Why Isn't Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your ID In Person?
Why Isn't Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your ID In Person?
This article from the Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that online age verification is not comparable to in-person ID checks. It details how online systems pose significant privacy and security risks due to the collection and potential misuse of sensitive personal data, leading to data breaches and extensive tracking. The author also emphasizes that these systems create substantial barriers to access, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities and impinging on First Amendment-protected speech, thereby compromising user rights and safety rather than effectively protecting children.
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eff (and many others) make a strong case for why online age verification gates are unlike their physical counterparts.
yet, these arguments don't seem to move the needle much on their own. for too long, consumers have accepted data privacy loss for convenience and politicians have done the same for quick political wins.
there do exist proposals to make age verification gates purely binary and without many of the pitfalls described in this article. but they do require a trusted third party. the proposal isn't perfect, but worthy of debate and iteration.
the call for online age verification isn't going to go away.
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