#censorship bill

[bear-cubs-art-things]

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

-Evelyn Beatrice Hall, The Friends of Voltaire

The first amendment allows us to say what we want, whenever we want, without our government punishing us for our words. KOSA, therefore, is violating our first amendment rights. It's mass censorship of the internet, and our right to freedom of speech is being suppressed BY THE GOVERNMENT. Our founding fathers created this as THE FIRST AMENDMENT, and clearly thought this was important. Oh, wouldn't they be disappointed to see what their descendants are doing now. KOSA, a mass censorship bill that will contradict our constitution as we know it. KOSA, which instead of protecting the kids is in fact putting them in harms way. KOSA, which will put so so many people in danger. And we can stop it, but we have to fight. We MUST fight

To hear one voice clearly, we must have the freedom to hear them all

[intexda]

I made a twitter thread on my opinion about the KOSA bill.

I'm so fucking tired of these bills

[iri-desky]

GET KOSA TRENDING.

STOP SCROLLING NOW!

AS OF FEBRUARY 21ST, 2024, WE GOT FIVE DAYS UNTIL THE DAY OF DECISION OF THE KOSA BILL, WHICH WILL CAUSE MASS CENSORSHIP ROUND THE INTERNET IF PASSED. WE NEED EVERYONE TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND CONTRIBUTE. I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU ALL.

(IMPORTANT UPDATE: Kosa will not necessarily pass on the 26th. It only has the support to pass in Senate, and we STILL HAVE TIME. That being said, time is of the essence.)

WE'RE DOWN TO THE WIRE BUT WE CAN'T GIVE UP YET. IF WE GIVE UP, EVERYTHING IS OVER. IF WE DON'T, AT LEAST WE HAVE A CHANCE.

I'M THE ONE WHO SOUNDED THE ALARM, AND I'M NOT GOING TO CURL UP AND DIE YET.

Reblog this post in every LEGAL way you can under the Tumblr guidelines with the appropriate tags. TELL AND TAG EVERYONE YOU KNOW, then add the tags to see below... and more if you can think of any complying.

Visit badinternetbills.com if you want to find a way to defeat KOSA. It WILL NOT take much of your time. Reblog with any other information or sources, too-- but make sure to reblog if you can.

Reblog if you support lgbtq+ content.

Reblog if you support questioning queer youth and/or abused youth getting the information they need.

Reblog if you support Ao3 and/or other sites that wholeheartedly preserve talentedly made media.

Reblog if you're going to repost this on other sites than Tumblr and spread the word across Twitter, Tik Tok, Pinterest, or elsewhere, alongside the link to badinternetbills.com.

Reblog if you think KOSA is unfair and shouldn't be anyone's problem -- including the adults ALL OVER THE DAMN EARTH forced to face the mass censorship it causes because "think of the American Children!".

Reblog if you support internet activism and Palestine.

Reblog if you hate fascism or censorship, and don't want actually serious and helpful conversations censored on the internet.

Reblog if you value the internet in any way at all whatsoever.

CHECK THIS PETITION, TOO! https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-kosa?recruiter=1331807538&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=sms&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf&recruited_by_id=57368c40-d0fd-11ee-98f7-2175430f819f&share_bandit_exp=initial-36809664-en-US

(Also, please reblog with at least "stop kosa" as a tag and not "kosa". I made the mistake of not adding just "kosa" as a tag...)

We won't let this stand any longer. Let's start a riot and get this trending.

[chaotickit]

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.

[sleep-deprived-person]

So apparently KOSA (2024 edition) is getting either thrown out until next year or put into effect in six days. That was a guesstimate based on a different person saying that's when Congress is back in session and may be false.

Update that's going in the main post at the top: it has enough support to pass Congress.

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.

[dib-thing-wannabe]

OKAY SO GOOD NEWS: THE KOSA HEARING HAS APPARENTLY BEEN MOVED TO MARCH 13-16 INSTEAD!! WE STILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME!!!

