America's States are Trying to Set Rules for the Internet

The internet has changed a lot since America Online's discordant tones marked the slow progress towards an even slower online connection. But federal and state legislators have struggled to keep up with policies to regulate it. California's new online-safety law for children, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2022, was supposed to correct for this. Child-safety advocates hoped it would be a major step towards regulating the internet. However, a federal judge has intervened, setting up a clash of values between child safety and free speech. After California's bill was signed, other states followed. Florida and Connecticut have drawn up similar bills. Other states are focused less on design and more on giving parents a say in what their children can do online. Utah's governor signed two laws in March that require children to have parental consent to access pornography and to have their personal information collected online. Virginia and Colorado have also passed laws that require companies to obtain parental consent before collecting data on children. The implications of this fundamental shift in the underlying philosophical framework regarding data privacy protection will be profound in the years and decades to come. The United States lacks a single, comprehensive federal law that regulates the collection and use of personal information. Instead, the government has approached privacy and security by regulating only certain sectors and types of sensitive information, creating overlapping and contradictory protections. The ongoing debate over the impact of single parenthood on children's well-being highlights the complex and often divisive nature of the issue in American politics. The actions, statements, opinions, and recommendations outlined below have led to the suggestion that Internet access itself is or should become a civil or perhaps a human right. Several countries have adopted laws requiring the state to work to ensure that Internet access is broadly available or preventing the state from unreasonably restricting an individual's access to information and the Internet. The United States is a federal republic whose people benefit from a vibrant political system, a strong rule-of-law tradition, robust freedoms of expression1234567.

Here are the key bullet points:

• California's new online-safety law for children, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2022, was supposed to be a major step towards regulating the internet. However, a federal judge has intervened, setting up a clash of values between child safety and free speech1.
• After California's bill was signed, other states followed. Florida and Connecticut have drawn up similar bills. Other states are focused less on design and more on giving parents a say in what their children can do online1.
• Utah's governor signed two laws in March that require children to have parental consent to access pornography and to have their personal information collected online. Virginia and Colorado have also passed laws that require companies to obtain parental consent before collecting data on children1.
• The United States lacks a single, comprehensive federal law that regulates the collection and use of personal information. Instead, the government has approached privacy and security by regulating only certain sectors and types of sensitive information, creating overlapping and contradictory protections14.
• The ongoing debate over the impact of single parenthood on children's well-being highlights the complex and often divisive nature of the issue in American politics1.
• Several countries have adopted laws requiring the state to work to ensure that Internet access is broadly available or preventing the state from unreasonably restricting an individual's access to information and the Internet6.
• The United States is a federal republic whose people benefit from a vibrant political system, a strong rule-of-law tradition, robust freedoms of expression7.

The efforts of American states to set rules for the internet highlight the challenges of regulating a rapidly evolving technology and the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to data privacy and security.