EFFector Volume 38, Issue 9

👎 California's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Social Media Ban

Welcome to an all-new EFFector, your regular digest on everything digital rights from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

In this issue: An attack on VPNs in Utah, a livestream on how to disenshittify the internet, and California's proposed social media ban that could set a dangerous new precedent for online censorship.

When you lose your rights online, you lose them in real life. Become an EFF member today!

Featured Story: California’s Paternalistic and Privacy-Destroying Social Media Ban

California lawmakers are fast-tracking A.B. 1709—a sweeping bill that would ban anyone under 16 from using social media and force every user, regardless of age, to verify their identity before accessing social platforms.

That means that under this bill, all Californians would be required to submit highly sensitive government-issued ID or biometric information to private companies simply to participate in the modern public square. In the name of “safety,” this bill would destroy online anonymity, expose sensitive personal data to breach and abuse, and replace parental decision-making with state-mandated censorship.

A.B. 1709 has already passed out of the Assembly Privacy and Judiciary Committees with nearly unanimous support. Its next stop is the Assembly Appropriations Committee, followed by a floor vote—likely within the next week.

By banning access to social media platforms for young people under 16, California is emulating Australia, where early results show exactly what EFF and other critics predicted: overblocking by platforms, leaving youth without support and even adults barred from access, major spikes in VPN use and other workarounds ranging from clever to desperate, and smaller platforms shutting down rather than attempting costly compliance with these sweeping bills.

California should not be racing to replicate those failures. After all, when California leads—especially on tech—other states follow. There is no reason for California to lead the nation into an unconstitutional social media ban that destroys privacy and harms youth.

Your representatives could vote on A.B. 1709 as soon as next week. If you’re a Californian, email your legislators now and tell them to vote NO on A.B. 1709.

READ MORE…

‌EFF Updates

🛡 UTAH VS. VPNS: This week, Utah became the first state in the nation to target the use of VPNs to avoid legally mandated age-verification gates. Attacks on VPNs are, at their core, attacks on the tools that enable digital privacy. Lawmakers who can’t distinguish between a security tool and a "loophole" are now writing the rules for one of the most complex infrastructures on Earth. And we can assure that the result won't be a safer internet, only an increasingly less private one.

💩 ENSHITTIFICATION LIVESTREAM: The internet didn’t get worse by accident; it’s been systematically molded into what we have today. Join our livestream on Thursday, May 14, to hear Wendy Liu live in conversation with Cory Doctorow about his latest book, Enshittification. Cory makes it clear: platforms are not as promised, Big Tech is profiting, and you should be frustrated. We're not just talking about what has happened, we're sending out a call to disenshittify the internet.

🔦 ALPR TRANSPARENCY: Reporters, community advocates, EFF, and others have used public records laws to reveal and counteract abuse, misuse, and fraudulent narratives around how law enforcement agencies across the country use and share data collected by automated license plate readers (ALPRs). EFF is alarmed by recent laws in several states that have blocked public access to data collected by ALPRs, including, in some cases, information derived from ALPR data. We do not support pending bills in Arizona and Connecticut that would block the public oversight capabilities that ALPR information offers.

👀 SPOTTING BORDER SURVEILLANCE: Hot off the press: a major update to our zine, "Surveillance Technology at the U.S.-Mexico Border." This is the first update since the second Trump administration began. To help people identify the machinery of homeland security, we've added more models of surveillance towers, newly deployed military tech, and a gallery of disguised trail cams and automated license plate readers. You can get this 40-page, full-color guide through EFF's Shop or download a Creative-Commons licensed version here.

End Mass Surveillance

Right now, U.S. Congress is on the edge of renewing the international mass spying program known as Section 702, affecting millions. EFF is rallying to cut through the politics and give ordinary people a chance to stop this oppressive surveillance.

It's only possible with help from supporters like you. Get this year’s new member t-shirt when you join EFF today.

Fresh EFF Gear Is Here

Show off your support for EFF with hot digital rights merch from our online store. Just in: emoji-inspired pins and stickers illustrating EFF activist Cory Doctorow’s concept of “enshittification.”

In addition to EFF shirts and hoodies, we have a wide variety of freedom-supporting swag in stock, including (extremely popular) liquid core gaming dice, HTTP playing cards, and a tactile Lady Justice braille sticker.

Administrivia

EFFector is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Editor: editor@eff.org

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Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. MiniLinks do not necessarily represent the views of EFF.

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About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. We promote digital innovation, defend free speech, fight illegal surveillance, and protect rights and freedoms for all as our use of technology grows. Find out more at https://www.eff.org/.

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