Florida Lawmakers Pass Social Media Age Verification Online ID Law, Ignoring Constitutional Concerns

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Florida’s legislative bodies have passed a bill mandating online ID checks and age verification, even though critics say it raises constitutional, that is, First Amendment issues tied primarily to privacy and anonymous speech. The bill – Online Protections for Minors – was passed late last week with a 108-7 vote in the House after the 23-14 vote in the state Senate. Republicans and Democrats are on both sides of the fence – some supporting and others opposing it. We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. Governor Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, was reluctant to endorse the bill ahead of the voting, saying that while social media can cause harm to teenagers, he was concerned about anonymous speech and privacy implications. He also appears to agree with the bill’s critics who say it’s parents, rather than laws, that should do the job of monitoring how their children use the internet. Some parents cited by the press also agree with this take on the situation, and bring up the issue of parental rights to regulate children’s online activities. The bill’s purpose is to force “certain” social media platforms to ban “certain” minors as they attempt to create new accounts, and prevent them from doing so by verifying their age. The certain platforms in question here are sites that track users, enable minors to upload content and communicate with other users, and have features considered to…Florida Lawmakers Pass Social Media Age Verification Online ID Law, Ignoring Constitutional Concerns