Washington – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. John James (R-Mich.) have reintroduced the App Store Accountability Act, a bill that, among other duties, would mandate age verification, putting sensitive information at greater risk.
Children are entitled to greater security and privacy online. Mandatory age verification increases sensitive data collection from young people and raises significant concerns that risk subjecting businesses to vague compliance requirements and arbitrary enforcement, while jeopardizing consumer privacy and violating the free speech rights of both minors and adults. Age verification generally forces the collection of very personal data, with no regard to families who value privacy as much as they value safety.
For more than 50 years, the Computer & Communications Industry Association has shared the goals of protecting young users online with balanced regulation.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President and CEO Matt Schruers:
“Keeping young people safe online is a shared priority, but mandating identity and biometric collection to go online is not the path forward. Decisions about what content is suitable for teens are best made around the kitchen table. Leading companies provide parents who let their teens go online with better tools every day to decide what guardrails are right for their family.”
