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Massachusetts: The State House Just Took A Blow Torch To Your Privacy.
https://electerika.substack.com/p/the-state-house-just-took-a-blowErika Uyterhoeven
Yesterday the House passed a bill that took a blow torch to your privacy. I voted no. I'll share with you what this bill does, because the alarmingly harmful part can get obscured in the headlines.
The bill requires every social media platform to verify your age. This does not just apply for children, it's for everyone to verify their age. And it sets zero standards for how it's done and zero protections for your privacy.
So if your 14-year-old wants to use Instagram and you want to say yes, you're handing your driver's license and your child's ID and face to a company in California. Every account you have, every platform you use, linked to your real identity. Everything you do on that platform, tied to your real name, permanently, in a database that can be breached, subpoenaed, or sold.
. . .
The bill also requires 14- and 15-year-olds to get parental consent for social media. While that might sound simple enough for many families, 62% of LGBTQIA+ youth live in homes that don't affirm or accept them. This bill tells those kids to go ask their parents for permission to access the online communities that serve as a lifeline. According to the Trevor Project's 2024 survey of over 18K LGBTQ+ youth, 74% go online to find connections because relating to people in daily life is difficult, and that figure is higher at 79% for transgender and nonbinary youth. Plus there are about 8,000 kids in state custody with no parent available to consent at all. This bill locks them out.
. . .
The bill requires every social media platform to verify your age. This does not just apply for children, it's for everyone to verify their age. And it sets zero standards for how it's done and zero protections for your privacy.
So if your 14-year-old wants to use Instagram and you want to say yes, you're handing your driver's license and your child's ID and face to a company in California. Every account you have, every platform you use, linked to your real identity. Everything you do on that platform, tied to your real name, permanently, in a database that can be breached, subpoenaed, or sold.
. . .
The bill also requires 14- and 15-year-olds to get parental consent for social media. While that might sound simple enough for many families, 62% of LGBTQIA+ youth live in homes that don't affirm or accept them. This bill tells those kids to go ask their parents for permission to access the online communities that serve as a lifeline. According to the Trevor Project's 2024 survey of over 18K LGBTQ+ youth, 74% go online to find connections because relating to people in daily life is difficult, and that figure is higher at 79% for transgender and nonbinary youth. Plus there are about 8,000 kids in state custody with no parent available to consent at all. This bill locks them out.
. . .
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