSE said.
A Louisiana app store age-verification bill passed the House unanimously on Monday. Members voted 99-0 to send HB-570 to the Senate. The House Commerce Committee last week cleared the bill, which would require age verification by app stores before users can download apps (see 2505050064). Also Monday, the Louisiana House approved a genomic privacy measure (see 2505120064).
Age-verification tools are not a silver bullet that will protect children and young people on internet sites and social media platforms, speakers said Monday at a session of the European Dialogue on Internet Governance.
Incorporating children's and teen safety into privacy has led to a variety of approaches under state law, said two Latham Watkins attorneys on a panel at the Privacy + Security Forum spring academy Friday. An age-gate is the best way for companies to ensure compliance with all of them, they added.