Meta drops opposition to KOSA politico.com/live-updates/20… via @politico

Age verification started with porn and social media. Now, governments are passing laws requiring operating systems to collect your age before you can use your computer at all. pcmag.com/explainers/your-pc…

🔔ICYMI: A controversial deal in the U.S. could fundamentally rewrite internet freedom as we know it. The congressional deal would trade the deregulation of artificial intelligence for unprecedented federal censorship powers. A high-stakes compromise is quietly brewing in Washington as the White House negotiates with congressional leaders to fundamentally reshape the digital landscape. Under the proposed deal reported by Axios, the federal government would strip states of their authority to regulate artificial intelligence—effectively halting progressive state-level efforts to hold tech companies accountable and restrict energy-heavy AI data centers. In exchange, lawmakers would push through three major federal censorship bills: the Kids Online Safety Act, the NO FAKES Act, and a federal online age verification mandate. While framed as common-sense protections for minors, civil liberties advocates warn these measures represent an unprecedented expansion of federal control over online speech. The backlash to this legislative trade-off cuts across typical political lines. Even conservative-backed organizations like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) have issued stark warnings, declaring that the package would dismantle the internet as we know it by empowering the Federal Trade Commission to dictate acceptable online speech. Opponents argue that enforcing these rules would effectively eliminate online anonymity, while giving the administration an incredibly powerful tool to censor dissenting political views and control what users see on major platforms like Instagram. As the White House maneuvers to secure congressional backing, Americans are left facing a troubling dilemma: the long-sought-after regulation of big tech and AI may come at the direct cost of their fundamental constitutional rights to free expression. Source: Wilkins, J. (2026). Trump Moves to Deeply Censor the Entire Internet. Futurism.