Policy education

LGBT Tech, a diverse team of experts from multiple backgrounds that belong to the LGBTQ+ community, submits these comments with the goal of providing guidance on how to protect the best interests of children through the work of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC). There are many situations where the data processing of children and adolescents requires greater attention. Canadian policymakers must strike the right balance between privacy, online safety and the preservation of vital online resources that are essential for fostering an inclusive digital space and empowering, rather than endangering, the well-being of Canadian youth.

LGBT Tech joins 101 organizations respectfully urging the Biden Administration to support increased funding for global LGBTQI+ rights programs at the State Department’s Global Equality Fund to $40 million and USAID’s Inclusive Development Hub’s Protection of LGBTQI+ Persons to $40 million in the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026.

LGBT Tech submitted comments supporting youth safety in Brazil’s proceeding where the Brazilian government is seeking input on age-verification and child privacy laws.

End-to-end encryption plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety, security and privacy of millions in Australia. However, the statutory review of the Australian Online Safety Act erroneously characterizes end-to-end encryption as an obstacle to online safety and law enforcement, instead of recognizing that it is essential for online security and weakening it reduces safety for all.

As advocates for the vital digital rights and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community, including the millions who live in California, we write to respectfully express our deep concerns with the content and potential consequences of AB 3172, and to outline the reasons why we must oppose the bill.
While we understand and agree with the author’s desire to establish protections and safeguards for youth online, we believe that fatal flaws in AB 3172 open the door to dangerous over-moderation and could severely impact the rights and access of online users, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community.

LGBT Tech has just filed comments with the FCC highlighting the critical role of broadband access for the LGBTQ+ community. Our filing addresses how connectivity is a lifeline for marginalized individuals.

Amid rising concerns about digital equity and inclusion, this research underscores the critical need for ensuring robust digital access and safe online spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals. The research, titled “ctrl-alt+lgbt,” illustrates the profound impact of digital connectivity on the LGBTQ+ community’s daily life, communication, health, education, and employment.

LGBT Tech joins coalition in opposing sunset Section 230 of the Communications Act. They believe doing so will jeopardize access to valuable resources online, harming vulnerable communities and guaranteeing round after round of culture war brinkmanship.

In a letter to Senate leaders, the groups voiced concerns that the legislation would give enormous powers to state attorneys general with a history of radical anti-LGBTQ policymaking, ultimately eliminating access to resources and communities for vulnerable Americans.

On behalf of the consumer protection, economic justice, and civil rights groups herein, we strongly urge you to oppose SB 1076, authored by Senator Wilk. This bill attempts to undermine and weaken the California Delete Act (SB 362), passed in 2023 to empower Californians to protect their personal information from data brokers with an updated data broker registry and a one-click “delete” button to remove their information from every registered data broker.

Our opposition to this bill, in its present state, arises from the undefined age verification requirements imposed on social media platforms, its concerning parental control provisions and ambiguous criteria for “sexual content,” and the bill’s infringement on First Amendment rights – which doom it to a protracted and unwinnable legal battle, if passed. While we appreciate the amendments that have been oered, they fail to address the fundamental challenges of this bill, nor do they alleviate our apprehensions about its repercussions.

LGBT Tech urges lawmakers to conduct a thorough review and revision of S.B. 158 to mitigate these concerns, and has sent a letter outlining these concerns to the Colorado Senate Committee for Business, Labor, & Technology, the offices of the Colorado Governor and Attorney General, and members of the Colorado LGBTQ+ Caucus.