Every single time you mandate age verification, you are mandating the creation of a centralized database of extraordinarily sensitive personal information. Government IDs. Biometric facial data. The kind of data that, once breached, cannot be “changed” like a password. You get one face. You get one government ID number. When those leak—and they will leak—the damage is permanent.

Now do KYC verifications

these very firms are now lobbying for stricter age verification mandates. They’ve positioned themselves as protectors of children while actively working to expand the legal requirements that guarantee their revenue stream.

Lawmakers mandate an impossible task, VC-backed startups pop up to sell a “solution,” those startups then lobby for even stricter mandates to protect their market, and the cycle repeats.

“Child safety” has simply become the marketing department for a rent-seeking surveillance industry.

Excellent point

In shocking twist, “think of the children!” used once again as an excuse.

“Child safety” has simply become the marketing department for a rent-seeking surveillance industry.

Thing that was predicted to happen mysteriously happens.

Hey, not two days ago someone said that connections between Peter Thiel and age verification was a “conspiracy theory”. Apart from the above link, the article states:

And as these mandates create a captive market worth billions of dollars, a whole ecosystem of venture-backed “identity-as-a-service” startups has sprung up to serve it. Persona, valued at $2 billion and backed by Peter Thiel’s investment network, is just one of many.

Unrelated to the above, but I like the wording too much:

“Child safety” has simply become the marketing department for a rent-seeking surveillance industry.

A note on the US v EU thing

Is this an US-only thing? There are several articles over the past few months hinting at US Big-Tech lobbying efforts in the EU. Thiel makes a living as a contractor of the surveillance apparatus. It is only in his interest to expand his business in the highly regulated EU, and I have not even started on his Dark Enlightment politics.

von der Leyen has no spine in this, if she isn’t actively complicit.

wait, they actually designed this shit with biometrics?

I thought they tried to placate us with zero knowledge proofs, at least? No?!?

Hopefully, we will have the means to strip out or spoof the SystemDOGE verification in Linux. Or even better, something akin to torrenting, where many false IDs are manufactured and shared, constantly replaced as needed by automated AI.

I truly don’t trust the corporations and government that wants to connect our physical and digital selves together.

Kids need a little danger to grow.