#screen act

[transformativeworks]

Hi OTW!! I see a lot of interaction between this organization and AO3. I was wondering if the SCREEN ACT that was recently reintroduced in the US government is going to affect the workings of these organizations. If so, what's the best way to combat it? Thank you :)

Hi anbeeo

The Organization for Transformative Works is the parent org of AO3 - AO3 is one of our Projects. So that is why there is so much interaction.

The SCREEN Act (the current iteration of which is S737) is not worded in such a way that it will affect the OTW directly, but our Legal folks have sent the following

Thanks for reaching out. We are following this proposal and are working with allies to oppose it. It would not apply to the AO3 as written, but it would be bad for the privacy and security of fans generally and we encourage our users and members who live in the US to express their opposition to their Senators. Fight For The Future has some good resources for people who want to know more about opposing ID check/age verification laws.

I hope this helps!

~ Mod Remi

[enemymine2000]

Time to do the thing, USAmericans: The bill claims to want to protect children from the dangers of the internet (pornography - but remember that's how the book bans started too, they will classify anything pornography that doesn't fit their narrow view of the world, like LGBTQIA+ or interracial content). But by doing so, it will force sites to implement surveillance tech. So imagine, down the line, AO3 with some kind of age verification and tracking system. Only if you're 18 or older you can enter the site or see certain contents. A tracking system records what you read, when you read it. Yeah, that pretty much would kill that site. Even true porn sites - don't you think, that some things are not a matter for the government to rule over? Shouldn't it remain in the purview of parents and guardians? To explain, to regulate, to educate? (But then the parents in the USA are kept so busy being worker bees for the ultra rich, how could they do that, when they barely have time to sleep? - Maybe everything is a class issue at the end of the day and your system needs an overhaul.) The bill even mentions that under Section 2 point 4, but in like a "the parents are not doing enough blocking"-way. So, yeah, do your thing with the calling and texting and mailing your reps and stuff. (And get yourself a VPN with servers outside of the 14 eyes countries, so they can't subpoena data.)

[ibelonginarkham]

This is your reminder that KOSA had a rebrand called the SCREEN Act, this would effect AO3 and destroy their archives.

Call and Email your reps and senators if you're able, we can't let them win now. Not after fighting so hard before.

[eros-heartache]

That acronym is egregious, Mike.

[godsmistake13]

kos(m)a update:

as of right now, the kosma act is currently uncertain, however there's the screen act, which is another version of kosma... which is another version of kosa.

you know what to do. call your senators, and representatives about this, and tell them to oppose these, as they'll be affected by this, too.

just know that even though they're in control, whether or not these go into practice, we're stronger than they'll ever be. don't give up, even when you feel like the world's ending. some might be lost, but the rest of us will fight in their names.

sorry for being a bit sappy, just wanted to bring a bit of positivity, pained, or not.

while you're here, if you want, feel free to join the following discords that involve internet censorship that i know of: the us internet censorship discord, and the chat control discord, which is the eu's version of internet censorship.

if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all, you can take breaks. until then, don't stop fighting. do not die.

current members:

sic discord: 1,732 members

pei discord: 237 members

other links, please look at them, and try to do something if you haven't already: https://www.tumblr.com/godsmistake13/777833431788879872/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-aocbskysocial

[maswartz]

Here we go again!

[thebadchoicemachine]

The top comment:

As of this moment this legislation is in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transport. I have taken the liberty of compiling a list of all the names and phone numbers of every Senator on that committee, and I've put the names of Senators up for re-election in 2026 in bold.

I will note that this is the third time this legislation has been introduced. In 2022 it ended up dying in Committee when introduced in the Senate and the same happened when it was introduced to the House of Representatives in 2023. Obviously we should all be concerned and take action, but don't go into full blown panic unless it exits committee. At that point I intend to have a list ready of all 100 Senators stating which ones are up for re-election and are considered at risk of losing seats.

Also my advice for calls:

- When talking with Republicans play up the fact that this would force Elon to implement age verification systems on X (yes do call it X during the call). Elon's been threatening to primary Republicans who stand in his way so there's fear of him. Also play up concerns about "Liberals" doxxing people or Chinese hackers.

- When talking with Democrats, play up the connections to Project 2025 and suggest voters will not be happy to see Democrats siding with it.

Republicans:

Ted Cruz, Texas (Chairman) - Phone: (202) 224-5922

John Thune, South Dakota - Phone: (202) 224-2321

Roger Wicker, Mississippi - Phone: (202) 224-6253

Deb Fischer, Nebraska - Phone: (202) 224-6551

Jerry Moran, Kansas - Phone: (202) 224-6521

Dan Sullivan, Alaska - Phone: (202) 224-3004

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee - Phone: (202) 224-3344

Todd Young, Indiana - Phone: (202) 224-5623

Ted Budd, North Carolina - (202) 224-3154

Eric Schmitt, Missouri - (202) 224-5721

John Curtis, Utah - Phone: (202) 224-5251

Bernie Moreno, Ohio - Phone: (202) 224-3353

Tim Sheehy, Montana - Phone: (202) 224-2644

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia - Phone: (202) 224-6472

Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming - Phone: (202) 224-3424

Democrats:

Maria Cantwell, Washington (Ranking Member) - Phone: (202) 224-3441

Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota - Phone: (202) 224-3244

Brian Schatz, Hawaii - Phone: (202) 224-3934

Ed Markey, Massachusetts - Phone: (202) 224-2742

Gary Peters, Michigan - Phone: (202) 224-6221

Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin - Phone: (202) 224-5653

Tammy Duckworth, Illinois - Phone: (202) 224-2854

Jacky Rosen, Nevada - Phone: (202) 224-6244

Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico - Phone: (202) 224-6621

John Hickenlooper, Colorado - Phone: (202) 224-5941

John Fetterman, Pennsylvania - Phone: (202) 224-4254

Andy Kim, New Jersey - Phone: (202) 224-4744

Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware - Phone: (202) 224-2441

••••

script courtesy of the comment section comment:

Here is a script I just wrote - feel free to use!

Hi, my name is [], and I am one of Senator []’s constituents. I live in [city, zip code - leave your full address if leaving a voicemail].

I am calling in regards to a bill that was recently introduced in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transport: the SCREEN act.

I am asking Senator [] to either take no action or vote against this bill because of its implications for freedom of speech. [insert one of the other concerns listed above]. Thank you for your time and for listening to my concerns.

[captainxtra]

The SCREEN ACT is another attempt to censor the internet and attack privacy as a whole.

This journal is a must read for those who care about the internet staying free and open to all!

[elhopper1sm]

I would reblog the post but unfortunately for us it opened in my browser and not the app and this phone is a piece of fucking dog shit! And I couldn't find the post from the original user when I went on their profile but this was important to share. So let's fucking go! SCREEN Act stop Internet Censorship! Fight this like you did for KOSA.

[b3kka]

They are trying to WHAT!? They can try taking my rights away, but my AO3?That's already crossing the line into DANGEROUS territory.

(for people who don't know, I'm talking about the SCREEN act. Where basically they'll ban anything that isn't 'child friendly' on the internet and in bookstores etc. I don't live in the USA, but AO3's servers ARE BASED in the USA so the law would affect AO3.)

[florathecoralien]

I heard Tumblr might get banned if a shitty thing called the SCREEN act gets passed, and it's apparently very likely to get passed :(

I guess now I should say my goodbyes then

[hibiscuslegacy]

I'm a Bit Confused

I need someone smarter than me to tell me if I read the SCREEN Act wrong 😭 I saw some people mentioning it could impact Ao3 but it seems like it's only going to apply to visual depictions (which differs from KOSA that would have applied to every online platform) of what it believes to be content "harmful to minors". I definitely agree that the bill can and will be used to target LGBTQ+ media, especially as "obscene" and "lacks value to minors" was used and I think it sets an alarming precedent that won't stop with this and it also has a section mandating a report outlining the effectiveness of the measures, which can open the door to the bill being revised and more things being covered. The Senator that reintroduced it (Mike Lee) also promoted Project 2025. The bill is sponsored by the National Decency Coalition, which is a right-wing Christian non-profit and they sponsored other age-verification bills, and by the creators of LA Wallet (a platform that allows people to carry a digital ID).

It also seems like movies/shows with characters that engage in "sexual contact" (defined as "the term “sexual contact” means the intentional touching, either directly or through the clothing, of the genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, or buttocks of any person with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, or arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person") would be impacted by this bill. So could streaming services like Netflix and Hulu require an ID to watch Supernatural or the Vampire Diaries (I don't watch a whole lot of TV and these were what came to mind 😭)?

The bill concerns me because I think it sets an alarming precedent and involves the FTC but the coverage I've been seeing so far has been focused on Ao3 and I wanna know if I'm just not well-versed in reading bills or if they're talking about future bills that could be passed or revisions that could be made to this bill once it goes to the floor or if it's to spread awareness? I think my main concern is that if people email their representatives and use non-visual media as an example when it 'seems' like it won't be impacted by the current bill, the concerns won't be taken seriously because it just signals they did not read the bill/didn't care enough to read it and won't be remembered come election time. If I'm wrong here, please correct me.

Here are links to what I read: SCREEN Act

18 US Code 2246 (cited a few times throughout the bill)

Sen. Lee One Pager

Sen. Lee's Support for Project 2025

If you have more sources, please share them.

Please don't take anything I say here as fact. I am genuinely asking if I interpreted this right because I am unfamiliar with reading bills and may lack the necessary context to understand how this bill will be applied. I'll also edit this post with the correct information and clearly label what I got wrong.

[draph91]

The Reddit Link has info about the screen act as well as numbers you can phone and a call script

I’m also including two Bluesky links that cover the bill as well

[roxfox5]

THERE'S ANOTHER FUCKING INTERNET CENSORSHIP BILL BEING INTRODUCED.

THERE'S PLENTY OF INFO OF THE 'SCREEN ACT' IN THE SCREEN ACT TAG. GO THERE, NOW, OR LOOK AT THE POSTS I'VE REBLOGGED. WE KNOCKED DOWN KOSA, WE CAN KNOCK DOWN THIS SON OF A BITCH TO.

[captainxtra]

KOSA is still a threat!

The link to said site in pic is right below:

Take your time to explain your concerns when contacting your representatives.

Update!

There’s another bad bill that’s been introduced!

The SCREEN ACT must be stopped!