The introduction of the Parents Decide Act (H.R. 8250) is a deeply flawed bill, as it involves forced identity tracking of all users on every operating system. This legislation, which mandates operating system providers to verify the age of every user, has overstepped First Amendment liberties with its overly broad and vague stipulations. I question whether these regulations would demand that I verify my age before even opening my Samsung T9000, a smart home appliance that operates on Tizen OS, a Linux-based operating system. Why should something as simple as accessing a smart fridge come with such hurdles?

Unfortunately, the most damaging laws proposed as of late conceal themselves under the guise of protecting the kids. Truly protecting children on the internet involves meaningful education about the digital world, rather than imposing restriction and surveillance on all. It is important to allow children to reach an appropriate level of maturity to discern and navigate online interactions. Parents need to be the parents, not the federal government.

As established by the numerous data breaches of high profile companies such as Facebook/Meta, until digital infrastructure is robust enough to secure user data, mandating the mass collection of sensitive personal identifiers creates a gold mine for criminals. Whether that be the very same company that sells your data as they collect it, or the disgusting predators who lurk on the dark web, this law is the antithesis of protection. Would it not be lunacy to mandate that every financial institution must declare how much money is kept on-site at all times? Does it not impose a security risk to advertise a real-time payout to criminals? Then why is it that we don't treat the relative anonymity on the internet the same? The key difference here is the money in that bank is insured by the government, but the protection of your child is not. If anything, the target painted on the back of children is assured if this law comes to pass.

We must call attention to the flawed logic in this bill and lack of accountability in our government. This is not a left vs right battle of ideological values. When have you ever seen both parties unanimously agree on policy? When congress is known for it's lengthy and drawn out back-and-forth process, oddities like these lead to devastating consequences. No, this is the American people fighting for what's right. It's about mothers and fathers standing up for the innocent children of this world who cannot stand up for themselves. It's about the individual who makes their voice heard by those who wish to see it go silent. It's about doing SOMETHING at a time when doing nothing has never been easier.  If you truly care about the kids of this great nation, please sign this petition and speak out against other such deceptive legislation.

(The photo above depicts German officers demanding a man's identification papers during World War 2 in Poland, 1941. A bill like H.R. 8250 would set a precedent that instead of soldiers, now your phone asks for "Your papers, please.")

I dedicate this petition to the late Aaron Swartz, who fought til his dying breath to secure such freedoms we take for granted to this day. If each of us held just a small fraction of your dedication in our hearts, the world would be a much better place. May God rest your soul...