NetChoice, CCIA Raise Concerns with S.D. Age-Verification Drafts

Tech industry groups urged South Dakota lawmakers to hit the brakes on a possible age-verification bill. The legislature’s Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Regulation of Internet Access is weighing proposals (one, two and three) requiring age verification of children when accessing apps from app stores. “If enacted, such proposals would almost assuredly violate South Dakotans’ First Amendment rights, weaken their privacy, and fail to keep kids safe online,” NetChoice wrote Wednesday. Industry is litigating age-verification measures in several other states. “Implementing such a measure in South Dakota would likely meet the same fight and lead to costly legal challenges without providing any real benefits to the state's residents,” NetChoice added. Requiring companies to verify ages and parental consent “raise[s] significant privacy concerns,” the Computer & Communications Industry Association wrote to the study committee earlier this week. “The proposed act suggests imposing a government-mandated requirement that conflicts with data minimization principles ingrained in standard federal and international privacy and data protection compliance practices,” said CCIA. The association added, “Age verification solely at the device operating system or application store level overlooks access to websites via desktop or other devices.”