KOSA and other Bad Internet Bills (US-specific for now)

Fight for the Future writes:

"The controversial and unconstitutional Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is officially dead in the House of Representatives. Reporting indicates that there was significant opposition to the bill within the Republican caucus, and it faced vocal opposition from prominent progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep Maxwell Frost (D-FL)."

Evan Greer:

"KOSA was a poorly written bill that would have made kids less safe. I am so proud of the LGBTQ youth and frontlines advocates who have led the opposition to this dangerous and misguided legislation. It’s good that this unconstitutional censorship bill is dead for now, but I am not breathing a sigh of relief. It’s infuriating that Congress wasted so much time and energy on a deeply flawed and controversial bill while failing to advance real measures to address the harms of Big Tech like privacy, antitrust and algorithmic justice legislation. "

Thanks to everybody who took action ove the last year to stop this bill!

Well it wasn't just Trump loyalists; it was 19 Republicans in the Freedom Caucus (who are indeed Trump loyalists) and almost all the Democrats voting agains bringing the current bill to the floor. Now what?

"Congressional sources tell WIRED they have no idea what the next steps will be."

Oh.

That's not good.

This week the House is set to vote on legislation to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (“FISA 702”), along with a set of amendments. One of these amendments — put forward by House Intelligence Committee leads Mike Turner and Jim Himes — would expand warrantless FISA surveillance dramatically: While falsely billing itself as a minor definitional tweak, in reality the amendment would be the largest expansion of FISA since Section 702 was created in 2008. It could be used to enlist an array of sensitive facilities — such as offices for nonprofits, political campaigns, and news organizations — to serve as hubs for warrantless surveillance.

if you’re in the US, now’s a great time to contact Congress. You can either call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or use the House directory to look up your legislators’ contact info.

“Stop the FBI from expanding warrantless surveillance of innocent Americans. OPPOSE the FISA amendment from Reps. Turner and Himes, which would be the largest expansion of FISA since Section 702 was created in 2008. And please oppose any attempt to reauthorize FISA Section 702 that doesn’t include warrant requirements, both for Section 702 data and for our sensitive, personal information sold to the government by data brokers.”

It’s still not clear just what will get voted on. So, if you're in the US, now's a great time to contact Congress. EFF’s action Tell Congress: Absent Major Changes, 702 Should Not be Renewed has as a form that will connect you nd provides talking points. Or if you’d rather contact them directly, here’s a short script:

“Stop the FBI from spying on innocent Americans. Please fight for a vote to reform FISA’s Section 702 with warrant requirements, both for Section 702 data and for our sensitive, personal information sold to the government by data brokers. And please oppose any attempt to reauthorize FISA Section 702 that doesn’t include both of these critical reforms.”

You can either call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or use the House directory to look up your legislators’ contact info.

A long analysis by Quinta Jurecic

"This story isn’t over yet. If KOSA passes in the Senate, the bill will still have to make it through the House—potentially a tall order given the ongoing dysfunction in that chamber. Meanwhile, reporting suggests that the bill’s path toward a Senate vote has already been delayed thanks to jockeying among senators seeking to move forward their own, separate legislative proposals for tech regulation and child safety. In that sense, at least, all of this is politics as usual."

“The current plan is to run FISA as a standalone the week after Easter,” Johnson said during an interview at the GOP retreat at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. That timing would put a vote the week of April 8, when the House is slated to return from a two-week recess.

That commitment runs contrary to some fears that Johnson might attach a short-term extension of Section 702 to a government funding bill that leaders hope to clear next week. That possibility has caused significant heartburn for privacy hawks, who are hoping to make changes to the current law before reauthorizing.

At a private meeting about the reauthorization of a major United States surveillance program late last year, the Republican chairman of the US House Intelligence Committee presented an image of Americans protesting the war in Gaza while implying possible ties between the protesters and Hamas, an allegation that was used to illustrate why surveillance reforms may prove detrimental to national security,

Detailed reporting on the sleazy tactics suveillance hawks in Congress used to sabotage this week's vote on FISA Section 702 reform. It really is a bipartisan issue: the the House Intelligence Committee's Chair Mike Turner (a Republican) and Ranking Member Jim Himes (a Democrat) worked together on this, although Himes is now trying to distance himself.

EFF's take on the amended version of KOSA. TL;DR summary:

We are asking everyone reading this to oppose this latest version, and to demand that their representatives oppose it—even if you have already done so.

They've unveiled a new version, with some improvements. Fight for the Future's statement (not quoted in the Washington Post, of course, which is a mouthpiece for tech) says "we are glad to see the attorney general enforcement narrowed" but also notes that "As we have said for months, the fundamental problem with KOSA is that its duty of care covers content specific aspects of content recommendation systems, and the new changes fail to address that." So it's still a bad bill.

