@adisonverlice

Yuppers.

#AgeVerification = equals = #IdentityVerification = equals = #Censorship

#AgeVerification = equals = #IdentityVerification

The Real Reason Behind Online Age Verification Laws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHZTeEN2HT0

What does online age verification laws actually have to do with the ENABLING of collecting data from children, China's surveillance and censorship laws, and the profits of companies like Facebook, Apple, and Google? A lot more than you think.

In this episode of Plain Meaning, I break down the real agenda behind the push for operating system age verification. From California's Digital Age Assurance Act to federal proposals in Congress, they have come from the same source. I trace who benefits, what laws get quietly gutted in the process, and why the timing lines up suspiciously with China's own digital surveillance rollout.

What you'll learn:
— Why Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta all win if these laws pass
— How age verification effectively nullifies existing laws that protect you and your children like COPPA and the Privacy Act of 1974
— What already happened in the UK under the Online Safety Act — and why it matters for America
— The striking parallels between Apple's product rollouts and China's surveillance
— Why this isn't about protecting kids at all but more about removing the remaining barriers SO THEY CAN TRACK THEM

This is Part 1 of the Plain Meaning 12-part Plain Meaning Special Report. Links to all episodes will appear as they're released.

The Real Reason Behind Online Age Verification Laws
The rest are coming soon...

California's law takes effect January 2027. There is still time — but not much.

#AgeVerification #DigitalPrivacy #OnlineSafety #COPPA #BigTech #ChildOnlineSafety #Surveillance #Apple #Google #Meta #Facebook #DigitalID #PlainMeaning #PrivacyRights #ChinaTech #InternetFreedom #DataPrivacy #OperatingSystem #TechPolicy #ParentsRights #China #PrivacyAct

#AgeVerification #DigitalPrivacy #OnlineSafety

#AgeVerification #NationalID #Surveillance #Censorship #PlainMeaning

A new #European Citizen #Initiative regarding age verification is running from 27/07/26 to 28/08/27, regarding #ageverification.

It requests that new legislation is built with #privacy in mind, #decentralization, open implementations and publicly auditable encryption protocols.

It doesn't completely abolish age verification, but is a step in the right direction.

If you're an European citizen, you can do your part by signing here: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000011_en

"EU Age Verification Project Mandates Hardware-Bound Attestation"
"Flock Pitched a Plan To Turn Uber and Lyft Drivers Into Roaming Surveillance Vehicles"
"Illinois Just Told Every Operating System to Start Reporting Your Kid’s Age"
"Meta’s $17 Billion Settlement is a Bad Deal for Teens and All Social Media Users"

Check out the August news roundup for the full list of headlines.

https://theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/august-2026-privacy-news-roundup

#privacy #security #surveillance #ageverification

#Discord is implementing #ageverification for accessing age-restricted content, stage channels, and changing DM settings. The #verificationprocess, which is already enforced in some regions, will be globally implemented by the second half of 2026. Users can choose from four verification methods, each with varying #dataprivacy implications. https://www.gadgetreview.com/discord-is-bringing-back-age-verification-for-millions-of-users?eicker.news #tech #news #ainews

🇪🇺 European Citizen's Initiative against ID age verification online

Just yesterday, Stop Killing the Internet, from the people at @StopKillingGames, launched an ECI against ID age verification! This is great but it needs 1 million signatures !

So, if you are a citizen of #eu , please sign it! If you don't, or even if you do, still share it around so more people know about it and can sign it!

https://eci.ec.europa.eu/066/public/#/screen/home

Reaching the signature threshold will not mean that ID age verification will immediately become illegal, but the subject will be brought to the @EUCommission and they'll have to do SOMETHING about it. This is already a huge step in the right direction!

Please boost and share this post to spread the word! Thank you!

@privacy

#stopkillingtheinternet #ageverification #privacy #europe

Discord Is Bringing Back ID Verification

https://www.gadgetreview.com/discord-is-bringing-back-age-verification-for-millions-of-users

#Discord #AgeVerification #IDVerification #privacy #surveillance #enshittification #dystopia #technology

Utah becomes first state to block VPNs for age verification

Utah requires websites to block VPN users who cannot prove they are 18 or older, setting a new precedent for digital privacy and age verification.

https://newisty.com/blog/utah-becomes-first-state-to-block-vpns-for-age-verification?utm_source=social&utm_campaign=crypto_news

#utah #vpn #ageverification

Discord Is Bringing Back Age Verification for Millions of Users

https://www.gadgetreview.com/discord-is-bringing-back-age-verification-for-millions-of-users

#security #privacy #tech #technology #news #technews #discord #ageverification

Hackers Had A Live Feed Of Every #AgeVerification ID This Verification Company Scanned. For Over A Year.
www.techdirt.com/2026/09/03/h...

