NetChoice’s Post

Our faces are often exposed and, unlike passwords or pin numbers, cannot be remade. Governments and businesses, often working in partnership, are increasingly using our faces to track our whereabouts, activities, and associations. This is why EFF recently submitted comments to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which is preparing a report on face recognition technology (FRT). In our submission, we reiterated our stance that there should be a ban on governmental use of FRT and strict regulations on private use because it: (1) is not reliable enough to be used in determinations affecting constitutional and statutory rights or social benefits; (2) is a menace to social justice as its errors are far more pronounced when applied to people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups; (3) threatens privacy rights; (4) chills and deters expression; and (5) creates information security risks. Despite these grave concerns, FRT is being used by the government and law enforcement agencies with increasing frequency, and sometimes with devastating effects. At least one Black woman and five Black men have been wrongfully arrested due to misidentification by FRT: Porcha Woodruff, Michael Oliver, Nijeer Parks, Randal Reid, Alonzo Sawyer, and Robert Williams. And Harvey Murphy Jr., a white man, was wrongfully arrested due to FRT misidentification, and then sexually assaulted while in jail. Even if FRT was accurate, or at least equally inaccurate across demographics, it would still severely impact our privacy and security. We cannot change our face, and we expose it to the mass surveillance networks already in place every day we go out in public. But doing that should not be license for the government or private entities to make imprints of our face and retain that data, especially when that data may be breached by hostile actors. The government should ban its own use of FRT, and strictly limit private use, to protect us from the threats posed by FRT. https://lnkd.in/eEkTbMXv

Live now: Our January featured story, A Guide for How Not to Pursue Child Protection Online, by Computer & Communications Industry Association's State Policy Director Khara B.. We are three weeks into 2024 and lawmakers have already begun proposing technologically unfeasible and potentially unconstitutional bills. Protecting minors online is critical, however, Florida's HB 1 and similar bills exhibit an excessively broad scope, ultimately causing more harm than good. https://lnkd.in/eJ9G-9yu

We must address child safety online without dismantling encryption, which protects children in many ways, including: 👉 Protecting their information from cybercriminals 👉 Supporting child protection agencies in handling sensitive information 👉 Enabling children to have agency & explore sensitive topics without fear of surveillance Learn more ⬇️ https://ow.ly/SRWo50SHm3H

** My children are my world, just as yours. When it comes to their safety, who will ensure it? No one but you. The question is how? ** Just a few years ago, I heard a heart-wrenching story of a child who didn’t know how to understand and express when something was wrong done to her. Her confusion and fear left her vulnerable. This experience solidified my mission to educate children early about their own safety and equip them with the confidence to protect themselves. When children understand their boundaries, they not only stay safer but also grow up with greater self-awareness and self-respect. - *"Safety and security don’t just happen; they are the result of collective consensus and public investment."* – Nelson Mandela - *"Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society."* – Desmond Tutu - *"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that they are someone today."* – Stacia Tauscher To help parents and teachers to educate their children, I’m incredibly proud to announce the release of my book, *"Learn to be Safe, Children,"* published by Dreambook Publishing 📚✨ This book mainly written to educate and empowers our children with the vital knowledge to distinguish between good and bad touches in differetn situations, while also teaching them how to take care for themselves and their friends. It’s a guide that every parent, teacher, and caregiver should have in their toolkit. 👉 Secure your copy of *"Learn to be Safe, Children"* today from url: https://lnkd.in/grPZncTT Together, let’s create a safer world for our children. 🌍 #ChildSafety #GoodTouchBadTouch #ChildProtection #Parenting #DreambookPublishing #Authors #BarajBhushan

Thank you Noemi E. for inviting me to co-moderate such an amazing roundtable on Children's Online Privacy and Safety!! I will get up and be ready for a 6:00 am discussion on this topic any day of the week for you. 😊 If you haven't joined the Openli community, I highly recommend it. Specially joining the different roundtables they organize where you are able to brainstorm with other privacy professionals, attorneys and advocates how to take privacy principles and regulatory demands and expectations into actionable objectives that can be implemented within your organization. What a great way to start my day! 😎 #childrensrights #privacymatters #privacypros

