Washington – The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to markup several bills on Wednesday that aim to tackle various online safety issues, including S. 1748, Kids Online Safety Act; S. 4199, Youth AI Privacy Act; and S. 4407, CHATBOT Act.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association shares lawmakers’ goal of protecting young internet users, and advocates for parents to be the drivers of appropriate online habits using the many tools available to set content and use times for their family. CCIA is concerned that these bills replace parental discretion with prescriptive federal mandates that rely on vague, inconsistent standards that raise constitutional concerns, restrict lawful speech, and create significant compliance challenges for digital services.
CCIA sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee ahead of the markup expressing their concerns with the bills.
The following quote may be attributed to CCIA’s Vice President for U.S. Policy Brian McMillan:
“Parents, not politicians, should remain the primary decision makers in determining their family’s relationship with technology. Congress can better protect younger internet users by strengthening privacy protections without forcing companies to collect more sensitive personal information or adopting vague legal standards that chill lawful speech.”
