EARN IT Act Would Hinder American Online Speech and Privacy, says CTA

The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, regarding the EARN IT Act.  

“Child exploitation is a horrific crime. Although the EARN IT Act intends to stop this exploitation, this bill would instead stifle legal online speech and harm American competitiveness. 

“Rather than targeting the actual problem and giving prosecutors the resources to lock up offenders, the EARN IT Act would promote lawsuits against legitimate internet companies. By allowing states to create civil and criminal liability without specifying a knowledge standard, this bill would create a patchwork quilt of conflicting state laws. This bill would also make it more difficult for authorities to find bad actors online, as we have seen happen with SESTA. Child exploitation is a federal crime, and there is nothing in existing law or Section 230 that prevents the Department of Justice from bringing charges against abusers right now.   

“We appreciate the Senate Judiciary Committee’s interest in fighting child exploitation and believe the committee should pursue more effective measures. We stand ready to help Congress on narrowly targeted initiatives – laws that will not inadvertently make the problem worse while also harming lawful internet users.”