EFF Asks California Governor to Veto Bill That Would Require Online Age Verification

Arthur T Knackerbracket writes:

The EFF says the law is additionally too broad and based on uncertain science, too:

With social networks tracking every single motion of our scrolling fingers and now the advent of data-hoovering AI models, it's easy to argue that staying anonymous online has never been harder. If you're a Californian, though, it will soon become harder still. Bill A.B. 1709, effectively requiring age checks on social networks, is set to become law unless Gavin Newsom vetoes it - a measure the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is requesting in an open letter to the governor.

A.B. 1709 doesn't explicitly require an actual online physical ID check, but given the way it's written, companies are free to use any means they see fit to fulfill that requirement. In turn, this leads the EFF to remark that the most likely choice for networks would be invasive checks like requiring the uploading of government IDs and/or biometric checks. The Foundation says that this would concentrate even more power in social media companies' hands, with a Californian's personal ID adding to their datasets.

The EFF also argues that A.B. 1709 wouldn't help teenagers and could do more harm than good by keeping them out of "supportive online communities," as well as "deny [them] opportunities to develop their own voices and perspectives." The letter mentions that research on whether social networks are good or bad for teens is inconclusive, and that teens could have their First Amendment rights infringed as a result.

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