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SIIA’s Feedback on S.1291: Enhancing Online Safety for Children

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The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has submitted feedback on the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act (S.1291), which is under consideration by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. While acknowledging the importance of safeguarding children and teens online, SIIA highlights concerns regarding the bill’s current form, proposing revisions to better ensure the privacy and safety of all Americans.

SIIA raises apprehensions about potential adverse effects of the proposed legislation, particularly concerning the Eyes on the Board Act, which could impose impractical restrictions on schools’ internet access. We argue against the bill’s requirement for schools to ban social media, citing concerns about overreach and its impact on educational tools.

Furthermore, SIIA urges the adoption of an “actual knowledge” standard in the legislation, expressing reservations about the current constructive knowledge standard’s feasibility and potential privacy implications. We caution against overly burdensome age verification requirements, citing privacy and cybersecurity risks.

In conclusion, SIIA expresses appreciation for the opportunity to provide feedback and offers to collaborate with the Committee to refine the legislation, with the overarching goal of enhancing online privacy and safety for children and teens.

Full Letter Here
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SIIA’s Statement on ODNI’s Policy Framework for Commercially Available Information

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The following statement can be attributed to Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, the Software & Information Industry Association.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI’s) Policy Framework is a significant step forward in creating clarity around the intelligence community’s (IC’s) treatment of commercially available information (CAI). The Framework aspires to balance privacy and civil liberties concerns with the IC’s access to CAI, which includes—but is not limited to—data whose collection would otherwise require a warrant under the Fourth Amendment.

We applaud the ODNI for its action to address these risks while recognizing the countervailing benefits of the IC’s access to CAI. As Congress also considers restrictions on the IC’s use of CAI, it is critical to focus on measures narrowly tailored to these addressable harms, while preserving the ability of the IC to effectively perform its law enforcement and disaster response functions. We look forward to working closely with the ODNI and Congress in this endeavor.

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SIIA’s Comments to the Competition and Markets Authority: Navigating AI Ecosystem Partnerships

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The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has provided comments on partnerships and competition in the AI ecosystem to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Representing a diverse range of stakeholders, including cloud service providers and AI developers, SIIA emphasizes the importance of fostering innovation and competition. They recommend a cautious approach by regulatory bodies like the CMA, suggesting that aggressive enforcement could hinder innovation without benefiting consumers or businesses.

Full Letter Here

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IN THE NEWS: Information software group says federal procurement policies meet needs related to AI

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Source: Inside AI Policy

The Software and Information Industry Association says the federal government should rely on existing rules and frameworks as it considers ways to ensure “responsible procurement” of artificial intelligence products and services under an Office of Management and Budget memo on implementing President Biden’s Oct. 30 AI executive order.

“We believe the administration should continue encouraging the adoption of risk-based AI governance practices in general, as this approach is crucial in understanding AI use cases across the government. We believe it is also important to recognize that the desired goals of the OMB AI memo can be achieved without reshaping the scope of the government procurements process,” SIIA says in comments to OMB.

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