Woodhull Joins Brief Opposing Social Media Age Verification And Content Moderation In Legal Challenge
The Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act case centers on a 2024 law requiring social media platforms to implement age verification systems, restrict features for minors, and apply default privacy settings.
The constitutionality of the law will be considered in a case filed by NetChoice and currently pending in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Woodhull Freedom Foundation joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, Freedom to Read Foundation, LGBT Technology Institute, and Techfreedom in filing an amicus brief in support of NetChoice because:
- Sexual freedom is a fundamental human right, and we recognize that broad censorship mandates disproportionately harm LGBTQ+ communities, sexual health educators, and others discussing stigmatized topics. Utah’s law could suppress discussions about gender identity, reproductive rights, and relationships.
- We have consistently opposed laws that allow governments to dictate online content standards, arguing that they enable viewpoint discrimination. By forcing platforms to remove legal content or implement surveillance systems, Utah’s law chills protected speech.
- Age verification mandates jeopardize privacy, particularly for vulnerable groups like LGBTQ+ youth, by creating centralized databases of sensitive information vulnerable to data breaches. Digital privacy protections, bodily autonomy, and sexual freedom are interconnected in our increasingly virtual world.
We are committed to combating laws that use “online safety” justifications to erode constitutional and human rights. Preserving human rights requires both freedom of expression and protection from excessive surveillance.