- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
Charlie Jane Anders discusses KOSA (the Kids Online Safety Act).
If you’re in the US, https://www.stopkosa.com/ makes it easy to contact your Senators and ask them to oppose KOSA.
"A new bill called the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, is sailing towards passage in the Senate with bipartisa>n support. Among other things, this bill would give the attorney general of every state, including red states, the right to sue Internet platforms if they allow any content that is deemed harmful to minors. This clause is so vaguely defined that attorneys general can absolutely claim that queer content violates it — and they don’t even need to win these lawsuits in order to prevail. They might not even need to file a lawsuit, in fact. The mere threat of an expensive, grueling legal battle will be enough to make almost every Internet platform begin to scrub anything related to queer people.
The right wing Heritage Foundation has already stated publicly that the GOP will use this provision to remove any discussions of trans or queer lives from the Internet. They’re salivating over the prospect.
And yep, I did say this bill has bipartisan support. Many Democrats have already signed on as co-sponsors. And President Joe Biden has urged lawmakers to pass this bill in the strongest possible terms."
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I emailed my senators, both Democrats. One wrote me back telling me how proud they were of co-sponsoring the bill. The other told me how important it is to protect kids from the dangers of social media. WTF.
WTF indeed. But, thanks for emailing them – they track how much email they get in each direction, and if there’s enough they may rethink their position.
Fascists always use “protecting children” as the rationale for implementing mechanisms of social control. Their willingness to allow school shootings shows that they really don’t care about protecting children at all.
Ah yes… forever and again, the siren song of children being used as an excuse for draconian, rights eroding legislation… its amazing how much responsibility parents have shirked to the state as they replace babysitters with cellphones and tablets.
: “You REALLY want little Billy to read a tweet that makes him think he’s not perfect because he’s white!? YOU MONSTER! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to relentlessly stalk and then bully this freak I found on KiwiFarms for the crime of not being a good normal like me!”
Pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children, for instance, is not a political Gordian knot inextricably binding up disparate claims about free speech, property rights, sexual liberation, and child welfare. It has no claim to First Amendment protection. Its purveyors are child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women. Their product is as addictive as any illicit drug and as psychologically destructive as any crime. Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered.
just so we’re all clear on the purpose of this bill.
Unfortunately this is just ONE of MANY bad internet bills currently up for consideration and with bipartisan support. Help fight all of them at https://badinternetbills.com
in 2014: “Stupid SJWs, my rights don’t end where your feelings begin.” now: “Stupid SJWs, your rights end where my ego begins.”‘Free Speech’ mfs really do like their blasphemy laws.
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Conservatism: An idea so good it has to make alternatives ILLEGAL.
Knowing this will probably be passed like
This is how it feels like to not be American and seeing decisions like this. They affect the whole Internet since so much stuff relies on US Internet infrastructure, yet you can only watch as the citizens of Burgerland drive the 'net into the ground.
Ooooh… the liberals are about to hand the fascists the keys to the tanks.
We did the same in 2016. I forget what happened as I lapsed into a 4 year alcohol fueled amnesia. But I can’t imagine that it was too bad. /s
We did the same in 2016
Nope. Not yet. The right-wingers thought they could install overt fascism without the help of liberals - they thought wrong. They tried to win the streets - antifa beat booted them off it. They got their Great Orange Fuhrer into the Waffle House - liberal disdain isolated him and booted him out. What needs to happen is liberals being frightened to such an extent of working class revolt that the violence fascists offers becomes the “lesser evil” - and a good first step is to find hysteria “hot button” issues that liberals are too ignorant and naive to see through… like above-mentioned “protect the children” trope.
More of them “freedoms” that you yanks are always going on about?
The internet is about to move to the rest of the world if this passes, no one will host a web server in the US after this.
The problem is where? The EU is trying to apply similar censorship via the DSA, Russia we all know is LGBTphobic and not truly for free speech, Canada is a joke, and China is lol. Not even sure if Japan is viable.
There’s some wisdom in the old soviet anecdote
There’s freedom of speech in the USSR: In the USA, you can stand in front of the White House in Washington, DC, and yell, “Down with Ronald Reagan,” and you will not be punished. Equally, you can also stand in Red Square in Moscow and yell, “Down with Ronald Reagan,” and you will not be punished.
The Internet is still mostly connected, the law enforcement is not as much. Many businesses exist only because of this. You are free to host (produce, store, distribute) your content where it is legal and access it from where it is not. Access to foreign resources may eventually be outlawed or the access itself restricted. This is already the case in EU, Russia, China, etc. - but for now Internet is mostly connected.
What do you mean by China is lol?
Seems pretty clear from context, China is an autocratic state well known to engage in censorship when it fits the party’s desires.
And that has affected you outside China operating a server based there when?
I don’t understand, please rephrase your question.
What don’t you understand about it? How has it ever affected you? Can you name a single time it has?
