News & Commentary

Higher Education Institutions have been hubs for social justice, dissent, and free-thinking, making them a place where young adults thrive and develop their own voices.

Every election is a chance for Ohioans to vote their values. As we approach November, we will have that chance again, and it is vital for all eligible Ohioans to be able to cast their ballots without cumbersome barriers or disadvantages.

As students return to campus across Ohio this month, I am continuously reminded of how much excitement and anticipation this time of year brings. Students beginning their new schedules and discovering what they want to participate in makes me feel hopeful for the future of the state.

To Chairman Edwards, Vice Chair LaRe, Ranking Member Sweeney, and members of the House Finance Committee, thank you for this opportunity to provide interested party testimony on House Bill 606.

To Chairman Wilson, Vice Chair Hackett, Ranking Member Smith, and members of the Senate Financial Institutions & Technology Committee, thank you for this opportunity to provide opponent testimony on Senate Bill 212. As this committee knows, SB 212 is a bill requiring people, including adult to have their age verified before they can legally access (or are denied access to) constitutionally protected speech online when that content is considered “harmful to juveniles” under current Ohio law. While previous hearings on SB 212 have focused exclusively on pornography, please be aware SB 212 applies to far more speech than what is often or commonly defined as “pornography”. Indeed, harmful to juveniles laws have been used in the past (and present) to target movies, books, music, comic books, and more. There should be no surprise if and when SB 212 is used the same way. Because of their subjective nature, such laws have long been a thorn in the side of free speech advocates. Ask 10 (or 25, 50, or 100) people how to determine what is “patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community” or if the speech or content “lacks serious literary, artistic, political, and scientific value for juveniles” then prepare to receive 10, 25, 50, or 100 different answers occupying a sliding scale of what these terms mean or should mean. In addition, courts have long been very protective of free speech rights when government imposes any burdens on adults’ ability to access constitutionally protected speech, including online content. This is especially true when less restrictive means to accomplish the same goals exist. That is why laws like the type proposed via SB 212 have repeatedly been rejected by federal and state courts over many decades. In short, courts are largely hostile to the idea adults must jump through any government-imposed hoops to access speech and content protected by the First Amendment. Because of the murky nature of harmful to juveniles laws, many of those who provide content will stop or severely curtail what they make available should SB 212 pass. Some may cease operations altogether. This is because they will ear prosecution and possible conviction for violations. The ACLU of Ohio believes such chilling of speech is the intention of many proponents of bills like SB 212. If such bills or laws scare providers into leaving the state or diluting content to only that which is acceptable to, say, 8-year-olds, then many proponents still accomplish their ultimate and publicly stated goal of restricting or ending access to pornography (and/or other content) for both adults and children. Of course, other means are available for parents to restrict access by their children to questionable materials by their children without any government involvement. Software exists to block access to individual websites. Filters can be used to restrict access to sites with particular words, images, or content. Other methods can be used to track online activity and learn what was accessed. Such tools are more widely available than ever before, at low prices, many times entirely free. Because parents, not the government, may or do make such decisions and utilize such tools, First Amendment rights are not implicated. On a related note, SB 212 can be subverted through the use of a virtual private network, or VPN. Such a service allows people to use and surf the internet in anonymity. Like the blocking and filtering software just mentioned, VPN technology is prevalent and inexpensive, some of it free. This reality may very well make bills such as SB 212 moot in a practical, if not legal, sense. Members of this committee, there are other reasons to oppose SB 212. But, my intention for now is to raise concerns about the constitutionality of SB 212, how the goals of many proponents can be accomplished without government action, and why SB 212 may ultimately have little impact on minors’ ability to access pornography and other content. The ACLU of Ohio encourages your rejection of Senate Bill 212.

A newly released report by Dr. David Niven, commission by the League of Woman Voters of Ohio (LWVO), titled “Ohio’s Sixth Congressional District: A District of Strangers,” is yet another data point. Another reminder of just how gerrymandered Ohio is.

With every passing year, Ohio falls further behind with regard to statewide laws protecting student privacy. SB 29 not only adequately updates our laws, its passage will make Ohio a leader for the rest of the country.

ACLU of Ohio, along with Children’s Law Center and the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University formed the Greater CLE Youth Justice Collective.

HB 295 appears to be two separate, unrelated bills combined into one as one section addresses online material that is harmful to juveniles or obscene. The other is about the unauthorized dissemination of “deepfake” images. I appear today to testify only on the harmful to juveniles/obscenity portion.