Hackers Had A Live Feed Of Eve...

"we have a company that is a big player in the age verification space, talking up age and identity verification laws, that appears to have had a long-standing ongoing leak of every ID it scanned.

At this point, anyone still supporting age verification requirements, especially claiming it’s for “child safety,” should have to answer for all the millions of people put needlessly at risk due to data breaches like this."

#DataBreach #KOSA #Privacy #AgeVerification

https://www.techdirt.com/2026/09/03/hackers-had-a-live-feed-of-every-id-this-verification-company-scanned-for-over-a-year/

Utah’s VPN Ban Law Goes Into Effect… Again

A court order blocking the ridiculous Utah VPN ban/age verification law has expired, allowing it to go back into force.

https://www.freezenet.ca/utahs-vpn-ban-law-goes-into-effect-again/

#Censorship #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #court #lawsuit #legislation #US #Utah #VPN

"Hackers Had A Live Feed Of Every ID This Verification Company Scanned. For Over A Year."

https://www.techdirt.com/2026/09/03/hackers-had-a-live-feed-of-every-id-this-verification-company-scanned-for-over-a-year/

Anyone with a brain knows this is a bad idea. Some ignore it and try to build a business from it anyway. Often they aren't particularly good at it.

#ageverification #surveillance #security #cybersecurity

Age Verification Company IDScan Hacked: 153 Million Drivers Licenses Compromised

IDScan had apparently been compromised for a year as hackers stole people's licenses live as they were added to the database.

https://www.freezenet.ca/age-verification-company-idscan-hacked-153-million-drivers-licenses-compromised/

#News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #DriversLicense #hack #IDScan #IDScannet #leak

#Meta's $17 Billion Settlement is a Bad Deal for Teens and All #SocialMedia Users

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/09/metas-17-billion-settlement-bad-deal-teens-and-all-social-media-users

#privacy #AgeVerification #Instagram #Facebook

“Meta’s settlement with 52 state attorneys general is a bad deal for all internet users, and especially for teens. That’s what we said the day the settlement was announced.

In this post, we go through the Settlement’s provisions in detail and explain why that is so, including how:

- The Settlement embeds age assurance technology and age-gates into Meta’s social media products and requires all users—minors and adults—to undergo a rights-threatening age estimation process

- The Settlement places severe restrictions on Teens that can largely only be modified by the Teens’ parents and only then in exchange for giving their parents a ton of information about their online community and usage;

- The Settlement seems to empower the attorneys general to enforce Meta’s content restriction on “age inappropriate content,” categories that Meta itself has had trouble administering without excluding information about sexuality, sexual and reproductive healthcare, and abortion medication;

- The Settlement actually requires Meta to collect, analyze, and retain more information about its Teen users—when the pressure should have been on Meta to diminish its surveillance capitalism.

- And the Settlement in no way limits the attorneys general from seeking the user information for their own law enforcement purposes.”

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/09/metas-17-billion-settlement-bad-deal-teens-and-all-social-media-users

#SocialMedia #Meta #AgeVerification #Censorship #USA #Surveillance

RE: https://infosec.exchange/@briankrebs/117198218728894705

Cant wait for the AB 1856 Digital Age Assurance Act data breach that will happen.

#privacy #ageverification

Trebach boosted

BrianKrebs » 🌐 2026-09-01
@briankrebs@infosec.exchange

Breaking, exclusive and spicy, from me:

A new identity theft service launched on the dark web this week is selling digital scans of more than 153 million drivers licenses from people in the United States and Canada. Based on interviews with individuals whose licenses are available for purchase on this service, it appears to be siphoning images collected by a widely-used identity verification company based in Louisiana. KrebsOnSecurity also has learned that the New Orleans field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) today launched an official inquiry into the source of the images.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/09/fbi-probes-service-selling-153m-drivers-licenses/

#databreach #privacy #id #breach #fbi

Alt...

