Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

github.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

301–310 of 457 posts

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#301

Post by izacus »

knorker wrote: post #34
skrebbel wrote: post #30

I agree wholeheartedly with the argument raised in this github issue, but I think people are wrong to be skeptical about the concept of a government-issued age verification app. Thing is, the status quo is absolutely worse. My 13yo son likes making Roblox games. Suddenly, some months ago, Roblox made a change where you’re not allowed to share your games with friends unless you do “age verification”, apparently in som…

Funny you use Netherlands as a good example, considering that famously, their existing unusually thorough registry was super helpful for the Nazis rounding up jews later. I don't think it's Godwin's Law when you are so spot on, exactly describing the worst case.

> Funny you use Netherlands as a good example, considering that famously, their existing unusually thorough registry was super helpful for the Nazis rounding up jews later.

To avoid rounding up the jews you... create a government that doesn't round up jews.

You don't fight arbitraty useful tools which then end up in bizarre situations like in US where people can't vote because of this bizarre idea that government shouldn't track voter lists.

EU governments mostly have a list of registered citizens with their birth dates and their adresses. And noone has been rounding up anyone for almost a century... something we can't say for another world country which apparently doesn't keep records of their voters (useful to prevent people of colors from voting!) and somehow is rounding up people on the streets right now.

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#302

Post by hnisnotbenign »

izacus wrote: post #296
AnthonyMouse wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is all well and good, but who is going to use those projects if the law requires them to use Android or iOS for age verification?

"The law" requires no such thing and there's nothing preventing those new OSes form providing proper security signals. But is DOES require work - and it's much easier to complain than to put in work.

Yes, it is much easier to ignore the unelected bureaucrats than to jump through their ridiculous hoops.

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#303

Post by hnisnotbenign »

notabotiswear wrote: post #114
snottynose wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is true that Google (de facto) controls the platform and made themselves (de facto) essential to utilizing the platform by integrating their proprietary services so deeply into the OS that you need to be a behemoth of Samsungs caliber to even attempt to meaningfully re-purpose the AOSP, and this was a brilliant strategy because it has allowed Google to solidify their spot in the duopoly / oligarchy while seeming "…

Have to throw in this 13 year old Ars Technica article as a follow up: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on... Still amazes me how everyone isn't cynical-by-default about anything Google (or big tech in general) open-sources yet...

Yes, I remember feeling that way in 1995-2005 about Microsoft. Imagine my surprise to learn that people still to this day trust and believe in Microsoft.

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#304

Post by Hackbraten »

anal_reactor wrote: post #110
roundabout-host wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it depends on how you frame it. > Social media is destroying children's brains! Do you want access to be delayed until a certain age? > Do you want children under a certain age to be banned from social media, which means that you will now have to give your ID, only with Android or iOS?

> only with Android or iOS 99% of people understand this as "you need a smartphone" which is not a problem in 2026, even for the elderly.

Linux-based smartphones exist. Are they going to be e-waste?

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#305

Post by hnisnotbenign »

jstummbillig wrote: post #63
em500 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Government issued versus corporate issued age verification is a false dichotomy. There are other options, such as refusing games that require them. (Yes, we do have a teen, and yes we did exactly that with Roblox.)

Pretending that those options are equal is a false dichotomy. Not participating is an option up to a point, and then it is increasingly limiting all other options.

[flagged]

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#306

Post by hnisnotbenign »

djaro wrote: post #287
capitainenemo wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Self-hosting a minecraft server is still an option. And tons of customisability there and you aren't turning everything over to a centralised server.

but the other kids are playing roblox, not minecraft

[flagged]

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#307

Post by tistoon »

blop wrote: post #25

This is the elephant in the room regarding the big "digital sovereignty" talks in the EU. For the moment in the EU institutions the focus is mostly at the post-acceptance stage that everything must eventually migrate off US clouds. There is still some denial and hope that things will go back to "before" because it's going to be extremely costly to migrate, but at least high level EU civil servants start to see the st…

Ok we get new HN articles every week now about migrating to EU solutions and digital sovereignty. At this point EU should just do as China, please: have EU their own cloud providers, softwares, hardwares, phones and also its own closed-EU only mini-internet barrier by a big EU digital policy border. Just like China, NKorea and Russia. They would be finally at peace with themselves.

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#308

Post by api »

blop wrote: post #25

This is the elephant in the room regarding the big "digital sovereignty" talks in the EU. For the moment in the EU institutions the focus is mostly at the post-acceptance stage that everything must eventually migrate off US clouds. There is still some denial and hope that things will go back to "before" because it's going to be extremely costly to migrate, but at least high level EU civil servants start to see the st…

Mobile is the UI/UX equivalent of… I don’t even know… a moon landing? A wonder of the world?

I’m not saying it can’t be duplicated. I’m saying if you want to build a mobile platform you need to approach it with appropriate respect for the incredible difficulty of making something that usable.

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#309

Post by fancyfredbot »

jasonvorhe wrote: post #248

Don't use it. Don't even consider it. Do whatever it takes to let everyone know you're not gonna use this and tell your friends the same. These corrupt bafoons talk of sovereignty and then they pull stunts like this. Even if you're totally pro EU, vote with your actions if you can't outvote the Commission.

Buffoon (not bafoon).

Re: European "age verification" "app" forcing everyone to use Android or iOS

#310

Post by UqWBcuFx6NV4r »

hnisnotbenign wrote: post #302
izacus wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The law" requires no such thing and there's nothing preventing those new OSes form providing proper security signals. But is DOES require work - and it's much easier to complain than to put in work.

Yes, it is much easier to ignore the unelected bureaucrats than to jump through their ridiculous hoops.

See, you’re just saying what they’re saying, but with emotive, thought-terminating language. Again, it’s easier to complain. Have you been living under a rock for your entire life? Have never ever been involved in a decision being made about certain “blessed” vendors, and the decision is being made for legitimate technical reasons, not “ridiculous” ones.

If you’re the sort of person that’s unable to distinguish between something that’s legitimately unjustifiable/ridiculous, and something that just upsets you, then you do you, but don’t bring this here pretending that it suffices as a discussion, because it doesn’t.

Post reply on HN