U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
08/27/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/27/2024 17:42
Klobuchar Statement on Senate Passage of Children’s Online Privacy Legislation
Video of Klobuchar's Floor Remarks HERE
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the statement below following the Senate passage of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA), which combines the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and Children's and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA, or COPPA 2.0). KOSA mandates that technology companies take reasonable measures to prevent and mitigate harm to anyone under the age of 17. COPPA creates strong privacy protections for anyone under the age of 17, bans targeted advertising to kids and teens, and creates an Eraser Button for parents and kids by requiring companies to permit users to delete information. Klobuchar is a cosponsor of both bills.
"Big tech companies have repeatedly failed to protect children's data and ensure their safety online," said Klobuchar. "The Senate is taking a stand and passed legislation that I've long advocated for that will protect kids online and give parents more control of their children's data privacy. Our work cannot and must not stop here. Congress also needs to pass the bipartisan SHIELD Act and Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act to further expand protections for kids and ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to go after perpetrators."
Klobuchar leads the SHIELD Act with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and is a cosponsor of the Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act, KOSA, COPPA 2.0, Project Safe Childhood, STOP CSAM, DEFIANCE, and TAKE IT DOWN. Klobuchar has long called for stronger rules of the road in the technology sector.
Senator Klobuchar is a cosponsor of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). This bipartisan legislation requires social media platforms to make safety the default and gives kids and parents tools to help prevent social media's destructive impact. KOSA also ensures that parents and policymakers can assess whether social media platforms are taking meaningful steps to address risks to kids.
Senator Klobuchar is also a cosponsor of the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), bipartisan legislation to update online data privacy rules for the 21st century to ensure children and teenagers are protected online. This legislation passed the Senate Commerce Committee in July.
Earlier this month, Klobuchar and Cornyn's bipartisan Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution (SHIELD) Act passed the Senate. The bill addresses the online exploitation of explicit, private images. Current state laws offer incomplete and inconsistent protection for victims of non-consensual image exploitation and abuse. The SHIELD Act would provide federal law enforcement with the tools they need to crack down on serious privacy violations.
Earlier this month, the Senate passed the bipartisan Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (DEFIANCE Act), legislation Klobuchar cosponsors that would hold accountable those responsible for the proliferation of nonconsensual, sexually-explicit "deepfake" images and videos.
Senator Klobuchar is a cosponsor of the Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act, which would require social media companies and other communication service providers to report to the DEA when they know of the sale or distribution of illicit drugs including fentanyl, methamphetamine, or counterfeit controlled substance on their platforms.
Earlier this year, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis," Klobuchar asked the CEO of Discord Inc., Jason Citron, CEO of TikTok Inc., Shou Chew, Co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc., Evan Spiegel, CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, and Founder and CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg about turning a blind eye when young children joined their platforms, the risk of sexual exploitation, using algorithms that push harmful content, and providing a venue for drug traffickers to sell deadly narcotics like fentanyl.
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