HACKER Q&A
📣 Desafinado

What happened with big tech and KOSA? Why do they oppose it?


I'd think KOSA would have financial implications to big tech, but a bill protecting kids seems like a no brainer to support by all parties. So what's their reason for opposing it?

  👤 LarsAlereon Accepted Answer ✓
To oversimplify, the KOSA is two things: First, a bundle of relatively uncontroversial rules that enhance privacy for minors and let them and their parents better control their experience online. Second, a ban on hosting content "harmful to minors."

The first thing is probably cool and good, and if that was all that was in there nobody would complain. The second thing is essentially the end of free speech on the Internet. At the very least anybody will be able to take anything down with a single report, and at worst it will simply become legally too risky to ever allow user-generated content to be posted.