The Kids Online Safety Act is Still A Huge Danger to Our Rights Online

Congress has resurrected the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that would increase surveillance and restrict access to information in the name of protecting children online. KOSA was introduced in 2022 but failed to gain traction, and today its authors, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), have reintroduced it with slight modifications. Though some of these changes were made in response to over 100 civil society organizations and LGBTQ+ rights groups’ criticisms of the bill, its latest version is still troubling. Today’s version of KOSA would still require surveillance of anyone sixteen and under. It would put the tools of censorship in the hands of state attorneys general, and would greatly endanger the rights, and safety, of young people online. And KOSA’s burdens will affect adults, too, who will likely face hurdles to accessing legal content online as a result of the bill.

The Kids Online Safety Act is Still A Huge Danger to Our Rights Online

How The FBI Helps Ukrainian Intelligence Hunt ‘Disinformation’ On Social Media

The Federal Bureau of Investigation pressures Facebook to take down alleged Russian “disinformation” at the behest of Ukrainian intelligence, according to a senior Ukrainian official who corresponds regularly with the FBI. The same official said that Ukrainian authorities define “disinformation” broadly, flagging many social media accounts and posts that he suggested may simply contradict the Ukrainian government’s narrative.

How The FBI Helps Ukrainian Intelligence Hunt ‘Disinformation’ On Social Media (archived)

Parler shuts down as new owner says conservative platform needs big revamp

Parler shuts down as new owner says conservative platform needs big revamp

Starboard also claims that artificial intelligence technology can help boost Parler’s reach. “Advancements in AI technology, along with the existing code base and other new features, provide an opportunity for Starboard to begin servicing unsupported online communities—building a home for them away from the ad-hoc regulatory hand of platforms that hate them,” the company said.

‘Either Our People Go to Prison, or We Comply With Laws’: Elon Musk on Indian Social Media Rules

‘The rules in India for what can appear on social media are quite strict, and we can’t go beyond the laws of a country,’ the Twitter owner told BBC’s James Clayton, when asked about the take downs.

‘Either Our People Go to Prison, or We Comply With Laws’: Elon Musk on Indian Social Media Rules

Related:

‘Free Speech’ Twitter Is Now Globally Blocking Posts Critical Of The Modi Government

Elon Musk Throws Matt Taibbi Under The Bus, Backs Up, and Runs Over Him Again

Matt Taibbi, the former Rolling Stone journalist who was given access to the Twitter Files by Elon Musk, reportedly had his official Twitter account “shadow banned” by the mogul after he refused to permanently decamp from his lucrative Substack subscription newsletter site.

Twitter Files journalist Matt Taibbi ‘shadow banned’ by Elon Musk in Substack feud

Related:

Elon Musk tweets then deletes DMs from Matt Taibbi over his Substack snit

Elon Musk apparently on the outs with Matt Taibbi over Twitter-Substack feud

Twitter Files Archive

Meanwhile, Matt’s supposedly on vacation.

Zelensky regime leads request for social media platforms to censor “disinformation”

Ukraine has spearheaded a collective call to action, joining forces with seven other Central and Eastern European nations to combat “disinformation” on social media platforms.

Zelensky regime leads request for social media platforms to censor “disinformation”

Related:

A joint letter from European heads of government to global technology companies on the need to engage in the fight against disinformation

Social media has become a potent channel for spreading false and manipulative narratives. Paid ads and artificial amplification on Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, are often used to call for violent social unrest, bring violence to the streets and destabilize governments.

Wider Europe Briefing: Ukraine’s Big Plan To Fight Russian Disinformation And Why The EU Is Stalling On Belarus Sanctions

Now, Kyiv wants to repeat the trick by starting an “Information Ramstein” to combat Russian disinformation on a larger scale.

Deep Background: In a letter written by Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko and addressed to the European commissioner responsible for transparency and values, Vera Jourova, he notes that “Ukraine is up against Russia’s vast and centralized information warfare and international influence machine, which includes assets from troll farms to state media, energy companies to corruption networks. Though it cannot compete in terms of scale, Ukraine does have one huge advantage: It can ally with its international partners to create coordinated, targeted, joint-influence operations.”