John Perrino
@johnperrino.com
🤓 Internet policy nerd 🌐 @InternetSociety.bsky.social "Senior Expert" 📚 Always learning ⚾ 🏛️ NY sports & DC life
A key Senate committee vote next week won't include AI, but there's a stupid "porn" age verification bill. Why the SCREEN Act is worth your attention: 👉 Age verification required for ANY "interactive computer service" that makes adult content available 👉 IP address verification 👉 VPN restrictions
I Think This Is Truly Fucking Stupid Dislike
Alt: A "gif" from the Netflix show Orange is the New Black with a woman inmate with glasses saying " i think this is truly fucking stupid."
static.klipy.com
EVERYONE GETS HACKED BY AGENTIC AI! Glad Anthropic didn't want to be left out and can join OpenAI in this promotion. 🤦♂️
Wow wow wow! MSG mostly turned off its notorious facial recognition surveillance for Taylor Swift's wedding.
Fight for the Future@fightforthefuture.org · 2w agoNEW: @evangreer.bsky.social director of @fightforthefuture.org spoke with @wired.com about the latest on Madison Square Garden’s surveillance practices & exceptionalism when it comes to elites like Taylor Swift.
The UK's online safety regulator just put out a report on age assurance and online safety. I'm reading it so you don't have to. 🤓 UK Government Report TLDR: • Age checks good. • Do them more. • Make them more restrictive for u-16 social media ban. Good News: No call for VPN restrictions
Age checks helping make online experiences safer for UK children, but ‘job not done’ and tech industry must act to strengthen protections
A new report published today by Ofcom reveals that age checks are now being deployed at an unprecedented scale across the pornography, social media, dating and gaming sectors.
ofcom.org.uk
There's another effort to break encryption in the US Senate! The STOP CSAM Act was added to the current version of the annual defense spending bill, known as the NDAA. If passed, it could require Internet infrastructure services and online platforms to break encryption to scan all data.
This Is Fine Dog in Burning House
ALT: This Is Fine Dog in Burning House
static.klipy.com
ID check requirements for app stores aren’t online safety policies—they’re privacy and safety risks. That's why the Internet Society spoke up and offered real solutions. 📢
Safety Over Bans: Internet Society Challenges App Store Age Verification - Internet Society
The Internet Society led an amicus brief filing on a case challenging Texas age verification requirements for app stores.
internetsociety.org
A federal court order today allows a Texas law requiring age verification to use app stores to go into effect. No reason was given by the Fifth Circuit court. A lower court judge previously told Texas to "regulate this area by passing laws and regulations that comply with the First Amendment."
How do you do, fellow adults? 🥸 A UK charity survey received multiple reports of children drawing mustaches and facial hair to circumvent age checks.
Some kids are bypassing age-verification checks with a fake mustache | TechCrunch
A new survey found that kids find it easy to bypass age checks, despite a rise in age-verification laws around the world.
techcrunch.com
Where are my age verification law and policy nerds at? There's good news from Texas! A federal judge just denied the Texas attorney general's request to enforce the App Store Accountability Act while a legal challenge proceeds. Texans won't have to upload IDs or scan their faces to download apps.
It's official: Australia's teen social media ban isn't working, yet. www.crikey.com.au/2026/03/31/a...
It's official: Australia's teen social media ban isn't working, yet.
The first eSafety report on the social media minimum age shows that kids are getting around the ban, they're reporting the same level of online abuse, and age checking technology isn't working as…
crikey.com.au
Tremendously proud to be part of an organization supporting communities in 150 countries across six continents! 🌐 From helping connect communities to the Internet, to keeping people safe online we think global and act local.
2025 Annual Report | Internet Society Foundation
2025 Annual Report The Internet changes lives-but only when people can access it and use it safely. The Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation operate as complementary parts of a sing...
isocfoundation.org
A unanimous Supreme Court ruling yesterday protects Internet access for millions of people while upholding clear online copyright protections. 🏛️ 🌐
US Supreme Court Unanimously Defends Internet Access for Millions - Internet Society
The US Supreme Court's Cox v. Sony decision confirms that ISPs cannot be forced to disconnect people from the Internet for piracy allegations
internetsociety.org
These may not be the nine greatest experts on the Internet, but the Supreme Court made the right decision to protect people's online access in Cox v. Sony today.
Supreme Court sides with Cox Communications in a copyright fight with record labels over downloads
The Supreme Court has sided with internet service provider Cox Communications in its copyright fight with record labels over illegal music downloads by Cox customers.
apnews.com
Brazil's youth online safety law (ECA Digital) goes into effect tomorrow. 🇧🇷 📜 In theory, age checks have privacy, security, transparency, and inclusivity requirements. 🛠️ In practice, the nascent online safety regulator must write rules for “verifiable credentials,” and limit circumvention.
Brazil Wants to Reshape The Internet for Kids. The Hard Part Just Began.
A Brazilian law aimed at protecting children online is set to take effect this week, but significant enforcement questions remain, Tatiana Dias reports.
techpolicy.press
Sure, there is a risk of overreach. But sometimes a little common sense can help address the worst of the worst online.