A record available at this identity theft service that includes the drivers license for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is one of several high-ranking U.S. government officials whose drivers licenses can be found for sale. The record shows a picture of Hegseth wearing a suit and tie.

#EFF to Governor #Newsom: Veto #California’s #AB1709

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-gov-newsom-veto-californias-ab-1709

#AgeVerification #privacy

#California’s #AgeVerification Bill Passes with #Linux Exemption Intact

https://linuxiac.com/californias-age-verification-bill-passes-with-linux-exemption-intact/

#privacy #FOSS

RE: https://libretooth.gr/@huskerdu/117189873395191008

Can we just admit the whole law is unworkable and worthless.

How much of Windows and MacOS runs on Open Source software?

#ageverification #linux #windows #apple #ios #macos #microsoft #opensource

⋅ California Bill AB-1856 passes - exempting open source from age verification

− https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/08/california-bill-ab-1856-passes-exempting-open-source-from-age-verification/

#OpenSource #AgeVerification

California has just exempted Open Source from age verification. While a step in the right direction, self-certification is still a pointless data-collection exercise.
#opensource #ageverification
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/california-lawmakers-unanimously-pass-linux-exemption-from-age-verification-law-software-distributed-under-the-gpl-mit-bsd-and-apache-licenses-are-exempt

This is NOT a victory, this probably makes OSS a second class citizen once websites and services require age verification integration points.

Not to mention this is just a delay tactic, they hope the nerds go back to sleep and don't talk about our rights being eroded.

https://mastodon.cisti.org/@roughconsensusandrunningcode/117183754787248539

#AgeVerification #CA #OSS #Linux

#ageverification is a mess but we’re doing it anyway. In the span of a few years, age verification went from an idea to standard practice on large parts of the #internet. 
https://www.theverge.com/policy/913038/age-verification-flaws
#privacy #personaldata

New Zealand Pushing for Failed Age Verification Law

New Zealand lawmakers have announced that they are stupid enough to table age verification legislation.

https://www.freezenet.ca/new-zealand-pushing-for-failed-age-verification-law/

#Censorship #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #fail #legislation #NewZealand

I see the #ageVerification backlash is getting heated.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/texas-man-arrested-ranting-age-161532035.html

I'm not saying we should start stabbing each other, but this guy is right to be angry—age verification is a menace to society, not to mention a flagrant violation of American values—and a flood of irate voicemails from outraged constituents would do wonders in getting age verification laws repealed and settlements renegotiated.

I need everyone to understand that there are exactly zero ways to verify someone's age online that don't involve putting millions of innocent people in danger of physical violence and/or forcing them to become hermits.

Doing this in a safe and responsible way is *fundamentally impossible*. No, your favorite method is not an exception. The whole idea is bad, full stop. Launch it into the sun.

#AgeVerification

French Top Court Gets It Right, Strikes Down #SocialMediaBan For Youths

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/french-top-court-gets-it-right-strikes-down-social-media-ban-youths

#France #privacy #AgeVerification

#NewZealand PM introduces under-16 #SocialMedia and #AI companion ban

https://www.jurist.org/news/2026/08/new-zealand-pm-introduces-under-16-social-media-and-ai-companion-ban/#

#privacy #AgeVerification #SocialMediaBan

#EFF explains exactly why #ZeroKnowledgeProof as #AgeVerification is not safe, and is even more dangerous than typical age-verification schemes in that, not only does it still invade the privacy of your home, it also vests power in a single company or government agency to ban you from all of society—to un-person you—whenever it pleases.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/zkps-arent-age-verification-silver-bullets

It's just another censorship/surveillance scheme, no better than any other and in some ways worse.

Complain to your representatives!

"Age verification (laws and regulations requiring platforms and websites to assure or estimate that a user seeking to use an online service is of a certain age) is everywhere. At the time of writing, about half the states in the US have some internet age verification law in place, and dangerous proposals, from the KIDS Act to the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), have been advancing at the federal level. European Union member states are moving toward having age verification in a centralized app by the end of this year. Australia famously now has one extremely broad restriction in place.

