What we call "age verification" is actually mass surveillance (pluralistic.net)

Article summary

The article discusses the concept of 'age verification' on the internet, arguing that it is actually a form of mass surveillance. The author claims that implementing age verification would require fine-grained tracking and recording of all online activities, which would be a nightmare for privacy. The article also mentions that the tech industry is pushing for age verification laws, which would make privacy illegal. The author believes that saving kids from online harms should start with saving them from online surveillance.

Main themes

• Age verification
• Mass surveillance
• Online privacy
• Tech industry regulation
• Child protection

What commenters say

• Age verification does not have to be a nightmare of 24/7 fine-grained tracking and recording, and there are reasonable proposals that could be 90% successful without infringing on privacy.
• The goal of age verification is not to protect children, but to tie all online activity to a real-world identity, allowing for retaliation against protected expression online.
• Implementing age verification would require a trade-off between privacy and security, and some commenters argue that it is not worth the cost to individual freedom.
• There are alternative solutions to age verification, such as client-side parental control software or restricted devices, that could achieve similar goals without infringing on privacy.
• The tech industry's push for age verification laws is seen as a way to increase surveillance and control over online activity, rather than a genuine attempt to protect children.
• Some commenters argue that treating general-purpose computers like alcohol, with restrictions on purchase and use, could be a viable solution to the problem of age verification.
• Others argue that this approach would be overly restrictive and dystopian, and that there are better ways to balance the need to protect children with the need to preserve individual freedom and privacy.
• The discussion highlights the tension between the need to protect children from online harms and the need to preserve individual privacy and freedom, with different commenters proposing different solutions to this problem.