Kids Online Safety Act - Tumblr Posts - Page 3
If you wanna protect AO3 or character ai. Or Wattpad. Or Tumblr. Or discord. Or even the right for undocumented people and minors to use the fucking Internet reblog this I swear to God. Reblog this and reblog as many KOSA posts as you can go on their website and contact your Representatives. Do it. Do it. Do it.
Senate trying to pass a bill that would force you to use your government id just to use the internet. That means no anonymity at all, ever, and that every pro-Palestinian organizer is immediately a target that the government can track. And they will use it explicitly to come after protestors and organizers.
As of now, Florida and Kansas have passed bills that align with KOSA.
So many people have held back on speaking out against KOSA or signing petitions because "it probably won't pass." But we have proof that it very well can and will.
So what can we do right now?
The same thing we've been doing: bring awareness and protest.
Here are a few websites you can visit to sign petitions:
https://www.badinternetbills.com/
https://www.stopkosa.com/
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act
You can also call your state reps. This post explains how you can do that.
Good luck, everyone! Don't give up yet.
URGENT: KOSA GOING TO HOUSE TODAY!!
[ID: a screenshot of a discord message from user @Taikeero-Lecoredier which reads: "@everyone
‼️URGENT: KOSA has been officially introduced in the House as of today.
We need to spread the word on social media and urge people to send emails to Congress through stopkosa.com.
https://www.stopkosa.com/
• There will be a hearing on Wednesday (17th April) where KOSA, along with some other bad internet bills, like the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act could be pushed.
• We will be having a calling day on TUESDAY (16 th April) to make clear to Congress that there is still a ton of opposition to these bills.
https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chair-rodgers-and-ranking-member-pallone-announce-legislative-hearing-on-data-privacy-proposals-1
• House Energy and Commerce is holding the hearing so they are the best offices to call this week ‼️
https://energycommerce.house.gov/representatives
DONT FORGET: You can go to what-to-write-and-say and check pins to know what to say !!
• You can use http://badinternetbills.com/ to contact your congress people!
• And https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative to find all of the phone numbers of your House Representative, and faxzero.com to send up to 5 free faxes a day
SPREAD THE WORD !!" End ID]
^^ PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND CALL, EMAIL AND FAX YOUR REPS ASAP!!
here's another site where you can find your Reps if the one provided above gives you trouble.
here's a perma link to the Stop Internet Censorship Discord, where there are loads of resources and petitions to sign and actions you can take to keep the Internet censorship free.
So apparently KOSA (2024 edition) is getting either thrown out until next year or put into effect in six days.
Update that's going in the main post at the top: it has enough support to pass.
It failed the last two times because people were voting against it.
This time, KOSA has traction among the pro-LGBTQ parties. Because nobody is fucking calling their bullshit and screaming from the rooftops that calling it the "Kids Online Safety Act" is misleading.
What will it passing do?
Nothing much, only prevent any education on LGBTQIA+ (it's that stupid fucking argument about us grooming kids again), shut down nearly every fandom space on the internet, and make it required for most big tech companies to have your ID.
Want to have resources for kids to discover their identity readily available? Yes? Then fucking speak up against this stupid fucking bill.
Fandom spaces like Tumblr, Twitter (? I thought the MAGA assholes liked Musk?), Tiktok, Archive Of Our Own, and any other website that hosts fanfic or fanart? Either shut down permanently, forced to uproot to a different country and down for a while (best case scenario, and they likely won't be able to send any data, and therefore fanfics, to the US), or gutted so that you only get to put G rated cishet ships on there, if any shipping at all. How to avoid that? I've already said it: Call your fucking representatives.
Want to avoid the fucking dystopic task of being legally obligated to give big tech your government issue ID? Again, cause an uproar. Call your goddamned representatives.
If they can pass this, the ripple effects could be catastrophic.
So, for fuck's sake, any Americans that can impact this stupid fucking bill and see this? Do everything in your power to shut it down because you have until February twenty sixth (26th) to send this bill back to where it belongs.
And if you can't do that? Reblog, copy my tags, and boost the signal.
Sorry not sorry for ranting, making you scroll through that, and swearing a probably excessive amount, but KOSA is a bill with a GLOBAL IMPACT being passed by ONE COUNTRY because some old people are scared of two guys with who were told they were girls kissing within five hundred miles of a child. Fuck this shit, I shouldn't have to worry about bad bills in America but I fucking do because I use the internet and would like to avoid mass censorship. Fuck this, fuck conservatives, and fuck the fact that some boomers make your country's policies.
