 Welcome to Effector from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. This is the audio edition of EFF's email newsletter geared towards keeping you on the bleeding edge of your digital rights. This is Effector Volume 36, Issue 4, titled, No Cosa, No TikTok Ban. This issue was published in March 2024, and I'm your host, membership advocate Christian Romero. Let's start with our top feature. Thousands of young people told us why the Kids Online Safety Act will be harmful to minors. More than 5,000 young people answered our call to explain why the Kids Online Safety Act, also known as COSA, threatens their online freedom. These responses make clear that many, many young people also experience help, education, friendship, and a sense of belonging there, precisely because social media allows them to explore, something COSA is likely to hinder. These kids are deeply engaged in the world around them through these platforms, and are genuinely concerned that a law like COSA could take that away from them and other young people. Also, to ensure that everyone understands why EFF continues to oppose COSA, we broke down our interpretation of the bill in more detail and compared our view to the view of others, both advocates and critics. Next up, Congress should give up on unconstitutional TikTok bans. Help us convince your senator that instead of passing this overreaching and misguided bill that violates our First Amendment rights, Congress should prevent any company, regardless of where it's based, from collecting massive amounts of our detailed personal data and sharing it with data brokers, U.S. government agencies, and even foreign adversaries, China included. Also, read up on 5 questions to ask before backing the TikTok ban, why U.S. House members opposed the TikTok ban bill, and some Capitol Hill hypocrisy in, lawmakers banned TikTok to stop election misinformation, some lawmakers restrict how government addresses election misinformation. And now, we've got a few EFF updates. First up, how to fix the Internet Podcast, I-squared, governance with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. EFF's award-winning podcast continues. Senator Ron Wyden, a driving force for free speech online and against warrantless surveillance of Americans, joins EFF's Cindy Cohen and Jason Kelly to discuss a future in which the Internet is first and foremost about empowering people, not big corporations and government. Next up, victory. EFF helps resist unlawful warrant and gag order issued to independent news outlet. You'd think after San Francisco had to pay a $369,000 settlement in 2020 to a journalist whose home cops raided, the SFPD would have gotten a little more careful about throwing search warrants at journalists, but you'd be wrong. EFF recently provided pro bono assistance to help San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center, commonly known as Indie Bay, to fight off an unlawful SFPD search warrant and gag order. Next up, Congress must stop pushing bills that will benefit patent trolls. The U.S. Senate is considering two bills that would enrich patent trolls, patent system insiders and a few large companies that rely on flimsy patents at the expense of everyone else. One would bring back some of the worst software patents we've seen and even reintroduce types of patents on human genes that were banned years ago. Another, would shut out most of the public from even petitioning the government to reconsider wrongly granted patents. Please help us shut these bad bills down. Next up, four reasons to protect the Internet this International Women's Day. For International Women's Day on March 8, we reviewed why it's vital to keep up the fight for online rights, the ongoing battle for reproductive privacy and information access, governments keep cutting Internet access to quell political dissent, people need to know when they're being stalked through big tech, and LGBTQ plus rights remain under attack. And last up, the FOIALEES 2024. Welcome to the 10th annual FOIALEES, the quote on quote awards given by EFF and Muckrock and published in alt-weeklies across the nation for the most egregious violations of open records laws. From book bans to marijuana redactions to poop in mailboxes, the FOIALEES have it all. The very worst in government transparency. And now we've got one announcement, EFF's 8th annual Tech Trivia Night. Join us for EFF's 8th annual Tech Trivia Night, the ultimate technology quiz from 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 9 at Public Works. Explore the obscure monotony of digital security, online rights, and Internet culture while competing for the coveted first, second, and third place trophies, and EFF's swag. It's a great opportunity to connect with peers in the tech community and to celebrate the movement for civil liberties and human rights online. And now let's go through some mini-links. Next up from PBS NewsHour, how a TikTok ban in the U.S. could violate First Amendment rights. As we await Senate action on the bill, EFF's David Green explains why it's unconstitutional. Next up from All Africa, Rihanna, FIFA, Guinness, Marvel, Nike, all could be banned in Ghana. The Ghananian parliament has passed the so-called Family Values Bill, an ill-informed and malicious bill which criminalizes LGBTQ-plus identity, allyship, and discussion of almost any kind, meaning it will ban an amazing array of online speech, art, and even sport. EFF's Daily Barnet, Page Callings, and Dave Moss explain why certain brands and celebrities might become Personne, Nongrate, and Ghana under this bigoted bill. Next up from The Austin Chronicle, South by Southwest sent a cease and desist letter to organization leading army sponsorship and protest. The South by Southwest conference and festival says it champions creativity, but when Austin for Palestine Coalition parodied its marketing materials for political protest, South by Southwest was quick to threaten the group with trademark and copyright claims. EFF's Cara Gagliano came to the rescue. And last up from CNN, searches for VPN Spike in Texas after Pornhub pulls out of the state. They've been saying for a long time that age verification laws violate people's rights and have unintended consequences. EFF's Hudson-Hongo confirms that Texans are the first ones to flock to VPNs to get around such laws. And that's it. Thanks for listening. If you like what you're hearing, be sure to sign up for the email version of Effector, which includes links to in-depth coverage of these stories and more. See past issues and subscribe at EFF.org slash Effector. Before we end this issue of the newsletter, I want to let you know that EFF is a member-supported nonprofit organization and you can help us protect digital privacy, security, and free expression for everyone. Donate to EFF today and even grab a bit of gear by heading over to EFF.org slash Effect. Thanks for your support and I hope you'll join us for the next issue of Effector.