Congress is advancing legislation that would effectively end anonymous internet use in America, and they're doing it under the politically bulletproof banner of protecting children. The bipartisan push includes multiple bills that would require digital ID verification for all users - not just kids - creating surveillance infrastructure that civil liberties groups warn could be weaponized against activists, journalists, and marginalized communities.

Let me be clear about what's happening here. This isn't about protecting kids. The technology exists to verify age without tracking identity - cryptographic age verification, zero-knowledge proofs, anonymous tokens that prove you're over 13 without revealing who you are. But that's not what these bills do.

Instead, the proposed legislation would require platforms to verify the identity of every user, creating a database that links your real identity to your online activity. For activists organizing protests, journalists protecting sources, LGBTQ+ teens in conservative areas, domestic abuse survivors - anonymity isn't a luxury. It's a lifeline.

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and related age verification bills have attracted support from both parties precisely because opposing them looks like you don't care about children. It's brilliant politics and terrible policy. Senator Richard Blumenthal and others have framed this as common-sense protection, but the implementation details tell a different story.

Here's what worries me as someone who built technology: once you create identity verification infrastructure, the use cases expand. Today it's "protecting children from harmful content." Tomorrow it's "verifying users aren't spreading misinformation." Next year it's "ensuring compliance with local content laws." The surveillance capability doesn't get less powerful over time - it gets more normalized.

Countries like China and Russia already require real-name registration for internet services. The results aren't hypothetical - we can see exactly how this plays out. Dissidents get tracked. Protesters get identified. Journalists get arrested. The tools of authoritarian control are being gift-wrapped and delivered by well-meaning legislators who genuinely believe they're helping.

The and have been sounding alarms about this for months, but they're fighting uphill against messaging. The tech industry's response has been muddled - some companies oppose it on principle, others see an opportunity to build the verification systems and profit from compliance.