Statements & Filings

LGBT Tech welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on
Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) regarding its inquiry into the nature and drivers of radicalisation in
Australia.

LGBT Tech recently joined a broad coalition of civil rights, faith, and community organizations in warning that lower reported hate crime numbers should not be mistaken for greater safety.

LGBT Tech joined the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and partner organizations in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify that the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) does not require invasive, AI-powered student activity monitoring or the overblocking of lawful educational resources.

LGBT Tech has joined an amicus brief alongside Chamber of Progress and The Woodhull Freedom Foundation challenging California’s SB 976, the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act, which restricts personalized feeds for minors without parental consent and imposes age-gating requirements on platforms.

LGBT Tech has joined a sign-on letter, co-led by Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) and the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), calling on the White House to publicly release the AI benchmarking framework it has developed.

LGBT Tech has signed onto a coalition letter, organized by the National Urban League, urging the Congressional Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group to protect broadband affordability and ensure a sustainable universal service system.

LGBT Tech is disappointed that the California State Senate has voted to advance AB 1709 to the Governor’s desk, legislation which risks making the remedy to youth online safety broader than the problem.

Platforms have a responsibility to address real harms, and LGBTQ+ youth deserve online spaces that are safer, more accountable, and more responsive to their needs. But safety cannot be defined so narrowly that it comes at the expense of access, privacy, autonomy, and community. Accordingly, LGBT Tech is deeply concerned by certain provisions of Meta’s announced agreement with state attorneys general.

LGBT Tech is disappointed by the Commission’s decision to eliminate the national broadcast ownership cap, and oppose the plan to replace this longstanding structural safeguard with case-by-case review.

A policy that purports to protect against digital harm but eliminates access to those benefits does not actually protect children. Our filing urges the Commission to ensure that efforts to protect young people online do not close those routes for the broader LGBTQ+ community that depends on them.

LGBT Tech co-led an amicus brief, filed jointly with the Center for Democracy & Technology, The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, and The Trevor Project, opposing Colorado House Bill 24-1136, which requires social media platforms to display a warning to any user under the age of 18 who spends more than an hour on the platform in a day, or who is on the platform between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The letter argues that SB 690 would significantly reduce privacy protections for Californians by allowing companies greater latitude to collect, intercept, record, and share personal information without meaningful accountability. The coalition of organizations warns that the bill would expand surveillance of consumers, undermine longstanding legal protections, and disproportionately impact vulnerable communities, including immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people seeking reproductive healthcare.

AB 2564 would prohibit retailers from using consumers' personally identifiable information (including demographics, geolocation, and browsing history) to set individualized prices based on perceived willingness or ability to pay.

LGBT Tech joined the ACLU, the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and the Wikimedia Foundation in filing an amicus brief in NetChoice v. Murrill before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The brief argues that Louisiana's social media age verification and parental consent requirements violate the First Amendment by restricting access to protected speech, undermining anonymous expression, and creating significant privacy risks.

LGBT Tech, Public Knowledge, Chamber of Progress, HTTP - Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership, and Hispanic Federation filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to the FCC Media Bureau’s Public Notice in MB Docket No. 19-41, which asks whether programming that includes gender identity themes should receive different ratings or additional descriptions, including in programming otherwise rated appropriate for children or general audiences.

LGBT Tech joined the ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and other advocacy organizations in filing an amicus brief in *NetChoice v. Jones* before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The brief argues that Virginia's social media age verification and parental consent requirements violate the First Amendment by restricting access to protected speech, undermining anonymous expression, and creating significant privacy risks. LGBT Tech emphasized the importance of online platforms as spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly young people, can access information, build community, and find support.

LGBT Tech has filed comments with the FCC following opposed proposed changes to the Lifeline program and outlining the continued importance of this affordability programming for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Civil society organizations, companies, and cybersecurity experts, including Global Encryption Coalition members, published an open letter to Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Sean Fraser P.C., M.P., urging the federal government to withdraw Bill C-22, An Act respecting lawful access. By undermining encryption, Bill C-22 would jeopardize Canada’s digital security, privacy, and safety on and offline.

LGBT Tech unequivocally opposes the FCC’s latest proposal to single out transgender and nonbinary representation in television as content warranting special warning or restriction.

The undersigned organizations write in strong support of AB 1542 (Ward), which ensures
sensitive personal information stays private by banning its sale outright. AB 1542 joins the
nationwide movement to protect consumers’ sensitive information by ensuring that it is off limits
for businesses to sell or share.

In response to growing efforts legislative efforts around under-16 or similar age-minimum social media bans, LGBT Tech and the undersigned organizations push back.

LGBT Tech joined an amicus brief in support of a challenge to Arkansas’ Act 689, also known as the Social Media Safety Act.

LGBT Tech Statement on FCC Decision to Grant Unlocking Waiver Request

LGBT Tech proudly endorses the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Civil Rights Act (S.5152), introduced this week by Senator Ed Markey and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke.

As Congress continues work to strengthen digital governance and consumer protections, we are concerned about potential unintended consequences that the App Store Freedom Act (ASFA) may present for marginalized users already facing elevated digital risks.