1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose S.737, the SCREEN Act, or "Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net." Not only is the name absurd and patronizing, but the bill itself represents a serious threat to free expression, personal privacy, and the lawful rights of adults online under the guise of protecting children. Firstly, this bill like all others assume that parents actively want to participate in monitoring their children's online activity. This is the fatal flaw that has rendered similar legislation useless in the past. These laws fundamentally depend on engaged, proactive parenting to be effective. Most of the time, that participation simply does not happen. At its core, S.737 forces platforms that host so-called harmful content to minors to implement age verification systems. In practice, this means websites will be compelled to collect, store, and protect sensitive personal data just to allow adults to access legal content. This includes adult entertainment, artistic expression, health information, and other lawful materials that some groups may find objectionable but which remain protected under the First Amendment. This is not a protective measure. It is a surveillance system. No private company should ever be mandated to collect identification or link users' names and faces to what they read, watch, or say online. This creates a chilling effect where people self-censor or withdraw entirely from important discussions and communities simply to avoid having their identity documented. That is not freedom. That is coercion. The federal government is the only entity with the authority to request identifying information from American citizens, and even that authority must be limited and clearly justified. Handing that responsibility over to tech companies, porn filters, or third-party "verification vendors" is reckless and dangerous. These companies have no incentive to protect users beyond their legal minimums, and history has shown they often fail even that. Just look at the Tea app leaks, or the growing trend of platforms quietly sharing behavioral data to blacklist users across multiple services. Once that data is out, it is out forever. Make no mistake: this bill does not target crime. It targets adults. It forces people to choose between accessing legal content or preserving their privacy. Between speaking freely or being tracked. That is not safety. That is control. Another bill has been getting a lot of attention, KOSA as everyone calls it, while not perfect, at least attempts to regulate platform design without compelling platforms to identify and record every user who consumes mature content. S.737 crosses a line that should never be crossed in a free society. Please stand against this bill and defend the rights of Americans to think, speak, and read freely without being forced to present ID at the digital border.