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It's still a little unclear exactly what happened but it seems like several members of the committee stayed out of the room on purpose in order to sink the vote on SCREEN ACT (without having to go on the record voting against the save the children bill) master classes in bravery we're seeing here

In the end, it's really good that the SCREEN ACT didn't advance. In a lot of ways that was a more real threat than KOSA, which has been mired in controversy for years and is almost certainly going to die in conference between the House and Senate. But also: we're playing whack-o-mole

We @fightforthefuture.org and our growing coalition have been beating back these misguided "protect the children" internet censorship and surveillance bills for literally 10+ years. We're good at it! And we can keep doing it. But to really win on this, we have to radically shift the narrative

Thanks to @fsc.bsky.social for some great activism on the SCREEN Act ... @mikestabile.bsky.social was on fire here in the ATmosphere! And your action was excellent, with a message targeting the Republicans on the committee.

The SCREEN Act just failed to pass in the Senate Commerce Committee! 🎉 Enormous thanks to the thousands (!!) of you who told your Senators to vote no! Your voice matters and you should feel good that you made a difference. Obviously, the fight isn't over, but this was an important victory.

Today was a mixed bag, but it isn't over yet. The House and Senate are still fighting over Duty of Care so KOSA isn't guaranteed to pass.

🔞OnyxNuva || PLUS 🔞@onyxnuvaplus.bsky.social · 8h ago

#savespeech #stopKOSA Senate Comm. Markup News Bad News: Senate KOSA did pass with democrat support. We all saw this coming though. Unsure on other bills. Good News: Mike Lee's SCREEN Act is dead for now. It failed to pass the bar. Overall, good job fighting. We're far from finished. Keep at it

Bad news with KOSA, though I do think the usual House-Senate rivalry will stifle it. Good news for everyone but Mike Lee that Mike Lee clowned himself as he does every time he opens his mouth to remind people he exists.

🔞OnyxNuva || PLUS 🔞@onyxnuvaplus.bsky.social · 8h ago

#savespeech #stopKOSA Senate Comm. Markup News Bad News: Senate KOSA did pass with democrat support. We all saw this coming though. Unsure on other bills. Good News: Mike Lee's SCREEN Act is dead for now. It failed to pass the bar. Overall, good job fighting. We're far from finished. Keep at it

#savespeech #stopKOSA Senate Comm. Markup News Bad News: Senate KOSA did pass with democrat support. We all saw this coming though. Unsure on other bills. Good News: Mike Lee's SCREEN Act is dead for now. It failed to pass the bar. Overall, good job fighting. We're far from finished. Keep at it

VesperMoon411's comment on "Censorship Megathread LXII: [This Title Intentionally Left Blank]"

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Alison Boden@alisonboden.bsky.social · 10h ago

The SCREEN Act just failed to pass in the Senate Commerce Committee! 🎉 Enormous thanks to the thousands (!!) of you who told your Senators to vote no! Your voice matters and you should feel good that you made a difference. Obviously, the fight isn't over, but this was an important victory.

On KOSA I'm still where I was before the markup: if we keep the pressure on we can kill it again. The House really hates the Senate's version ... and we're stronger now than we were in 2024, and we blocked it then. On the SCREEN Act, bsky.app/profile/then...

The Nexus of Privacy@thenexusofprivacy.net · 10h ago

It was very encouraging that no D's voted for the SCREEN Act. That matters, because it can't get through the Senate without D support.

All in all ... pretty much as expected. To be continued!

It was very encouraging that no D's voted for the SCREEN Act. That matters, because it can't get through the Senate without D support.

Remember, even if KOSA passes the Senate -- by itself or as part of the broader kids safety package they were talking about -- it still has to get through the House. If we keep the pressure up, we have a good chance to stop it again.

