this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2023

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407

Stop KOSA. Why the KOSA Bill is Dangerous and Should be Rejected (www.stopkosa.com)

submitted 2 years ago by trashhalo@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

87 comments fedilink hide all child comments

KOSA is a bill that aims to protect children online but it would do so in harmful ways. First, it would pressure platforms to install content filters that would censor large amounts of content, including important suicide prevention and LGBTQ+ support resources. Content filters have a history of overblocking important information. Second, KOSA would ramp up online surveillance of all users by expanding age verification and parental monitoring tools. These tools are unnecessarily invasive and pose risks to young people trying to escape abuse. Over 90 rights groups agree that KOSA is dangerous and cannot be fixed through amendments. If you value a free and open internet, contact your lawmakers to reject KOSA.

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[–] storksforlegs@beehaw.org 99 points 2 years ago (4 children)

"Protect the children" is the new "fight terror". Big empty phrases that only end up taking away rights and targeting minorities.

[–] Erk@cdda.social 23 points 2 years ago (3 children)

True, but not new. It's been this since before "fight terror" in fact.

[–] Zorque@kbin.social 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It's coined as the "Helen Lovejoy Syndrome" after a Simpson's episode from the nineties.

[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 years ago

Won't somebody please think of the children?

[–] Omgpwnies@lemmy.ninja 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

"The war on drugs" has entered the chat

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[–] storksforlegs@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago

Yes, true. I guess its more of a shitty comeback, worse than before.

[–] dingus@lemmy.ml 14 points 2 years ago

Always has been.

Mighty convenient how so many of these "protect the children" groups end up with kiddie diddlers on staff.

https://news.yahoo.com/alabama-anti-abortion-advocate-charged-190424945.html

[–] prole@beehaw.org 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Possibly even worse since it's very often used as a cover for CSA. Not just minorities in this case that are being harmed, we're talking about literal children. It's fucking horrific.

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[–] P1r4nha@feddit.de 10 points 2 years ago

"Fight terror" has only really be an excuse since 9/11. Before they had others including protecting children. Only the anti-trans stuff is newish.

[–] swnt@feddit.de 81 points 2 years ago (1 children)

protect children online

I've yet to see any single new law proposal, that actually tackles this problem rather than misusing it's emotional trigger to get acceptance for surveillance and control

[–] prole@beehaw.org 29 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Meanwhile... child labor protections? Who needs em? Protections against child marriage (or let's call it what it is, rape)? They'll be fine. God wills it, after all, and it's in the Bible (or so they're told, very few of them actually read it).

Meanwhile, actual abuse is happening constantly in the Catholic (and others) church, and what do they do? Just shuffle 'em around a little bit. They "repented", so that means we can leave him alone with kids in Montana now instead of New Mexico. Problem solved! Thank the lord!

These fuckers have zero interest in actually protecting children, and for a good chunk of them, they're actively working toward the exact opposite.

[–] zergling_man@lemmy.perthchat.org 73 points 2 years ago

[+] 001100010010@lemmy.dbzer0.com 59 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

[removed by mod]

[–] Axolotling@beehaw.org 42 points 2 years ago (6 children)

Because we've hit the point of capitalism where the system is imploding on itself, and so those in power turn to fascism in order to protect their capital.

[–] P1r4nha@feddit.de 13 points 2 years ago

Rights for everyone when there's a boom, cracking down on rights when the cake stops growing.

[–] prole@beehaw.org 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

we've hit the point of capitalism where...

Oh, you mean its literal inception? This shit never worked.

[–] Fylkir@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That's kinda historically illiterate. The reason people tolerated Capitalism in the first place was that it smashed old forms of oppression and replaced them with less bad forms of oppression.

[–] prole@beehaw.org 2 points 2 years ago

Being marginally better than feudalism isn't a very high bar.

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[–] aeternum@kbin.social 19 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Because someone has to care about the children.Don't you care about the children? The chidlren. CHILDREN!

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[–] DontMakeMoreBabies@kbin.social 11 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Because some folks really seem to like power? And emotion is a solid button to press because a lot of folks are irrational monkeys.

Edit: most - > a lot of

[–] curiousgoo@beehaw.org 13 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I like the phrase "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely".

KOSA is not the only thing one should be worried about, illiterates from UK are bringing in an Online Safety Bill which needs all services with encryption to provide a backdoor for the UK government under the reasoning of "monitoring for CSAM content".

