Bill aiming to protect children online reignite battle over privacy and free speech…

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers on Thursday are scheduled to consider a controversial bill that aims to hold tech companies responsible for the spread of posts exploiting children, the latest in bipartisan salvos targeting Silicon Valley.

Under the Earn It Act, tech companies would lose some long-standing protections they enjoy under a legal shield called Section 230, opening them up to more lawsuits over posts of child sexual abuse material on their platforms. The bill, which was first introduced in 2020, would also create a national commission of law enforcement, abuse survivors and industry experts to develop best practices to address child abuse online.

The bill is “calibrated to really stop the most detestable and despicable kinds of child abuse involving really horrific pornographic images that follow these kids all their lives,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who co-sponsored the legislation with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The bill has been backed by lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum, as well as groups representing law enforcement and sexual exploitation survivors.

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But unlike some recent antitrust bills that have won the backing of some technologists, the bill’s revival has reignited a battle over the future of Internet regulation and online speech. Prominent technologists, industry groups, civil rights advocates and LGBTQ interest groups have aggressively campaigned against it, warning that the proposal threatens to erode consumers’ privacy and could have a chilling effect on free expression online.

www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/A-bill-aiming-to-protect-children-online-16847103.php

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