The US House Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced KOSA and COPPA 2.0 on a voice vote despite discontent from some lawmakers over last-minute changes
The proposed laws passed on a voice vote despite discontent over last-minute changes to KOSA, in particular, that were aimed at quelling persistent criticism.
The VergeAdi Robertson
Context & Ripple Effects
KOSA and COPPA 2.0 had already cleared a Senate Judiciary Committee stage amid criticism that the proposals could require additional data collection. The Senate's later 91–3 passage of the two child-safety bills put the House track at the center of their near-term prospects.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee's voice-vote advance keeps that track moving, but the late KOSA revisions show that addressing persistent criticism has not produced consensus among lawmakers.
First-order effects
KOSA and COPPA 2.0 move forward from the House committee, giving both proposals a clearer legislative path after the Senate action.
The revised KOSA text becomes the immediate focus for lawmakers and advocates, as discontent over the last-minute changes remains unresolved.
Second-order effects
Companies and groups following youth online-safety rules must evaluate a moving legislative target rather than a settled set of requirements.
Further House consideration may center on whether the changes adequately answer earlier concerns about data collection and the bills' practical obligations.
Third-order effects
If bipartisan momentum persists, child online-safety policy could increasingly advance through paired safety and privacy bills rather than isolated measures.
The continuing dispute over KOSA's wording suggests that the durability of such rules will depend on reconciling protections for young users with concerns about how compliance is implemented.
The trend: This is one step in a sustained congressional push to pair stronger youth online protections with updated privacy rules, even as the details remain contested.
KOSA is back. And it's even worse than before! Among other things...it would kind of make online video games illegal, I guess? It now restricts a “a persistent and repetitive use of a covered platform that substantially limits 1 or more major life activities...” So, if a teena…
I don't think most people understand just how absurd the language of KOSA/COPPA bills have become. It's basically trying to turn the dial back on culture 40 years. Never mind returning to a pre social media era. This is trying to deliver us back to a pre-Internet era.
So KOSA passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today by voice vote, but honestly, I don't think its backers have their hearts in it at all. Cracks are showing and people on each political side are realizing it's a bad bill. www.techdirt.com/2024/09/18/ k...
Changes to the U.S. House version of KOSA do not change the fact that it will coerce the largest social media platforms into blocking or filtering a variety of entirely legal content, and subject a large portion of users to privacy-invasive age verification.
Today, the House Energy & Commerce Committee advanced two bills, KOSA and COPPA 2.0, that undermine American cybersecurity, free speech rights, and parents' rights. This deeply flawed package will fail Americans, giving them false promises of “safety,” while doing the exact