This doesn't just impact UK citizens, but will do for the world.

If I recall correctly, Australia did something similar.

Interesting to see how the 5-eyes try to push similar dumb ideas together.

[–] aeternum@kbin.social 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Australia did something recently, yes. It's called the AA Bill. And it allows for the government to demand a worker put a backdoor in to an encryption product. The absolutely stupid thing is that if the government does this, the worker can't tell a soul about it for fear of prison. If (when) it comes up in code review, they're still not allowed to tell anyone. If they do, it's straight off to prison. Where does it stop. I was hopeful that tech companies would abandon australia when this happened, but they didn't. They just rolled over and took it up the arse pipe. Fucking hell. This is a good write up

That's not even mentioning what google is trying to do currently.

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[–] sour@kbin.social 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

‘murica gets worse

[+] donut4ever@lemm.ee 26 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

[deleted]

[–] dingus@lemmy.ml 31 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Overworked, underpaid, and relying on technology to distract the kids. Not a lot different from 80's and 90's parents, except you know, poorer and more time-strapped.

[+] donut4ever@lemm.ee 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

[deleted]

[–] dingus@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Not trying to dog on other parents, but just like when I was growing up a lot of parents either didn't know/didn't care what their kids were watching on TV, and didn't make a lot of effort to control it. Many parents now are sadly similar in not paying attention to their kids' internet habits.

You're being a good parent. I don't know why other people struggle with this idea. In my opinion, you should just be proud of yourself and disappointed in other parents who don't take the same measures.

I will say those other parents make it difficult, though. My sister had to drop a lot of her parental controls eventually because her kids would go to friends' houses with unrestricted internet access, and you just can't control that. Even if you are involved with what your kids watch at home, once they are out of your eyesight and with other people, they can get access. Anyway, denying them access was causing more fights between her and her kids than it was worth. They saw that other kids had unrestricted access, and they wanted that, too. On the plus side, they were already 14 by this time, but still, it became a huge headache because other parents didn't care.

Anyway once again, good on you, mate. Keep being a thoughtful and involved parent, we need more of y'all.

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[–] argv_minus_one@beehaw.org 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I was online as a child. It's normal. Get used to it. Quit trying to break the Internet over it. Kids aren't delicate little flowers. No one's head exploded over seeing Lenna's nipple. (Not their big head, anyway…)

[–] orca@orcas.enjoying.yachts 23 points 2 years ago (2 children)

These bills are going to keep coming. The goal is erosion of rights and privacy at all costs.

[–] dingus@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 years ago

My entire life, they have never, ever once stopped trying to push the same bullshit through, over and over and over.

[–] prole@beehaw.org 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It's so goddamn exhausting. A constant battle of attrition.

I'm just tired.... When do I get to just enjoy my life?

[–] argv_minus_one@beehaw.org 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

When the populace collectively grows a brain and replaces these clowns with someone honest. People voted for these legislators, keep in mind.

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[–] DontMakeMoreBabies@kbin.social 15 points 2 years ago (2 children)

People need to take more responsibility for their kids - if you let them online, you'd better fucking understand what that entails and if not (gasp!) don't let them on the internet.

And if that's impossible for someone then why the fuck did they reproduce in the first place?

[–] bownage@beehaw.org 9 points 2 years ago

Because reproduction is a lot easier than education

[–] argv_minus_one@beehaw.org 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Because their god told them to reproduce and not question it.

Religion is a hell of a drug.

[–] zerkrazus@kbin.social 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Same thing with banning books. This is fascist bullshit and it's not about protecting children or anyone else. It's about pushing their false Christianity, their christofascism on everyone whether they like it or not and trying to turn the country into a fascist "Christian" theocractic dictatorship where they can say and do whatever they want whenever they want about anything or anyone but no one else can.

[–] prole@beehaw.org 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

I was with you til the "false" part. As someone who grew up in a sect that actually read the book, ain't nothing false about this Christianity or these Christians.

It's inconvenient to admit, but the bible is an awful awful book.

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[–] torafugu@kbin.social 8 points 2 years ago

Since it is "for the children", I'm sure they won't give a shit about censorship.

Prepare your VPNs. This will be one hell of a ride.

[–] bigb5wm@kbin.social 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

teach your kids about privacy online, later to use tor and I2p

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[–] mrmanager@lemmy.today 2 points 2 years ago

Darth Vader wants to protect children... Right.

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