"KOSA has been the centerpiece of advocacy from parent survivors whose kids died after suffering from a range of online harms, including cyberbullying, sextortion, and drugs purchased through the internet. But the new version of the bill omits the animating feature of the Senate version that passed overwhelmingly last year: the duty of care, which would have made tech platforms legally responsible for mitigating harms stemming from their services, like eating disorders and depression."
"In a new House discussion draft, the duty of care has been replaced by a requirement that social media platforms have "reasonable policies, practices, and procedures" to deal with four discrete kinds of harm: "Threats of physical violence," "Sexual exploitation and abuse," "Distribution, sale, or use of narcotic drugs, tobacco products, cannabis products, gambling, or alcohol," and "Any financial harm caused by deceptive practices.""
The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a 19-bill package aimed at protecting children online while prompting debates over online speech rights. The package includes a revised Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) that removes the Senate's duty of care, which would have made platforms legally responsible for harms such as eating disorders and depression. The House draft instead requires social media platforms to adopt "reasonable policies, practices, and procedures" targeting threats of physical violence; sexual exploitation and abuse; distribution, sale, or use of narcotic drugs, tobacco, cannabis, gambling, or alcohol; and financial harm from deceptive practices. Requirements scale with platform size and technical feasibility, and coverage expands to include nonprofit platforms. The bills will be considered by the House Commerce subcommittee in an upcoming hearing and are part of a broader package of internet-safety proposals.
Read at The Verge
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