If one chooses to measure this year’s bad internet bills based purely on their head-scratching absurdity, Wisconsin’s newly proposed Senate Bill 385 might just take the cake. Like others on this list, the Wisconsin bill would require social media companies to put in place stricter restrictions for accounts belonging to minors, but there’s a catch. In this case, Wisconsin will assume all accounts are child accounts by default unless account holders prove otherwise. As Mike Masnick of TechDirt notes, the bill would basically force the internet in Wisconsin to become Disney Land.
Adult internet users in Wisconsin with accounts created after January 1, 2019 would only be able to have the youth account designation removed if companies deploy an age verification system that can estimate their accuracy with at least a 95% accuracy with a result within 24 months of the user’s actual age. It can also be removed if a child’s parent or guardian requests to remove their child’s youth designation. Youth accounts, in this context, cannot be shown target advertising and cannot communicate with accounts belonging to other users they aren’t connected with. They also must adhere to a 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew. So, if the bill passes, adult internet users could have their own social media bedtimes.
Update, 08/14/23: Added slide on Wisconsin Senate Bill 385.
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