China does not care unless you live within its borders, and even there it only really cares when it is someone of influence, such as the rich capital owners or the celebrities.
I just didn’t understand the way your question was worded because it was garbled. I don’t have any reason to host a data server and I don’t live in China, so you got me, I’ve never been personally impacted by Chinese government censorship and repression. Obviously that means it doesn’t exist, QED.
But oh, as long as I make sure not to upset anyone rich or in power I would be fine, don’t worry. Do you ever read what you type?
And which governments don’t engage in censorship when it fits their desires lol
Your whataboutism isn’t really useful here, I’m just responding to the question about China. The point of his response was that there isn’t really any place left to go. And even if your response was relevant it would be laughable, the censorship that the Chinese government perpetrates puts most other countries to shame.
Whataboutism, checkmate tankie
I mean, you are a tankie. You sub to hexbear. China isn’t an autocratic state hahaha okayyyyy surrrrre. Just a single party “democracy” right?
Which is his point,right? Like where else would you go to host if all governments engage in this BS
The arguments presented are so terrible and devoid of any meaninful substance
The first one was “China lol”
Then the one I replied to in support of “China lol” said “autocratic state” which is absolutely false unless all of your knowledge about China’s governance system comes from reading CNN headlines and skimming Reuters articles written by a dude with a bachelor’s in journalism that doesn’t speak Chinese
They also said “well known to” which implies it’s a special case when every state exerts overwhelming control and censorship over the media that occurs within their country
Isn’t the CCP given explicit power and privilege in the Chinese government and isn’t the CCP’s officially headed by a permanent leader as it’s “core”? I’ve been trying read about the political structure and it’s hard to not argue that it seems very autocratic.
Didn’t a lesbian kiss get edited out of Star Wars Rise of Skywalker for the Chinese release? Just as one example
Don’t know about the kiss, but they basically edited out John Boyega almost entirely for the overseas release.
If we’re using anecdotes, one of China’s most famous TV personalities (Jin Xing) is openly transgender
This is like saying, “I’m not a racist I have a black friend”
I’m trans. No it isn’t.
Claiming that China is actively repressing this while literally employing and front-facing transgender people is absurd. Where are the famous transgender TV personalities employed by the BBC? Britain’s state owned media.
China is visibly trying to improve things for trans people compared to the country I’m currently in (the UK) and your absurdness about it is obviously built on racism because you don’t behave this way about white countries. You only behave this way about non-white countries. Where is your equal criticism? Where is this behaviour when it’s all the white countries that behave this way? You’re american right? Where is it for YOUR country which is currently illegalising trans people, undergoing state sanctioned murder against trans people and having an internal refugee crisis because of it. Where the fuck are the federal protections to prevent this genocide being perpetrated by red states? Non existent. Because democrat support for trans people is performative.
So excuse me but fuck off about criticising China on trans people. You’re a shit.
Lol
China isn’t censoring their internet because you’re a trans person who lives in the UK, BBC doesn’t have trans personalities, and certain US politicians are attacking trans rights? Wow, what an argument.
Also I’m racist for pointing out authoritarianism from an authoritarian government?
You’re doing a terrible job with your concern trolling. Put in some effort at least.
I consider that an absolute win for queers. Corporate pandering can eat shit.
Why are you automatically blaming China for that? How do you know that decision wasn’t made by the film directors/company? Unfortunately, propaganda runs deep and people easily believe whatever they want to believe
It was the first Google search result
Disney and Lucasfilm are the ones to blame for chasing profit
which, considering that the U.S considers accessing a server based in the U.S grounds to extradite a person from the otherside of the world and try them for a capital crime might not be such a bad thing.
Make sure you vote!!!
I keep voting and things keep getting worse anyway.
You’re not voting hard enough
For fucking what? This is bipartisan!
don’t worry, they’re making fun of liberals who claim voting will cure all societal ills
“The internet is about to get a lot worse (US focused)” uhh
spoiler
everyday is the same but slightly worse
Horrifying to see Biden and the Dems unite with the Republicans on an anti-LGBT+ bill.
In a few years, if you’re not willing to vote with a brick and a molotov, then your vote doesn’t count.
And then everybody slaps a “Only for 18+, fill in your birth day” on their site and nobody can legally claim it’s harming children.
this law requires positive proof with IDs. it’s also going to be used by red states to go after online queer communities.
I’m curious how that’s going to work in international context. Everything to do with the queer community suddenly has a link to .ca or .mx domain and server park outside the country where this doesn’t apply for example. Or reddit suddenly checks with the authorities in Zimbabwe if the ID is valid.
lol the US doesn’t care about international law
There were enough American companies having an office in Ireland to avoid taxes. And soon also to avoid red state litigation.
the US controls the international money supply. the loopholes employed by those companies are very easily closed as is the ability of companies headquartered outside the US to operate within its borders. companies will fall in line. and any support granted by other countries are easily neutered by shocking the money supply.
