1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the reintroduced Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which is part of a growing international trend toward invasive internet regulation disguised as child protection. While safeguarding minors online is important, this bill and similar efforts in the UK and EU rely on alarmist rhetoric to justify sweeping restrictions and mass surveillance of internet users. Let me be clear: KOSA is not truly about protecting kids. It is a Trojan horse for unpopular, harmful legislation that would empower state attorneys general and unelected bureaucrats to pressure platforms into silencing lawful speech. This bill opens the door to censorship, especially of LGBTQ creators, sex educators, artists, and marginalized voices. These communities are often falsely accused of endangering youth, and under KOSA, their content could be wiped out. This legislation arrives alongside deeply troubling trends in the private sector. Payment processors like Mastercard and Visa are now effectively dictating what platforms like Steam and Itch.io can allow. In the name of brand safety, they are forcing the removal of perfectly legal, adult-themed games and artwork. These actions directly undermine consumer choice and the livelihoods of independent creators. Meanwhile, lawmakers in the UK and EU are pushing for mandatory age verification and ID checks for access to adult content. These measures are invasive, insecure, and risk exposing users to blackmail, surveillance, and data breaches. If enacted, they will devastate online privacy and set dangerous global precedents. American companies may soon follow suit or be pressured to comply with these foreign laws. It is no coincidence that these bills claim to protect children while handing massive power to governments, corporations, and payment giants. KOSA and its global counterparts weaponize child safety to brute-force moral panic policies that the public would never accept on their own. We must not allow that to happen. Please oppose the reintroduction of KOSA and reject any similar efforts to force platforms into censorship or mandate invasive ID verification. Stand firmly against invasive ID verification laws that threaten people's sensitive information. Support meaningful legislation like the Fair Access To Banking Act, and support necessary privacy reforms within the United States. Do not let vague fears about the internet be used to justify mass control, surveillance, or financial discrimination.