Major VPN network to block 'despised and despicable' child sexual abuse material
"I think it takes courage to be the first company to go out there and say, 'You know what? We're not going to tolerate this,'" Dr Peter Membrey told Sky News.
news.sky.com
Congress and advocacy groups should be embarrassed to drag parents who lost their children to a partisan hearing on bad legislation that won't protect children online. Do better! There are so many actual experts ready to help. I wrote on this years ago with Stanford's Jennifer King.
Overcoming Fear and Frustration with the Kids Online Safety Act
KOSA will not move forward without compromise, say John Perrino and Dr. Jennifer King from Stanford University.
techpolicy.press
New piece by @mluria.bsky.social and me on what today's hearing on kids' safety is missing: the perspectives of parents and teens who are deeply skeptical of whether these bills will meet their needs. Huge thanks to @viacristiano.bsky.social for his sharp edits. www.techpolicy.press/congress-chi...
Congress’ Child Safety Bills Sound Good. Families Suggest They Won't Work.
Lawmakers risk advancing bills that may not be effective nor in line with what some parents and teens actually want, Michal Luria and Aliya Bhatia write.
techpolicy.press
House E&C is marking up a bunch of kids online safety bills today. Some familiar faces, like COPPA 2.0 and KOSA, have been revised. Some interesting design-related bills wrapped up in "Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act" package. Unfort. its combined w/ some serious anti-privacy/censorship bills.
Full Committee Markup of Nine Bills
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing com...
energycommerce.house.gov
Congressman Jake Auchincloss at today's House committee vote on a supposed children's online safety package: “This is a blank check to Big Tech and Democrats are going to stand against it.”
The FTC just announced that the only national law protecting children's data online won't apply to age verification. You know. The Federal Trade Commission. The agency that's in charge of keeping people safe and enforcing the only rules on the books to protect children online. 🤦♂️
FTC Issues COPPA Policy Statement to Incentivize the Use of Age Verification Technologies to Protect Children Online
The Federal Trade Commission issued a policy statement today announcing that the Commission will not bring an enforcement action under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule) aga
ftc.gov
A global digital identity verification provider for the fintech, financial, and insurance industries exposed a billion personal records including national IDs, phone numbers, and addresses. But don't worry, they'll delete your ID... at some point.
IDMerit data breach: 1 billion records of personal data exposed in KYC data leak
A massive global data leak linked to IDMerit has exposed 1 billion personal records, including national IDs and emails, across the US, Europe, and Asia.
cybernews.com
TikTok and the Montana Attorney General's Office appear to have requested the court dismiss a case challenging the state's TikTok ban in a filing made today. That case, TikTok v. Knudsen, was on hold during the national saga resulting from the divest or ban law and executive orders.
Stipulation of Dismissal – #145 in TikTok Inc. v. Knudsen (D. Mont., 9:23-cv-00061) – CourtListener.com
Stipulation of Dismissal
courtlistener.com
Russia is attempting to fully block WhatsApp for its more than 100 million users inside the country. I'm surprised WhatsApp lasted this long, but many Russians rely on it for a secure connection to the rest of the world. Russian users are being pushed to a government-backed app, MAX.
Russia orders block on WhatsApp in messaging app crackdown
WhatsApp says the move aims to push its 90 million users in Russia to a "state-owned surveillance app".
bbc.com
What is Section 230 and why does it matter? I explain how the most misunderstood part of US Internet law continues to keep us more safe, secure, and connected online. 🧵
30 Years of Section 230: Why We Still Need It for a Safer Internet - Internet Society
It's the 30th anniversary of Section 230, a piece of US law that allows online platforms to moderate content in ways that best serve their users.
internetsociety.org
No notes. Reach for the sky, AG Bonta! “Consumers shouldn’t have to go to infinity and beyond to assert their privacy rights.”
California Won't Let It Go: Attorney General Bonta Announces $2.75 Million Settlement with Disney, Largest CCPA Settlement in California History
Second enforcement action stemming from 2024 investigative sweep of streaming services OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced a settlement with the Walt Disney Company (Disney...
oag.ca.gov
The Internet Society is celebrating Safer Internet Day by launching the Safer Internet Initiative: Our Three Pillars: 📚🎓🎒 Education 💵 🤝 🛠️ Funding 📢 📃 🏛️ Advocacy
Safer Internet Initiative - Internet Society
Everyone deserves a safe Internet. Our Safer Internet Initiative is a project designed to protect people online.
internetsociety.org
Few Canadians are paying attention as Senate committee approves creating government power mandating that virtually any site - social media, AI, search - require age verification under threat of court-ordered blocking in Canada. Bill S-209 about far more than pornography sites.
BREAKING: The Canadian government drew up plans to ban children under 14 from social media. 🇨🇦 OH Canada! 🤦♂️ This follows the under-16 ban in Australia and growing momentum for a similar ban in the UK. Florida has a similar under-14 ban against creating social media accounts.
Federal officials draft plans to ban social media for children under 14
Ottawa looking at proposals to include the measure in the forthcoming online harms bill, sources say
theglobeandmail.com
Two full weeks into 2026 and I'm still writing 2025 every time.
