{"id":2043934,"date":"2023-09-25T13:20:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T17:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aclu-calls-on-schumer-not-to-pass-bill-to-fight-online-child-exploitation-content\/"},"modified":"2023-09-25T13:24:05","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T17:24:05","slug":"aclu-calls-on-schumer-not-to-pass-bill-to-fight-online-child-exploitation-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aclu-calls-on-schumer-not-to-pass-bill-to-fight-online-child-exploitation-content\/","title":{"rendered":"ACLU urges Schumer to reject bill targeting online child exploitation content."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Faclu-calls-on-schumer-not-to-pass-bill-to-fight-online-child-exploitation-content%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2043934&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The ACLU Urges Senate Majority Leader Schumer to Reject Bill Restricting Child Sexual Assault Material<\/h2>\n<p>The American\u200c Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) \u200band a coalition of 60 other \u2062civil rights\u200c and industry\u200d groups have called on \u2064Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to reject a bill aimed at \u2064strengthening \u200drestrictions on\u2063 child\u200c sexual assault material (CSAM). The \u2064coalition argues that the \u200dlegislation, known \u2062as the STOP CSAM bill, violates the First Amendment and poses a threat to free \u200bexpression and privacy rights.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Protecting Kids Online or Infringing on Rights?<\/h3>\n<p>The STOP CSAM Act, according to Jenna Leventoff, a senior \u2063policy counsel at the ACLU, is \u200bnot an effective\u200b solution for safeguarding children online. Instead, it is seen as a disaster for \u2063the free expression and privacy of all internet users. The bill&#8217;s provisions, which pressure\u2063 Big Tech\u2062 companies\u2062 to crack down \u200bharder on CSAM, \u2062could inadvertently lead to the removal of more \u200dcontent and hinder access to information on topics such as abortion, \u2063LGBTQ+ issues, and sexual health.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The coalition, which includes technology and speech advocacy groups like\u200b the\u200d Center for Democracy\u2064 &#038; Technology,\u2063 the Electronic\u2063 Frontier Foundation, and the Free Speech \u2063Coalition, highlights the \u2062negative \u200cimpact the bill could have on reproductive\u200c health information and solutions. They argue \u2064that Big Tech platforms often\u2063 block online advertisements related to reproductive health, including websites providing information \u2062on abortion and transgender issues.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Unintended Consequences and Threats to\u2063 Privacy<\/h3>\n<p>If \u200bpassed,\u200b the STOP CSAM bill could have unintended consequences. \u2063The coalition \u200bwarns that it may\u2063 allow victims of child exploitation to \u2064file civil lawsuits against platforms, even if the platforms were unaware they were hosting such content. Additionally, the bill could affect\u200c encrypted communication, potentially making companies accountable for providing\u2064 access to \u2064privately encrypted messages. This could have implications for user privacy and even be used\u200c by law \u2063enforcement to identify\u2062 and prosecute women \u2062seeking abortions in states where it is illegal.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously\u200c voted to \u200bmove the STOP CSAM bill to the floor \u2062in May. However, it remains \u2064uncertain whether Schumer intends to\u200d bring the bill to\u2064 a vote in the \u2063near future.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How does the coalition argue that the STOP\u200c CSAM bill may violate the First Amendment and lead to overbroad censorship?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ses a threat to civil liberties. The ACLU and its\u200b partners urge Schumer to reconsider supporting this bill and to instead focus on alternative \u2062approaches to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-dod-elementary-teacher-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-sexually-abusing-children-as-young-as-6\/\" title=\"Ex-DOD teacher gets life for sexually abusing kids aged 6+.\">combatting child sexual exploitation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d STOP CSAM bill, formally known as the Strengthening Online Safety\u2064 and Fighting \u200cAgainst Criminal Exploitation Act\u200d of 2021, was introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and aims \u200dto\u2064 enhance the government&#8217;s ability to combat \u2064the distribution and\u200b production\u200b of CSAM.\u200c The bill proposes\u200b various measures, such as requiring technology companies to implement \u200bautomated tools to detect and report CSAM, as well as coordinating efforts \u2063between \u200claw enforcement agencies to investigate and\u200c prosecute offenders.<\/p>\n<p>While the goal\u2064 of protecting children and preventing child exploitation is\u2064 undoubtedly important and shared by all members of society, the ACLU\u2063 and its coalition partners\u200c argue that the STOP CSAM bill goes too far and threatens fundamental constitutional rights.<\/p>\n<p>The coalition&#8217;s\u200c primary concern revolves around the\u2062 bill&#8217;s potential violation of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. They argue that the bill&#8217;s \u200cprovisions, particularly those \u2064related to automated \u2062content scanning and reporting, could lead to overbroad censorship and\u200b threaten legitimate and protected forms of\u200d speech.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the coalition argues that the bill fails to \u200cadequately \u2062address the root causes of \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-judiciary-committee-holds-hearing-to-address-threats-of-child-abuse-sexual-exploitation\/\" title=\"House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation Threats.\">child sexual \u200cexploitation<\/a>. Rather than focusing solely on punitive measures, they propose a comprehensive approach \u2063that prioritizes \u200cprevention, education, and \u200bsupport\u2062 for survivors. This alternative approach would not compromise constitutional rights or \u200blead to unintended consequences, such as the suppression of important journalistic work or denied access to vital health\u2064 information.<\/p>\n<p>The ACLU \u2064and its\u200d partners are not advocating for the protection of CSAM or the abandonment of efforts to combat child exploitation. They acknowledge the need for action to\u200c prevent and address this\u2063 grave issue but emphasize the importance of finding a balanced approach that respects civil liberties and safeguards democratic principles.<\/p>\n<p>The coalition proposes several alternative strategies\u200c that Congress could\u2063 consider to\u2064 effectively address child exploitation. These \u200binclude \u2063increased funding for law enforcement agencies to\u2062 investigate and prosecute offenders, improved training and \u2064resources \u2064for frontline professionals who interact with at-risk children, \u200dand enhanced educational programs to teach children and parents about online safety and the risks associated\u2064 with CSAM.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, \u200cthe coalition emphasizes \u2062the importance of promoting \u2062mental health services and\u200d survivor support\u200b programs to ensure that\u200b those who have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aclu-calls-on-schumer-not-to-pass-bill-to-fight-online-child-exploitation-content\/\" title=\"ACLU urges Schumer to reject bill targeting online child exploitation content.\">experienced child sexual exploitation \u200dreceive<\/a> the necessary care and \u200cassistance.<\/p>\n<p>By urging Senator Schumer to reject the STOP CSAM bill, the ACLU \u2063and its coalition partners aim to spark a critical conversation \u2062about\u200d the balance between\u2062 protecting children and preserving civil liberties. They seek to ensure that any proposed legislation to combat\u200d child exploitation does not infringe upon constitutional rights and\u200b instead \u200bfocuses on comprehensive \u2063and effective strategies.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the ACLU and its coalition \u200dpartners strongly advocate for Senate Majority Leader Schumer \u2062to reject the STOP CSAM bill. They urge policymakers to consider alternative approaches that uphold constitutional\u2062 rights while still\u200b effectively combating \u2062child\u2062 sexual exploitation.\u2062 This issue requires careful and thoughtful consideration to ensure a balanced and just response that protects\u2064 both children \u2063and civil liberties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ACLU and 60 other groups urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to reject a bill that tightens restrictions on child sexual assault material, arguing it infringes upon the First Amendment. In a letter sent on Monday, they called on Schumer to reconsider passing the legislation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2043935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2043934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2043934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2043935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2043934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2043934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2043934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}