Most age verification laws tend to fail at their primary goal of barring kids from being online or from entering only specially designated zones, not to mention they pose a significant threat to everyone’s privacy. Some proponents of these age-based internet restrictions think they've found the silver bullet: Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs). We wrote about ZKP’s when they were first rolled out in the age verification context last year. However, more recent examples show our concerns weren’t just conjecture; ZKP-focused AV schemes are gameable, hackable, and not the cure-all some may claim."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/zkps-arent-age-verification-silver-bullets

#AgeVerification #USA #Privacy #Surveillance #ZKP #EU #SocialMedia #PoliceState #Censorship

Zero Knowledge Proofs Aren’t #AgeVerification Silver Bullets

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/zkps-arent-age-verification-silver-bullets

#privacy #ZKP

Canada’s Age Verification Bill Was Always an Unconstitutional Mess

On the heels of the French court ruling, some are wondering is Canada's version is going to share the same fate. Yes.

https://www.freezenet.ca/canadas-age-verification-bill-was-always-an-unconstitutional-mess/

#Censorship #LawAndTechnology #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #BillC34 #Canada #CanadianCharterOfRightsAndFreedoms #court #France

French Court Rules Social Media Age Verification Infringes Privacy, Freedom of Expression

In a rare bit of good news, Frances top court ruled against age verification for it's obvious constitutional violations.

https://www.freezenet.ca/french-court-rules-social-media-age-verification-infringes-privacy-freedom-of-expression/

#Censorship #LawAndTechnology #News #AgeVerification #court #France #ruling #SocialMedia

#France's top court blocks #SocialMediaBan for under-15s

https://www.reuters.com/world/frances-top-court-rules-social-media-ban-curtails-freedom-expression-2026-08-14/

#privacy #AgeVerification

XBox Rolling Out Age Verification for Australian Gamers

Age verification continues to spread. This time, Australians are going to see it for their XBox gaming.

https://www.freezenet.ca/xbox-rolling-out-age-verification-for-australian-gamers/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #console #gaming #store #surveillance #XBox

Illinois Just Passed a Law That Puts Linux on the Hook for Age Verification

https://linuxstans.com/illinois-hb5511-operating-system-age-verification/

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49249150

#HackerNews #Illinois #Law #Linux #AgeVerification #TechNews

#EU #AgeVerification Project Mandates Hardware-Bound Attestation

https://linuxiac.com/eu-age-verification-project-mandates-hardware-bound-attestation/

#privacy #Europe

U.S. Senate Vote: Four Internet Bills, One Wrong Direction

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/senate-vote-tomorrow-four-internet-bills-one-wrong-direction

#privacy #KOSA #SCREENAct #YouthAIPrivacyAct #CHATBOTAct #politics #AgeVerification

#WhatsApp is Testing #AgeVerification

https://www.privacyguides.org/news/2026/08/04/whatsapp-is-testing-age-verification/

#Meta #privacy #India

I’m absolutely ashamed that I didn’t notice this, and there’s been absolutely no local news coverage: Gov. Pritzker signed into law IL HB5511, which requires OSes, app stores, and websites to implement age verification in Illinois. This is deeply disturbing and harmful to the open internet and I hope @eff and @ACLU take this to court.

https://my.ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=5511&GAID=18&LegID=167486

#ageverification #Privacy #Linux

US Senators Pushing Failed Age Verification Law, the SCREEN Act

The US is looking to be the next country to jump off the age verification cliff through failed age verification laws.

https://www.freezenet.ca/us-senators-pushing-failed-age-verification-law-the-screen-act/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #SCREENAct #SocialMedia #US #VPN

The #SCREENAct is a Christian Nationalist Nightmare

https://www.404media.co/what-is-the-screen-act-age-verification-porn/

#privacy #AgeVerification #FreeSpeech

The Senate Should Reject #KOSA's #Privacy Risks

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/senate-should-reject-kosas-privacy-risks

#AgeVerification

Easy peasy to bypass Age Verification, often just a TamperMonkey/Greasyfork script away.

https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts?q=Age+verification

#ageverification #tampermonkey #greasyfork

Turns out #AgeVerification for #SocialMedia isn't really that effective after all!

In #Australia, three months later, teens still either aren't checked, or the verification assumes the users are above 16.

Right now it's almost as if it would be better to leave "social media parenting" up to the actual parents...

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/1/most-australian-teens-still-online-three-months-after-under-16-ban

#NorskTut

Australia’s Age Verification Law Still a Failure, Study Finds

An Australian government study has found that little has changed in the governments failed age verification laws.

https://www.freezenet.ca/australias-age-verification-law-still-a-failure-study-finds/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #fail #research #SocialMedia #study

First, they'll ask for your official IDs to confirm your age and identity.

