Here is the age verification bill tracker, found in the official website of the advocacy group called the Free Speech Coalition (FSC). Beware of the "dystopian" #AgeVerification laws. So watch out for them. #DigitalRights #DigitalFreedom #PrivacyFirst

https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/

Thanks for getting the word out about this @Em0nM4stodon ! @Paulatics do you know the timeframe for likely action on the Canadian online harms bill?

We just successfully prevented the Washington state legislature from passing several age verification laws, so it certainly can be done! A couple of key takeaways:

• The letter from a coalition of 90 organizations dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, rights for youth, privacy, and freedom of speech has a great summary of the harms of these technologies:

"For vulnerable communities, a biometric scan or an ID upload can serve as a huge obstacle, especially for low-income, unhoused, and undocumented people who already have to navigate an increasingly digital world, with less access to tech tools."

Online ID Checks Censor Abortion Information Age-Verification Laws Seek to Erase LGBTQ+ Identity from the Internet are also good at highlighting harms to vulnerable users.

• Discord is the poster child for age verification's privacy problems. Discord Breach Sparks Age Verification & Third-Party Privacy Concerns highlights the risks of hackers getting at age verification data. Discord's age verification rollout has ties to Palantir co-founder and panopticon architect Peter Thiel Hackers Expose Age-Verification Software Powering Surveillance Web highlights how broadly age verification vendors share the data. US laws typically have clauses that put some limits on retention and sharing but in practice they're not enough.

• Lobbyists have succeeded in convincing legislators that age estimation software works well ... but actually it doesn't. Error rates are high, and higher for people of color; and people. As a result, even if the vendor claims they're using some fancy-shmancy approach involving biometrics or selfies, in practice a lot of people have to send in their government IDs (with all the aspects of fraud that involves). My [updated written testimony for Appropriations[(https://privacy.thenexus.today/hb-1834-approps/#updated-written-testimony) discusses this, based on the data from the Australian Age Assurance Technology Trial (search for "You've probably heard lobbyists and vendors talk about how accurate today's age systems are, but reality begs to differ") and also talks about the privacy issues.

• @eff's Why Isn’t Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your ID In Person? counters one of the most common talking points of age verification proponents (although, I'm not sure how effective it is, so it might be worth taking another crack at this).

• It's critical to highlight age verification's impact on 2SLGBTQIA_ communities. But, 2SLGTQIA2S+-focused organizations have so much on their plate that this may not be on their radar. So as well as contacting legislatures, reach out to 2SLGTQIA2S+-focused orgs, try to get them involved, and brief them on the issues.

#ageVerification #canada #privacy

Thanks for getting the word out about this @Em0nM4stodon ! @Paulatics do you know the timeframe for likely action on the Canadian online harms bill?

We just successfully prevented the Washington state legislature from passing several age verification laws, so it certainly can be done! A couple of key takeaways:

• The letter from a coalition of 90 organizations dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, rights for youth, privacy, and freedom of speech has a great summary of the harms of these technologies:

"For vulnerable communities, a biometric scan or an ID upload can serve as a huge obstacle, especially for low-income, unhoused, and undocumented people who already have to navigate an increasingly digital world, with less access to tech tools."

Online ID Checks Censor Abortion Information Age-Verification Laws Seek to Erase LGBTQ+ Identity from the Internet are also good at highlighting harms to vulnerable users.

• Discord is the poster child for age verification's privacy problems. Discord Breach Sparks Age Verification & Third-Party Privacy Concerns highlights the risks of hackers getting at age verification data. Discord's age verification rollout has ties to Palantir co-founder and panopticon architect Peter Thiel Hackers Expose Age-Verification Software Powering Surveillance Web highlights how broadly age verification vendors share the data. US laws typically have clauses that put some limits on retention and sharing but in practice they're not enough.

• Lobbyists have succeeded in convincing legislators that age estimation software works well ... but actually it doesn't. Error rates are high, and higher for people of color; and people. As a result, even if the vendor claims they're using some fancy-shmancy approach involving biometrics or selfies, in practice a lot of people have to send in their government IDs (with all the aspects of fraud that involves). My [updated written testimony for Appropriations[(https://privacy.thenexus.today/hb-1834-approps/#updated-written-testimony) discusses this, based on the data from the Australian Age Assurance Technology Trial (search for "You've probably heard lobbyists and vendors talk about how accurate today's age systems are, but reality begs to differ") and also talks about the privacy issues.

• @eff's Why Isn’t Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your ID In Person? counters one of the most common talking points of age verification proponents (although, I'm not sure how effective it is, so it might be worth taking another crack at this).

