Here Comes the KIDS Act: USA joins the “age verification” club

Kids Online Safety Package Must Be Strengthened

In the world of public policy, those trying to pass legislation are often cautioned not to make the perfect the enemy of the good. It seems like good advice in the abstract, but there are also times when an imperfect solution is worse than doing nothing at all. Congress wanted to pass an online safety bill before members go back to their districts to campaign for reelection. So, the House passed the KIDS Act, a repackaged bundle of online safety…

Here Comes the KIDS Act: USA joins the “age verification” club

Yesterday, the US House of Representatives quietly passed a bundle of “digital protections” collectively labelled the Kids Internet ​and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act). You might not have heard, because the US news was focused on other things, like the Supreme Court refusing to review the civil verdict that Donald Trump sexually assaulted E Jean Carroll, or that they would continue to count mail-in ballots that arrive after election day. As is us…