S.T.O.P. Report Shows Online ID Verification Laws Threaten Kids, Internet Security

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Report Shows Online ID Verification Laws Threaten Kids, Internet Security (New York, NY 9/28/2023) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, released The Kids Won’t Be Alright: The Looming Threat of Child Surveillance Laws, detailing how new online age and identity verification laws threaten internet access for adults and put many teens in harm’s way. Numerous federal and state proposals would require biometric scans, government ID, and other invasive measures to access the internet. The report shows these laws are especially harmful to LGBTQIA+ youth, undocumented immigrants, abortion seekers, survivors of domestic violence, and disabled communities. The report comes after the New York State Senate introduced the Child Data Privacy and Protection Act, which follows the model of Utah and Louisiana, mandating companies impose draconian measures to track users. SEE: S.T.O.P. Report - The Kids Won’t Be Alright: The Looming Threat of Child Surveillance Laws https://www.stopspying.org/child-surveillance “Forcing companies to collect even more data on users will put them at risk,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “These bills are sold as a way to protect teens, but they do just the opposite. Rather than misguided efforts to track every users’ age and identity, we need privacy protections for every American. These bills will transform the internet into a giant policing tool. Already we see police weaponizing corporate data against abortion seekers and undocumented immigrants. If these laws continue to pass, it could turn the open internet into a tool of authoritarian control.” SEE: Politico - Where parental snooping is becoming the law https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/11/social-media-privacy-parents-kids-00091400 The Verge - Online age verification is coming, and privacy is on the chopping block https://www.theverge.com/23721306/online-age-verification-privacy-laws-child-safety Key Findings Include: Under the Child Data Privacy and Protection Act (“New York Surveillance Act”), companies will be incentivized to collect sensitive user information and use invasive age verification systems, such as facial recognition, to demonstrate compliance with the law; There is no way for companies to reliably identify the age of users without incredibly invasive forms of tracking, but even the most invasive measures will likely be routinely circumvented by teens; All commercially available forms of ID verification create additional risks for website users and operators, and age verification would make anonymous internet access for at-risk communities impossible; The New York Surveillance Act does not include any specific disability accommodations, putting children and anyone with a disability in harm’s way; Age and identity verification requirements would force undocumented migrants to avoid all internet use, or risk arrest and deportation; New parental consent requirements pose an especially potent threat to LGBTQIA+ youth in unsafe households, risking outing to homophobic or transphobic family members; The New York Surveillance Act threatens the anonymity of minors seeking reproductive health and domestic violence support services online; By focusing on safeguards that apply to both teenagers and adults, lawmakers can protect more users and avoid the harms of age gating and identity verification. This summer, S.T.O.P. welcomed legislation safeguarding gender affirming care in New York State, but called on Albany to scrap the New York Surveillance Act to better protect transgender youth. In April, the civil rights group released a research memorandum detailing the unintended harms of the New York Surveillance Act. SEE: Times Union - Commentary: A victory for trans rights, but still more to do https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/commentary-victory-trans-rights-still-18172907.php Memo - The Unintended Harms of S3281 (“The NY Surveillance Act”) To Internet Safety https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/5/22/the-unintended-harms-of-s3281-the-ny-surveillance-act-to-internet-safety The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.