Attorney General Josh Stein Shares Tips to Keep Kids Safe Online During Summer Break The average eight- to 12-year-old spends between four and six hours online each day, while teenagers spend up to nine hours. While young people across the state enjoy time off from school, they may find themselves online for longer periods. Attorney General, Josh Stein for North Carolina recently shared some tips for families to stay safe this summer and beyond. 📌 STAY AHEAD. Meet with your child to discuss family computer guidelines and what is expected of them while using the internet. Use Attorney General Stein’s Family Tech Agreement (posted on the website) to foster positive internet safety conversations. 🔐 CREATE SAFEGUARDS. Make sure your family computer is in a common area, use child-safe browsers with privacy settings on, and monitor your child’s use of online messaging, screen names, and computer cameras. 🔎 LOOKOUT. Your child may be at risk for online exploitation if they are spending large amounts of time on the internet at night, receiving calls or physical gifts from people you do not know, or hiding what they are doing on the computer. 📣 SPEAK UP. If your child is being bullied or threatened online, contact your internet service provider, local law enforcement, or the CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST for more resources to further protect your child and others. ❗ MAKE SURE YOUR TEEN IS READY. Most social networking sites require kids to be 13 before registering an account. Talk to your teen about utilizing privacy features on their accounts and not accepting friend requests from strangers. 🔔 REMIND THEM that anything they post online is no longer private, even if the messages “disappear”. To read the entire press release, visit: https://lnkd.in/es8B9X46 #internetsafety #SafetyWhileAccessingTechnology #educateandequip #SafeSurfinFoundation #CyberSWAT #empowerkids #changingonlinesafety #SafeSurfin #protectingkidsonline #savethekids #onlinepredators #internetcrimesagainstchildren #keepkidssafe #ProtectYourKids #ProtectKidsOnline #OnlineSafetyStartsAtHome #JustTheFacts

Digital Services Act - High level of privacy safety and security for minors: call for evidence ⬇️ 🇪🇺 European Commission invites stakeholder to contribute to a call for evidence as to the impact of the Digital Services Act on children online, child privacy with a child rights lense: 🌐The Digital Services Act aims to make the online world safer for children and it requires providers of all online platforms accessible to them to put in place measures to ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security as part of their service. ⚠️It also empowers the Commission to issue guidelines to help providers of online platforms apply this high level of protection for minors. The Commission intends to adopt these guidelines in the first half of 2025. ⬇️See more here ⬇️

🚸💡 Following Artur 🤖 Kurasinski insights on Florida's new social media law for minors, a significant move that's sparked a mix of opinions. While Florida tightens the reins with a ban for those under 14 and parental consent requirements for 14-15-year-olds, I've voiced skepticism, suggesting it's more of a political play than a genuine child protection effort. Amidst this, there's a parallel narrative unfolding in the UK that's worth spotlighting. 🇬🇧 The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is taking strides with its 2024-2025 Children's Code Strategy, an initiative aimed at fortifying online safety for children. This strategy dives deep into: Ensuring privacy and geolocation settings are kid-friendly by default. Limiting ad targeting to safeguard children's digital presence. Regulating the use of children's data in content feeds to prevent harmful exposure. Strengthening consent measures for users under 13. My take aligns with the proactive approach in the UK, emphasizing real action over mere legislation. The ICO's comprehensive strategy addresses critical issues from privacy settings to ad targeting, showing a concerted effort to protect young digital citizens. As we dissect Florida's law and the UK's forward-thinking strategy, it's clear that global perspectives on child online safety are evolving. Discover more about the UK's efforts in the comment below. #itgrc #itgrcadvisory #bwadvisory #akademiaitgrc #privacy #cybersecurity

The lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against TikTok highlights significant concerns about the platform’s handling of minors’ data. The suit alleges that TikTok has been sharing personal information of minors without obtaining proper parental consent, which violates the state’s new Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act. This law, which came into effect in September, mandates that social media platforms must verify the ages of younger users and provide robust parental control features. One of the key issues raised is that TikTok’s current parental control features, such as the “Family Pairing” mode, do not adequately verify the identity of parents or guardians. Additionally, the lawsuit claims that TikTok has been displaying targeted advertisements to minors without parental consent, further violating the new law. This legal action underscores the ongoing challenges and scrutiny faced by social media platforms regarding user privacy, especially for younger audiences. It also reflects broader concerns about the adequacy of existing measures to protect minors online. What are your thoughts on the balance between technological innovation and regulatory measures to protect user privacy, especially for children?

As drafted, the UN's proposed Cybercrime Convention undermines its very purpose: endangering the human rights and fundamental freedoms of those it should be seeking to protect, and leaving us with a less secure digital environment. In this statement, 100+ civil society groups outline the minimum requirements needed to address the Convention's critical flaws, without which it should be rejected by policymakers. In a complementary piece for CircleID, my colleague Maria Paz Canales and I outline the key risks the draft poses—including weak human rights and data protection safeguards; an overly broad (possibly limitless) scope; and paving the way for excessive criminalisation of security researchers, journalists and whistleblowers. These concerns are not new, and have been raised by many human rights groups and others the start of the process in 2021. Despite the late hour, the Convention should not move forward without significant changes to address these shortcoming.