this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2024
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3 Huge Tech Companies Endorse Bill That Could Wipe Abortion Info From the Internet.::The misleadingly-named Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) just got a boost from Silicon Valley.

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[–] [email protected] 185 points 10 months ago (6 children)

Fact: Any time a bill has a name about protecting children, it's never actually about protecting children.

Also, what do the big tech companies have to gain by supporting this bill? They're typically opposed to anything that can open them up to litigation.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think big tech companies are trying to figure out which side of politics they need to kiss ass on so that they can continue unfettered growth.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Don't fool yourself, they own both sides. The only difference is that each special interest will pick a side to publicly donate to, and then funnel dark money to the other - gotta cover those bases.

Big Tech is pro-regulation at this point, at least the regulations that make the cost of entry for new companies prohibitively expensive.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No, they don't kiss up to parties, the parties kiss up to them. They want this so they can force users to hand over PII and let them track them to access content.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Companies handle/hand over PII, not users.

I never said anything about kissing up, I said donations/bribes.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 10 months ago

I think the tech companies believe they'll get good PR for a bill that purports to be about child safety. In actuality, the bill will allow them to censor anything they want on their platforms while sidestepping criticism about curtailing free speech because they can say "we're just trying not to get sued; if you have a problem, take it up with Washington"

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Seems like what they would gain is forcing users to have over PII and tracking them to access a non blocked content. It's good for their ability to make money off advertising and forcing users into closed eco systems they control, and killing competition that doesn't require registration.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Same with freedom/patriotism. Or really anything that's meant to ekove a specific type of emotion.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I also narrow my eyes whenever I see the word "family" now.

[–] UNWILLING_PARTICIPANT 3 points 10 months ago

Absolutely 💯💯💯. It's almost always followed by some fearful take about protecting ourselves from some outsider who isn't "like us" and maybe about fucking over poor people for bonus points

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Shields them from liability, kisses the ring of the powers that be, and makes them look like they are doing something good.