VT Kids Code Coalition Applauds Legislature, Urges Gov. Scott to Sign H.121 into Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MONTPELIER – The Vermont Kids Code Coalition issued the following statement applauding the Vermont legislature and urging Governor Phil Scott to protect kids’ data, privacy, and safety online by enacting the Vermont Kids Code, which unanimously passed as a key component of data privacy bill H.121:

“We applaud Vermont lawmakers today as they officially send the landmark Data Privacy and Kids Code Bill, H.121, to Governor Phil Scott. This marks the start of a critical five-day decision window that will determine the future of Vermont’s data privacy and children’s safety and wellbeing online. Support for data privacy and the Kids Code in Vermont has been driven by a broad coalition of parents, youth, small businesses, and community organizations whose diversity highlights widespread and growing demand for change. People in Vermont want the internet to be safer and more private for everybody, especially kids. But H.121 would stop Big Tech’s exploitative business practices, which is why they are aggressively lobbying against this bill, prioritizing the extractive profits they make designing harmful products and buying and selling our data over Vermonters’ basic privacy and safety. Now, we are calling on Governor Scott to reject industry pressure and stand alongside Vermont families and small businesses working hard to improve data privacy and kids’ online safety in our state by signing this bill into law.”

Background

Earlier this week, parents, kids, small business leaders, and advocates for Big Tech accountability joined forces outside Burlington City Hall to call on Governor Phil Scott to sign H.121:

WCAX – Advocates push for governor to sign data privacy bill (Lucy Caile, 6/3/24)
Vermont Public Radio – Advocates push for Scott’s signature on data privacy bill taking on Big Tech (Peter Hirschfeld, 6/3/24)
Seven Days – Advocates Urge Gov. Scott to Sign Data Privacy Bill(Alison Novak, 6/3/24)
NBC5 – Vermont Kids Code Coalition holds demonstration in support of H.121 bill(Tyler Boronski, 6/3/24)

In May, dozens of Vermont parents and families sent a letter to Governor Scott urging him to support the bill. More than a dozen organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, business leaders Front Porch Forum, and the youth-led Design It For Us, sent their own letter to the Governor in support of the bill and its Kids Code provisions.

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