Key facts
- The House of Representatives passed the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act.
- The bill mandates safeguards for children, including restricting disappearing messages and requiring AI chatbot identification.
- It also requires age verification technology for accessing pornography.
- The legislation passed with bipartisan support (267-117).
- Concerns have been raised by Senators Maria Cantwell and Richard Blumenthal regarding potential tech industry exploitation and privacy issues.
- The Center for Democracy and Technology warned that age verification could lead to increased personal data collection.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, a legislative package aimed at enhancing online safety for children. The bill introduces several requirements for technology platforms, including restrictions on disappearing messages for minors, mandates for AI chatbots to disclose their non-human nature, and age verification technology for accessing pornographic content. The legislation passed with bipartisan support by a vote of 267-117.
However, the bill faces opposition from some Democratic senators, including Maria Cantwell and Richard Blumenthal, who have urged its rejection. They expressed concerns that the tech industry could exploit confusion between this bill and similar legislation. Cantwell stated, "We’re not going to let bad legislation with a good title just get across and think somebody’s done something." The Senate is considering a similar bill that would impose a "duty of care" on social media companies.
Privacy advocates also voiced apprehension. Kate Ruane, Director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, warned that the age verification measures could incentivize the collection of more personal data from all users. "All users, including kids, deserve strong privacy protections, not mandates to hand over more and more personal details whenever they go online," Ruane said. Representative Thomas Massie echoed these privacy concerns, calling the package a "dangerous" anti-privacy bill.