Senate Pushes For Social Media Accountability With 'Kids Online Safety Act' Amid AI Deepfake Concerns

By Thea Felicity

Mar 04, 2024 08:50 AM EST

(Photo : Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 13: House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Will Hurd (D-TX) listens to testimony from experts on the subject of 'deepfakes,' digitally manipulated video and still images, during a hearing in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill June 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. Artificial intelligence-generated videos of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg have brought the issue of manipulation into sharp focus and leaves lawmakers with questions about national security and mass communication.

The 'Kids Online Safety Act has gained attention and support within the Senate, particularly in light of growing concerns regarding the exploitation of minors through the use of AI-generated deepfake content.

According to NYPost, this legislative effort comes as a response to mounting public outrage over instances where online predators using AI to create and disseminate illicit imagery, including deepfake nudes, with victims such as Taylor Swift being targeted.

The Kids Online Safety Act

To make this happen, Senator Lindsey Graham suggests getting rid of Section 230, a law that currently protects social media platforms from being legally responsible for the content their users post.

With the removal of Section 30, legislators can push through with the KOSA bill.

The bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act bill seeks to establish a legal "duty of care" on tech platforms, mandating them to actively safeguard minors from various online threats, including harassment, bullying, anxiety, and sexual abuse.

Failure to comply with these regulations could result in enforcement actions by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). With a notable 62 senators, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, co-sponsoring the bill as of mid-February, KOSA is gaining widespread support within the Senate.

Social media platforms like X and Snap, along with Microsoft, are supporting the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), despite not being directly involved in social media or facing regulatory issues concerning artificial intelligence.

However-while the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) has gained considerable support, there are critics.

Digital rights advocacy groups like Fight For The Future raised concerns about its potential misuse and the surveillance of online activities, especially those involving minors.

In response to these concerns, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have introduced an updated version of KOSA. The updated version aims to address concerns by making the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the main enforcement body, easing worries about misuse and surveillance.

For now, the focus is to intensify the ongoing discussions regarding the reform of Section 230. Parents of victims highlighted the devastating impact of online abuse, including cases of "financial sextortion" schemes, which were left unchecked by social media companies. The next goal is to pass KOSA into law.

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