Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy, Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) released the following statement following the passage of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) through the Senate Commerce Committee today.
“We appreciate the intent of sponsors to enact policies that protect children and teenagers online, but are concerned that both bills, as written, will unintentionally harm these vulnerable groups. In particular, we are concerned these bills will place an undue burden on schools by giving students the ability to delete important educational records such as grades or parent contact information without the knowledge of the school which could impact things like school and nutrition funding harming all students in the community.
Our members are dedicated to ensuring Americans have a comprehensive experience at all points in their educational journey and have full access to reliable, factual information no matter their age. The proposed text in both KOSA and COPPA 2.0 is at odds with those principles. We are concerned that certain provisions in this legislation, as currently written, will unnecessarily prevent access to critical information.
Our members support protecting the privacy and safety of children and teens, and are working diligently to create safe and educational environments online. We hope policymakers will continue to refine language and that these bills can be passed with the support of all stakeholders.”