Recapping the Senate Commerce Committee hearing: KOSA advanced unanimously, as expected. Youth AI Privacy Act, CHATBOT Act, AI Toy Safety Act all advanced SCREEN Act passed 15-13 on party lines, but there weren't enough people present so it doesn't advance. Not sure of the implications.

And with that, meeting adjourned.

Cruz: "we've now passed KOSA unanimously out of this committee, confident we'll pass it on the Senate floor. Then need to work with House to get it to the President. We'll get there!" Maybe. But we stopped KOSA In 2024, and if we keep the pressure on, we can stop it again!

KOSA up. Someboy slams the House for passing a big tech friendly version ... as opposed to the Senate's version which is supported by OpenAI, X, Snap, Microsoft, and Apple 🤣

SCREEN Act is voted on 15-13 including proxy votes ... BUT! There aren't enough members present to advance the bill! Not sure if this is just procedural, or if that really means it doesn't advance.

On the SCREEN Act, "can't support the bill as written today, but look forward to looking with colleagues to get it to the Senate floor." It's quite possible that the second half is just her being polite. If so, that's good news, let's hope all D's vote against it.

When you listen to the high-level descriptions of the bills, they *sound* like they're good. Think of the children! But of course that's just spin. Cruz wraps up by recognizing staff members. Staffers play key roles, so good to see them get some appreciation.

And we're off! Chair Cruz with the introduction ... First up, the SCREEN Act www.commerce.senate.gov/meetings/exe...

But you never know. And it'll be interesting to hear what people have to say ... I'll be back once things kick off and will live-skeet at least some of the markup. Stay tuned

Why I think the committee will probably advance KOSA and the SCREEN Act: KOSA has strong bipartisan support in the Senate; in 2024, a different version passed 91-3. With the privacy-invasive, anti-LGBTQIA2S+ SCREEN Act, the Republicans on the committee are likely to vote for it, and that's enough.

In any case, even if the committee advances KOSA and the SCREEN Act -- which they probably will -- there will be other chances to stop them.

Congress is only in session for about 40 days for the rest of the year, so it'll be challenging to get anything through. Then again, there are also potential legislative shenanigans -- like attaching one of these bills to a "must-pass" bill like the NDAA.

In a markup, the committee considers and votes on potential amendments and then votes on whether to advance the bills. The next step, for bills that get through the committee, is a Senate floor vote. If the Senate passes the bills, the House needs to pass them as well

The situation as a whole is kind of concusing. In early July, the House advanced the KIDS Act, with different versions of KOSA and the SCREEN Act and a different chatbot bill. The Senate's ignoring the House's version and voting on their own. thenexusofprivacy.net/kosa-kids-ac... has more.

KOSA, the KIDS Act, AI, Bad Internet Bills, and a potential giveaway to big tech (UPDATED)

Just say no to bills that age restrict, censor, and surveil the internet!

thenexusofprivacy.net

It'll be a while before they vote, so if you haven't contacted your Senators yet, please do. If you have, it's fine to do it again! @fightforthefuture.org's www.badinternetbills.com makes it easy And if you prefer a webform to the phone, @eff.org has an action up at www.acteff.org/campaign/167...

Bad Internet Bills

All of the bad internet bills. One website.

badinternetbills.com

@eff.org has a summary of the bills (also including the Youth AI Privacy Act) here -- the links in the first paragraph go to more detailed analysis of each bill. www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

Tomorrow’s U.S. Senate Vote: Four Internet Bills, One Wrong Direction

The Senate Commerce Committee will vote this week on several censorious and privacy invasive bills: KOSA, the SCREEN Act, Youth AI Privacy Act, and CHATBOT Act. While we appreciate that the Committee ...

eff.org

Good morning! Coming up at the top of the hour (10:00 am Eastern, 7:00 am Pacific), it's the Senate Commerce Committee markup on several bad internet bills, including KOSA, the SCREEN Act, and the CHATBOT Act. You can watch the livestream at www.commerce.senate.gov/meetings/exe...