The ACLU of Indiana testified today in front of the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to SB 17, a bill requiring age verification for people to access websites with content deemed "material harmful to minors.”
The ACLU of Indiana Executive Director, Chris Daley, issued this statement:
“While intended to protect minors online, SB 17 exposes adult Hoosiers to harmful surveillance and violates the First Amendment, by requiring Internet users to provide personal information to companies or applications that purport to be able to verify their ages.
“In the history of the Internet, we’ve never been required to present an official ID to merely visit a website. This may block some people—for example, those who lack government identification or whose age is mis-identified by the relevant technology—from accessing the sites altogether.
“We can, and should, make the Internet safer for minors. But we can do this without sacrificing our privacy and Constitutional rights.”
