S.T.O.P. Condemns Hochul’s Internet Age Tracking Law

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns Hochul’s Internet Age Tracking Law (New York, NY 1/17/2024) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemned New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s endorsement of proposed state legislation that would require social media users to verify their age with invasive and discriminatory technologies. The civil rights group noted recent age verification measures from other states had proven disastrous—chilling internet access, expanding government surveillance, while still being easily circumvented by children and teens. SEE: Politico - Welcome to the budget dance https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook/2024/01/17/welcome-to-the-budget-dance-00136010 “Lawmakers are legislating a fairy tale,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “There simply is no technology that can prove New Yorkers’ ages without undermining their privacy. And many of technologies on the market are deeply discriminatory. This would be a hard issue to debate if the technology actually worked, but it doesn’t. Many of the measures required in other jurisdictions are child’s play to break, while making the internet inaccessible for seniors, immigrants, and low-income communities.” Last October, S.T.O.P. expressed concern when New York Attorney General Letitia James introduced the social media surveillance law Hochul endorsed, noting that the proposal was less alarming than prior proposals but still incorporated use of age verification. The month prior, S.T.O.P. released The Kids Won’t Be Alright: The Looming Threat of Child Surveillance Laws, a research report detailing how online age and identity verification laws threaten internet access for adults and put many teens in harm’s way.  SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Concerned Over NY Social Media Legislation, Warns ‘Age Verification Doesn’t Work’ https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/10/11/stop-concerned-over-ny-social-media-legislation-warns-age-verification-doesnt-work Press Release - S.T.O.P. Report Shows Online ID Verification Laws Threaten Kids, Internet Security https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/9/28/stop-report-shows-online-id-verification-laws-threaten-kids-internet-security 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.