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Kids Online Safety Act Advances to House Amid Concerns Over Free Speech and Civil Rights

​The bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, designed to protect minors from age-inappropriate online content, will head to the House floor for a vote. But critics say that the bill could also be used to curb civil rights.. The Kids Online Safety Act was first introduced to the Senate in 2022 under President Joe Biden. It would require online platforms to offer settings that control how minors use the sites and also limit the collection of their personal data.. However, opponents of the bill say that the definition of “harmful content” could extend to legitimate sites, including those concerning mental health and transgender rights. The American Civil Liberties Union warns that the legislation could affect the First Amendment’s protections of free speech.. “The overbroad language in KOSA and similar legislation risks censoring everything from jokes and hyperbole to useful information about sex ed and suicide prevention,” said the ACLU’s Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel.. The bill also directs federal agencies to study the feasibility of “creating a device- or operating system–level age verification system,” but it doesn’t require platforms to implement such a system.. The House Energy and Commerce Committee met on Thursday and advanced the legislation to the full House for consideration. However, lawmakers still need to set a specific calendar date for that floor vote.. The proposed legislation follows a global trend toward restricting the kinds of online material children have access to. Last year, the UK introduced its Online Safety Act, which requires platforms that host adult content or other age-inappropriate material to implement robust age-verification checks to prevent minors from accessing it.. On March 28, Indonesia will bar children under 16 from accessing social media, following a similar ban in Australia.  

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Champions League Soccer: Stream Galatasaray vs. Liverpool Live From Anywhere

​Can Arne Slot’s Reds handle the febrile atmosphere of RAMS Park?  

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Enjoy Our Favorite Plumber’s Special Day This Mar10 Here at CNET

​March 10, lovingly known as Mar10 Day, is a chance to celebrate Nintendo’s most enduring hero. And his brother (whatever he’s called).  

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These Fun New Emoji Should Be Dropping Soon in iOS 26.4

​The distorted face was voted the most-anticipated new emoji, but it’s OK to be wrong.  

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The Sonos Play puts the best parts of the Era 100 in a portable speaker

​Sonos has just announced its first new products since 2024, when the company’s plans went sideways after a disastrous update to its app. First up is the Sonos Play, the company’s latest portable speaker. Long-time Sonos watchers will recognize the name from the old Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5 speakers, but this new model has little to do with those products of the past. The $299 Play is a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker that sits between the $179 Roam 2 and $499 Move 2 and could be the “goldilocks” speaker in the company’s portable lineup, at least based on what I know so far.The closest comparison for the Play is the excellent Era 100, which Sonos released back in 2023. At 7.6” tall, 4.4” wide and 3” deep, it’s much thinner than the Era 100 which is over 5 inches deep. And compared to the Move 2 (9.5” x 6.3 x 5”) it’s much more portable. That goes for weight, too — the Play is less than 3 pounds, compared to over 6.5 pounds for the Move 2. It’s not the kind of speaker you’ll throw in your bag and forget about, like the tiny Roam 2, but it’s far more portable than the Move 2. Finally, the Play is IP67 rated, just like the Roam 2. That means it can be submerged in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes; it’s also dustproof. The grab handle on the back of the Sonos Play.SonosFrom a speaker component perspective, it’s again quite similar to the Era 100. It has two tweeters positioned at a 90-degree angle for stereo separation paired with one midwoofer; it also has two additional passive radiators to increase the bass response in its relatively small case. The Era 100 lacks those passive radiators but is otherwise identical. Obviously, we’ll have to listen to the Play before saying how closely it compares to the Era 100, but this speaker should significantly outperform the Roam 2 simply due to the increased size of its components. The Move 2, on the other hand, is extremely loud and will likely still be the best choice for people who want a speaker to cover a large outdoor space.You’ll find familiar controls on the Sonos Play, which comes in black or white. (Fingers crossed for future color options like the lovely trio that Sonos offers on the Roam.) On the top surface are buttons for play/pause, volume up and down and a microphone toggle. On the back is a power button, a Bluetooth button and a physical switch that disconnects the microphone for increased security. Finally, there’s a new feature here: a removable plastic grab loop. Sonos was keen to note that the Play is a full-featured member of the Sonos ecosystem. Like all of its other speakers, that means you’ll see all Sonos speakers in the app and can group them as you see fit, or have different music playing on different speakers throughout the house. You can also pair two of these in stereo. If you remove one from your network (say you’re outside and away from Wi-Fi), you’ll need to re-pair them though. In addition to controlling playback via th  

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MacBook Neo Review: The Best Laptop for $600 Is Even Better at $700

​The MacBook Neo is an absolute banger of a budget laptop, but life’s too short to live without Touch ID.  

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