The Internet Is About to Get a Lot Worse
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We've all watched in horror as red states have banned books in schools and libraries. We've seen teachers fired merely for reading a book about gender...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/2628014

Charlie Jane Anders discusses KOSA (the Kids Online Safety Act).

If you’re in the US, https://www.stopkosa.com/ makes it easy to contact your Senators and ask them to oppose KOSA.

"A new bill called the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, is sailing towards passage in the Senate with bipartisa>n support. Among other things, this bill would give the attorney general of every state, including red states, the right to sue Internet platforms if they allow any content that is deemed harmful to minors. This clause is so vaguely defined that attorneys general can absolutely claim that queer content violates it — and they don’t even need to win these lawsuits in order to prevail. They might not even need to file a lawsuit, in fact. The mere threat of an expensive, grueling legal battle will be enough to make almost every Internet platform begin to scrub anything related to queer people.

The right wing Heritage Foundation has already stated publicly that the GOP will use this provision to remove any discussions of trans or queer lives from the Internet. They’re salivating over the prospect.

And yep, I did say this bill has bipartisan support. Many Democrats have already signed on as co-sponsors. And President Joe Biden has urged lawmakers to pass this bill in the strongest possible terms."

  • tabarnaski
    2·
    1 year ago

    Not familiar with the US system, but can’t you vote in primaries to have better candidates?

    • samus12345@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      1 year ago

      In theory, yes. In practice, the 2 main political parties have too much power to allow anyone outside their approval to win.

      • Corkyskog
        5·
        1 year ago

        The parties don’t even have to take a vote before nominating a candidate, they don’t even need to hold primaries. In fact Republicans are trying to rewrite the laws/rules/guidelines whatever in a few of their states.

        The former DNC chair has said something to the effect that she wouldn’t have allowed Sanders to get nominated even if he got the votes.

    • 🔍🦘🛎@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      1 year ago

      Honestly no. In 2016 Burnie had momentum and growing support. He won my state’s primary. The media just refused to talk about him, often just flat out ignoring he was a candidate. Instead they pushed Hilary hard.