Formed by Amazon, Google, Meta, TikTok, Twitter and other technological giants, the NetChoice organization filed a lawsuit last Wednesday (14) in an attempt to veto a new online child safety law in the state of California, in the United States.

The California Age-appropriate Design Code Act, as the law that has become the target of big tech is called, seeks to make the internet safer for children and teens in the United States. The text requires platforms to have the most severe privacy settings enabled by default for users under 18.

Also according to the law, it is necessary that all services aimed at the public under the age of 18 are prepared to prevent users from being exposed to offenses, violence and exploitation, for example.

NetChoice claims that California’s new online safety rules, which are expected to take effect in July 2024, would harm underage users instead of protecting them🇧🇷 According to the association, lawmakers have not made clear the type of moderation required to meet the new standards of the US state.

By ignoring the First Amendment and forcing websites to track and store information about children and adults, California risks shutting down the internet and putting the digital safety of all Americans, and especially children, at risk.

NetChoice

The group of tech giants claims that “the state has the power to impose crushing financial penalties” if they fail to meet the California attorney general’s content moderation requirements.

Also according to NetChoice’s official statement, the laws would result in “overwhelming pressure to moderate content too much to avoid the law’s penalties for content that the state deems harmful.”

It adds that this over-moderation “will stifle important resources for vulnerable youth who depend on the internet for life-saving information.”

A spokesperson for the California attorney general’s office responded to the technology group’s allegations in an email to CNBC🇧🇷 According to the representative, the law “provides critical new protections regarding the collection and use of data” from users, in addition to “addressing actual and demonstrated harms associated with social media and other online services.”

Although this is a new lawsuit filed by big techs, it is not the first time that large companies in the field have come together to promote changes in the legislation of their countries. In 2021, Google joined Apple in a lobby aimed at resisting antitrust laws that pointed companies as a duopoly with their respective app stores.