1. United States
2. Ga.
3. Letter

I'm writing to urge you to oppose age verification laws and the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act. The age verification lobby stands to profit off of insecure AV software and everyone else is less secure, being forced to send highly sensitive information to access material they have a First Amendment right to access as adults. The proliferation of 'harmful to minors' legislation makes criminals out of librarians, bookstore owners, and sex workers, with no legal safeguards or privacy for adults who don't wish to be forced into using age verification to use the Internet. AV IDs issued by governments aren't much better either, as they also are prone to being stolen or hacked by cybercriminals. Age verification companies are let off the hook for their negligence and lack of regard for consumers who are forced to use their services by law, legitimate websites shut down due to lack of payment and visitors, and more illicit and illegal sites get traffic that used to go to sites that regulate themselves. Meanwhile kids are still victims of CSAM and CSEM produced domestically and groups like NCOSE are eerily silent about child abuse and child marriage perpetrated by religious sects. People are being trafficked by ICE and these groups don't seem interested in advocating for these great to be more scrutinized. Age verification is a sham and a 'headline-friendly' campaign that does nothing to address the rampant sexual abuse of children and women. Oppose, repeal or amend AV laws and antiporn laws while looking for less intrusive alternatives, which already exist.