Taylor Lorenz’s Power User Congress Is About to Break the Internet
27 snips
Dec 5, 2025 
Kate Ruane, Director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, joins to discuss the implications of recent online child-safety bills she recently testified against. She highlights how proposed laws could silence marginalized voices and impose harmful surveillance mechanisms. Kate critiques the Kids Online Safety Act for its potential to censor LGBTQ content and worsen privacy issues. They also discuss the perils of identity verification and how bans drive kids to unsafe online spaces, all while raising alarms about the chilling effects on free expression.
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Many 'Kid Safety' Bills Prioritize Surveillance
- Congress reviewed 19 bills framed as protecting kids but many create surveillance risks instead of solutions.
- The hearing focused on legislation that often sacrifices privacy and free expression for vague safety promises.
Parental Access Creates Privacy Harms
- Several bills expand parental access to kids' private communications and create mass data transfers to third parties.
- These provisions raise serious privacy and misuse risks, especially for marginalized youth.
Favor High-Level Controls Over Message Surveillance
- Avoid laws that let parents micromanage every contact or message; parents prefer high-level controls.
- Policymakers should design tools that enable guidance without invasive per-message surveillance.