Congress is considering a whopping stack of bills they claim are meant to “keep kids safe online.” Naturally, these bills represent a massive risk to the privacy, security, and freedoms of internet users worldwide. This weekend we had the honor of sitting down with veteran tech journalist Taylor Lorenz to discuss more about the three bills we find most concerning: KOSA, the SCREEN Act, and the moves to repeal Section 230. Please check it out and share it with everyone you know! (And remember to share BadInternetBills.com, too!)
Excellent interview! Thank you for bringing on a journalist (SME) to cover something that’s easier to understand for folks who don’t usually understand legalese with the info we usually share here.
That looks like a really good interview. This is the first time that I have heard of Taylor Lorenz. I’ll have to read the actual bills to see what they are about and what they are trying to pass specifically, but from first impressions I find that both incredibly dystopian and depressing that Congress is even attempting this power grab in my own country of the US. I have no idea if these bills violate the US Constitution or not, but they ought to be if they are actually what people are saying.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit starstruck lol. But she was super great to work with. Very professional and really gives off a very upbeat vibe.
I’m actually glad she could make the time on short notice. Very gracious.
I also hope PG is beginning to establish more connections to get various other voices in other areas like legislation and others that relates to civil liberties, privacy, digital freedoms, etc.
Beautiful video! Thank you for tackling these issues head on. This really is the moment for everyone to take action.
If I expect to have less freedom in the future, I need to do what I can with the freedom I have today in order to stop that outcome. That thought is what has been animating me in 2025. It’s why we all have to act with urgency.
If you haven’t already, please do use the website to learn about what to call your reps about. Then take 5 minutes and call about one bill each day to express your opposition to it. The political pressure will add up. Let’s do it.
I’ll have to give it a listen a bit later for when I am at work. I am actually quite interested in learning and finding out what is going on. I am still taken aback that this set includes 19 bills in total, as that is quite a lot at once. In addition to listening to the interview, I will also read the bills themselves to see what they actually are and figure out where and which parts of each of them I personally agree and disagree with. I already skimmed through the SCREEN Act, and I sort of agree with the premise of it, but I find the methods proposed on it to have some issues such as introducing heightened risks of identity theft and fraud if it gets passed as it is. Thanks for the incredible work that you are doing to keep people concerned like me up to speed on what’s going on.
You (by which I mean, people in general) need to understand that whatever marketing your congressperson is doing about the “premise” of a bill has nothing to do with the actual premise of the bill. The only thing that matters in these bills is the letter of the law, the methods. Not the title of the bill, not their flowery explanation of why they wrote it, and not what their staffers will try to gaslight you about if you call them on the phone.
Censorship, fraud, and surveillance is the premise of these bills, full stop. All of the meaningless things they say will happen when we get those things is marketing fluff from media trained liars in the government
I also appreciate Taylor’s bluntness. “RIP Privacy Guides,” as in bye bye goes the forum if we see the repeal of Section 230. Really highlights how close this is getting and the paradigm shift it would be to the Internet.
Speaking of not being a good reporter, I can’t even tell what article of hers that guy was supposedly reporting on. Anyone have a link? Man, I hate Short videos
I don’t have much respect for her. I’m glad she’s fighting against these terrible bills, but I’m convinced she’s doing it only because the Republicans are pushing them. If Democrats were advocating for invasive privacy legislation, she would be the first to promote it, as she did during the COVID years. She herself doxxed conservative influencers and then cried on TV two weeks later when someone doxxed her.
It’s a political game for her. That said, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” So, even though she’s a terrible reporter who doesn’t respect privacy, we need support from everyone to stop these laws from being passed.
I am aware of this article, and I maintain that she is a great reporter.
I concur.
She didn’t dox anyone. Context matters. Identifying someone with a significant public influence who uses anonymity to mobilize online harassment campaigns constitutes legitimate journalism, not doxxing.
Be that as it may, you are entitled to your opinion. I think she is excellent at her job, and that her voice and reporting is appreciated across a variety of communities.