This will create a large treasure trove
of sensitive data, which will attract criminals, and will inevitably leak from either negligence or malice, sooner than later.

Then, they'll claim your official ID is
unreliable, because it was stolen so many times, and demand you share your biometric data.

They will collect your face scan,
your palm scan, and even your iris scan (no exaggeration, these are all already being collected by some companies for identification). They will claim it's super safe.

This will create a large treasure trove
of sensitive biometric data, which will attract criminals, and will inevitably leak from either negligence or malice, sooner than later.

Then what? Rinse and escalate.

You will have lost control of not just your corporate social media accounts by participating to this, but to any data capable of validating your identity, to your privacy rights, to the protections you could use online to stay safe.

We don't have to wait that it escalates.

We can, and must, push back and say No now. Start to say No now.

#Privacy #Biometrics #DataMinimization #AgeVerification

RE: https://neuromatch.social/@jdp23/116967124444088200

KOSA and bad internet bills are getting voted on by the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, so I've been thinking more about this ...

If bills like KOSA and the SCREEN Act pass, they're likely to affect every US fedi instance. So how do we mobilize geographically-based instances like pnw.zone, gardenstate.social, sfba.social, jawns.club, hoosier.social, dmv.community, etc to push back?

A couple of ideas I've had so far:

• Influential users can play a big role here, just by posting about it with an action. If there's enough activity on hashtags like #KOSA or #SaveSpeech, they might wind up in trending hashtags to help build awareness.

• Admins could potentially paste an announcement post.

What else?

#KOSA #ageVerification #USpol

"Cities Are Ditching Flock Safety Cameras – Then Hiring Axon to Do the Same Job"
"Protester Charged With Destroying Property After Giving CBP Agents His GrapheneOS ‘Duress’ Mode Passcode"
"The ACLU Is Arming Lawyers to Expose State Surveillance Secrets"
"The EU is about to sell our most sensitive data to the US for visa-free travel"

Check out the latest monthly news roundup for the full list of headlines.

https://theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/july-2026-privacy-news-roundup

#privacy #surveillance #technology #security #ageverification

Most Australian teens still on #SocialMedia three months after under-16 ban began, study finds

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/most-australian-teens-still-social-media-three-months-after-under-16-ban-began-2026-07-31/

#Australia #SocialMediaBan #AgeVerification #privacy

Amending #AB1709 Doesn’t Fix It: #California’s #SocialMediaBan Still Threatens Free Speech and #Privacy

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/amending-ab-1709-doesnt-fix-it-californias-social-media-ban-still-threatens-free

#SocialMedia #AgeVerification

The #SCREENAct Threatens #Privacy Far Beyond Adult Websites

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/screen-act-threatens-privacy-far-beyond-adult-websites

#nsfw #AgeVerification

🚨 The text is up https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/s5090/text for S.5090, a federal Digital Age Assurance Act, and it is very not good:

* There is no #OpenSource exemption!

* It requires users to “establish an account with the provider”. (§3(a)(1)(A)(i)) This makes local/offline accounts, as is typical on #Linux, #Windows 10, etc, illegal.

[see thread; there's much more]

This #ageVerification bill is a dramatic escalation in the politicians' war against #privacy and #FOSS. Call your senators!!!

Americans!

Updates on "Internet Safety" bills:

-Hawley and Durbin are trying to sneak the unconstitutional STOP CSAM Act into the FY27 NDAA. Hawley allegedly managed to get it included it in the manager's amendment. This means it has a higher chance than previous attempts at being successful.
-Still, there's procedural roadblocks that the bill has to clear to survive until the final passage. The manager's amendment is reserved for uncontroversial amendments.
-The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup for KOSA and the SCREEN Act for Wednesday, August 5th. There are other bills, but they're far less problematic than KOSA and the SCREEN Act.
-Senate KOSA's fate in the House is still quite uncertain. The same goes for the KIDS Act's fate in the Senate.
-The SCREEN Act's approval among Democrats is unknown at the moment.

Call your Senators and Representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #Censorship #DigitalRights #FreeSpeech #AgeVerification #ClientSideScanning #Section230 #KOSA #KidsOnlineSafetyAct #US #UnitedStates

#Google is bringing #AgeVerification to #Android users around the globe!

"Providing a safe online experience and protecting users from harm is a top priority at #GooglePlay", says Google.

