U.S. Senate Passes Kids Online Safety Act

The U.S. Senate has passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) with overwhelming support, marking a significant step toward protecting minors online for the first time in 25 years. KOSA aims to establish a 'duty of care' for tech companies to prevent harm to users under 17, addressing issues like online bullying and sexual exploitation. In California, lawmakers are advancing privacy and AI legislation, including a bill that prohibits using personal data to train AI without consumer consent. Meanwhile, the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF) has been clarified by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), detailing constraints on data transfers from the EU to U.S. companies. The DPF allows U.S. firms to self-certify compliance with data protection obligations, although some sectors remain excluded. Overall, these legislative efforts reflect a growing focus on online privacy and the protection of personal data.