Now, if you won't mind me, I'm going to be up until three in the morning downloading fanfiction or copying and pasting them into a a text file if I can't so I can read them by the end of the week.
Alright guys, time to actually post something again instead of reblogging random things
KOSA is not a good thing, I know, shocker. But what I would like to point out is the fact that it goes directly against the constitution by eliminating our freedom of speech. Why is it that those who claim they are "Pro America," those who are so called "Patriots" are people who are signing this bill? Aren't they supposed to support the US and it's values? If so, then why do they actively work and support the erasure of one of the fundamental values of the people? What's stopping them from taking away our other rights?
Nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing
We HAVE to stop KOSA from being passed
If you wanna protect AO3 or character ai. Or Wattpad. Or Tumblr. Or discord. Or even the right for undocumented people and minors to use the fucking Internet reblog this I swear to God. Reblog this and reblog as many KOSA posts as you can go on their website and contact your Representatives. Do it. Do it. Do it.
KOSA google docs masterlist :)
Resources For KOSA - Google Docs
MASTER ANTI-CENSORSHIP CONTACT LIST - Google Docs
What Can I Do? - Google Docs
Internet Censorship FAQ - Google Docs
Some quotes I have from people speaking out against KOSA, please reblog, tag people, cross-post on other platforms, and share with everyone you can, all quotes are fair use <3
“This law is a scam, created with the express purpose of persecuting LGBTQ+ people and silencing victims of abuse. That is the only possible outcome of these kinds of bills.
Oppose them on principle. Be skeptical whenever they are even brought-up.
This isn’t about safety—it is a takeover of THE major avenue to disseminate information in the modern world. It is more than censorship, it defines the avenues that thought may even take.
It will lead to identity verification companies like Clear or ID.me getting more of people’s private data and guaranteed, exclusive government contracts for surveillance and data collection, in violation of the spirit of the 4th Amendment, if not the letter.
It is also an absolute certainty that conservatives in positions of authority will use this program to persecute LGBTQ+ people, with the force of the State, under the guise of protecting children from pornography and "grooming". It has been an explicit misdirection tactic the right has invented to poison debate on trans rights issues and the (unconnected) growing evidence of sexual impropriety among the powerful, particularly conservatives.
Furthermore, I and most others will not abide by this law, if it is passed, and will take whatever actions necessary to safeguard our personal information via VPN, encryption, onion networking, etc., regardless of their permissibility.”
“This is a violation of basic rights on the Internet. Whatever happened to Freedom of Speech? Or are we just gonna ignore a literal Amendment in favor of “protecting the American children" while many of those children are the ones against this??”
“having full privacy on the internet may have saved my life growing up. don’t take away kid’s privacy, there’s already perfectly reasonable ways for parents to monitor kids.”
“I think that people have a right to privacy online, especially children. This doesn't seem like a bill that would actually protect children from anything, it would just make important resources more difficult to access, increase censorship online, and increase surveillance, all of which I oppose.”
“There are three things you never give out on the internet for your safety. 1) Name, 2) Face, and 3) Home. This bill guarantees that all three will be easily available to those who wish to hurt the children this bill falsely claims to protect. If you actually care about children, stop this bill. Listen to what those of us that actually use the internet are telling you. Children and adults deserve a private, anonymous space to be.”
“i'm a queer teen and i know full well the importance online spaces have in supporting lgbtq+ youth, especially ones who don't have supportive environments in person. censorship doesn't actually erase the information, it just makes it harder to access.”
“I’m writing to urge you to reject the Kids Online Safety Act, a misguided bill that would put vulnerable young people at risk.
KOSA would fail to address the root issues related to kid’s safety online. Instead, it would endanger some of the most vulnerable people in our society while undermining human rights and children’s privacy. The bill would result in widespread internet censorship by pressuring platforms to use incredibly broad “content filters” and giving state Attorneys General the power to decide what content kids should and shouldn’t have access to online. This power could be abused in a number of ways and be politicized to censor information and resources.
KOSA would also likely lead to the greater surveillance of children online by requiring platforms to gather data to verify user identity.
There is a way to protect kids and all people online from egregious data abuse and harmful content targeting: passing a strong Federal data privacy law that prevents tech companies from collecting so much sensitive data about all of us in the first place, and gives individuals the ability to sue companies that misuse their data.
