TALLAHASSEE—Today, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated he will sign HB 3 into law during a press conference. While Florida lawmakers have good intentions in wanting to protect kids online, HB 3 will make the problem worse by in effect requiring I.D. for the Internet, making businesses collect more — not less — of all Floridians’ sensitive, personal data.
It’s particularly disappointing to see Gov. DeSantis agree to this I.D. for the Internet after his staunch opposition to this idea both on the campaign trail and with his HB 1 veto.
As NetChoice explained in our testimony, public statements and veto letter to Gov. DeSantis, HB 3 in effect will impose an “I.D. for the Internet” on any Floridian who wants to use an online service—no matter their age. To be able to determine (1) whether a user in Florida is under the age of 14 and (2) whether the adult doing the verifying a minor over the age of 14 is truly that child’s parent or guardian, online services will need to conduct identity verification.
This level of data collection will put Floridians’ privacy and security at risk, and it violates their constitutional rights, which NetChoice has seen from court rulings in Arkansas, California and Ohio, where each of the judges noted the similar laws’ constitutional and privacy problems.
“An unconstitutional law will protect exactly zero Floridians. HB 3 is also bad policy because of the data collection on Floridians by online services it will in effect require. This will put their private data at risk of breach,” said Carl Szabo, NetChoice Vice President & General Counsel. “HB 3 forces Floridians to hand over sensitive personal information to websites or lose their access to critical information channels. This infringes on Floridians’ First Amendment rights to share and access speech online.”
Szabo continued: “We’re disappointed to see Gov. DeSantis sign onto this route. There are better ways to keep Floridians, their families and their data safe and secure online without violating their freedoms.”
Read NetChoice’s veto letter to Gov. DeSantis here.
Please contact Krista Chavez at press@netchoice.org with inquiries.