CCIA Wants Gov. Abbott to Veto Texas Kids' Privacy Bill

A Texas children’s privacy bill might shutter some services for everyone under 18, if enacted, said the Computer & Communications Industry Association. In a Thursday letter, CCIA urged Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to veto HB-18, which the legislature passed over the weekend (see 2305300057). When the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) took effect, covering users under 13, “some businesses chose to shut down various services ... due to regulatory complexity -- it became easier to simply not serve this population,” wrote CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender: If the Texas bill becomes law, users “between 14 and 17 could face a similar fate as HB 18 would implement more complex vetting requirements tied to parental consent for users under 18.” Also, age verification requirements in HB-18 would require companies to collect more data about all users, said Boender: No “commercially reasonable” mechanism exists to check ages. Mandating content filters on devices “could invite significant consumer confusion for adults unaware that such filters aimed for children are set by default,” said the tech industry official, noting filters create "significant liability concerns due to the subjective nature of what may be considered" harmful or obscene. Businesses will have difficulty complying with the bill’s overly broad requirements, Boender added.