#kosa tw

[thedepressedweasel]

Some lady named Christine McComas sent me this email begging me to sign the pro-KOSA petition, saying that one of her kids died from cyberbullying and that I should support KOSA, no matter what...to which I immediately noped the fuck out of it in addition to deleting that message because I knew better about the harmful effects of KOSA than she can ever hope to know about.

So please, if you get emails like this and the sender(s) keep begging you to support KOSA, say no and delete those messages immediately! Because it's not about protecting kids from even the nastiest of all cyberbullies; all it does instead is allow parents to control their kids and which websites the kids can and cannot access!

[ghostcat404]

IMPORTANT!!!

okay. Firstly, take a deep breath. In and out. Do you have water nearby? Take a sip.

Today, Thursday, July 27th 2023, KOSA has passed markup, but has not become a law.

We still have about a month before the senate takes it to the floor (sometime in September).

The fight is not over yet. Keep signing petitions. Keep sending messages, emails, and letters to your senators. Most importantly, KEEP CALLING IF YOU ARE ABLE. This is exhausting, I know. But together, we can fight to stop it. We did it once, we can do it again.

Below are some resources that you can use:

[destielmemenews]

source

[n4talia-chaparro]

"We are trying to protect the children from harmful materials and content 🥺"

You aren't.

You're putting the children and queers in danger.

You're harming them and killing them.

You cannot expect them to be "safe" when you are making their life miserable.

If you don't want kids consuming shit then why don't you suggest parents DOWNLOAD any parental controls app or monitor their devices properly. (Like you know. Not letting them consume those stupid shit) Or I don't know! Why don't you track any pedophiles and kill them?

Pedophiles don't deserve to breathe the same air that we have. They don't deserve to be alive after what they did to those poor souls, they don't deserve a damn "raise". You dumbasses are letting those disgusting pigs harm more kids and not doing your job properly. You filthy animals should be ASHAMED of yourself for not doing the job properly. ASHAME ON YOU.

you are an embarrassment to the human race. If you REALLY and I mean 100% WORRIED about their safety then FIX IT! ENCOURAGE THE PARENTS TO ADD MONITORS. IT'S NOT HARD TO ADVERTISE A FUCKING PARENTAL CONTROL OR BAN THOSE NSFW ACCOUNTS.

HOW HARD IS IT FOR Y'ALL TO REPORT OR BAN THOSE PEOPLE????? WHA--

[sleepyy-27]

This post is related to the kosa bill but it’s how it’ll effect me (this is just my understanding of it so don’t take this too seriously)

If this bill gets passed I might be fine cause my parents do trust me and even my mom has a tumblr after I mentioned it a few times, she has seen my posts and my account, and didn’t say anything about it, she doesn’t know I have online friends but she knows one of my siblings has a online friend, and frankly she also trusts that I won’t reveal personal information, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine

But if this bill gets passed, I might lose my friends on here which in all honesty is really the only thing keeping me from actually attempting sui again, and I’m extremely socially awkward and even just messaging people on here takes a lot of courage for me to build up

I can’t help support the fight against this bill by contacting the rep (or whatever their called cause I can’t remember and I’m honestly too tired to) but I can at least try and spread the word

STOP KOSA PLEASE, THIS WILL NOT HELP THE PRE-TEENS AND TEENS OF THIS GENERATION, IT’LL HARM MORE TEENS THAN WHAT ANYONE CAN IMAGINE. A LOT OF AMERICAN TEENS FIND ONLINE PLACES AS AN ESCAPE, I AM ONE OF THEM AND IF TEENS WHO ALREADY DON’T HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR PARENTS KOSA WILL DESTROY THE ALREADY FAILING RELATIONSHIP AND WILL MOST LIKELY MAKE A LOT OF PARENTS IGNORE THEIR TEEN CHILDREN OR EVEN DISOWN THEIR CHILD CAUSE THE PARENT MAY THINK OF THE CHILD AS A FAILURE OR A DISAPPOINTMENT AND THE AMOUNT OF TEEN DEPRESSION CASES WILL MOST LIKELY SKY ROCKET.