KOSA, although well-meaning, must not move forward. Please protect privacy and stop the spread of censorship online by opposing KOSA.”
“Censorship doesn't keep kids safe. Censorship does not save abused children. Censorship does not save queer children. Censorship will not save any of us. Freedom for us all. Freedom for the internet. This shit cannot stand.”
“This bill is a massive overreach on civil liberties and freedom of speech in particular. It should not be within the government's purview to determine what content is acceptable, no matter which party is in power.”
“As we all know, the major threats to American children today are books, bathrooms, and the Internet.
Not getting shot in their own schools or attacked on their own streets.
Since graduating from the public school system in 2007, I haven't seen anything from elected officials to contradict this.”
“KOSA is a censorship bill in sheep’s clothing. It would erode Americans’ rights to privacy, especially that of vulnerable and marginalized Americans, and gather information about the whereabouts and identities of the children it play-acts at “protecting”.”
“This is a ridiculous law
KOSA is a giant bill that is pretending to be about child safety, but is actually overreaching government censorship. It is a violation of free speech and the 1st amendment.
This bill would require that internet users upload their government ID to access any site, and state attorney generals could sue to remove any site that contains content deemed "harmful" to children. The government will be able to censor ANYTHING - such as abortion info, LGBTQ+ resources, and any content relating to protesting or organizing. They will also be able to ID you if you search for any of these topics. This is the opposite of a free internet!”
“The law is pretty much just a trojan horse for censorship.”
“frankly i dont want to be put on a list the gov has of every queer person who opposes their anti-lgbt laws”
“I care about actually helping people instead of making a bill that is going to kill any ability for anyone to get help. That is going to be used to police anyone who disagrees with the absolute mess everything is right now. The conservative morals don’t allow for anyone not white, cuz, straight, or male; and I won’t have that enforced on the fucking public forum.”
KOSA Won't Just Effect Americans
I got a question on my recent update post about KOSA from someone who isn't American asking what they could do to help. Which has prompted me to make this post to clarify/add something that I completely glossed over in the previous post.
KOSA won't just effect Americans.
If this bill passes, it will effect every single website and social media platform that is based in America. meaning facebook, instagram, yooutube, twitter, tumblr, AO3, fanfiction.net
And as we know, these sites are used by not just ppl in America, but also ppl from all over the world.
Which means regardless of what country you live in, if you use any of these sites, ANYTHING that you post on any of these sites or any message that you send through these sites will be subject to censorship or even strait up deletion or maybe even legal trouble if KOSA passes.
And this will also effect any American based charity website or informational/activism related websites regarding lgbtqia rights, history, history of palestine, historical archives like the wayback machine, ect.
Basically any website that has info or resources the government doesn't want you to know about
So no. being in a different country or using a VPN and pretending you're in a different country won't save/help you.
And like I said in my last post, America isn't the only place trying to pull this stunt. Last year the UK passed a bill that is very similar to KOSA and Germany and France may or may not be looking to follow suit.
So what can you do as a non American to help? simple! Spread the word anyway! if you know anyone that is American and is currently living in America, tell them about KOSA. warn them. let your online and IRL American friends know and share the resources I'll be linking again below cuz we need as many people making as much noise on this as possible and to spread awareness. this site is pretty much the only place I haven't been extreamly suppressed and largly ignored when trying to bring awareness to KOSA
Resources for learning abt KOSA
Petition and Call Script for contacting reps and senators
Sign the open letter against KOSA
Stop KOSA Movement's linktree with more actions
stopkosa.com
KOSA or the Kids Online Safety Act is an Internet bill being pushed by the American government. It claims its purpose is to "protect" kids, but really its methods of enforcing this is mass censorship and control of the Internet. The passing of this bill would lead to LGBTQ+ related information, reproductive healthcare, and other topics that government officials may find "dangerous" to children be restricted or censored.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
In the website linked above, there is a petition you can sign as well as a pre-filled message you can send. You can also write to your representatives, and if you don't want to come up with an entire message, I've attached sample scripts. Also, go to badinternetbills.com for another petition that references similar bills. For more information about KOSA, you can see this article: eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/don… .
