A federal court erred when it declined to block a Tennessee age-verification law, NetChoice said Wednesday. The trade association asked the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the district court decision and issue a preliminary injunction against HB-1891, which requires that social media companies verify the age of account holders and gain parental consent from users younger than 18 before they can open accounts
NetChoice Lawsuits
NetChoice lawsuits involve a series of high-profile legal challenges brought by the tech industry trade group NetChoice against state laws regulating online content moderation and user data practices. The group has sued states including Texas and Florida, arguing that their social media laws violate the First Amendment and conflict with federal protections for online platforms. These cases, now before federal appeals courts and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court, could set sweeping precedents for how states can govern digital platforms’ handling of speech, privacy, and user data.
The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) asked a federal court Tuesday to permanently block a Florida social media law that would prohibit kids 13 and younger from creating social media accounts through required age verification.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals scheduled oral argument on NetChoice's challenge of a Utah age-verification law for Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. MT.
The as-applied challenges and vagueness challenge in NetChoice's amended complaint in a case against a Tennessee age-verification law should be dismissed, argued Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Tuesday. In case 3:24-cv-01191, NetChoice argued the statute violates the First Amendment and other privacy measures (see 2501170070), but the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee declined to preliminarily enjoin HB-1891 in June (see 2506200017).
An Ohio law requiring websites targeting children younger than 18 to obtain parental consent before engaging in contracts with minors is not a violation of the First Amendment, said a bipartisan coalition of 31 states plus the District of Columbia in a joint amicus brief to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday. Later that day, South Carolina filed a document joining the coalition in asking the court to reverse a district court's 2024 decision to block the law (see 2402130041).
Despite technology recording a woman's activity on a shopping site, that wasn't enough for her to claim a concrete privacy injury, an appeals court ruled as it dismissed her class-action suit. Celebrating the decision, advocacy groups said merely invoking the word "privacy" doesn't necessarily equate to a legitimate claim.
Bluesky's decision to block Mississippi IP addresses from its social media platforms highlights the inefficiencies and problems that come with age-verification laws, said consumer privacy and tech industry officials. After the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the state age-verification law to stand last week (see 2508140048), Bluesky announced its response in a statement Friday (see 2508220047).
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) fails to establish how federal law preempts a state social media law that would prohibit kids 13 and younger from creating social media accounts, Florida argued Thursday in asking a federal court to dismiss some of the organization's amended complaint in case 4:24-cv-00438.
A bevy of entities, including advocacy organizations and media groups like the New York Times, filed amicus briefs earlier this week that blasted California’s Age-Appropriate Design Code (AADC) Act for infringing on privacy and First Amendment rights, with some saying the statute reigns in nearly every form of online content including news sites.
A Florida social media law that would prohibit children 13 and younger from creating social media accounts is content-neutral and furthers governmental interests in protecting them from online harms, said a bipartisan coalition of 27 states and Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.