Bill Overview
Title: EARN IT Act of 2022
Description: This bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children. The bill establishes the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. The commission must develop best practices for interactive computer services providers (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to prevent, reduce, and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, the bill limits the liability protections of interactive computer service providers with respect to claims alleging violations of child sexual exploitation laws. The bill replaces various statutory references to child pornography and material that contains child pornography with child sexual abuse material . Finally, the bill makes changes to the reporting requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers) who report apparent instances of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Among the changes, the bill requires providers to report facts and circumstances sufficient to identify and locate each minor and each involved individual. The bill also increases the amount of time that providers must preserve the contents of a report.
Sponsors: Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29]
Target Audience
Population: Children using the internet
Estimated Size: 60000000
- The bill affects interactive computer service providers (such as Facebook and Twitter) by establishing requirements that influence how they handle instances of child sexual exploitation.
- The bill aims to protect children across the globe by enforcing stricter online protections against sexual exploitation.
- Service providers like electronic communication services and remote computing services will be compelled to follow new reporting guidelines for any instances of online child sexual abuse.
- Globally, the number of internet users is over 5 billion as of 2023. This provides a broad indication of the indirect reach of the bill.
- Given the universal nature of internet usage, children globally stand to benefit directly from improved online safety measures.
Reasoning
- The EARN IT Act predominantly targets tech companies and service providers by altering liability and reporting requirements. This means individuals in IT management roles, like chief technology officers or compliance officers at these companies, will see the most direct impact on workload and legal responsibilities.
- Costs associated with compliance could impact smaller tech firms more heavily. Large companies might already have similar measures in place due to their resources and existing policies around child safety and reporting.
- There is an indirect impact on the general population of internet users, primarily for those who have children. Parents may see an improvement in their peace of mind regarding online safety, which may positively impact wellbeing to some degree, though not dramatically.
- Some members of the public may oppose the EARN IT Act due to privacy concerns, fearing it could lead to increased surveillance or misuse of private data.
- Given the policy aims to make the internet safer for children, families, educators, and child welfare advocates will likely see a positive impact, but this change will be gradual and not immediate, given the complexity of enforcing and complying with new regulations.
- The policy budget constraints mean that resources for monitoring and enforcement must be efficiently allocated, affecting the scale and speed at which full implementation is achieved.
Simulated Interviews
Compliance Officer at a Tech Company (California, USA)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy increases our workload significantly as we need to ensure all content meets the new standards.
- It's a positive step for child protection online, but I'm concerned about how we'll balance privacy with these requirements.
- We're preparing to hire more staff to manage the reporting and compliance tasks.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Software Engineer (New York, USA)
Age: 30 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I understand the intent of the EARN IT Act, but I'm worried about it leading to censorship or overreach.
- It might drive up costs for small companies trying to align with new requirements.
- We will likely have to re-evaluate our encryption procedures to prevent misuse.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Elementary School Teacher (Texas, USA)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- As a teacher and a parent, I'm hopeful this will offer a safer environment for children online.
- I plan to educate students and parents on what these new safety measures mean.
- I hope this policy will deter dangerous online behavior.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Privacy Advocate (Florida, USA)
Age: 55 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm deeply concerned about how this policy could impact user privacy and lead to increased surveillance.
- While child protection is crucial, we must ensure this doesn't pave the way for misuse of surveillance tools.
- Greater transparency in how data is handled is needed to build public trust.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 3 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 3 | 4 |
Student (Illinois, USA)
Age: 25 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy could drive innovation in how we approach user safety versus privacy.
- It's a learning opportunity for new technologies that could break new ground in securing online spaces.
- It could also mean more demand for specialists in cybersecurity and law.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Child Psychologist (Ohio, USA)
Age: 60 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm encouraged by steps to ensure a safer digital world for children.
- This policy could lead to better resources and support systems.
- I hope to see improvements in mental health statistics as a result.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Law Enforcement Officer (Washington, USA)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The EARN IT Act provides better frameworks for us to track down criminals.
- However, we must do this without infringing on privacy rights.
- I anticipate more collaboration with tech companies to align our efforts.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Social Worker (Colorado, USA)
Age: 34 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy is a positive step towards protecting vulnerable populations.
- Educational programs about the policy will be essential for full community awareness.
- It might help reduce cases I encounter involving online exploitation.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Chief Technology Officer (Virginia, USA)
Age: 47 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- EARN IT Act aligns with some of our existing protocols but will require additional resources.
- We need to focus on preventing misuse of policy for undue censorship.
- Ensuring robust security systems while complying will be a balancing act.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Journalist (Georgia, USA)
Age: 40 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's crucial to ensure this policy correctly balances child safety with privacy.
- Increased transparency will be necessary to gain public trust.
- There are concerns about potential for overreach or unintended consequences.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $50000000 (Low: $40000000, High: $60000000)
Year 2: $50000000 (Low: $40000000, High: $60000000)
Year 3: $50000000 (Low: $40000000, High: $60000000)
Year 5: $50000000 (Low: $40000000, High: $60000000)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- Significant compliance and oversight costs are likely for interactive computer service providers.
- Protecting children from online exploitation has high social value, although difficult to quantify in monetary terms.
- Potential legal implications due to altered liability protections could lead to increased litigation risks for tech companies.
- International implications due to the global nature of the internet, requiring cooperation with global internet platforms.