Washington – The Computer & Communications Industry Association will testify today before the Maryland House Economic Matters Committee in opposition to HB 1179, legislation that would impose age verification requirements on digital services and raise constitutional, privacy, and implementation concerns.
CCIA supports lawmakers’ goal of protecting children online, but will warn that HB 1179 conditions access to lawful digital content on age verification requirements that courts have repeatedly found unconstitutional. Courts have struck down similar laws because they restrict access to protected speech for both minors and adults seeking lawful news, educational, and expressive content online.
The association will also raise concerns that the bill’s age verification provisions could require the collection of sensitive personal information, including government-issued identification or biometric data, creating new privacy and cybersecurity risks for users. In addition, Maryland law already provides protections related to minors and contracts, raising questions about whether the legislation addresses issues already covered under existing law.
During testimony, CCIA will emphasize that parents already have access to a wide range of existing tools, including parental controls, privacy settings, and screen-time management features, allowing families to tailor online experiences without requiring broad government mandates or identity verification systems.
The following statement can be attributed to Megan Stokes, State Policy Director at CCIA:
“CCIA shares Maryland lawmakers’ goal of protecting children online, but HB 1179 takes the wrong approach. The bill risks undermining free speech and user privacy while creating significant practical challenges for implementation. Families already have access to effective parental control tools that allow them to manage their children’s digital experiences without requiring widespread collection of sensitive personal data. Policies that require age verification for lawful online speech raise serious constitutional concerns and risk creating new privacy vulnerabilities for users.”
