Florida's HB 1, which passed with bipartisan support, sets forth regulations that pose a considerable challenge for our operations: it prohibits social media accounts for users under age 16, offering no exceptions even with parental consent.
Mastodon is built without mechanisms to verify users' ages, which directly conflicts with the stipulations of this new law, introducing significant compliance hurdles for us.
And while it's not law, and there are some constitutional challenges yet to be addressed
But Mastodon's strict privacy and decentralization ethos starkly contrasts with the practical need for legal compliance for even minimal age self-verification, illustrating a critical oversight in its philosophy when facing regulatory demands like Florida HB 1.
given @Gargron 's EU focus I have doubts that addressing will be a priority.
@jeff does having a simple "date of birth" input actually satisfy the law for this though? That would be absolutely pointless because most sites have this. Input January 1st, 2006 and you're in.😬
@jeff@Gargron
Prioritizing privacy and decentralization isn't an oversight, it's an affirmation of the values of freedom and human dignity. The fediverse wasn't designed for use in a totalitarian society. Allowing the extremists who have seized control of your state to degrade that affirmation would mean surrendering to fascism
@jeff Ohio past one into law but recently a Federal Judge granted a motion to block Ohio social media parental consent law. AG still taking reports, though, in case lifted
#Ohio's Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act, would require #SocialMedia platforms that allow minors to have profiles and interact with others, follow or be followed, etc, to get verifiable consent from parents for kids under 16 to use their apps and websites.
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