SENATE PASSES BILL TO PROTECT KIDS ONLINE AND MAKE TECH COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR HARMFUL CONTENT
AppleMagazine|August 02, 2024
The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday that is designed to protect children from dangerous online content, pushing forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm that they cause.
SENATE PASSES BILL TO PROTECT KIDS ONLINE AND MAKE TECH COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR HARMFUL CONTENT

The bill, which passed 91-3, has been pushed by parents of children who died by suicide after online bullying or have otherwise been harmed by online content. It would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms frequently used by minors, requiring them to exercise “duty of care” and ensure that they generally default to the safest settings possible.

The House has not yet acted on the bill. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he is “committed to working to find consensus,” but has not said whether he will bring it to the floor for a vote. Supporters are hoping that the strong Senate vote will push the House to act before the end of the congressional session in January.

President Joe Biden encouraged the House to send the legislation to his desk “without delay.”

“Today our children are subjected to a wild west online and our current laws and regulations are insufficient to prevent this,” Biden said. “It is past time to act.”

The legislation is about allowing children, teens and parents “to take back control of their lives online,” said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who wrote the bill with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. He said that the message to big tech companies is that “we no longer trust you to make decisions for us.”

The bill would be the first major tech regulation package to move in years, and it could potentially pave the way for other bills that would strengthen online privacy laws or set parameters for the growing use of artificial intelligence, among others. While there has long been bipartisan support for the idea that the biggest technology companies should face more government scrutiny, there has been little consensus on how it should be done. Congress passed legislation earlier this year that would force China-based social media company TikTok to sell or face a ban, but that law only targets one company.

This story is from the August 02, 2024 edition of AppleMagazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 02, 2024 edition of AppleMagazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM APPLEMAGAZINEView All
GOOGLE PLEDGES TO CRACK DOWN ON FAKE REVIEWS AFTER UK WATCHDOG INVESTIGATION
AppleMagazine

GOOGLE PLEDGES TO CRACK DOWN ON FAKE REVIEWS AFTER UK WATCHDOG INVESTIGATION

Google pledged to crack down on fake online reviews with tougher punishments for rogue reviewers and businesses that try to profit from them, British regulators said following an investigation.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 31, 2025
AS SMALL BUSINESSES FACE FIRE DEVASTATION AND TRY TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET, A VARIETY OF AID EXISTS
AppleMagazine

AS SMALL BUSINESSES FACE FIRE DEVASTATION AND TRY TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET, A VARIETY OF AID EXISTS

The fires in California have been devastating for many small business owners and others who saw their homes, businesses or livelihoods go up in smoke.

time-read
3 mins  |
January 31, 2025
ELON MUSK'S X PARTNERS WITH VISA ON PAYMENT SERVICE IN AN EFFORT TO BECOME AN 'EVERYTHING APP'
AppleMagazine

ELON MUSK'S X PARTNERS WITH VISA ON PAYMENT SERVICE IN AN EFFORT TO BECOME AN 'EVERYTHING APP'

X is teaming up with Visa to soon offer a system for real-time payments on the social media platform — signaling some progress in a yearslong vision from billionaire owner Elon Musk to create an “everything app.”

time-read
2 mins  |
January 31, 2025
NVIDIA FACES A RECKONING AS AN UPSTART RIVAL RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WALL STREET'S DARLING
AppleMagazine

NVIDIA FACES A RECKONING AS AN UPSTART RIVAL RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT WALL STREET'S DARLING

The superstar run for Nvidia’s stock the last few years has been astonishing. So was its tumble Monday, which caused $595 billion in wealth to vanish. That’s about as much as PepsiCo, McDonalds, Starbucks and Target are worth, combined.

time-read
3 mins  |
January 31, 2025
GENERAL PURPOSE AI COULD LEAD TO ARRAY OF NEW RISKS, EXPERTS SAY IN REPORT AHEAD OF AI SUMMIT
AppleMagazine

GENERAL PURPOSE AI COULD LEAD TO ARRAY OF NEW RISKS, EXPERTS SAY IN REPORT AHEAD OF AI SUMMIT

Advanced artificial intelligence systems have the potential to create extreme new risks, such as fueling widespread job losses, enabling terrorism or running amok, experts said in a first-of-its-kind international report this week cataloging the range of dangers posed by the technology.

time-read
3 mins  |
January 31, 2025
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON DEVELOPING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 'FREE FROM IDEOLOGICAL BIAS'
AppleMagazine

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON DEVELOPING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 'FREE FROM IDEOLOGICAL BIAS'

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on artificial intelligence that will revoke past government policies his order says “act as barriers to American AI innovation.”

time-read
3 mins  |
January 31, 2025
Model Y
AppleMagazine

Model Y

THE NEW VERSION OF THE WORLD'S BEST-SELLING CAR

time-read
6 mins  |
January 31, 2025
AI-ASSISTED WORKS CAN GET COPYRIGHT WITH ENOUGH HUMAN CREATIVITY, SAYS US COPYRIGHT OFFICE
AppleMagazine

AI-ASSISTED WORKS CAN GET COPYRIGHT WITH ENOUGH HUMAN CREATIVITY, SAYS US COPYRIGHT OFFICE

Artists can copyright works they made with the help of artificial intelligence, according to a new report by the U.S. Copyright Office that could help clear the way for the use of AI tools in Hollywood, the music industry and other creative fields.

time-read
1 min  |
January 31, 2025
ARE WE ALL ALIENS? NASA'S RETURNED ASTEROID SAMPLES HOLD THE INGREDIENTS OF LIFE FROM A WATERY WORLD
AppleMagazine

ARE WE ALL ALIENS? NASA'S RETURNED ASTEROID SAMPLES HOLD THE INGREDIENTS OF LIFE FROM A WATERY WORLD

Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported this week.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 31, 2025
LINKEDIN FOUNDER REID HOFFMAN SEES BRIGHT AI FUTURE AND HOPES HIS TECH PEERS ARE RIGHT ABOUT TRUMP
AppleMagazine

LINKEDIN FOUNDER REID HOFFMAN SEES BRIGHT AI FUTURE AND HOPES HIS TECH PEERS ARE RIGHT ABOUT TRUMP

LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman has been immersed in Silicon Valley since his August 1967 birth in Palo Alto, California, in the shadow of Stanford University, where he and fellow technology luminary Peter Thiel became friends as college students during the 1980s.

time-read
4 mins  |
January 31, 2025