KOSA is dead. Now it’s time to unite to take on Big Tech for real.

The controversial and unconstitutional Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is officially dead in the House of Representatives. Reporting indicates that there was significant opposition to the bill within the Republican caucus, and it faced vocal opposition from prominent progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep Maxwell Frost (D-FL).

Digital rights group Fight for the Future, known for helping organize some of the largest online protests in history against online censorship, issued the following statement, which can be attributed to the group’s director, Evan Greer (she/her):

“KOSA was a poorly written bill that would have made kids less safe. I am so proud of the LGBTQ youth and frontlines advocates who have led the opposition to this dangerous and misguided legislation. It’s good that this unconstitutional censorship bill is dead for now, but I am not breathing a sigh of relief. It’s infuriating that Congress wasted so much time and energy on a deeply flawed and controversial bill while failing to advance real measures to address the harms of Big Tech like privacy, antitrust and algorithmic justice legislation. 

By insisting on pushing KOSA over the objections of human rights groups and LGBTQ youth, Senate leadership actively helped Big Tech avoid real regulation. We cannot allow this to happen again. It’s time for all advocates and lawmakers who want to address the very real harm of Big Tech to unite. KOSA was always too controversial to succeed, and divided our coalition. If we want to take on Big Tech and win, we have to quickly regroup and make a plan for next Congress. We need strong privacy, antitrust, and algorithmic justice legislation that address the harms of Big Tech without endangering free expression and human rights.

Young people need to be protected. They also need to have their rights respected. KOSA did neither. Let’s put this awful bill behind us and fight for real policies that crack down on Big Tech abuses without throwing marginalized youth under the bus.”

• Nearly 400,000 people used Fight for the Future’s tools at StopKOSA.com and BadInternetBills.com to write to their legislators about the dangers of KOSA
  
• Human rights and LGBTQ advocates held a press conference earlier this week explaining their opposition to the bill and why changes have not addressed concerns.
  
• Hundreds of parents of transgender youth also urged lawmakers to consider alternatives to KOSA, explaining it would make their kids less safe
  
• Dozens of human rights, LGBTQ, civil liberties, racial justice, and reproductive rights organizations have vocally opposed KOSA, including the ACLU, Advocates for Youth, Trans Ohio, Equality Texas, Media Justice and the Freedom of the Press Foundation
  
• LGBTQ youth led the charge against KOSA, as reported by the New York Times and the Washington Post, and succeeded in forcing significant changes to the bill even after national LGBTQ organizations went quiet.
  
• LGBTQ youth gathered at Pride Events this past June with banners and signs that said “KOSA will harm queer kids.”
  
• FFTF director Evan Greer wrote this post explaining why KOSA actually helped Big Tech avoid regulation, and the need for advocates to unite around a coherent strategy.

Fight for the Future opposes legislation that could lead to censorship. But we support strict regulation of Big Tech and think surveillance capitalism as a business model should be abolished entirely. Contact us to schedule an interview with a member of the team or one of the LGBTQ youth that have been leading the charge against KOSA.