CassandrichFeb 22

@edwiebe @divVerent @Em0nM4stodon There is no way to know how old someone is without attestation by some authority who knows their identity. This precludes participation by anyone not known to such an authority (undocumented, outside of jurisdiction, etc.) or for whom it is not safe to let that authority know they are participating. And this is only the tip of the iceberg.

You are dangerously wrong, and you should stop advocating about things you're dangerously wrong about.

Show threadTalya (she/her) 🏳️‍⚧️✡️Feb 22

@dalias @edwiebe @divVerent @Em0nM4stodon
while that's true, it is possible to make such an attestation without destroying privacy (see https://soatok.blog/2025/07/31/age-verification-doesnt-need-to-be-a-privacy-footgun/).
however, even if you do that, it'll still be morally wrong in most cases.

and also, corporations are deliberately not going for the private solution, and governments are shifting the blame to users. the Czech government recently admitted social media is already illegal for teens (due to privacy laws), but they want new laws anyway.

Age Verification Doesn’t Need to Be a Privacy Footgun - Dhole Moments

“Won’t someone think of the poor children?” they say, clutching their pearls as they enact another stupid law that will harm the privacy of every adult on Earth and create Prior R…

Dhole Moments
Show threadCassandrichFeb 22
@Yuvalne @edwiebe @divVerent @Em0nM4stodon No, it is not possible. The ZPK bs is privacy-washing designed to bamboozle policy makers and privacy activists who don't understand math. Either it doesn't actually verify age (I can setup a proxy to hand out age proof verification tokens to anyone who wants them using my identity; I would absolutely do that if it were cryptographically safe) or something exposes to the token providing authority that I'm doing this and allows detection that someone else used my identity (thereby violating my privacy).
Show thread⊥ᵒᵚ Cᵸᵎᶺᵋᶫ∸ᵒᵘ ☑️
@dalias @Yuvalne @edwiebe @divVerent @Em0nM4stodon I think the idea would be to only trust some 3rd parties to respond with ZKP on users' behalfs
Feb 22 at 7:57pmWeb