I don't remember Google being this enthusiastic about safety when #EU's #GDPR and #California's #CCPA #privacy laws were rolled out. How is age verification better than privacy for online safety?

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/07/google-play-age-signals-api-safer-experiences.html

[1/3]

#Google’s “#privacy-preserving” #AgeVerification system is coming to the Play Store

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/google-begins-global-rollout-of-age-verification-api-in-google-play/

#Android

#Brazil gives parents #SocialMedia controls for their kids. Should the #US?

https://themarkup.org/privacy/2026/07/28/brazil-gives-parents-social-media-controls-for-their-kids-should-the-u-s

#privacy #SocialMediaBan #AgeVerification

Sigh, sometimes I really hate my state.

#SurveillanceState #AgeVerification #ithaca

https://www.theverge.com/policy/972007/new-york-safe-for-kids-act-age-verification

5th Circuit blocks #Texas law requiring websites to filter “harmful” speech

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/5th-circuit-blocks-texas-law-requiring-websites-to-filter-harmful-speech/

#FreeSpeech #privacy #AgeVerification

France plans to require age verification for social media, with access potentially blocked for users under 15 who don't have parental consent.

Supporters say it's about protecting children online. Critics warn that mandatory age verification could impact privacy, anonymity, and data collection.

Read more: https://digitalescapetools.com/2026/07/france-social-media-ban-age-verification-privacy.html

#Privacy #SocialMedia #AgeVerification #France #DigitalRights #OnlinePrivacy #TechNews #DigitalEscapeTools

Policing platforms and fighting cyberbullying are undoubtedly a better strategy than age verification in keeping kids safe online. Yet, educating parents and providing safe offline spaces for kids to meet are likely even more effective. After all, no regulator or platform can see into a child's head.
#ageverification #childsafety
https://dig.watch/updates/mozilla-privacy-first-online-child-safety

#France becomes first #EU country to ban #SocialMedia access for under-15s

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/21/france-ban-social-media-access-under-15s

#SocialMediaBan #privacy #politics #Europe #AgeVerification #cybersecurity

France passes law banning under-15s from social media

It will be implemented in two stages:
- From September, people under 15 will not be able to open accounts and age verification will be required on all new accounts
- In January 2027, this rule will apply to all existing accounts - meaning everyone in France will have to prove they are over 15 to use social media

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq56l9p4y93o

#France #SocialMedia #AgeVerification #Privacy

If you have been wondering about the effectiveness of the social media ban of under 15 year olds, this study got you :)

Spoiler: 92%+ of kids age 14-15 in #Australia still use it 🥳

Meanwhile IMO forced verification of users had a much better success rate 😉

Source:
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w35162/w35162.pdf

#Privacy #ageverification #IDverification #Study #Data #Science #Survey #Tech #SocialMedia #Technology #Internet #Censorship #Authoritarianism #MassSurveillance #Surveillance

Alt...

Screenshot of graphic from this study of Australia's social media ban: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w35162/w35162.pdf Percent of banned 14-15-year olds (b) Compliance rate, April versus June 2026 Usage rate: 64% April, 92% June Implied compliance: 27% April, 6% June Notes: Figure 5 reports self-reported past-7-day use of any banned platform.

Reminder of how dire our digital privacy situation has become...

TikTok can spy on you even if you don’t have an account.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260210-tiktok-is-tracking-you-even-if-you-dont-use-the-app-heres-how-to-stop-it

Collecting personal data just to resell it should be outlawed in my opinion.

But combine this with data brokers, ChatControl’s recent vote, and the global push for age verification through 'trusted private third parties', all while data theft is at an all-time high, and you start wondering if we aren’t attending a clown show with very real consequences.

#Privacy #TikTok #ChatControl #DataBroker #AgeVerification

France Jumps Off Cliff, Passes Age Verification Laws

France has passed the failed age verification laws and set the restriction to 15 years of age and younger.

https://www.freezenet.ca/france-jumps-off-cliff-passes-age-verification-laws/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #facepalm #France #legislation #SocialMedia

Andy Burnham Scrapped Digital ID. His Internet Plans Say Otherwise.

