We have a markup of a handful of kids online safety bills in Senate Commerce committee this morning. Out of the dozens of bills Chair Cruz could select, he chose: SCREEN Act (age verification for adult sites), Sen. Blackburn's KOSA, Markey's Youth AI Privacy Act, and Cruz's CHATBOT Act

Congress agrees AI chatbots need guardrails for kids — but they very much do not agree on how. Policy Analyst @mwils.bsky.social breaks down why @markey.senate.gov's Youth AI Privacy Act is the right model:

Gvmt jawboning has only gotten worse and worse - notably coming from FCC Chair Carr's "easy way or the hard way" threats, or from DOJ's forced takedown of Facebook ICE watch group, and dozens of other examples. JAWBONE Act bolsters 1A rights by giving a way to hold gov. censors accountable

Public Knowledge@publicknowledge.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Today, Senators Ted Cruz and @wyden.senate.gov introduced the “Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression (JAWBONE) Act” to give those who believe their voices were silenced at the behest of government pressure a pathway to recourse.

Senator Hawley's GUARD Act age gates AI Companions but 1) the way companions are defined could sweep up most AI Chat bots and 2) does nothing to make AI companies design products with safety at the forefront. Fortunately, there are two far better options in the Senate. Read about it!

Public Knowledge@publicknowledge.bsky.social · 3mo ago

High-profile cases of teen suicides following long-term AI chatbot usage have spurred several bills from Congress to protect youth online. But not all solutions are created equal, Policy Analyst @mwils.bsky.social warns in her latest blog post: publicknowledge.org/congress-sho...

Momentum for age verification laws at the state, federal, and international level is high and not going away. Age gating is bad for the open internet and free expression, but if it has to be done, we have do it in targeted, privacy and expression preserving ways. Here's how to do it right:

From 'Should We?' to 'How?': A Framework for Getting Age Assurance Right

Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.

publicknowledge.org

Former FCC officials want to force a vote on the ‘weapon’ Brendan Carr has invoked against broadcasters

Former FCC officials want to force a vote on the ‘weapon’ Brendan Carr has invoked against broadcasters

The bipartisan group says it’s been “weaponized for partisan purposes.”

buff.ly

Many of the claims in these social media addiction trials should be thrown out on S230 grounds…. But not everything. I make that distinction here, knowing well there will be some disagreement on where we draw the line b.w feature & content!

Public Knowledge@publicknowledge.bsky.social · 3mo ago

In her latest blog post, Policy Analyst @mwils.bsky.social breaks down which parts of platform design are covered by #Section230 — and which parts are not. publicknowledge.org/where-sectio...

Advertisers avoiding placing ads next to harmful or misleading content isn’t “censorship” – it's capitalism at work. So why is the FTC treating it like a conspiracy? Read the latest from Policy Director @lisahmacpherson.bsky.social: publicknowledge.org/the-ftcs-new...

The FTC’s New Settlement With Ad Agencies Still Misses the Point

The FTC and a coalition of eight states reached settlements with three advertising agencies to resolve a complaint about whether the agencies had worked with third parties to anticompetitively boycott...

publicknowledge.org

Follow the FTC Oversight hearing with me in this thread!

Morgan Wilsmann@mwils.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Senate Commerce is holding an FTC oversight hearing this morning. Curiously, in announcing the hearing, Chair Cruz pointed to Biden FTC Chair Khan as "weaponizing the agency" as justification for the hearing... but Khan is long gone. Chair Ferguson & Commissioner Meador are witnesses

Senate Commerce is holding an FTC oversight hearing this morning. Curiously, in announcing the hearing, Chair Cruz pointed to Biden FTC Chair Khan as "weaponizing the agency" as justification for the hearing... but Khan is long gone. Chair Ferguson & Commissioner Meador are witnesses

Second fix: reform the business model. Proposals include a progressive digital advertising tax, interoperability & in-situ data rights so users can choose their own algorithms. As long as misinformation is profitable, it will persist. 7/10

Happy #localnewsday ! Are you subscribed to your local news paper?

Public Knowledge@publicknowledge.bsky.social · 4mo ago

@publicknowledge.bsky.social is a proud partner of #LocalNewsDay – a national day of action to celebrate and strengthen trusted local news and information. Are you subscribed to your local newspaper yet? Find your local newspaper here: localnewsday.org/newsrooms/

To add - the settlement was clear to STILL allow these agencies to communicate with social media platforms (1A right!). And it does nothing to prevent the very real and persistent censorship threats from the Trump admin - made all the worse if(when) Humphrey's is overturned

Morgan Wilsmann@mwils.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Last week, I expressed my confusion when Sen. Schmitt touted this settlement as a "huge win for Missouri". All the settlement does forbid CDC, Surgeon Gen., & CISA from coercing platforms to moderate plaintiffs in Missouri & Louisiana. But... those agencies have no coercive power already.

Last week, I expressed my confusion when Sen. Schmitt touted this settlement as a "huge win for Missouri". All the settlement does forbid CDC, Surgeon Gen., & CISA from coercing platforms to moderate plaintiffs in Missouri & Louisiana. But... those agencies have no coercive power already.

Public Knowledge@publicknowledge.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Last week, the Trump administration moved to settle Murthy v. Missouri — but the core issue at hand remains unresolved. Read the latest from Policy Analyst @mwils.bsky.social: publicknowledge.org/murthy-v-mis...

"A U.S. judge on Thursday dismissed X Corp's antitrust lawsuit ​that accused the World Federation of Advertisers and major ‌companies including Mars, CVS Health, and Colgate-Palmolive, of illegally boycotting billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s social media company."

