1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). This legislation threatens free speech and privacy for all internet users, not just children, while failing to address the actual harms it claims to prevent. KOSA's fundamental flaw is that it empowers the government to pressure platforms into removing content deemed "inappropriate" for minors without defining what that means. There is no consensus on what constitutes inappropriate content. This vague standard will inevitably be weaponized to censor lawful speech on controversial topics including political viewpoints, health information, and educational resources. When platforms face potential liability, they will over-censor to protect themselves, removing far more content than necessary. The censorship will not stop at content aimed at minors. Platforms cannot easily separate adult users from young users without implementing age verification systems across their entire user base. This means adults will face the same restricted access to information as children, fundamentally altering how all Americans can communicate online. Age verification requirements create serious privacy violations for everyone. To comply with KOSA, platforms would need to collect government-issued identification from users. This means your ID, address, and the content you view or opinions you express online would be linked together in corporate databases. This creates a surveillance infrastructure ripe for abuse, data breaches, and government overreach. Your political views, health concerns, and personal interests would be tied directly to your identity and home address. KOSA will not make children safer. Censorship and surveillance are not solutions to online harms. Instead, I urge you to support comprehensive federal data privacy legislation that protects all users without sacrificing free speech or creating mandatory identification systems that threaten everyone's privacy and security.