Florida's social media bill for minors asks these platforms to do the impossible
When it comes to legislation in America, you cannot tell a bill by its name. For example, when then-FCC Chair Ajit Pai got rid of Net Neutrality during President Donald Trump's first term, the bill that did the deed was confusingly titled "Restoring Internet Freedom Order." Getting rid of Net Neutrality actually gave Internet Service Providers (ISP) the ability to slow down or block access to websites or content that the ISP didn't like.
The legislation eventually ended the treatment of the internet as a utility except in certain states like California, Washington, and Oregon where local legislation has allowed the Internet to have net neutrality protections. Another misleading title is Florida’s SB 868/HB 743, with the title "Social Media Use By Minors." The goal of this bill is to end any privacy protections you might have on certain social media apps and websites.
The bill would force social media platforms that allow minors to open an account and post messages to give the parents of these minors access to read all messages posted by their children. It also would prevent minors from reading messages that are set to self-destruct or disappear. This seems to be a question of whether you trust your kids, how old they are, and their personalities.
But despite the name of the bill, the main reason why it was written has to do with something else entirely. The bill would force social media platforms to give law enforcement a method to "decrypt end-to-end encryption" when a subpoena is obtained. In other words, the "Social Media Use By Minors" bill is all about giving law enforcement back door access to these platforms.
If the bill passes, social media apps that allow minors to post messages might be forced to remove encryption as a feature which would remove some of the protection and privacy that a social media platform might afford its under-age users. You can read the bill by tapping on this link.
On April 1st, the bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a favorable vote (9 Yeas, 2 Nays). The bill heads to the Rules Committee where it is on the agenda for this Wednesday, April 16th.
As the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) points out, the bill asks for the impossible to take place since a back door cannot be created for law enforcement without leaving the door open for bad guys. It's no surprise that the EFF, a non-profit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world, sways that "Florida lawmakers must reject this bill."
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Things that are NOT allowed: