H.R. 8250, travels under the friendlier name of the Parents Decide Act, and it is among the most aggressive surveillance mandates ever proposed for American consumer technology.
The bill introduced by Representative Josh Gottheimer in the House would require Apple, Google, and every other operating system vendor to verify the age of anyone setting up a new device in the United States.
Section 2(a)(1), obligates providers to “Require any user of the operating system to provide the date of birth of the user” both to set up an account and to use the device at all. Adults included.
The First Amendment has historically protected the right to read, watch, and speak without first presenting identification. This bill erodes that principle at its foundation.
Protecting children does not require building any of this. The bill’s authors chose to build it anyway, and the choice tells you what the bill is actually for.
