Why isn't online age verification just like showing your ID in person? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why isn't online age verification just like showing your ID in person?

#121

Post by danaris » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 1:11 PM UTC

rzerowan wrote: post #36

danaris wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any on-device solution that simply sends back a yes/no result as you describe is guaranteed to have one of two problems: 1) It is vulnerable to modifications and hacks on the local device that get it to send back a "yes" result without actually verifying anything OR 2) It requires the device to use some kind of closed, proprietary system that allows the service to guarantee that #1 cannot happen Now, in general, the…

I mean most mobile devices have already accepted closed ROMs in their baseband and all/most browsers that try to interact with streaming sits require Widevine . As longas its going to hapen one way or another better it be local , and not a gov thing or a monopoly. At the end of the day the tool should be there enforcement down to the relevant local authorities or not.

OK, but what about your desktop computer?

Re: Why isn't online age verification just like showing your ID in person?

#122

Post by bennyp101 » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 4:23 PM UTC

keernan wrote: post #93

bennyp101 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, I bought a separate all-in-one computer that is in the living room, in full view of everyone else, so we can keep an eye on what is going on when they are using it. We also have pi-hole running that blocks a lot of things, and can turn on and off certain domains (so they can play roblox etc for a short while, then its blocked again) and their devices are pretty locked down

Just a heads up: All four of my daughters prohibit my 7 grandchildren from going anywhere near roblox. My grandchildren are currently ages 2-11 but my daughters are so outraged by what happens there that they say their children will never be allowed on roblox until they move out of the house. Apparently it is extremely predatory, lots of bullying, and highly sexualized - and while children are the site's target audie…

100% - They are only allowed on certain games, no chat, and I have a couple of private servers so they can do this steal a brain rot thing

Re: Why isn't online age verification just like showing your ID in person?

#123

Post by johnnienaked » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 6:12 PM UTC

saghm wrote: post #111

johnnienaked wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn't agree more

Fair enough! I misunderstood your previous comment as implying that measures like this were needed due to the unlikelihood of parents enforcing this. (There's probably a joke somewhere in here about "parent" comments as well, but I'm not clever enough to figure it out at the moment).

Absolutely not im never verifying my ID ever on the internet and I think it's not only an extreme overreach but will end up being ineffective as well.

While I think children need to be protected online, this won't but neither will trying to get parents to parent better