Spread information about this, and do what you can. This bill being passed would mean an era of censorship for the Internet.
if you are a USAmerican and care about any of the following:
fandom spaces and activities, such as shipping, fanart, fanfiction, and more
the LGBTQ+ community
sexism, feminism
racisism, racial equality
the genocide in palestine
the things happening in sudan, congo, lebanon, yemen, etc...
equality and equity
being able to voice your opinions on the government
government transparency
your right to freedom of speech, expression, and press under the constitution
THEN PLEASE HELP STOP KOSA
URGENT
KOSA is now being discussed to go into the FAA Reauthorization Bill so I BEG you guys to MAKE A LOT OF NOISE ABOUT KOSA TO SHOW THAT WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT HOW BAD THESE BILLS ARE. THE CHANCES ARE NOT 0 SO BE LOUD USE www.stopkosa.com
The reason why causes like the fight against KOSA don't go anywhere is because you fuckers give up too quickly.
You see one advancement from that damned bill and drop your sword and say that it's over.
Wake the fuck up.
If we don't keep fighting, even if it's gone silent for a while, that shit's gonna go through without us even knowing. Fight tooth and nail. Show them that we can and will beat their asses if they don't straighten up. And don't just say we will. Actually do something if it does pass. They think we'll take this sitting down and will just lay there. We need to prove them wrong.
But if we don't get on their asses and lay down like cowards, they'll think they have power. You bitches who say "it was a good run" or "I can't do anything so we're fucked" are part of the problem.
KOSA and KOSA adjacent bills blatantly violate several amendments in the US constitution. People need to realize that.
And if you don't think you have a voice or can't stop it in any way, yes you can. Do research on your rights, don't just get your info from Tumblr or wherever else. Go on and search on your own. Especially if it's something you've seen and you're unsure if it's true.
Misinformation can murder a cause.
You can do things, you just need to find a group.
And don't just keep KOSA online. Tell people you know. Make them care. If they think it's a good idea, change their minds. Don't "agree to disagree."
And don't just not care because you've lost faith. You can still try. And if peace doesn't work, get physical. Get dirty. We've done it for causes like Palestine, we can do it for this.* (read the tags for my elaboration on that- i don't want people getting the wrong idea.)
Organize. Attack. Scream. Make them hear you. Because if we don't, they're gonna take full control.
IMPORTANT: KOSA MASTERPOST
Please, don't just scroll past! Share, reblog, and check out the content on these links! I will be adding things as I find (so make sure you reblog the original post, you can do this by clicking on my name and going to the pinned post which is this!!) and/or as the situation changes, and if there are resources you want to see added, send them to me.
LATEST UPDATES: HERE (as of 5/1/24)
INFORMATION
What happens if KOSA passes?
What's at stake?
KOSA isn't designed to help kids.
How will KOSA passing affect you?
KOSA is a privacy nightmare.
Banning kids from social media isn't the answer.
American Action Forum
90+ LGBTQ organizations oppose KOSA
Popular Apps affected by KOSA
Rally for the Internet Archive
KOSA changes don't make it less dangerous
Senate Schedule
Current KOSA status (sign up to get alerts from this if you're able!)
KOSA will actively target trans and LGBTQ+ content
The TikTok ban isn't about China, it's the fact that it's largely pro-palestine and has other content the government doesn't want us talking about.
KOSA applies to EVERYONE here.
Israel is revealed to be behind the infamous Tiktok ban
Read the bill itself
Call Script for KOSA
An actually helpful alternative
RESOURCES
Huge list of resources
Tell Congress
Tell Lizzo
Linktree
Bad Internet Bills
StopKOSA.com
Petition - we need 35k signatures and we're almost there!
Contact list
Fight for the future
Speak out against KOSA
Censorship won't make kids safe
Internet red alert
EFF Action Center
More Petitions List (check and sign as many as you can!)
Fight against the TikTok ban as well
Another petition - 123,000/130,000 signatures
Share your story of how social media has helped you
Help keep the ACP alive
Another masterpost
WHERE ELSE CAN YOU FIND MORE RESOURCES?
The Stop Internet Censorship discord server has a ton of useful resources that I pulled from some of to make this post, even. Following and looking at tags like #stop kosa will help make sure you stay informed and they stay trending, as well.
EVERYTHING HELPS!! Let's make sure this bill doesn't pass! Reblogs > likes!!
last updated: 8:18 pm EST, 5/9/24
Why is KOSA not trending? This bill aims to take down fandom related sites INCLUDING TUMBLR!!!?? Like we need to get this to #1 on trending and FAST! Please reblog posts on the tags with more resources and spread the word people, this is actually terrifying!!!
Also it doesn’t even end with KOSA, the Earn It Act and many more censorship bills are trying to slip through our legislature and I haven’t seen many people talk about it!
