So, bad news, the bill package containing KOSA, the act that would basically mandate invasive age verification across the internet, is gearing up to be discussed on December 1st 2025, giving all indications of trying to shove it out while everyone's distracted by the holidays.
Not only is KOSA in it, albeit maybe watered down, but it's packaged with a bunch of other censorship bills including the arguably even more dangerous App Store Accountability Act.
Now, I've talked about this before, so I'll be brief, but long story short the bill is so badly written that it basically requires age verification for any website where you can download a program.
This would fuck over everything from Github to The Internet Archive to Mario Fangames Galaxy, to even any site that lets users submit stuff for upload, it is an existential threat to the open internet, I cannot emphasize that enough.
Now is the time to find your House member and call them ASAP to kill this bill, especially if they're on the Energy and Commerce Committee that will be debating this, ideally right before the Thanksgiving holidays and right after, so they know you're paying attention.
If they're Dems tell them it'll be used to censor queer kids, if they're Repubs tell them it'll be used to censor small businesses and innovation, either way tell them about how age verification has been a disaster in Britain and has already lead to major leaks of information where it's been implemented, and especially how KOSA and the ASAA would harm your favorite sites, to give it that personal touch.
We've beat this shit before, and we can beat it again, we just gotta get at it!
Also, the poster above is available under a CC-By 4.0 License as long as I, Thomas F. Johnson, am credited as the creator.
The character, by the by, is an existing one called Sister Marian, and if you want to read where she comes from...
