Investigation Reveals Data Company Behind Age Verification Bills in 45 States
By
shaicoleman
The bagel they save for the regulars. Don't skim, savour.
Summary
An investigative analysis reveals that a wave of age verification bills moving through US state legislatures is being driven by a coordinated lobbying effort involving a nonprofit organization called Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA). The investigation traces $2 billion in nonprofit grants and 45 states of lobbying records to uncover that the bills are being promoted by a company that profits from data collection while writing laws that would collect more personal information. The research shows how AVPA, which appears to be a front for data collection companies, is pushing legislation that would require age verification for accessing online content, creating a system that collects sensitive personal data including government IDs, biometrics, and browsing history.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledI've been pulling public records on the wave of 'age verification' bills moving through US state legislatures. IRS 990 filings, Senate lobbying disclosures, state ethics databases, campaign finance records, corporate registries, WHOIS lookups, Wayback Machine archives.
What started as curiosity about who was behind these bills turned into a months-long investigation tracing $2 billion in nonprofit grants and 45 states of lobbying records.
The answer involves a company that profits from your data writing laws that collect more of it.
The bills are being promoted by a nonprofit organization called Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), which appears to be a front for data collection companies.
This creates a system that would collect sensitive personal data including government IDs, biometrics, and browsing history under the guise of protecting children.
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