THAT BEING SAID, WE STILL DEFINITELY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO PASS!!

For Palestines sake.

For Yamens sake.

For Congos sake.

For LGBTQIA+ kids and adults alike.

For everyone.

FUCK OFF KOSA, AND FUCK OFF AMERICA!

[amarriageoftrueminds]

View on Twitter

KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act) wants to do something like this on a national level

AMERICANS, CALL YOUR REPS

[ajxrn]

To my mutuals or followers, or just anyone who sees this:

Please reblog the kosa bill posts from me and others. This bill is EXTREMELY dangerous to the queer community and especially queer minors. As a queer and trans minor in a bad home situation, I and many others would be in so much danger if this bill is approved. Its actually so horrific. One of the senators who introduced it, Marsha Blackburn, said that "protecting minor children from the transgender in this culture" was a top priority. As a trans minor, I find this disgusting and harmful to my existence, I'm sure many others my age feel the same way. So please: REBLOG THE KOSA BILL POSTS.

EDIT: IT WILL ALSO CENSOR THE PALESTINE GENOCIDE POSTS AND MANY MORE THINGS!!! WE WILL BE BLOCKED FROM THE TRUTH!!! Also I do not know many things about the kosa bill, this is the limit of my knowlege, so I can't answer any questions. I'm sorry!

[boatgameenjoyer]

Just wanted to take a moment to say that if KOSA passes on the 26th, it won't be a law yet. It is in the senate, and will still need to pass in the house. If KOSA passes on the 26th, do not panic, simply start contacting your representatives in the house en masse to tell them to oppose KOSA.

[lordbeelz]

It's crazy how kosa will affect the entire internet and yet there's barely enough of anyone speaking out about this. If you can raise awareness and spread the word, you should do it to the best of your ability. When the internet is a means of communication for so many people, it's unfair not to take action. I've seen people who thought it was dead just because we stopped talking about it! Don't just reblog posts or whatever, tell those in your actual personal life. Contact your senators and make your opposition known. I know they bring this back every year, and it's tiring, but don't give up now. We need to try all we can to prevent this from passing.

[flurriethefox]

Hey, so, uh…

KOSA literally violates the First Amendment freedoms. If this is passed, then that means the Constitution and Bill of Rights are basically void, because Congress are ignoring them. THATS A PROBLEM

As a teen myself, it pisses me off. I wish for anarchy, with everything the US government has been doing, from supporting Israhell to this bullshit.

Please, do what you can to prevent this from getting passed. It violates everyone’s rights in the US, and if it gets passed, then we’re back to where we started; a monarchy. Just with far too many people.

[charliejaneanders]

Today I managed to reach a real live human being at Senator Butler's office to register my concerns about KOSA. I went through my concerns that this bill would be used by red state AGs to silence queer people online. But then I did something that seemed to make an impression.

I got a bit more personal, and said that as a transgender person I am actually scared that this will drive me off the internet and cut me off from my community.

I also said that my friends have trans kids, who depend on the internet for support. And I'm legit worried what'll happen to them.

I think that talking about my personal worries for this bill really helped drive my message home. I got a somewhat warmer response than in the past when I've called.

I've said this before, but my guess is that if this bill passes, it will be similar to what happened with sesta-fosta.

Platforms will either ban content that might be challenged, or merely shadowban it.

There is a lot of fear-mongering right now about algorithms recommending harmful content to kids. In response, platforms may do the opposite: set up algorithms to ensure that nobody sees content that Republicans don't like.

[timeclonemike]

Recent Developments Regarding KOSA (February Edition)

Some folks may have been following the recent congressional hearings on internet content and content handling, which involved big names in the industry. Given both the topic and the timing, it comes as no surprise that some of those involved in it have been trying to push the Kids Online Safety Act both in terms of congressional and public support. It's gone through some superficial changes but the heart of the legislation that makes it a threat to free speech on the internet is the same.

