Never Give Them Your Face (nevergivethemyourface.com)

Article summary

The article discusses the growing trend of age verification and surveillance on the internet, where users are required to provide their government ID or facial recognition to access certain websites or services. This is often justified as a means to protect children, but the author argues that it is actually a form of identity verification that can lead to mass surveillance and erosion of privacy. The author advocates for refusing to comply with such requests and instead promoting alternative solutions that prioritize anonymity and privacy. The article also highlights the potential risks and consequences of such systems, including data breaches and the creation of databases that can be used for malicious purposes.

Main themes

• Age verification
• Surveillance
• Privacy
• Identity verification
• Mass surveillance
• Data protection

What commenters say

• Some argue that age verification laws are necessary to protect children, but others believe that these laws can be used as a pretext for mass surveillance and erosion of privacy.
• There are alternative solutions, such as zero-knowledge proofs, that can verify age without compromising anonymity and privacy.
• The use of facial recognition technology for age verification is particularly problematic, as it can be used to create databases of individuals' biometric data.
• Some commenters believe that the horse has already been let out of the barn, and that it may be too late to stop the widespread collection of personal data.
• Others argue that it is still possible to resist and refuse to comply with requests for personal data, and that this can be an effective way to promote privacy and anonymity.
• The use of age verification systems can have unintended consequences, such as driving young people to use alternative, unmoderated platforms that may be more harmful.
• There are concerns that age verification systems can be used to disproportionately target certain groups, such as people of color or those from certain countries.
• Some commenters believe that the benefits of age verification systems do not outweigh the risks, and that alternative solutions should be explored to protect children and promote online safety.