The ‘papers, please’ era of the internet will decimate your privacy

Imagine your favorite team just scored an incredible, last-second goal at the World Cup. So you log online to celebrate with other fans. But, using data it's already collected on you, the social media platform you like to post on wrongly guesses that you're under 16 so it forces you to go to a third-party verification app and provide images of your face or your government-issued ID. You don't really know much about the verification app, what country it's based out of, what happens with your information, and whether you're protected from hackers or data breaches. You're not happy about it, but you hand over a photo of your passport and hope it doesn't come back to haunt you.

Now imagine that instead of posting about sports, you're criticizing a powerful politician, or talking about your experiences with abuse or addiction, or discussing embarrassing medical issues you're facing. Suddenly this papers, please" approach to the internet sounds even more invasive, right? Unfortunately, that's the direction we're all headed - even here in the United States - and we have good reason to be wary of the global rush to sacrifice user privacy on the altar of age verification.

Sarah McLaughlin at Expression

The insane push for age verification on the internet is the biggest threat to whatever's left of the free internet. I have two young children - 3 and 5, currently - and I'm diametrically opposed to any kind of creepy verification processes that they claim are designed to keep kids like mine safe". Not only is their safety not predicated on giving up their privacy, my children are also not my or anyone else's property; they have rights, and the right to privacy is one of them.

Nobody mentioned in the Epstein files has been charged, by the way.