The applause for scrapping digital ID arrived before anyone checked what survived it.

https://reclaimthenet.org/andy-burnham-scrapped-digital-id-his-internet-plans-say-otherwise

#UK #idVerification #AgeVerification #privacy #surveillance #dystopia #technology #government

Australia Considers Targeting VPNs Following Age Verification Failure

With the failure of age verification in Australia, the eSafety regulator is eyeing VPNs as a new target.

https://www.freezenet.ca/australia-considers-targeting-vpns-following-age-verification-failure/

#Censorship #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #Australia #eSafety #VPN

@dbattistella I did it every single year that "Lost in The Supermarket" topped Fanning's Fab Fifty.

#AgeVerification

Time: Australia’s Age Verification a Success Because Vibes

By all metrics, Australia's age verification law was a failure. So, Time said it's a success because it has good vibes.

https://www.freezenet.ca/time-australias-age-verification-a-success-because-vibes/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #journalism #Time

EU age-check app: 9 files released, no privacy review, claims unproven: Meant for every EU country, the app was presented as finished and untrackable, yet released files describe an unfinished build and privacy claims not backed. https://ppc.land/eu-age-check-app-9-files-released-no-privacy-review-claims-unproven/ #EUApp #PrivacyConcerns #DataProtection #DigitalSecurity #AgeVerification

#Proton launches interactive map to show #AgeVerification laws are spreading fast

https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/the-death-of-privacy-online-proton-launches-interactive-map-to-show-age-verification-laws-are-spreading-fast

#privacy #cybersecurity

#California Steps Back From Dangerous Expansion of its Age-Gating Law

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/california-steps-back-dangerous-expansion-its-age-gating-law

#privacy #AgeVerification #cybersecurity #politics

UK Pushes for Baffling Social Media Curfew for Teens

The UK, like others, is experiencing disaster with age verification, so it's now doubling down with a curfew on social media.

https://www.freezenet.ca/uk-pushes-for-baffling-social-media-curfew-for-teens/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #SocialMedia #teens #UK

Children's #SocialMedia curbs planned across #EU, von der Leyen says

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/eu-propose-limit-kids-social-media-access-von-der-leyen-says-2026-07-13/

#AgeVerification #privacy #cybersecurity #Europe #politics #SocialMediaBan

"Hands off our VPNs, privacy groups tell UK ministers"

https://www.theregister.com/networks/2026/07/14/hands-off-our-vpns-privacy-groups-tell-uk-ministers/5271070?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

"Whether the government is persuaded may depend on whether it views VPNs as a niche loophole used by a small minority of teenagers – as its own research suggests – or as the next obstacle to enforcing its online safety agenda."

#AgeVerification #privacy #VPN #VPNs #technology #UK #DigitalID

New EU report details age verification plans and ID requirements for accessing the internet

https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/1uvzw1z/new_eu_report_details_age_verification_plans_and/

#EU #AgeVerification #idVerification #privacy #surveillance #dystopia #technology #government #socialmedia #Europe

EU Chief: We “Need” to Embarrass Ourselves Further With Age Verification

Ursula von der Leyen continues to double down on failed age verification laws, vaguely pointing to "predatory algorithms".

https://www.freezenet.ca/eu-chief-we-need-to-embarrass-ourselves-further-with-age-verification/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #EU #Europe #SocialMedia

The EU will propose limits on under-16s using Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook after summer. Australia already bans them. The privacy catch: verifying every user's age can mean ID uploads or face scans for everyone, not just kids.

#ageverification #TikTok #EU #indigoprivacy

1/2 🚨 European Commission panel of experts backs indiscriminate age checks 🚨

Today, the chairs of the European Commission's panel of experts on child online safety published their recommendations, backing mandatory EU-wide #AgeVerification to exclude people under 13 from accessing online spaces 🚫

To know who is of the right age, everyone may have to prove their age. That creates barriers for people who cannot—or simply should not have to—go through the age verification process.

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A light blue background with purple and dark blue pixels. A human hand is holding a phone with a pixelated screen in the centre. STOP signs are popping up around the phone. A window with the text: RESTRICTED your verification was not successful. Another window with eyes and mouth.

The #House Passed The #KIDSAct—The #Senate Should Reject It

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/house-passed-kids-act-senate-should-reject-it

#privacy #AgeVerification #politics

Australia’s Age Verification Laws Notches First 100% Failure Rate

The studies are piling up and they all keep pointing to the same conclusion. Australia's age verification laws have failed.

https://www.freezenet.ca/australias-age-verification-laws-notches-first-100-failure-rate/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #Australia #study