‘An Era Of Accountability For Big Tech’: Richard Blumenthal Touts Kids Online Safety Act

4 months ago

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) spoke in support of the Kids Online Safety Act.

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Transcript

00:00Well, first, my thanks to Leader Schumer, who kept his word.

00:09He promised a vote, and he gave us a vote, not just with words, but with his heart.

00:18And his passion has been inspiring.

00:21He has truly felt the pain of parents and advocates who worked through their grief to

00:32inspire and move the United States Senate.

00:36As much as I would like to claim that our eloquence and wit and insight were persuasive,

00:45it is in fact those parents and young people who came to Washington, cajoled, convinced,

00:56and ultimately prevailed here.

01:01Young people will take back control over their own lives.

01:04Parents will have tools to safeguard those young people.

01:08They will be able to disconnect from the addictive features and opt out of those black-box

01:16algorithms that drive at them relentlessly the eating disorders, bullying, fentanyl,

01:22sex exploitation, self-harm, and all too often, suicide and bullying.

01:31And so we are on the cusp of a new era.

01:37It is an era of accountability for big tech.

01:42First major significant legislation in almost three decades that provides for reforms, providing

01:50safeguards for people against the excesses and abuses of big tech.

01:56No longer will we rely on big tech when it says, trust us.

02:03They betrayed that trust.

02:05We can't count on them to do it.

02:07And my hope is that the House will recognize that there is an urgency here.

02:13There's a need that cries out for action right away because lives hang in the balance.

02:22And I believe that in these next four weeks, those parents and young people are going to

02:27be as effective with House members as they were with senators.

02:33And they will come back to Washington as kids go back to school with the pleas of those

02:42young people and parents ringing in their ears.

02:47I'm very hopeful that House leadership will move forward because it has expressed a strong

02:53interest and they know as well as we the urgency of this moment.

02:59So we have the opportunity with the momentum of today, a big bipartisan vote to move forward.

03:08I want to thank all of our staff, all of Senator Schumer's staff, and most important, the colleagues

03:17who helped us reach almost three quarters of the Senate now co-sponsors this bill.

03:23And most especially, Senator Blackburn, who has been a partner from the very start.

03:30We've held hearings, we've crafted, redrafted, revised this legislation to meet concerns

03:37that have been expressed.

03:39And she has been a steadfast and courageous partner in this effort.

03:45And thank her for all the hard work she's devoted to this cause.

03:51Thank you very much.

‘An Era Of Accountability For Big Tech’: Richard Blumenthal Touts Kids Online Safety Act

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