Remember everyone, this isn’t about “protecting children,” because if it was they’d go after actual R34 sites instead of queer people trying to live their damn lives!
So apparently KOSA (2024 edition) is getting either thrown out until next year or put into effect in six days.
Update that's going in the main post at the top: it has enough support to pass.
It failed the last two times because people were voting against it.
This time, KOSA has traction among the pro-LGBTQ parties. Because nobody is fucking calling their bullshit and screaming from the rooftops that calling it the "Kids Online Safety Act" is misleading.
What will it passing do?
Nothing much, only prevent any education on LGBTQIA+ (it's that stupid fucking argument about us grooming kids again), shut down nearly every fandom space on the internet, and make it required for most big tech companies to have your ID.
Want to have resources for kids to discover their identity readily available? Yes? Then fucking speak up against this stupid fucking bill.
Fandom spaces like Tumblr, Twitter (? I thought the MAGA assholes liked Musk?), Tiktok, Archive Of Our Own, and any other website that hosts fanfic or fanart? Either shut down permanently, forced to uproot to a different country and down for a while (best case scenario, and they likely won't be able to send any data, and therefore fanfics, to the US), or gutted so that you only get to put G rated cishet ships on there, if any shipping at all. How to avoid that? I've already said it: Call your fucking representatives.
Want to avoid the fucking dystopic task of being legally obligated to give big tech your government issue ID? Again, cause an uproar. Call your goddamned representatives.
If they can pass this, the ripple effects could be catastrophic.
So, for fuck's sake, any Americans that can impact this stupid fucking bill and see this? Do everything in your power to shut it down because you have until February twenty sixth (26th) to send this bill back to where it belongs.
And if you can't do that? Reblog, copy my tags, and boost the signal.
Sorry not sorry for ranting, making you scroll through that, and swearing a probably excessive amount, but KOSA is a bill with a GLOBAL IMPACT being passed by ONE COUNTRY because some old people are scared of two guys with who were told they were girls kissing within five hundred miles of a child. Fuck this shit, I shouldn't have to worry about bad bills in America but I fucking do because I use the internet and would like to avoid mass censorship. Fuck this, fuck conservatives, and fuck the fact that some boomers make your country's policies.
Now, if you won't mind me, I'm going to be up until three in the morning downloading fanfiction or copying and pasting them into a a text file if I can't so I can read them by the end of the week.
the kids online safety act passed the u.s. senate.
long story short (for anyone who hadn't heard of this before) the kids online safety act, aka kosa, is a bill that will censor online content and resources for lgbtq+ matters, reproductive healthcare, activism (INCLUDING PALESTINE AND LIKELY OTHER CRISES GOING ON LIKE IN CONGO OR SUDAN), mental health, etc. everywhere--its effects likely won't be contained to just america.
today, july 30th, 2024, the senate passed it 91-3. it has officially moved to the house of representatives.
is this a pretty massive setback? yes. do you have every right to be scared, sad, angry, or whatever else about this happening? absolutely. but should you give up hope completely? NO!
even though kosa passed the senate, the house is on break/august recess at the moment. we have around an entire month to get emails, calls, and faxes in to house reps, maybe more depending on when they decide to vote on it.
should it pass the house and get signed into law, we still have a whole 18 months before it actually goes into effect. this is plenty of time for digital rights orgs (e.g. fight for the future, the electronic frontier foundation) and other groups that oppose it to file a lawsuit against it. even if, worst-case scenario, it flies through the house immediately after the recess ends, we can still fight this up to march 2026.
so, yes, remember what's at stake here, but also remember that it's not over yet. we lost a battle, not the war.
below are some resources to learn more about kosa and how to contact your reps (first link) + a page that lets you directly contact progressive house reps, sign an open letter opposing the bill, and view others' testimonies against it (second link):
FIGHT. FIGHT. FIGHT.
In regards to KOSA:
While it is true that Congress does return from recess Feb. 26th, that doesn’t automatically mean they’ll immediately jump into voting.
The bill only has enough support to pass the Senate—it’ll most likely stall at the House; both due to it having much less support there & how disorganized the House currently is. Even if it does pass—God forbid, the President would have to sign it for it to be official and even then, it’ll likely take several months before it goes into effect.
…That being said, please continue to call both your Senators & especially your House representative; We still don’t even have a concrete date for a vote—You can visit the website pictured to even see for yourself.
Please spread this around. Don’t panic, We still have time!!!