Nobody’s Safe From Child Surveillance Laws

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Friend, A wave of child surveillance bills is sweeping the nation, not just endangering children, but also posing a huge threat to adults. In our latest report, The Kids Won’t Be Alright, we show that these bills are built on a fundamental misunderstanding about technology. The truth is that there’s no way to securely verify people’s age, and these laws will inevitably lead to more surveillance, not safety. Close to home, the so called “New York Surveillance Act” would coerce websites to use novel and intrusive surveillance techniques to collect users’ legal names, ages, and addresses nearly every time they access the internet. And the millions in proposed fines wouldn’t just push companies to wall off the internet in New York, but to create new barriers to access for users around the globe. Suddenly, everyone from abortion seekers, to LGBTQ+ teens in unsafe, homophobic households, to political dissidents would find themselves cut off from support. Similar laws in other states have even promoted biased technology like facial recognition. These bills also have dire implications for undocumented immigrants who may be forced to choose between this digital lifeline and the threat of deportation. It is long past time that lawmakers learn that surveillance solutionism is destined to fail. Read the full report to learn more. With thanks,  Allie Lennard Communications Intern Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2023 STOP, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: STOP 40 Rector Street 9th Floor New York, NY 10006