Lawmakers spent the day chasing safety by expanding surveillance, proving that in Washington, nothing unites faster than fear of the internet.
The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade spent its latest markup hearing on Thursday proving that if there’s one bipartisan passion left in Washington, it’s moral panic about the internet.
Eighteen separate bills on “kids’ online safety” were debated, amended, and then promptly advanced to the full committee. Not one was stopped.
Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D) set the tone early, describing the bills as “terribly inadequate” and announcing she was “furious.”
She complained that the package “leaves out the big issues that we are fighting for.” If it’s not clear, Schakowsky is complaining that the already-controversial bills don’t go far enough.
Eighteen bills now move forward, eight of which hinge on some form of age verification, which would likely require showing a government ID. Three: App Store Accountability (H.R. 3149), the SCREEN Act (H.R. 1623), and the Parents Over Platforms Act (H.R. 6333), would require it outright.
The other five rely on what lawmakers call the “actual knowledge” or “willful disregard” standards, which sound like legalese but function as a dare to platforms: either know everyone’s age, or risk a lawsuit.
The safest corporate response, of course, would be to treat everyone as a child until they’ve shown ID.
🔗SOURCE ➡️ ReclaimTheNet
Related: 11/24 — Telegram Sues Australia Over Age Verification Law
11/10 — Texas Sues Roblox Over Child Safety Failures, Joining Multi-State Push For Digital Id
10/14 — Google And Apple To Enforce Age Verification In Texas Starting In 2026
9/25 — NOW - Starmer to require all UK adults to own government-issued digital ID, allegedly to "stop the boats."
9/7 — Whitney Webb breaks down the coordinated global push for a new, dystopian system of control, marrying digital ID with CBDCs. This isn't conspiracy; it's all in their own documentation.
8/3 — Zoomers Cannot Adjust Their Nvidia Graphics Cards Settings On Their Gaming Pcs Anymore Because They Aren't 18 Thanks To The Online Safety Act.
12/18/24 — Senators Rush To Pass Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), Face Criticism Over Censorship And Age Verification Issues
11/21/24 — Whitney Webb to Elon Musk:
Aren't You The Guy That Wants To "Verify all humans" On Social Media By Having Them Link A Govt Issued Id To Their Social Media Account? You Say It's To "Control bots", Australia's Govt Says It's To "Protect kids", But It's Really The Same Policy At The End Of The Day, Isn´t It?
10/24/24 — Ireland Unveils EU-Wide Online Safety Code With Strict Censorship, Online Digital ID Verification, And Fines For Big Tech
8/29/24 — Whitney Webb: Can't Wait For The "Dissident" People Telling Me To Get Over The Covid Era Policies And Op Warp Speed To Tell Me To Get Over My Opposition To Digital Id And Programmable, Surveillable Money Too. I Give It 1-2 Years Tops.
8/2/24 — Biden-Harris Task Force Urges Online Age Verification Digital Id Tool Development
5/11/24 — Whitney Webb: Can Trump Supporters Not see That They Are Being Manipulated Into Consenting to the Same Digital ID Biometric Hell That Was Trialed Out During COVID?
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