Protecting Kids Shouldn't Mean Breaking the Tools That Keep Us Safe
a year ago
- #Encryption
- #Free Speech
- #Internet Security
- The STOP CSAM Act of 2025 (S. 1829) threatens internet security and free speech by undermining end-to-end encryption and forcing companies to remove lawful content.
- The bill expands current laws by criminalizing and allowing civil lawsuits against services for 'promoting' or 'facilitating' child exploitation, even if they unknowingly host CSAM due to encryption.
- Broad terms like 'promote' and 'facilitate' could penalize encrypted apps, even if they cannot access or verify user content.
- The bill's affirmative defense for encrypted services is insufficient, as providers must still face costly litigation to prove it's 'technologically impossible' to remove CSAM without breaking encryption.
- The bill creates a new exception to Section 230, exposing platforms to lawsuits over user content, which may lead to excessive censorship and harm free speech online.
- Encrypted services and startups may struggle to defend against lawsuits, favoring large corporations like Meta and Google.