[homucifer-ryotan]

(TW: Mentions of CSA (child sexual abuse)

All of these bad "protect minors" internet bills (KOSA or as I like to call it "Kill Online Speech Act", Bill S-210, Bill SB976, the EU bill for Chat Control, etc) frustrate me like crazy, but the reason why KOSA annoys me the most, beside the fact it requires government ID upload worldwide to use the web, not just in North America, (something these American pro KOSA politicians like to forget) when people outside of the USA did not consent to it, but also because it is very hypocritical to push Kill Online Speech Act to law this year to "protect kids" when the USA has child marriages still legal in so many states!

Excuse me Marsha Blackburn, Richard Blumenthal, Chuck Schumer, and Rob Wittman, do you (especially Schumer and Blumenthal since these 2 has been pushing for KOSA the most) not realize how weird it looks to push for KOSA in America to "protect kids" when these "marriages" are still around? Getting a 16 year married to someone 4+ years older than them is way worse than most things on the internet. At least they can they can close or turn off their smartphone/computer. Getting out of a "marriage" like that would be super difficult.

—

Since an Committee mark up (not an actual vote yet) for KOSA is happening this Wednesday (September 18th) please, if you're an American, email or call them calmly (unlike me in this post doing a vent) to vote NO on KOSA and patiently explain why this bill should not happen. Tell them how bad it would look for America if KOSA becomes a thing to "protect kids" when the end of legal child marriages didn't happen and wasn't a priority before any internet bill. Please tell that other danger to kids offline that should be focused before KOSA or any other internet bill. (How can you protect anyone under 18 from the "dangerous internet" and then have them spend less time online when things outside the internet isn't safe either?)

Also if you are American parent, please, please call and tell them you are against KOSA, don't let the title of "Kids Online Safety Act" fool you. It won't do anything to help your kids.

If you aren't an American parent, but you know any, please tell them why KOSA is bad for kids and everyone else so they can also call against it.

Everything you need is below:

(Credit to @super-firepaw119 for contact information below. Also this post is important to see and this google doc has who need to call and what you can use to say)

Thank you very much.

[jackpot-sad-dude]

my tumblr account is on an email that my parents don't know about, so as long as tumblr doesn't get banned, i will stay here. the pinterest account that i've had for five years now will have to go. my discord account will have to go. hell, even the character.ai account that i made on a whim once to see what it was all about, that will have to go.

there's so many things on the internet that i've maintained and loved for so long. things that got me out of bed each day. things that kept me from kms when life got especially tough with my parents. it's better now. hell, I'M better now. i've been happy for the first time in years.

please don't let KOSA take that away from me.

please don't let KOSA take that away from anyone.

i don't want anyone to have to go through the devastation that KOSA getting passed will cause.

i don't want any more people to die. but they will. that's the only thing the government cares about anymore. "dead kids". they speak like their tongues aren't laced in the toxins that killed us. that helped us take the pills. that helped us pull the trigger. they act as if they're trying to help us. to give us the will to keep living. they're not. all they want is more control. and they will do anything to get it. even place the name of their schemes by an innocent name like "Kids Online Safety Act" to guide the people to their own demise. it makes me sick.

please. i beg of you.

stop KOSA.

[rad-hound]

"KOSA is dead in the House."

[SOURCE]

RAW TEXT:

Breaking news: The House Republican leadership won’t bring up the children’s online safety bill that the Senate passed with 91 votes on Tuesday.

A House GOP leadership aide told us this about KOSA: “We’ve heard concerns across our Conference and the Senate bill cannot be brought up in its current form.”

This is a big blow to the effort, which is spearheaded by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). And it comes just a week after Speaker Mike Johnson told us he’d “like to get [KOSA] done.”

— Andrew Desiderio, Max Cohen and John Bresnahan

[eziojensenthe3rd]

Reminder that every accusation is a confession, kosa is bad bill and that theres talk of opening the floor to discuss by the end of july.

CALL YOUR REPS!!!

[its-kayyyy]

new to the internet or confused on new terms? here!

[thedepressedweasel]

I had to send a message to my senator and congressperson about the KOSA bill and why that bill is a bad idea.

Then Senator Alex Padilla sent me this:

"Thank you for writing to share your thoughts regarding online safety for children and teens. I appreciate hearing from you.

Our children are among the most vulnerable members of our society, and I strongly believe that we have an obligation to care for their mental and physical well-being. Digital platforms have become key spaces for education, socialization, and entertainment for young people, and it is important that they are able to utilize these services safely.

The “Kids Online Safety Act” (S.1409), introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), seeks to provide young people and their parents with tools, safeguards, and information that would be helpful to safely navigate online services. This bill would require internet companies to act in the best interests of the minors that use their platforms and would require platforms to be independently audited by experts to assess their risk to minors. This bill passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on July 27, 2023, and it is currently awaiting consideration by the full Senate.

I understand you have concerns that this bill may negatively impact individual privacy and freedom of expression online, especially for diverse communities. Please know that I appreciate hearing your perspective on this issue, and I will keep your thoughts in mind should this bill or similar legislation come before the full Senate for a vote.

Once again, thank you for writing. Should you have any other questions or comments, please call my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3553 or visit my website at padilla.senate.gov. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and you can sign up for my email newsletter at padilla.senate.gov/newsletter."

WHAT?!? THE?!? ACTUAL?!? FUCK?!?!?!?!?!

They want you to think that it's just about protecting children from online predators and stuff, but make no mistake! Alex Padilla and Richard Blumenthal don't really care about protecting kids; they just want to make it easier for abusive parents to control their children! You know, by getting rid of websites like DeiviantArt, Facebook, AO3, FurAffinity and even this one! KOSA is actually dangerous for kids (and even adults alike), as it only seeks to strip us of our much-needed internet privacy and they just don't care!

Please, I beg of you, please keep speaking up against KOSA!

[ghostcat404]

hey everyone, you all are so strong. Keep fighting as best you can! Also, stay hydrated and take care of yourselves. We can do this. We can make a difference. Call your senators if you can. If you can’t for whatever reason, sign petitions. If you’ve done all that, take a deep breath. Check in with those around you. We’re all in this together.

[phoenixyfriend]

Calls for Action, Call Your Reps: 3/12/24

This is USA-specific, as that is the place I live and know.

Find your elected officials.

As usual, most of my information on what bills are on the floor comes from GovTrack. I am including some suggested listening/reading (you can find text versions if you google the title and 'transcript') at the bottom of the post. I am also including a current event that is likely to be a very powerful argument, with the right politicians. The event is prefaced with a red warning tag, and followed by event-specific verbiage.

Suggested verbiage and strategies for calling your elected officials. We've recently seen politicians, including Biden, start to pivot towards the "Israel is increasing danger to itself" argument in public statements.

The most immediate and pressing issue at this moment is the famine in Gaza. The air drops are inefficient and dangerous (several people died due to a parachute malfunction), and the floating pier will not be ready any time soon. Trucks across land borders MUST be allowed in.

At this time, the three greatest factors in that famine are:

Israeli bombardment (destruction of existing food stores and farming land).

Israeli blockades of the Egyptian border into Gaza, preventing aid trucks from places like the US from reaching people, and turning away trucks on their own side of the northern and eastern border that contain items like medical scissors, solar panels, and anesthetic.

The cessation of funding to UNRWA, which has been the lifeline to Palestinian civilians for decades, and is currently the best and possibly only chance to save the one and a half million dying civilians

This information is being reported by the WHO, UNRWA itself, UNICEF, and more, along with journalists that are in Gaza at this time.

