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cover of episode The Government Is Lying About Online Safety

The Government Is Lying About Online Safety

2025/5/30
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Power User with Taylor Lorenz

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Ari Cohen
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Taylor Lorenz
通过深入探讨互联网文化和政治,Taylor Lorenz 为听众提供了对在线世界的深刻分析。
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Taylor Lorenz: 我认为《儿童在线安全法案》(KOSA)以保护儿童为名,赋予政府前所未有的权力来审查互联网上的言论。这项法律表面上是为了保护儿童,但实际上可能会被滥用,审查包括 LGBTQ+ 群体、生殖健康信息等在内的各种内容。我认为这项法案预设了很多东西,比如社交媒体本质上是有害和危险的,会导致强迫性使用。这项法律实际上是在打击用户的言论,而不是真正解决问题。 Ari Cohen: 我认为 KOSA 存在根本性的缺陷,因为它要求社交媒体平台承担起监管内容的责任,以防止对儿童造成潜在的伤害,例如焦虑、抑郁和饮食失调。我认为这种责任可能会导致平台过度审查内容,限制儿童获取有价值的信息和支持。我认为这项法案对“有害内容”的定义过于宽泛和模糊,容易被滥用,导致对 LGBTQ+ 群体、心理健康支持等重要资源的审查。我认为这项法案可能会将孩子们推向互联网的黑暗角落,在那里他们更有可能接触到非常危险的信息。

Deep Dive

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KOSA, a bill aimed at making kids safer online, is criticized for granting the government excessive power to censor internet speech. It threatens vital online spaces for young people seeking help and connection, particularly impacting mental health and LGBTQ+ communities. The act's true intention is argued to be government control over speech, not online safety.
  • KOSA gives the government unprecedented power to censor speech.
  • It endangers mental health support communities and LGBTQ+ forums.
  • The bill is framed as protecting children but is seen as a tool for government control over speech.

Shownotes Transcript

Welcome back to my new series Free Speech Friday! :)

Right now, lawmakers in congress are trying to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a dangerous censorship bill that would give the government unprecedented control over the internet and force platforms to spy on youth.

KOSA claims to make kids "safer" online, but don't let the name fool you. This law would give the government unprecedented power to censor speech across the entire internet in the name of "protecting kids."

From mental health support communities to LGBTQ forums, KOSA endangers the very spaces young people turn to for help, identity, and connection. KOSA isn’t about safety, it's about giving the government unprecedented control over speech.

Ari Cohen is the Lead Counsel for Tech Policy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and promoting free speech rights for all Americans. He joined me to break down KOSA and explain the many problems with the proposed law.

If you believe in a free and open internet, please join me in sending a message to your lawmakers right now and tell them to reject KOSA:

https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/censorship-wont-make-kids-safe

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