Louisiana Judge Blocks Social Media Age Verification Law
A federal judge has blocked Louisiana's controversial social media age verification law just days before it was scheduled to be enforced. The law, known as the Secure Online Child Interaction and Age Limitation Act, was passed in 2023 and would have required major social media platforms including Meta, Reddit, Snap, YouTube, and Discord to implement age verification and parental control features. Judge John W. deGravelles ruled that the law's requirements were both over- and under-inclusive, and criticized its definition of social media platform as nebulous. The ruling represents a victory for NetChoice, a tech industry lobbying group that has challenged similar age verification laws worldwide. NetChoice had argued that the law was unconstitutional and posed significant privacy and security risks by requiring platforms to collect sensitive identification information. The group emphasized that such laws could create privacy vulnerabilities similar to those experienced in countries without First Amendment protections. Louisiana's Attorney General's office has not yet commented on the ruling, which maintains the current regulatory landscape for social media platforms operating in the state.
Category: Gadgets, Legal, Technology
What was the Louisiana social media age verification law designed to do?
When was Louisiana's social media age verification law scheduled to be enforced?
Who challenged the Louisiana social media age verification law in court?
How did the judge describe Louisiana's definition of social media platform in his ruling?
Where else have similar age verification laws for social media been challenged?
Location: Raipur - C.G.
Category: Gadgets
