The STOP CSAM Act
Like many of the bills on the list, the STOP CSAM [Child Sexual Abuse Material] Act has noble intentions. It intends to strengthen existing legislation criminalizing the sharing or harmful sexual content of children which has seen an uptick in recent years. Opponents, however, like the EFF and Fight For the Future warn it’s a Trojan Horse intended to weaken end-to-end encryption.
Existing law already prohibits the distribution of CSAM material. This bill would go a step further and make it illegal for “interactive computer services” to knowingly host or store child pornography. Encryption advocates worry this overly broad expansion will make platforms liable to civil suits if users on their platform are found to have sent potential CSAM material to other users. That constant risk of debilitating litigation would make platforms less likely to support any encryption at all, which opponents say would make all internet users worse off and welcome government overreach.
