The leader of the Media Research Center issued a warning to Congress about a “Trojan horse for the left’s agenda.”
In a statement posted today on X, MRC founder and president Brent Bozell cautioned Congress not to pass the new version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) introduced by Sen.Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). Bozell instead advised Congress to either enact the House of Representatives’ version of KOSA, which protects First Amendment liberties, or to wait to reform Big Tech until the new year.
Bozell explained: “Months ago, the House Energy & Commerce Committee passed a version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) that both protected First Amendment rights and ensured the safety of our children. … Disturbingly, instead of embracing the House’s leadership on this issue, Senator Richard Blumenthal released an entirely different version of KOSA that acts as a Trojan horse for the left’s agenda.”
A Senate version of KOSA, authored by Blumenthal and endorsed by President Joe Biden, passed the U.S. Senate in July. This legislation would have made tech companies liable if the content shared on their platforms caused a child “psychological distress” or “anxiety.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) slammed the proposed statute as “very problematic” and indicated he would not bring it for a vote.
Blumenthal released yet another version of KOSA this weekend, which he claimed would assuage First Amendment concerns. While this updated version adopted some of the House’s language barring “viewpoint” discrimination, it still used vague and amorphous phrases that could incentivize more Big Tech censorship.
Big Tech platforms have been interfering in our elections, censoring speech they don’t like and spreading an anti-American plague throughout our nation. Exploiting children and profiting off of their vulnerabilities is one of Big Tech’s worst sins.
— Brent Bozell (@BrentBozell) December 10, 2024
Months ago, the House Energy &…
Bozell explained: “Blumenthal’s new version of KOSA pressures tech companies to censor any content that could be a ‘contributing factor’ to ‘anxiety.’ These nebulous terms enable government censors and state prosecutors to coerce tech platforms into expanding their already extensive censorship operations.”
Bozell advised the Senate to either stick to the House version of KOSA or “wait to conduct Big Tech reform until after the inauguration.” President-elect Donald Trump is set to take the oath of office on January 20.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand they not cave to Senator Blumenthal’s demand for censorship. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
