Dan GillmorSep 16, 2024

The push for an "age verification" requirement on the Internet is 1% aimed at protecting children and 99% aimed at controlling speech. It effectively bans anonymity, for starters.

It is a license to speak, and read.

https://edri.org/our-work/open-letter-the-dangers-of-age-verification-proposals-to-fundamental-rights-online/

Open letter: The dangers of age verification proposals to fundamental rights online - European Digital Rights (EDRi)

On 16 September, EDRi and 63 organisations, academics and experts in privacy, encryption, child safety, sex workers' rights and consumer rights issued a joint statement urging the European Commission to prioritise effective child safety measures while expressing serious concerns about the suitability, proportionality, and negative impact on fundamental rights of current age verification proposals.

European Digital Rights (EDRi)
Show threadAmber Sep 16, 2024
@dangillmor My old account had this pinned in the profile - https://mastodon.laurenweinstein.org/@lauren/112159181466361511 something I believe is relevant to add on here.
Lauren Weinstein (@[email protected])

@[email protected] It's important to understand that "age verification" schemes being passed by states, ostensibly to "protect the children", won't do that and will bring about incredible abuses. In order to age verify children, obviously EVERYBODY of any age must be verified, for every account, under every name or pseudonym, ultimately on every site no matter how public or private the topic, and before downloading any apps. Children will find ways to work around this. They'll use the accounts of adults, which will be openly traded. But because these age verification systems must by definition be based on government IDs, the verification process creates a linkage between your account names and your actual identity, subjecting you to all manner of leaked personal information, government abuses (think MAGA in charge), and worse. Firms will claim their systems either don't keep this data or can't be abused. History strongly suggests otherwise, and when courts step in, those firms will have to do what the courts say, often in secret, when it comes to collecting data. Age verification is in actuality a massive Chinese-style Internet identity tracking project -- nothing less -- and there are many politicians in the U.S. who look with envy at how China controls their Internet and keeps their Internet users under police state controls.

Mastodon
Show threadkazordSep 16, 2024
@puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor this should only ne possible with state level service, giving validation for age in range without : knowing what is asking, and who on the other side.
Show threadwolnyjezSep 16, 2024
@kazord @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor Give the state the right to decide who can read or publish? No thanks.
Show threadkazordSep 16, 2024
@wolnyjez @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor better than any corporation ...
As long as it cannot know for what the age is used for ofc
Show threadwolnyjezSep 18, 2024

@kazord @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor Even if this system were fully anonymous, it is still a dangerous idea.

Such a system could easily be extended to check other "attributes" of a citizen. For example:
- whether or not you are in arrears with your taxes,
- whether or not you have been vaccinated,
- whether you have taken part in anti-government protests,
- whether you have criticised the government on social media in the last 12 months,

and so on.

Show threadkazordSep 18, 2024

@wolnyjez @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor those data arent already collected by your state (at least mine). The problem is on those data collection and usage with or without any digital gate/filtering.

Not restrict digital access by age (as we do irl for alcool and tabaco)

Show threadwolnyjezSep 18, 2024

@kazord @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor I agree that data collection is a problem. So the less the state knows about a citizen the better.

The problem with age-verification systems is that it is just a ploy to create a mandatory digital identity.

Because how else do you restrict access to certain content for minors? Everyone has to confirm that they are an adult, so everyone has to have a digital ID.

Show threadkazordSep 19, 2024

@wolnyjez @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor dunno on your country, but here we already have 2 digital identity, one for income taxe (basicly 18+), one for school/diploma (roughly 13+ )

But we can't use them directly as it not anonym at all and give a lot of personal informations (both to visited website or to the state)

Show threadwolnyjezSep 19, 2024

@kazord @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor I am from PL. We have a system called mCitizen, which is a digital ID card, so far it is harmless and is mainly used to verify identity between people.

But there are already plans to use it as a pass to adult websites (under the pretext of protecting children), and even as a pass to social media (under the pretext of fighting hate speech).

These systems were supposed to serve the people, and unfortunately they are starting to be used to control them.

Show threadkazordSep 19, 2024
@wolnyjez @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor OK that sad, as it already link usage with the identity ...
Show threadwolnyjez

@kazord @puppygirlhornypost2 @dangillmor This is part of a larger plan to introduce a pan-European digital wallet. Polish politicians, of course, argue that the system will be anonymous. They refer to the EU's eIDAS2.0 regulation. And indeed, the eIDAS2.0 regulation requires the digital wallet to be anonymous.

However, the EU wallet's implementation guidelines clearly state that state services are to be able to de-anonymise the user.

This is not anonymity. Politicians are lying, as usual.

Sep 19, 2024 at 6:38pmWeb