1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

I am writing to you out of concern for the growing attacks on the freedoms of speech, expression, and privacy. Around the world, nations are taking unprecedented steps to regulate and censor the internet. Nations such as the United Kingdom and Australia have implemented tyrannical censorship laws that have spilled over into the United States. The UK’s “Online Safety Act” has prompted American tech companies to challenge the law, while others, such as YouTube, have complied despite President Trump's warning to the UK and its agency, OFCOM, to reconsider. YouTube has begun rolling out Identity and Age verification protocols, requiring anyone its AI program suspects of being under 18 to submit to a facial scan and/or upload their government-issued ID. In recent days, we have seen the huge risks associated with corporations and other entities collecting IDs, such as the massive data breach associated with the “TEA” app. The United States has now joined the growing list of nations not only promoting but also legislating age verification for internet use. While I disagree with SCOTUS’s decision in Free Speech Coalition Inc. v. Paxton,  I understand why a sexually-explicit site such as pornhub would require age verification; however, sites such as YouTube are already heavily monitored and lack sexually explicit content. Additionally, sites such as YouTube already have a children’s version (YouTubeKids), where parents can easily monitor and regulate what their child has access to. Not only do sites like these expect the rest of the general public to submit to artificial intelligence to determine age based on subjective data patterns, but they will then require those it deems under age to show proof of age via government ID submission and/or a facial scan. As mentioned before, the risk of data theft or leakage is extraordinarily high. The forced age verification of internet users is an egregious violation of free speech, free expression, and the right to privacy.  It is ironic that despite President Trump’s comments to Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding his pro-free speech stance, the United States Congress is attempting to pass two bills that would censor the internet in a similar manner to the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the SCREEN Act would effectively require Americans to disclose their age and other identifiers, including submission of a photo ID, to use the internet. As your constituent, I ask that you vote no on KOSA and the SCREEN Act, and condemn them as a violation in the era of internet freedom and as a violation of Americans’  privacy and individualism. These laws do not make the internet safer for children, in fact, just as a UK member of parliament said, it was never about the children but ensuring a docile and compliant populace. In the name of Liberty you must vote no. Do not let the bastion of freedom submit to the draconian laws of nations like the UK, China, or Soviet Russia. Defend freedom in all forms – that includes data privacy and internet freedom.  I ask that in addition to protecting free speech and expression on the internet, you pass legislation protecting and guaranteeing the right to digital privacy and data protection similar to that of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, implemented May of 2018. Under the Fourth Amendment, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” In the modern age it is only rational that these protections apply to modern versions; i.e. papers would extend to digital papers and data. As more and more Americans connect to the internet and use it for their jobs, school, recreation, and social interactions, their information is collected, stored, and sold, often without their consent or full awareness of the implications. Entire sectors of information technology are dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and selling these data points distributing an individual's private information across the internet often to foreign entities and domestic companies. Domestic companies also often buy data bundles utilizing them to curate personalized algorithms and upsell products. While this may seem harmless, it is still an invasion of privacy, and I urge you to look to the European Union and their data protection laws including the “Right to Disappear"; meaning Americans would have the right to remove their data from search engines and protect their privacy. It is imperative that the United States take a similar if not more aggressive stance on this issue.  We have long neglected the 4th Amendment for a variety of purposes but to neglect it in servitude to big business and the profit motive is absurd and a great failure of this nation. Stand for freedom. Protect liberty and privacy. Uphold the Constitution.  Thank you for your time and consideration.