Recently, an open hearing was held, which was attended by the parents of young victims of online abuse.
The US Senate Justice Committee held a hearing on combating online harassment of children. The leaders of the largest IT companies were summoned for questioning by the senators: Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Evan Spiegel (Snap), Jason Citron (Discord), Linda Yaccarino (X) and Shaw Chu (TikTok).
Interestingly, for Spiegel, Citron, and Iaccarino, this was the first time they had attended a congressional hearing. Initially, all three refused to voluntarily appear on the summons. Only after the bailiffs were sent to Discord's office to collect Citron did he agree to give evidence.
The audience included many parents whose children had suffered from online abuse. They kept photos of their children. Senator Durbin, who chairs the committee, began the hearing by showing a heavy video featuring the victims and their loved ones.
In his speech, Durbin criticized IT companies for being negligent in protecting minors: "Discord was used to attract, kidnap and abuse children. Instagram* from Meta helped pedophiles communicate with each other. Disappearing Snapchat messages were used by criminals to extort money from young victims. TikTok for selecting targets and engaging them in illegal activities. And the prevalence of child pornography in X has increased as the company has reduced its security staff."
Many senators cited stories of families whose children had committed suicide because of online harassment. "Your hands are covered in blood, even if you didn't want it," Senator Lindsey Graham snapped at Zuckerberg. The audience supported him.
Despite the fact that so far none of the new laws have been adopted, an initiative to tighten regulation of the Internet space is gaining momentum in Congress. As the Tech Policy Press publication emphasizes , more than half a dozen bills have already been introduced that strengthen control over the safety of underage online users.
Among the mentioned initiatives is a draft law on introducing additional security measures and conducting independent audits of Internet platforms.
Another draft law under development provides for a complete ban on the collection and monetization of personal data of children without the explicit consent of their parents.
In addition, the Congress has amended existing laws that tighten responsibility for children's Internet exploitation.
So far, all of them have been blocked by lobbyists from the IT sector. However, some participants in the hearings expressed their willingness to compromise. So, Spiegel supported the law on child safety online, and Yaccarino-the STOP CSAM project. Zuckerberg proposed to assign responsibility to the manufacturers of gadgets, introducing age verification of users.
Zuckerberg himself has been the center of criticism for his numerous claims to Meta. He was asked to personally apologize to the parents of the victims. Zuckerberg told the audience:" I'm so sorry that your families had to go through this. We will make every effort to ensure that no one else gets hurt."
The US Senate Justice Committee held a hearing on combating online harassment of children. The leaders of the largest IT companies were summoned for questioning by the senators: Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Evan Spiegel (Snap), Jason Citron (Discord), Linda Yaccarino (X) and Shaw Chu (TikTok).
Interestingly, for Spiegel, Citron, and Iaccarino, this was the first time they had attended a congressional hearing. Initially, all three refused to voluntarily appear on the summons. Only after the bailiffs were sent to Discord's office to collect Citron did he agree to give evidence.
The audience included many parents whose children had suffered from online abuse. They kept photos of their children. Senator Durbin, who chairs the committee, began the hearing by showing a heavy video featuring the victims and their loved ones.
In his speech, Durbin criticized IT companies for being negligent in protecting minors: "Discord was used to attract, kidnap and abuse children. Instagram* from Meta helped pedophiles communicate with each other. Disappearing Snapchat messages were used by criminals to extort money from young victims. TikTok for selecting targets and engaging them in illegal activities. And the prevalence of child pornography in X has increased as the company has reduced its security staff."
Many senators cited stories of families whose children had committed suicide because of online harassment. "Your hands are covered in blood, even if you didn't want it," Senator Lindsey Graham snapped at Zuckerberg. The audience supported him.
Despite the fact that so far none of the new laws have been adopted, an initiative to tighten regulation of the Internet space is gaining momentum in Congress. As the Tech Policy Press publication emphasizes , more than half a dozen bills have already been introduced that strengthen control over the safety of underage online users.
Among the mentioned initiatives is a draft law on introducing additional security measures and conducting independent audits of Internet platforms.
Another draft law under development provides for a complete ban on the collection and monetization of personal data of children without the explicit consent of their parents.
In addition, the Congress has amended existing laws that tighten responsibility for children's Internet exploitation.
So far, all of them have been blocked by lobbyists from the IT sector. However, some participants in the hearings expressed their willingness to compromise. So, Spiegel supported the law on child safety online, and Yaccarino-the STOP CSAM project. Zuckerberg proposed to assign responsibility to the manufacturers of gadgets, introducing age verification of users.
Zuckerberg himself has been the center of criticism for his numerous claims to Meta. He was asked to personally apologize to the parents of the victims. Zuckerberg told the audience:" I'm so sorry that your families had to go through this. We will make every effort to ensure that no one else gets hurt."
