Governments and regulators, even those who have long supported and encouraged better privacy for digital users, are now pushing for online age verification. In a world that has given businesses an open hand for decades in targeting minors for advertising, they now want to protect them from adult content, gambling, and other content they deem restricted. Who controls such restrictions is itself concerning. Regardless, any age verification (online or offline) cannot be privacy-preserving. Age verification inherently carries profound privacy risks and threatens free speech. It facilitates data misuse and entrenches the monopolies of centralised tech giants, offering no real benefits… […] continue reading