Since its integration into our digital world, social media has played a pivotal role in youth organizing and social mobilization. Yet, people’s access to these platforms is increasingly coming under threat from courts and legislatures under the guise of protecting young people online—presenting a significant hindrance to youth organizing.  

In a major recent example, Meta settled in a lawsuit with 52 states and territories regarding the use of Instagram and Facebook by young people. The settlement will require Meta, and pressure other non-Meta owned platforms like TikTok and YouTube, to embed age gating practices into every product while also requiring restrictions on the accounts of people under-18, such as a two-hour daily time limit and content restrictions.   

Youth Power on Social Media 

Young people have been using social media for political advocacy and community organizing for more than a decade. From organizing protests speaking out against police brutality, to organizing nationwide school walkouts demanding safety in schools from gun violence, and striking to demand lawmakers take action to protect the climate, social media has become an instrumental tool for youth to both speak out and connect with other young activists.  

Instagram has become especially useful for activism online by young people. The features on the app make it a helpful tool for being able to efficiently and quickly spread awareness, which is especially important when people need to share real-time information. For example, 17-year-old Darnella Frazier’s video on Facebook showed the world the murder of George Floyd. 

The impact of youth activism online is also evident on non-Meta owned platforms, with services like TikTok and YouTube being particularly prevalent spaces for young people to share their stories, build movements, and amplify collective engagement.

However, in a digital world operating under the settlement’s new guidelines, young people risk not being able to read crucial news due to the content being labeled as “age-inappropriate,” which has already happened for teenagers in Australia under its social media ban.  

A two-hour daily time limit and a block on Meta’s apps between midnight and 6am leaves little room for young activists to organize rapid response efforts. Being unable to see likes on a post will make it difficult to gauge the effectiveness of their campaigns.   

Add to this what we already know about Meta’s content policies which claim to “protect children” and keep sites “family-friendly” but instead label content like LGBTQ+ content as “adult” or “harmful,” youth will be left with no choice in what content they see once the ‘age-appropriate’ content filter is turned on by default. One recent report noted that Meta had hidden posts that reference LGBTQ+ hashtags like #lesbian, #bisexual, #gay, #trans, and #queer for users with the sensitive content filter on. This would specifically curtail the efforts of young activists doing work on comprehensive sex education.   

Global Trends 

Measures like this are being discussed across the globe, but not all courts have taken such a short-sighted approach. In August, the French Constitutional Council got a lot right in its decision to strike down the country’s legislation banning under-15s from social media for infringing free expression and communication for everyone online, not just young people.  

The French Court also called attention to its infringement on privacy as the legislation would have forced people of all ages to hand over government IDs, face scans, and other sensitive information to prove their age and access online content.  

Requiring this much data from users puts activists in danger of even more surveillance. Meta has already previously complied with demands from law enforcement to hand over the messages of users. The amount of personal information that will be logged and that could be demanded via a warrant from police to stifle or investigate activists’ actions or plans could cause a chilling effect, forcing advocates to pause or terminate their work.  

This is egregious because these systems misidentify or lock out people of color, people with disabilities, and trans or gender-nonconforming individuals whose IDs may not match their chosen name or align with what the system expects them to look like upon verification. And it’s often these communities that benefit from online organizing the most, especially for marginalized youth as social media can often be the only place to organize and build community. 

What Young People Deserve 

The settlement generates headlines, but it will not solve the core problem. Instead of tackling Meta’s surveillance capitalism business model that turns all online content into potential profit and centers lining the company’s pockets over protecting the speech and privacy of users, this settlement gives the tech giant an opportunity to carve out a new digital world that prioritizes its own needs, not those of young people.  

As we’ve been calling attention to in other contexts, this will force young people into digital isolation—curtailing vital access to news and resources for health and development. It also completely ignores the calls of youths themselves who favor digital literacy and education over surveillance and government control.   

Young people deserve a better internet than one regulated through panic. They deserve better than the government or Big Tech getting to decide how they use social media and what they can or cannot be exposed to or learn about. They deserve better than having their right to free expression minimized. This must not be lost in the pursuit of building a better and safer online ecosystem and environment.   

　日本ジャーナリスト会議（JCJ）が優れたジャーナリズム活動を顕彰するJCJ賞の本年度受賞作品が決定しました。1958年の創設から数えて第69回となる今年は、円安インフレによる物価高が暮らしを直撃し続ける中、政府は武器禁輸の全面解禁を決めるなど、平和国家としての基盤を揺るがしかねない政策を進めており、こうした動きへの国民的批判と社会的緊張が高まっています。このような情勢のもと、寄せられた報道・作品の中から、冤罪や戦争の影、行政の暴走、地域社会の構造的課題、人権侵害や憲法の根本..