Both House and Senate:

Reinstate funding for UNRWA. While the claims made by Israel that employees of the relief agency were involved in Oct. 7th are troubling, THEY are not well supported, and western officials did not do their duty in investigating the claims before cutting funding. This arm of the UN is currently providing food, water, shelter, and medical care to the 2.3 million displaced peoples of Gaza. It is especially disturbing and concerning that the many children of Gaza, who are already suffering due to this conflict, are now having this support revoked. Many sources are also claiming that the evidence is flimsy at best.

Urge both Senate and House to refrain from funding Israel, or to at least put some strings on it. The IDF cannot be given funding without some regulations on what they can do with it. They have proven that they are unwilling to take steps to protect civilians.

Sanctions must also be placed on Israel for its continued impediment of aid intended for Gazans, including aid from the US.

Urge for the US to stop vetoing ceasefire demands in the UN. No, the suggested replacement written by the US is not an excuse.

Not directly related to Gaza: It looks like they’re gearing up for another push at KOSA. The canned email responses I’m getting are really proud of being in support of KOSA, which is… bad. It is also bad for people outside the US, including Palestine, apparently. VOTE NAY.

Not related to Gaza:

The US, France, and Canada are meddling in the Haitian government and pressing for "peace" under US terms. The international community cannot continue to seed problems in this country for their own purposes. Also, feel free to drop a note about how France and the US need to pay reparations for the double debt.

Domestic affairs: Press for a less harsh immigration policy than the one currently in Congress. Press for investigation into the Boeing whistle-blower death, and for stricter oversight and safety regulations on large corporations.

[thelaboratorysguilt]

Why I don’t want KOSA to become a act: A message to those who support it

I have a non-binary friend who likes women. I have a transgender friend. Their parents don’t know this. And they are not good. If they were found out, their lives would change for the worse.

They would possibly be sent to conversion therapy, be shunned, be abused, they would be hurt, they would be disowned, be forced to be someone they aren’t.

If you want safety for the people. Why do you want it to be your very own, sanitized world full of nuclear families who have unhappy parents because they have been forced into the american rules. Why do you want that kind of world where we watch football while people are dying. Why do you want silence, not freedom? I thought this country was a free country. This country is a horrible place, and I can’t with this. We’d lose friends we made online, we would lose them and we can’t get them back, we can’t do that. Because the government would have eyes and ears all over, the content we watch would be dictated. The media would have to be approved.

We live in a world that can’t listen. We live in a world that is soon to become a dystopia if we don’t act. We live in this horrible world.

Signed, a Aromantic asexual. Someone who may get exposed to the government if this bill gets passed by the law.

[hederskrans]

KOSA is back on the floor again, people!

on the fourth of september, senators will decide whether or not they want to ruin the internet. you will be able to help make sure they don't.

call your senators and make sure their phones are ringing off the hook. if you need a script, there's one on badinternetbills.com i think. tell them you hate kosa, you dont support any of the bills that are trying to mess with the internet, and frankly, you think it will hurt lgbt kids.

how do you make sure they listen? why, i'm glad you asked! put their election on the line. tell them you wont vote for them. tell them that the people you know in their state wont vote for them. make sure they know that they rely on voting to have this power, and if they get voted out, its over.

this bill (and other bills on badinternetbills.com) have the potential to decimate all fandom/internet culture on this site and many others.

it has the potential to decimate the lgbtq community in rural areas.

please, help make sure it doesnt pass this time. it was brought up twice in recent years, and both times, people raised hell. so do it again.

thank you.

EDIT!:

the date of september fourth is INCORRECT! i was given crap information. however, i cannot find the actual date. if anyone knows what it is, please reblog this, add it in comments, whatever. thank you!

[p0is0n-is-th3-cur3]

Getting personal here, but if kosa passes I will die. I will lose my friends, my found family, the people who saved my life on more occasions than they could ever imagine. If kosa passes I will lose my will to live, I will have nothing. My home life isn’t great, my mental health is the farthest from great. The internet is my solace and my escape, and if I lose that I don’t know what will happen to me. Other than I will die. Urge your senators to vote NO, call, text, email, sign pattitons. It’s a violation of free speech and sickening.