That doesn't protect kids. It just makes content harder to access legally, pushing users to unregulated sites or VPNs that bypass geographic restrictions.

The privacy implications go beyond just data breaches. Age verification systems create profiles of internet usage tied to identity documents. That means there's a record of what sites you visit, when you visit them, and what content you access. Even if the system is designed to be privacy-preserving in theory, the data architecture creates surveillance infrastructure that can be abused.

Law enforcement could subpoena age verification records. Hackers could steal them. Authoritarian governments could use them to identify and target specific populations. The potential for abuse is enormous.

And we're building this infrastructure to solve a problem that age verification doesn't actually solve. Kids are resourceful. They'll use their parents' IDs. They'll use VPNs. They'll access content from platforms that don't comply or operate outside US jurisdiction. Age verification creates a privacy panopticon without effectively restricting access for determined minors.

So what's the alternative? That's the hard part.

Actual solutions to protecting kids online require addressing platforms' design choices, algorithmic recommendations, and business models that profit from engagement regardless of age-appropriateness. That's complicated and politically difficult because it means regulating tech platforms in ways that might affect their revenue.

Age verification is appealing to lawmakers because it looks like you're doing something without confronting the harder systemic issues. It lets politicians say they protected children without actually changing how social media works or how content is recommended.

There are better approaches. Age-appropriate design codes that require platforms to consider children's safety in product design. Stronger privacy protections for all users, not just children. Algorithmic transparency so parents and researchers can understand what content platforms are promoting.

But those approaches require technical expertise and regulatory nuance. Age verification sounds simple: just check ID before access. The fact that it doesn't actually work well and creates serious privacy risks gets lost in the simplicity of the concept.

The technology exists to verify age. But deploying it at internet scale creates more problems than it solves. And we're building this infrastructure state by state, law by law, without a coherent national strategy or serious consideration of the privacy implications.

The technology is capable. The question is whether it's appropriate. And whether we're willing to accept the surveillance infrastructure it requires.

Right now, we're sleepwalking into that infrastructure because protecting children is a politically unassailable goal. But we should at least have our eyes open about what we're building and what we're trading away.

4 days ago