But just because they're claiming they have the votes in the Senate, it's not a done deal yet -- and it still has to go through the House. So, if you're in the US, call your legislators! https://www.stopkosa.com/

The good news is that the secret session of Congress didn't happen so they didn't sneak something through behind closed doors. Thanks to everybody who took action! and it now looks like the House won't be voting on Section 702 this week.

Elisabeth Goitein of Brennan Center has an excellent Xitter thread here describing it as HPSCI (House Intelligence Committee) leaders (who oppose reforms and want to broaden surveillance) forcing Speaker Johnson to cancel the floor vote. She suggests they'll try to get weak language into the continuing resolution, and if that happens we should be ready to make some noise.

Then again, as @[email protected] of Wired suggests on Bluesky, if they don't take action by April 19, the FISC (FISA Court) can just extend certifications for a year, so that's also a way they can delay reforms. We may also need to make some noise to demand a vote.

So stay tuned!!!!

#FISA #section702 #surveillance

Patrick Eddington has a good summary:

"Unlike the House Judiciary Committee bill passed by that body in December by a 35-2 bipartisan margin, the new bill 1) does not mandate a warrant before FBI personnel can sift through the FISA Section 702 database for information on U.S. Persons and 2) still allows federal law enforcement agencies to buy data on U.S. Persons from data brokers--no warrant required.

The bill also allows for FBI agents to go through the Section 702 database for information "relevant to an existing, open, predicated full national security investigation.""

There were reports that intelligence agencies will have a secret briefing for Congress this afternoon, although Eddington now says it might not happen. In any case, a vote is expected Thursday.

If you're in the US, now's a critical time to contact your legislators. This issue crosses party lines, so even if your representatives usually don't listen to you, they'll be paying attention to the number of calls they get on this one! Eddington has instructions on how to do it via Congress' site, or Demand Progress has a handy web page.

If you're in the US, https://stopkosa.com and EFF's page make it easy to contact your Senators and ask them to oppose #KOSA.

An excellent article by danah boyd -- about bad internet bills in general, not just KOSA. Some of danah's key points:

1. These “safety” bills are based on a faulty understanding of children’s mental health.

2. Bills like KOSA are predicated on the same technological solutionism that makes the logics of the tech industry so infuriating.

3. Children are dying. They’re in crisis. And we’re not providing them with the support they most need.

4. Many aspects of the tech industry are toxic. It’s politically prudent to use children. But it doesn’t help children and it doesn’t address the core issues in tech.

If you're in the US, https://stopkosa.com and EFF's page make it easy to contact your Senators and ask them to oppose #KOSA.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 106 to 13, with many Democrats joining the chamber's Republican majority in support of the bill. It now heads to the Republican-controlled Senate for consideration.

The horrible Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is once again moving forward in Congress, so now's a key time to contact your Senators and Representative. https://stopkosa.com has a summary of why this bill is so bad, including its harmfulness on LGBTQ+ youth, as well as a form to contact your Senators. But Republicans are just fine with bills that are harmful to LGBTQ+ youth, so they may well see that as a good thing!

Here's an alternate script designed for Republicans legislators. You can use it to call -- for a phone call or email -- from jamie quinn on Bluesky (shared with permission).

You can call the Senate switchboard at United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Or, use EFF's page.

Congress is expected to vote this week on various bills to reauthorise FISA Section 702 warrantless wiretapping. The House Intelligence committee's bill is a wolf in sheep's clothing -- it would significantly expand warrantless surveillance. If you're in the US, now's a key time to contact Congress! EFF's got a form that makes it easy, or see the article for phone numbers and a short script.

Mastodon Starter Packs – Get Your Feeds Humming

One of the most common complaints new users have with Mastodon is that initially their feed is dead because there is no algorithm here and they don’t know who to follow. The purpose of this article is to help you with a core group of recommended accounts to follow so that your feed presents interesting content.

In order to follow any of the accounts listed in this guide you can copy/paste the address into your # Explore search box and then click on the result to bring up the account, then click follow.

How To Use Lists

It is highly recommended that when you are following a new account you organize your account by Lists. For example if you are adding accounts under the subject of news, first create a news list:

Click Lists on the right >>> Type “News” in the box >>> Click “Add list” >>>
Click “1. News” below >>> Click on little slider bars top right >>>Toggle “Hide these posts from home”

This will create list title “1. News” and make it so that these posts DO NOT appear in your home feed. Then to view related posts, just click on “Lists” and then “1. News” in the pop-up. Repeat this for other list categories. For example you can make a list titled “2. Media”. The reason for the optional numerical antecedent is so your list of Lists will be ordered.

