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Age checks could turn internet into an ID checkpoint and would kill anonymity, Proton CEO says (proton.me)

submitted 16 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) by Deep@mander.xyz to c/technology@lemmy.world

171 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Online threats to children are real, but the headlong pursuit of age verification that we’re seeing around the world is unacceptable in its approach and far too broad in scope — and we simply can’t afford to get this wrong.

To be clear, parents’ concerns are valid and sincere. Few people would argue that kids should have unfettered access to adult material, to self-harm how-tos, to social media platforms that manipulate them and expose them to abuse.

But it’s the very depth of those worries that is being cynically exploited. Age verification as is currently being proposed in country after country would mean the death of anonymity online.

And we know exactly who stands to gain: The same tech giants who built the privacy nightmare that the internet is today.

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[–] Therefore@lemmy.world 16 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

That's the best part, companies do that for you

[+] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net -9 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Those are two different things. Being identifiable online is not the same as giving some company your personal information. People give companies their info all the time without online age verification. Age verification done the right way does not require providing any personal info. I 100% oppose forcing people to share personal data with private companies. This is not what we're talking about here.

[–] Disillusionist@piefed.world 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Those are two different things. Being identifiable online is not the same as giving some company your personal information.

I 100% oppose forcing people to share personal data with private companies. This is not what we're talking about here.

This is, in fact, exactly what we're talking about here. The assumption that de-anonymization has some foolproof implementation that only does a single identifying thing (like a limited signal that only says someone is "old enough") is missing a lot of context. Even Von der Leyen's "privacy respecting" age verification app has been shown to have major flaws in that regard. The assumption that it will simply end there also contradicts the evidence.

Privacy is a right of fundamental importance to virtually all notions of liberty. Like it or not, data rights are human rights. A society without privacy becomes a society without freedom. The discussions around abolishing privacy are actually always discussions about other problems which are better served by addressing them directly and honestly rather than promoting the idea that the answer is sacrificing essential rights. Our best approach is to address these ills with an honest assessment of their actual, specific causes (like social media algorithms, lack of accountability, and the many reckless, harmful and exploitative practices which have become industry standards, etc) and act from there.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 13 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Age verification done the right way does not require providing any personal info. I 100% oppose forcing people to share personal data with private companies. This is not what we’re talking about here.

Handing your government ID and other personal data to private companies is exactly how current proposals for online age verification work. It could be done without this, but that's not what governments and corporations are pushing for, because the goal is easier surveillance. Take a look at some of the problems with Persona, for example:

https://stateofsurveillance.org/news/persona-age-verification-surveillance-biometrics-government-reporting-2026/