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The Age Verification Trap: Verifying age undermines everyone's data protection

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Re: The Age Verification Trap: Verifying age undermines everyone's data protection

#5

Post by malfist »

ck2 wrote: post #3

if you are paying for internet access you have to be over 18, no? and if you have internet access without paying, that means someone else is legally responsible for your access "problem solved" ?

Famously children can only access internet from wifi paid for by their parents.

I'm not for these draconian age verification nonsense, but this isn't a valid argument.

Re: The Age Verification Trap: Verifying age undermines everyone's data protection

#6

Post by bondarchuk »

malfist wrote: post #5
ck2 wrote: post #3

if you are paying for internet access you have to be over 18, no? and if you have internet access without paying, that means someone else is legally responsible for your access "problem solved" ?

Famously children can only access internet from wifi paid for by their parents. I'm not for these draconian age verification nonsense, but this isn't a valid argument.

It is a valid alternative avenue towards a legal implementation of "child safeguarding" IMO. Someone pays for the internet, that person is responsible for what minors do on their connection. If they have trouble doing that we can use normal societal mechanisms like idk social services, education, and government messaging.

This is the way it works with e.g. alcohol and cigarettes, most places. Famously kids can just get a beer from a random fridge and chug it, but someone 16/18/21+ will be responsible and everyone seems mostly fine with this.

Re: The Age Verification Trap: Verifying age undermines everyone's data protection

#7

Post by edgyquant »

Everything is a trade off in the world. I think that people who are anti-id ignore this but for me personally it’s harder and harder to accept the trade offs of an internet without id. AI has only accelerated this, I don’t want to live in a world where the average person unknowingly interacts with bots more than other individuals and where black market actors can sway public opinion with armies of bots.

I think most people are aligned here, and that an internet without identification is inevitable whether we like it or not.

Re: The Age Verification Trap: Verifying age undermines everyone's data protection

#8

Post by notTooFarGone »

>Some observers present privacy-preserving age proofs involving a third party, such as the government, as a solution, but they inherit the same structural flaw: many users who are legally old enough to use a platform do not have government ID.

So there is absolutely no way to change that and give out IDs from the age of 14? You can already get an ID for children in Germany https://www.germany.info/us-de/service/reisepass-und-persona...

This is a problem that has to be solved by the government and not by private tech companies.

This is a lazy cop out to say "we have tried nothing and we are all out of ideas"

Re: The Age Verification Trap: Verifying age undermines everyone's data protection

#9

Post by moritonal »

ck2 wrote: post #3

if you are paying for internet access you have to be over 18, no? and if you have internet access without paying, that means someone else is legally responsible for your access "problem solved" ?

This is the answer. If you provide internet access to someone, you're responsible for it. It's a generally established law from a Torrenting PoV, so isn't it equally applicable to downloading content unsuitable for children. Sure it'll destroy offering free wifi, but that always was tricky from a legal PoV around responsibilities.
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