JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit will hear arguments in two of NetChoice’s cases to halt Digital I.D. mandates in our Florida and Georgia lawsuits, CCIA & NetChoice v. Uthmeier and NetChoice v. Carr, respectively.
“The government cannot set the rules of the road when it comes to accessing protected speech. That is a job best left to parents who can make individualized decisions to suit the needs of their family. But Florida and Georgia would seize that authority for themselves to run roughshod over their citizens First Amendment rights by creating a one-size-fits-none regime to block access to valuable, constitutionally protected speech,” said Paul Taske, Co-Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center.
“If allowed to stand, these laws will have predictable effects. As we have seen from other states-–and from countries around the world—digital ID requirements do two things. First, they prevent people from engaging in speech by mandating the surrender of sensitive information to access it. Second, for those willing to surrender their sensitive information, they create massive security risks that eventually lead to data breaches, making everyone less safe. Age-verification laws undermine the safety and security of everyone, including the very minors government officials want to protect.”
These laws unconstitutionally block access to protected online speech and force Georgians and Floridians to surrender their private information just to use everyday digital services. They additionally increase online safety risks to children and undermine parents’ authority.
We must not import online censorship laws like Florida and Georgia’s digital ID mandates to America. Rules like this don’t turn out well for free speech and data security online in Europe and the UK, and that won’t fly under the U.S. Constitution.
HOW WE GOT HERE: Florida and Georgia both passed Digital I.D. mandates to access protected speech on online services, and NetChoice sued to stop them. The Court today will consider reinstating our preliminary injunction of Florida’s law and upholding our preliminary injunction of Georgia’s.
Instead of imposing invasive measures that undermine free speech, parents and privacy online, Florida and Georgia should empower families with education, safety tools, and stronger law enforcement to protect children by arresting predators and cybercriminals, as NetChoice advocates for in our Digital Safety Shield for America.
Find case resources for CCIA & NetChoice v. Uthmeier (Florida) here.
Find case resources for NetChoice v. Carr (Georgia) here.
Please contact press@netchoice.org with inquiries.
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