Policy education

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.

We believe that all people—including LGBTQI+ people—deserve equitable, meaningful access to services, programs, and employment funded by American foreign assistance no matter where they may be.

In the fight to ensure that marginalized individuals and the content they rely on are protected from undue censorship online, LGBT Tech has partnered with a coalition of civil organizations in filing an amicus brief in NetChoice v. Bonita

A coalition led by Chamber of Progress sends letter opposing SB 454, a different Florida bill that would require social media companies to prevent youth access to content related to sexual exploitation and give parents more control over teens’ accounts.

Garden State Equality and Planned Parenthood Action Fund of NJ today urged the State Legislature to reject a bill that would impose highly restrictive regulations on Internet access. The bill, A5750/S4215, would have New Jersey join the ranks of states like Utah and Arkansas by requiring age verification for anyone using social media.

LGBT Tech joins a coalition of a dozen tech and civil society groups submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in NetChoice & CCIA v. Moody / Paxton, urging the Court to overturn Texas and Florida anti-content moderation laws. The brief argues that the Court should affirm platforms’ First Amendment right to curate content and highlights the impact of anti-content moderation laws on marginalized groups.

Last month, a group of Republicans led by Sen. Ted Cruz introduced the Eyes on the Board Act. The bill, which would strip away E-Rate funding from schools and libraries unless they block access to social media sites, represents an escalation in the ongoing assault on libraries and teens’ access to information across the country. For children in low-income communities who depend on subsidized internet access and
social media for education and connection, this bill amounts to a digital book ban.

LGBT Tech writes to support measures aimed at protecting the privacy, safety, and mental health of youth online, while urging that the efforts to do so preserve access to the online tools relied upon by LGBTQ+ youth to explore their identities, seek resources, and find community.

The Communications Equity and Diversity Council (CEDC) plays a crucial, nonpartisan role in shaping policies that foster equity and diversity in digital communication services and products across the United States. LGBT Tech joins MMTC and other organizations urging the House of Representatives to oppose the upcoming vote on bill HR-4664, which, following an amendment to the bill last week, proposes to defund the CEDC.

LGBT Tech and 73 other organizations and LGBTQ+ centers from around the country sent a letter to 101 Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives, expressing concern with the Kids Online Safety bill (S.1409), or KOSA, currently being considered in the Senate.