On Thursday, the Senate voted to invoke cloture on the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), moving toward the first floor vote this Congress for major online content legislation. Chamber of Progress and a coalition of organizations have raised concerns that the legislation empowers far-right policymakers to censor online resources and that the bill will result in the over-moderation of content posted by marginalized communities online.

“Unfortunately this bill is going to result in a political crackdown on the kinds of content teens can see,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “Whether or not our next president is Trump, it’s a roll of the dice to put enforcement over content moderation in the hands of politicians. Congress should be listening to teens about the valuable refuge that online communities can provide, rather than passing bills that would destroy that lifeline.”

While KOSA is on track to pass in the Senate, the legislation has faced more opposition in the House of Representatives. During a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing in May, Ranking Member Frank Pallone raised concerns about the impact of the bill on LGBTQ youth. 

This week, Chamber of Progress and organizations including the ACLU, the Center for Democracy & Technology, EFF, and SIIA sent a letter to the Senate urging lawmakers to oppose KOSA.

In May, Chamber of Progress along with groups including Equality New Mexico, Freedom Oklahoma, LGBT Tech, TransOhio, and the Woodhull Freedom Foundation sent a letter to congressional leadership urging opposition to KOSA and highlighting how state attorneys general could use the legislation to censor teens. Notably, primary bill sponsor Sen. Blackburn has applauded the bill’s anti-LGBTQ impacts, highlighting that KOSA would “protect minor children from the transgender [sic] in this culture and that influence.”

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.