(The Center Square) – Debate on age verification for internet apps exposed the growing scrutiny of outside influence on Louisiana policymaking.
Republican Sens. Jay Morris of West Monroe and Kim Carver of Bossier City are seeking the right language for Carver’s bill. In a Finance Committee hearing of the state Senate, Morris pressed to no avail the executive director of the Digital Childhood Alliance to disclose which tech companies fund the organization.
“There’s not enough attention on the real risks that these proposals create,” Kareem Ghanem, Google’s director of public policy, said in an interview with The Center Square. “These bills would do nothing to address people’s concerns. And in the process, they’re letting Zuckerberg and Meta off the hook by providing this false sense of security that no amount of age verification at an app store level can really solve.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already signed an age-verification law nearly identical to Carver’s proposal. The Louisiana bill under consideration aims to require stricter age verification mechanisms for apps and online platforms accessible to minors. Google and Apple would have to verify age before users can download applications, such as Facebook, under terms of Carver’s bill. Google opposes these efforts.
Casey Stefanski, in response to Morris, declined to provide specifics beyond naming the father of the Digital Childhood Alliance’s founder as its largest donor and acknowledging that Meta supports the legislation the group is promoting.
“I don’t feel comfortable with answering these questions,” Stefanski told the committee. “We’ve been working on this legislation prior to Meta even caring about it.”
Stefanski testified that her organization paid attorneys to draft the model legislation and has met with companies like Google in pursuit of broader industry support.
Pressing Stefanski for a yes-or-no answer on whether tech companies provide funding to the DCA, she eventually confirmed that they do but refused to name them.
When asked whether DCA is a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organization, Stefanski responded that it is a 501(c)(4) − a nonprofit category that allows for political advocacy without disclosing donors.
“So, you’re not going to tell us who’s actually supporting it?” Morris asked.
“No,” Stefanski replied.
The moment prompted intervention from Carver seeking to clarify that the legislation’s intent is not to let any tech company off the hook for age verification requirements.
“I appreciate your line of questioning,” Carver told Morris. “And I want you to know as the bill’s author, I have not wanted to absolve any app − not Meta, not anyone − from doing age verification.”
Morris countered that Carver’s current amendment to the bill may have that effect, though Carver offered to work on clarifying the language.
