Advocates fight opposition to California bill holding social media liable for child sex content
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ADVOCACY GROUP ACCUSES TECH INDUSTRY LOBBYING GROUP OF ABETTING ONLINE CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
Fresh off of a Wall Street Journal investigation that found that Meta-owned Instagram is a haven for pedophiles and child sex traffickers, the group Common Sense Media is calling on the tech industry to drop its opposition to Assembly Bill 1394.
The bill, which cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee Friday and moved to the Senate floor, would hold social media companies liable for the commercial sexual exploitation of children on their platforms.
Common Sense Media founder Jim Steyer wrote to the non-Meta members of the industry lobbying arm known as TechNet — including Airbnb, Apple, GM, Google, HP, Uber, Salesforce and Zoom — asserting that TechNet is opposing on their behalf a bill that would crack down on online child sexual exploitation.
“This is being done in your companies’ names,” the letter reads in part.
The letter asks the CEOs of these corporations why they want to associate their brand and reputation with Meta and TechNet.
“We are calling on you to either leave TechNet or publicly denounce TechNet’s duplicitous behavior and partnership with Meta,” the letter goes on to say.
TechNet President Linda Moore responded to Steyer’s letter, saying that it was “entirely false, defamatory, and completely ignores our member companies’ long history as active participants in the fight against commercial sexual exploitation and child pornography.“
BERA WANTS ANSWERS ON MAILBOX THEFTS
Via David Lightman...
Vandalism and theft of cluster mailboxes has surged this year in the Sacramento region and nationwide, and Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, wants Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to act.
He asked in a letter that “consideration be made to replace existing and at-risk USPS (cluster mailboxes) in Sacramento County, giving them a more secure design to discourage future vandalism.”
Stolen items include passports, checks, and essential medication. In the past, the Postal Service has maintained, repaired and replaced the cluster boxes when necessary.
“However, recent correspondence shared with my office by residents of some neighborhoods, such as Natomas Park, shows that this responsibility is being disputed and has been shifted to the neighborhoods’ homeowners associations,” Bera said.
He wants a briefing on a long term solution the week of October 23, and answers to other questions by Sept. 22.
Among them:
- What is the protocol followed by USPS when CBU keys are stolen?
- What type of keys are issued for CBUs?
- What steps are taken to replace locks and keys?
- Is there a written agreement between the Natomas Park Master Association and USPS on who is responsible for maintaining, repairing, and replacing CBUs?
- What is required to turn a retail post office into a full-service post office?
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Appropriations committee just silently killed my bill to require schools to carry Narcan for #fentanyl overdoses! The *bipartisan* bill is completely funded already and would save lives from one of the most pressing issues facing our state.”
- Assemblyman Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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