Then whenever you add an account that pertains to news:

Click on the account link >>> Click “Follow” >>> Click the three vertical dots on the right next to the bell >>> Click “Add or Remove from lists” >>> Click the little plus sign next to “1. News” (it changes to an x) >>> Repeat for each new account follow

News List Starter Pack

@[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected]

Media List Starter Pack

@[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected]

Technology List Starter Pack

@[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected]

Legal List Starter Pack

@[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected]

Various List Starter Pack

@[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected]

Ukraine List Starter Pack

@[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected]

Climate List Starter Pack

@[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected], @[email protected]

Astronomy List Starter Pack

@stim3on, @chrizzly_astrophotography, @zoom_earth, @jejord, @world_beauty, @kevinjardine, @ryderdavid, @davidbrin, @AkaSci, @MrNinerjoshua, @65dBnoise, @kitirving, @cplberry, @liz, @HaveyDeckAstro, @waynenator, @fraser, @carolynporco, @megschwamb, @HIprocessor, @sarahkendrew, @redshiftdrift, @MartialRelier, @chrfrde, @Skywise, @melix, @naz, @starrytimepod, @Jwilliams, @catherineryanhyde, @astrojaz, @GalacticRAVE, @mattkenworthy, @jwuphysics, @eamonn_kerins, @MaryMcIntyreAstro, @Siril_Official, @Astromeg, @stephenserjeant, @ChandraScience, @elizabethtasker, @andrealuck, @vicgrinberg, @mcnees, @skrishna, @rdrimmel, @emilydoesastro, @sebinthestars, @Robminchin, @LIGO, @astroptere, @markmccaughrean, @badastro, @dstndstn, @bibianaprinoth, @CosmicRami, @jradavenport, @justtheletteru, @planet4589, @karenlmasters, @astrokiwi, @cosmos4u, @_astronoMay, @VRubinObs, @AstroDave, @elakdawalla, @GirlInSpace, @Stef_Astro, @DavidBflower, @StellaLunaObs, @galaxy_map, @JohnBarentine, @tadpoleastro, @sterenn, @jdlbt, @mustapipa, @astronomerstel, @franco_vazza, @pomarede, @clearskies, @astroland, @UkrainianAstronomyProject, @marwellaspaceart, @astro_jcm, @AwesomeAstronomy, @UniversoMagico, @PhilipPugh, @coreyspowell, @ThomasConnor, @spacetelescope, @astronomywriter, @kellylepo, @kevinmgill, @iangriffin, @umplus, @sundogplanets, @nasa, @APoD, @ManuelHuss

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The Senate may have a simple voice vote in the next week to move the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) quickly through the legislature, without debate, but any one senator can stop it with a hold. We need you to call your senator's office today to tell them to stop KOSA. KOSA would censor the internet and would make government officials the arbiters of what young people can see online, and would likely lead to age verification.

Just last week more than 70 LGBTQ+ organizations came out against this dangerous and misguided bill, which would make kids less safe rather than more safe and especially harm LGBTQ+ youth. So it's crucial to stop it from moving forward!

EFF's page makes it easy to call your Senators; or, https://www.stopkosa.com/ makes it easy to send a letter (and find out more about the bill).

The letter argues that the bill “would make our kids less safe, not more safe,” since the bill would grant state attorneys general the power to determine what content is “unsafe” for children.

“These are the same attorneys general that are actively working to ban gender affirming health care that saves kids’ lives, criminalize drag performances, and label families that accept our children as ‘groomers’ and ‘child abusers,’” the letter reads.

The letter concludes with a plea to “abandon KOSA, which is deeply flawed and faces overwhelming opposition from human rights, LGBTQ, racial justice, and civil liberties organizations.”

KOSA has bipartisan support, including from some Democrats who usually support LGBTQ rights. But it's not to late to stop it, we're just going to have to make some noise.

https://www.stopkosa.com/ makes it easy to contact your lawmakers if you’re in the US.

In a video recently published by the conservative group Family Policy Alliance, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said “protecting minor children from the transgender in this culture” should be among the top priorities of conservative lawmakers....

In the same minute-and-a-half video, Blackburn lauded the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, a bipartisan bill introduced in May that would allow parents to sue social media companies and other online platforms if they do not sufficiently shield children under the age of 13 from harmful content on their platforms. The measure was introduced by Blackburn and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and has been endorsed by President Joe Biden.

https://www.stopkosa.com/ makes it easy to contact your lawmakers if you're in the US. It's not too late to stop KOSS -- but we're going to have to make some noise!

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/4403827

Senator Admits "Kids Online Safety Act" Will Target Trans Content Online.::The lead sponsor of the "Kids Online Safety Act," otherwise known as KOSA, has stated over the weekend that it will be used to "protect minor children from the transgender in our culture."

A new bill sponsored by Sen. Schatz (D-HI), Sen. Cotton (R-AR), Sen. Murphy (D-CT), and Sen. Britt (R-AL) would combine some of the worst elements of various social media bills aimed at “protecting the children” into a single law.