Privacy

The Supreme Court upheld Texas’s online age checks, opening the door to fragmented state laws. Congress should create a single national “child flag” system to protect kids and simplify compliance.

China’s new “minor mode” gives parents customizable tools to manage children’s online activity—offering a rare, less-restrictive model within China’s otherwise authoritarian digital policy that the U.S. can draw from while maintaining democratic values.

A reasonable compromise on federal data privacy should protect and promote innovation by minimizing compliance costs and restrictions on data use, as well as address concrete privacy harms, improve transparency requirements, and strengthen oversight and enforcement.

Congress should craft federal privacy legislation that protects consumers without undermining the responsible use of data that drives innovation, supports small businesses, and fuels economic growth. A balanced approach—emphasizing clear rules, transparency, and compliance over punitive enforcement—will safeguard privacy while preserving data’s value to society.

Ash Johnson speaks about children's online safety at an event hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Academy.

There is still time to adjust the COPPA Rule to better protect children and empower parents without imposing unnecessary burdens on businesses and users.

To strengthen U.S. cybersecurity leadership and effectively counter cyber threats, the administration should enhance interagency coordination with a central cybercrime database, collaborate with the private sector to address cybersecurity gaps in critical infrastructure, standardize data breach reporting, and build international coalitions for global cyber norms.

Senators reintroduced the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), which has many flaws, namely that it complicates compliance for platforms that already disallow children below age 13 and limits users’ ability to fully customize their online experience.

By streamlining compliance costs, clarifying definitions, and easing the extraterritorial scope of the legislation, the Cyberspace Administration of China can foster a more business-friendly environment while still ensuring data security for personal information.

Banning Americans from accessing a social media application that millions use every day is unprecedented in our country. If the such a ban goes into effect, it will cause a far-reaching disruption in Americans’ ability to engage with the content and audiences of their choice online.