The Dangers of Expanding Age Verification Beyond Adult Websites to Mainstream Internet Services
By
smartmic
Fresh out the oven, still warm. Top of the tray.
Summary
The article argues against the expansion of age verification systems beyond adult websites to mainstream internet services like social media, messaging, gaming, and search. It contends that while child protection is a legitimate concern, broad age verification requirements create a surveillance infrastructure that threatens privacy, free expression, and internet access for all users. The piece warns that these systems could fundamentally change the nature of the internet, turning it into a controlled environment where anonymity is lost and access is restricted based on age verification, potentially excluding vulnerable groups and creating new risks.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledAge verification is no longer a narrow mechanism for a few adult websites. Across Europe, the USA, the UK, Australia, and elsewhere, it is expanding into social media, messaging, gaming, search, and other mainstream services.
The real question is no longer whether age checks will spread. It is what kind of internet they are turning into.
The common framing says these systems exist to protect children. That concern is real. Children are exposed to harmful content, manipulative recommendation systems, and other online risks.
But the reality is that age verification creates a surveillance infrastructure that affects everyone, not just children.
When we turn child protection into internet access control, we risk creating a system that excludes the most vulnerable while surveilling everyone else.
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