1. United States
2. Minn.
3. Letter

I urge you to vote no on S. 1409, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Despite revisions to the bill, its fundamental challenges remain in place. Perhaps the worst part: centering the mechanisms for enforcement center around states’ attorneys general will result in political abuses of power. (I moved here from Houston in January 2020, so I know something about power-abusing attorneys general with repressive agendas to push.) Back in Texas, elected officials and unelected bullies are politicizing LGBTQ+ content and anything related to race. They use and abuse their power to ban books and materials, limit what can be taught in the classroom, and threaten legal action if their orders are not followed. KOSA would further empower them and put them in the position of being able to dictate what content can be published online where minors might get at it. It always starts with minors but rarely stops there, of course. Finally, on a practical matter, websites can't tell who's a minor without age-verifying every visitor. I don't want to have to scan my face or my ID every time I visit any site on the internet! Moreover, I especially don't want that information out there to get hacked. While the intent of the bill may be good, the likely outcomes would not be. I hope Congress will please reconsider how they approach technology-related issues rather than legislating with such broad measures.