Meta and its affiliates must stop gathering data from minors and stop its practice of using that data for advertising.

For nearly a year now, our world has become increasingly digital. Almost all children in Connecticut are learning remotely right now, their teachers leading Zoom lessons, while a majority of employers in the state either allow or mandate work-from-home policies. With more people staying at home, entertainment is increasingly driven by the internet, whether through social media, online shopping or streaming services. This is an acceleration of trends we’ve seen in recent decades, and will likely only continue picking up speed.

In our current environment, without having a comprehensive strategy for addressing the causes of systematic racism including its relationship with housing, education, economic opportunities, and the criminal justice system, racism has reached a crisis level. In view of the above and so many more reasons, I urge you to declare racism as a Public Health Emergency in the State of Connecticut.