S.T.O.P. Warns Albany’s Social Media Deal is “Unsafe For Kids”

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Warns Albany’s Social Media Deal is “Unsafe For Kids” (New York, NY 6/4/24) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, warned that New York lawmakers’ reported agreement to impose social media age surveillance is invasive, discriminatory, and unsafe for kids. New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s effort to pass the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act comes as the New York State Legislature enters the final days of its 2024 session. The civil rights group warned that the well-intentioned measure would force many internet companies to collect even more information about users and implement discriminatory technology like facial recognition. SEE: Engadget - New York is about to give parents more control over their kids' social media feeds https://www.engadget.com/new-york-is-about-to-give-parents-more-control-over-their-kids-social-media-feeds-230205845.html “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 the 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.” SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Hochul’s Internet Age Tracking Law https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2024/1/17/stop-condemns-hochuls-internet-age-tracking-law In April, S.T.O.P. released Age Of Surveillance: Conservative Age Surveillance Of LGBTQ+ Youth, a research report detailing the harms of internet age-verification laws on LGBTQ+ children and teens. Last fall, the civil rights group also 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. Report Shows Internet Age Surveillance Censors LGBTQ+ Youth https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2024/4/3/stop-report-shows-internet-age-surveillance-censors-lgbtq-youth 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.