Quick reminder that if it does pass into law, it will allow various states to:

Block access to / sue the providers of any information on abortion resources

Block access to / sue the providers of any information on gender affirming care and transition resources

Censor any talk of what is happening in Palestine / Sudan / other regions threatened by genocide, as well as any protests against such treatment

Monitor and surveil internet use in general, both in terms of what people say and in what they search for

Allow state attorneys general the power to arbitrarily criminalize content with no appeals process

Allow conservative states to get a head start in pushing their Project 2025 agendas

The good news is that this legislation has been pushed back over and over again throughout the whole of 2023, and 2024 is an election year with a LOT of seats up in the air, meaning that the danger of losing voter support carries much more weight than it normally does. In other words, we pushed this back before and we can do it again. You can find the contact information for the senators from your state at the official Senate website, and given the timing of the hearings any such calls / messages / letters should have a somewhat greater impact than they otherwise might.

Remember to be polite and respectful, and to phrase your concerns in such a way that it aligns with the politics of the senator you are calling; conservatives WANT to restrict access to stuff like abortion services and HRT, so you have to scare them with something else, like gun control. Be sure to do your research on who and what has bought your senator and tailor your complaints accordingly for maximum impact. For most democratic senators, the abortion rights issue might be enough on its own, since they've been watching the GOP step on that rake every election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and they want that to work for them, not against them.

[the-rad1o-demon]

So far, chances of KOSA being enacted is 31% according to the site linked below.

Let's get that fucker down to zero, guys!!

Stuff to help us do that is linked here!

The call scripts linked below were originally for Congressional representatives, but now that the bill is in committee consideration by Senate Commerce, you should call your Senators instead and you can use the scripts for them. Also, when calling your Democrat senators, make sure to add that Senator Blackburn explicitly stated in interview that it would be used to "protect children from the transgender." I think it's pretty clear that this is not meant to protect children. It's just going to harm children further, especially trans children.

(Article below with a video of the interview embedded.)

Please help stop this bill in its tracks. Reblog, donate, call your senators, and keep an eye on the bill's chances of being passed. We can't stop now. 31% is still kind of a big number. We need to shrink those chances by a lot more.

[bump-inthe-night]

On March 13th, Congress will vote on the Kids Online Safety Act, known as KOSA, which is an internet censorship bill that'll give state attorneys power over the internet to censor anything that puts information about and resources for Palestine, Congo, Sudan, the LGBTQIA+ community, and racial groups at risk of censorship.

While the bill has enough support to pass the Senate, the House of Representatives is more divided, and KOSA is less likely to gain enough support to pass through. Tell Democrats that passing KOSA will cost them votes and the election since they'll be partially at fault for giving Republican state attorney generals the power to block access to information and resources to infringe more on abortion rights and the rights of the LGBTQIA+ and POC communities. 

As for Republicans, speak about how Democrats will weaponize this bill to "suppress" freedom of speech and the truth to aid their "woke agenda" to succeed in "destroying" America.

We need to use the division between Democrats and Republicans to destroy this bill. Please use these websites to email them:

Bad Internet Bills

StopKosa

EFF Action Center

Action Network

[kimslovebin]

hi again, im gonna link the KOSA masterpost and try and get the kosa tag to go on trending, we need more people to talk about how dangerous KOSA is and can affect all of us. If we can get the tiktok ban tag to trend, so we can with the stop kosa tag.

EDIT: IT HAS NOT BEEN PASSED YET. READ THIS TWEET.

if this bill passes (which I'm guaranteed it won't since it violates the first amendment and it has been shut down before.) it can affect queer people, palestinians, and more. you would need your ID to use socials, your parents can see what your doing online, you will NOT have any privacy if this bill ends up passing. (Which again it won't, we need to keep speaking up about it.)

also if you have an issue with me talking about this so much then just block me and move on, this is serious and should be more well known.

SPEAK UP ABOUT KOSA AND STOP INTERNET CENSORSHIP.

small edit: if this post has any misinfo then please let me know, a lot of misinformation has been going around and I don't want to spread something that is false !!