Alabama’s HB167 nears vote: Will obscenity filters become law?

Josh Withrow, Fellow, Tech & Innovation Policy at R Street Institute, who spoke before the Alabama House Commerce and Small Business Committee, in March said, “Practically speaking, the bill would require mobile device manufacturers to run a modified operating system that builds a default-enabled content filter into every device sold in the U.S., because it applies to any such device ‘activated in this state.’ This filter must block obscene materials accessed via ‘internet browsers or search engines via mobile data networks’ or other internet connections.” He further stated, “Forcing manufacturers to modify their operating systems to build in a content filter that every adult would have to figure out how to disable to have full access to the internet is far from a less-restrictive method to prevent children from accessing obscene content.” He continued, “These government-mandated content filters will also compete with the existing, diverse market for parental online safety tools that already exist. This will doubtlessly undermine investment and innovation in the online safety market, as many parents are likely to default to just accepting and trusting whatever filters device manufacturers can get approved by the government.”

The proposed one-size-fits-all solution is a technical quagmire, opponents say. No technology currently exists that can seamlessly filter all deemed inappropriate content across diverse devices and platforms — from smartphones to laptops, from social media apps to email services.

It’s not just a legislative overreach; it’s a technological fantasy, ignoring the plethora of commercial filtering solutions already at parents’ disposal, according to critics.