Washington – The Computer & Communications Industry Association has filed comments with legislators in New Jersey in response to a bill that would require age verification and parental consent to use social media platforms. CCIA outlines problems with the age verification requirements, and also noted that “protecting children from harm online does not include a generalized power to restrict ideas to which one may be exposed.” CCIA is also concerned with the requirements to provide government-issued identification and credit card information as a part of the parental consent process, which would potentially restrict access to these platforms for tens of thousands of New Jersey residents.
CCIA supports enhanced privacy protections for children and teens online, but has concerns with certain measures creating additional data collection requirements and associated privacy concerns. CCIA also encourages lawmakers to ensure any proposed protections do not inadvertently prevent users from accessing information and communities of support.
The following can be attributed to CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender:
“The goal of protecting the safety of young people online is one we understand and share. CCIA would encourage policymakers to develop effective approaches to protect younger users while also allowing them access to information. Policies that require additional data collection work against the trend for companies to collect and store less sensitive data on users.”