The following statement from the Software & Information Industry Association can be attributed to Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy and Sara Kloek, Vice President, Education and Children’s Policy.

We are disappointed that the Senate voted today to end debate on a legislation package that includes the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0).  In its current form, rather than keep kids and teens safe online, we fear the legislation will prevent kids and teens from accessing important educational and even lifesaving content, increase exposure of Americans’ personal data and expose Americans to new cybersecurity risks. The legislation also raises concerns about consistent enforcement of content-based laws.

We have raised these serious concerns with Senators and, while we appreciate the efforts made to address some issues, we will continue to urge Senators to vote against this legislative package when it comes up for a vote next week.