Judge dismisses lawsuit by Musk's X Corp accusing advertisers of illegal boycott

A U.S. judge on Thursday dismissed X Corp's antitrust lawsuit ​that accused the World Federation of Advertisers and major ‌companies including Mars, CVS Health and Colgate-Palmolive of illegally boyco...

reuters.com

Juries in two different cases reached similar verdicts re: whether Meta & Google should be liable for harm minor users experience from using their platforms. To date, most attempts to make online platforms accountable for harms have failed - thanks to a combo of S230 liable shield & 1st Amend.

Explainer: What comes next after the social media trial verdicts?

Recent jury verdicts in California and New Mexico involving Meta Platforms and Alphabet's Google are sharpening scrutiny of social media companies as plaintiffs advance legal theories aimed at holding...

reuters.com

Sen. Schmitt is bragging that he "won" Missouri v. Biden (Murthy v. Missouri) because the Trump admin agreed to settle, including a 10-year ban on the CDC, CISA, and the Surgeon General from coercing platform content decisions ... which is already illegal.

The FCC’s “public interest” standard has never been clearly defined in law – a flexibility that has historically helped the agency adapt over time. But in the hands of Chairman Brendan Carr, it's become a vulnerability he seems eager to exploit.

Chair Carr has offered to help broadcast media get their facts straight. "Facts" means only positive coverage of the President. "Help" means the threat of federal license review. He knows the First Amendment limits what the FCC can actually do here. Doesn't matter, bc the threats are working.

TechFreedom@techfreedom.org · 5mo ago

FCC Chair Brendan Carr is weaponizing the “public interest” standard against viewpoints he dislikes. Such jawboning violates the First Amendment, due process, and the rule of law. 75+ civil society groups & free speech experts joined us in this coalition letter 🧵 techfreedom.org/fcc-threats-...

This is literally disgusting, politically and personally. But at least this means that from now on, I can call him "Beta Brendan" forever.

FactPost@factpostnews.bsky.social · 5mo ago

FCC Chair Brendan Carr calls Trump "the alpha in every single room and every single place all across the world"

Bergman is right to tell Sen. Blackburn that big tech companies put profits over safety; but please remember everyone that when Blackburn touts KOSA, she wants it to combat the trans agenda whatever that is. #Section230 #SenateCommerce www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

Senator appeared to suggest bipartisan bill would censor transgender content online

The Kids Online Safety Act, aimed at protecting children from harmful online content, has been endorsed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as by President Joe Biden.

nbcnews.com

Senate Commerce Committee is talking Section 230 tody. As Congress debates its future, it's important to remember what all this law protects – and what it doesn’t. Read from @bergmayer.net on why careful Section 230 reform, and not repeal, will help ensure a better internet for everyone:

What Section 230 Is and Does — Yet Another Explanation of One of the Internet's Most Important Laws

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes internet platforms from any liability as a publisher or speaker for third-party

publicknowledge.org

Another Congressional hearing today related to online speech! Right now, Senate Commerce committee is holding a hearing "Liability or Deniability? Platform Power as Section 230 Turns 30". Witnesses range from Section 230 abolishers, to reformers, to absolutists. I'll be tracking the hearing 🧵

Liability or Deniability? Platform Power as Section 230 Turns 30

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a full committee hearing titled “Liability or Deniability? Pl...

commerce.senate.gov

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

Stronger privacy laws, limits on manipulative design, transparency requirements, and targeted changes to Section 230 itself could address platform harms without breaking what works. But repeal would be disastrous.

S230 repeal may seem like an easy way to stick it to Big Tech, but it's not that simple. Platform accountability is needed, but all s230 repeal would do (especially now!) is give powerful people the ability to silence voices they disapprove of.

Public Knowledge@publicknowledge.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Today marks the end of our #Section230 30th Anniversary campaign! As Section 230 enters its fourth decade, Congress faces a choice: either pursue thoughtful reform that addresses real harms, or pursue wholesale repeal that would silence the very voices it claims to protect.

Last year, Policy Director @lisahmacpherson.bsky.social laid out two reform ideas that both avoid infringing on either the user or platform’s free expression, and could meaningfully allow for platform accountability for user harm – especially for kids.

Public Knowledge Proposes Section 230 Reforms That Address Harms While Protecting Free Expression

The potential harms of digital content online can be devastating — but removing Section 230 would only devastate freedom of expression in its place.

publicknowledge.org

We see some of the same section 230 repeal ideas pop up year after year - including to replacing "otherwise objectionable" with just "unlawful" to make platforms neutral conduits of speech (driven by the "anti-conservative bias" rhetoric). ...but its not so simple

Public Knowledge@publicknowledge.bsky.social · 6mo ago

In her latest blog post, Policy Analyst @mwils.bsky.social breaks down various Section 230 reform and repeal proposals — and why these ideas won't work as intended.

Wrote this after the 1st "Europe’s Threat to American Speech and Innovation" hearing in the House Judiciary last year. The facts haven't changed since. Yet Repubs continue to waste resources on the POTENTIAL for censorship of Americans in EU, while ignoring real censorship right here in the U.S.

Public Knowledge@publicknowledge.bsky.social · 6mo ago

"Instead of trying to influence laws across the Atlantic, Congress would serve American speech rights better by tackling the real censorship happening at home." Read from @mwils.bsky.social on why these hearings are a poor use of time:

And to be clear: Paramount-Skydance buying WBD would be just as bad. That deal would combine two of the Big Five studios, merge the #4 and #5 streaming services, and create a massive sports broadcasting power. Any sale of WBD that deepens media consolidation should be blocked.