クオリティソフト株式会社が提供するQNDには、複数の脆弱性が存在します。

XikeStor製Layer3スイッチは、認証なしにコンフィグレーションデータをダウンロード可能です。

複数のマイクロソフト製品には、脆弱性があります。マイクロソフトによると、今回修正された一部の脆弱性を悪用する攻撃を確認しているとのことです。この問題は、Microsoft Updateなどを用いて、更新プログラムを適用することで解決します。詳細は、開発者が提供する情報を参照してください。

米国CISAがCISA ICS Advisory / ICS Medical Advisoryを公表しました。

改憲について考えるオンライン学習会が、10月3日に開催される。9条に限らず、人権保障や「緊急事態条項」など、改憲を考えるうえで重要となる論点を取り上げる。（藤ヶ谷魁）

お年玉付郵便葉書等に関する法律施行令の一部を改正する政令案等に対する意見募集の結果

情報通信行政・郵政行政審議会　電気通信事業部会（第173回）

恩給給与規則及び国会議員互助年金法施行令を廃止する等の政令附則第二項の規定によりなおその効力を有するものとされた同令第一条の規定による廃止前の国会議員互助年金法施行令の一部を改正する政令（案）に関する意見募集の結果

恩給給与細則等の一部を改正する省令（案）に関する意見募集の結果

情報通信審議会　情報通信技術分科会　新世代モバイル通信システム委員会　上空利用検討作業班（第16回）

情報通信審議会　情報通信技術分科会　新世代モバイル通信システム委員会　ローカル5G検討作業班（第25回）

The federal government has inserted a provision into a funding deal with the state of California that would make the state abandon its gold standard net neutrality law, broadband affordability laws, and public safety protections. Doing so would be a huge step back for California, and would actually end up being more expensive for Californians in the long run. Tell the governor to reject this provision before accepting these funds from the federal government.

Take Action

Tell the Governor to Stand Up for Net Neutrality, Affordability, and Public Safety

On August 31, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced it would be awarding California $1.4 billion to expand broadband connectivity in the state. In that deal is a provision that says that California agrees to not enforce any law, order, or policy that imposes any sort of restriction on internet service providers (ISPs). These ISPs will get awarded the funding in order to connect Californians they have neglected for years. The ban on enforcing our laws would last 14 years. This is disastrous for a lot of reasons. 

First, California is one of the only states with a strong state net neutrality law. Recreating much of the FCC’s Open Internet Order, the law prevents ISPs from blocking, throttling, zero rating, and instituting paid prioritization on internet service. Put another way, the law ensures that users, not companies, decide how they can see on the internet. If California is not allowed to enforce our gold standard law, there will be little stopping ISPs from controlling how everyone experiences the internet. 

Second, California has a number of affordability protections that would also fall under this agreement. For example, when the state approved the merger of Verizon and Frontier earlier this year, it required the new merged company to offer a $20 internet plan to low-income Californians—saving Californians billions of dollars over the next decade. Just this year the California Public Utilities Commission found that the average cost of broadband across four major urban markets (San Mateo, Oakland, Los Angeles, and San Diego) was $51 per month. In 2023, Consumer Reports found that 84% of American consumers pay at least $50 per month, with many paying more. That $30 difference per month—which is likely to actually be more—makes all the difference for low-income Californians. It is how Californians will save billions from this merger requirement. In contrast, $1.4 billion in new connectivity and infrastructure doesn't matter if the most vulnerable Californians cannot afford it. Eviscerations of this and the net neutrality protections will, ultimately, cost Californians more than they will get. 

Third, this deal will impact public safety. The same California net neutrality law which protects consumers also ensures reliable service for first responders during emergencies by banning throttling. In 2018, Verizon throttled, or slowed down, the service of firefighters as they were battling what was, at the time, the largest wildfire in California history. In reaction, fire departments came out in support of what would become California’s net neutrality law. If California cannot enforce its net neutrality law it will leave its first responders in a weaker position as natural disasters only become more intense. 

Most people do not have a choice in ISP as it is. California’s net neutrality law is one of the few things protecting Californians from the whims of these monopolistic giants. Californians should not give up our few hard-won protections in return for a hand out to these behemoths. Tell Governor Newsom to reject this provision before he accepts these funds from the federal government. 

Take Action

Tell the Governor to Stand Up for Net Neutrality, Affordability, and Public Safety

「令和の米騒動」とはいったい何だったのか。一時期、市場からコメが消え、あっという間に値段が高騰した。右往往しているうちに一転コメ過剰がいわれだし、生産者は米価暴落の予感におびえなければならなくなった。そして政府の政策は、「大規模化と自動化・AI化・バイオテクノロジー化を進め、需要に合わせる生産政策は堅持しながら、米価は市場に任せる」というこれまでの基本方針をいっそいう強化する方向を打ち出した。あの”騒動”はこの先に教訓として何を残したのか、論点をきちんと整理し、これからどうするか。それぞれの場で、そのことをきちんと整理しなければならない。本稿は、筆者なりのそのためのささやかな試みのつもりで書いている。（大野和興）

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　「強兵国家」への道 前半の基調講演のトップバッターは豊秀一さん。　まずこの特別国会を振り返り、皇室典範改正は「明治期に作られた伝統への固執」、国旗損壊罪は「『批判の自由』の封じ込め」、国家情報会議設置法とその先にあるスパイ防止法は「『非国民』のあぶり出し」だとし、総じて「大日本帝国憲法への回帰」と形容。高市早苗首相の言う「日本列島を、強く豊かに」とは、「強兵国家」への..