Florida's "Social Media Use by Minors" bill (SB 868) has advanced in legislation, requiring social media platforms to provide law enforcement access to encrypted accounts. Passed unanimously in committee, it aims to allow parental access to minors' accounts, while limiting their features. Critics argue that weakening encryption harms user security, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation emphasizing that such moves may globally diminish online safety. This bill builds upon a previous law addressing social media restrictions for users under 16, which faces constitutional scrutiny in the courts.
Critics, including the tech companies and industry organizations that oppose the bill, have long argued that weakening encryption would make people less safe by compromising the security of their private messages.
In a blog post last week, the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation criticized the bill, arguing that encryption is the 'best tool we have to protect our communications online.'
The idea that Florida can 'protect' minors by making them less safe is dangerous and dumb, wrote the EFF.
The Florida bill builds on a state law passed last year restricting social media for people under the age of 16.
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