• It's critical to highlight age verification's impact on 2SLGBTQIA_ communities. But, 2SLGTQIA2S+-focused organizations have so much on their plate that this may not be on their radar. So as well as contacting legislatures, reach out to 2SLGTQIA2S+-focused orgs, try to get them involved, and brief them on the issues.

#ageVerification #canada #privacy

Here is an article by @eff about the issues of #AgeVerification laws, affecting the parts of the US Constitution nationwide. #FirstAmendment #FourthAmendment #PrivacyFirst #CyberSecurity #NoAgeSignals #DigitalRights #DigitalFreedom

https://www.eff.org/issues/age-verification

Here is the age verification bill tracker, found in the official website of the advocacy group called the Free Speech Coalition (FSC). Beware of the "dystopian" #AgeVerification laws. So watch out for them. #DigitalRights #DigitalFreedom #PrivacyFirst

https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/

Whenever you hear "ban for kids" on the internet, read in reality "ID collection by a sketchy third-party company that will definitely use it or leak it or both for every adult."

Because that's what this truly means.
Also, it doesn't even help the kids.

#AgeVerification #Privacy #MassSurveillance #Authoritarianism

The age-assurance industry shouldn't exist.

Stop age verification now, and tell your governments and service providers they cannot trust these predatory corporations.

#AgeVerification #Privacy #MassSurveillance

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

The UK Information Commissioner's Office and Ofcom are pushing for tech companies to strengthen age checks.

It's disastrous that the ICO wants to somehow 'protect children’s data' by compelling 13-18 year olds to use poorly regulated digital identification products that could put their biometric data at risk.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/social-media-ico-protect-children-b2936462.html

#ageverification #privacy #digitalid #ofcom #ico #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

What I find baffling, is that people on a global scale, do not go on the streets, literally march on the streets, to tell their governments that this totalitarian movement on a global level needs to stop, otherwise we will stop the governments...

@Em0nM4stodon

#InfoSec #AgeVerification #Privacy #MassSurveillance #Authoritarianism

"We need strong regulation of the age verification industry so that Internet users' privacy and security is better protected. Until we have that, the ICO should stop pushing digital identification.”

🗣️ James Baker for ORG.

Read more about our open letter ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/org-calls-for-age-assurance-industry-to-be-regulated/

#ageverification #privacy #digitalid #ofcom #ico #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

The UK Information Commissioner's Office and Ofcom are pushing for tech companies to strengthen age checks.

It's disastrous that the ICO wants to somehow 'protect children’s data' by compelling 13-18 year olds to use poorly regulated digital identification products that could put their biometric data at risk.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/social-media-ico-protect-children-b2936462.html

#ageverification #privacy #digitalid #ofcom #ico #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

Age verification, boon or bane? 🧐

https://itsfoss.com/news/distros-response-age-verification-laws/

#privacy #ageverification

Whenever you hear "ban for kids" on the internet, read in reality "ID collection by a sketchy third-party company that will definitely use it or leak it or both for every adult."

Because that's what this truly means.
Also, it doesn't even help the kids.

#AgeVerification #Privacy #MassSurveillance #Authoritarianism

Age verification, boon or bane? 🧐

https://itsfoss.com/news/distros-response-age-verification-laws/

#privacy #ageverification

Here is an article by @eff about the issues of #AgeVerification laws, affecting the parts of the US Constitution nationwide. #FirstAmendment #FourthAmendment #PrivacyFirst #CyberSecurity #NoAgeSignals #DigitalRights #DigitalFreedom

https://www.eff.org/issues/age-verification

If enough Canadians contact
their local representatives, as well Mark Carney's office this week, we might be spared from this authoritarian mass-surveillance measure called "Age Verification" in Canada.

The time to fight back is NOW: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/social-media-ban-for-kids-under-consideration-in-online-harms-bill-carney/

Privacy is a human right essential to safety and democracy. If we do not fight to protect it, we will lose it.

#AgeVerification #MassSurveillance #Privacy #Democracy #HumanRights #Canada #CanPoli

“This broad amendment takes power away from [UK] parliament and Ofcom and hands it to ministers. The consequence of this would be every adult having to provide their personal data, or use their body and biometric features as a key to unlock the Internet."

It doesn't address the structural causes of online harms and can be used to restrict content ideologically.

🗣️ @JamesBaker

#onlinesafety #digitalid #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol

🚨 Wide ranging powers to restrict Internet access in the UK have been voted through 🚨

Ministers will be able to impose digital ID checks, curfews and VPN restrictions without Parliamentary scrutiny.

This can be used on websites, social media, apps and games with no need to show there's any harm to children.

Find out more ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/mps-give-ministers-powers-to-restrict-entire-internet/

#onlinesafety #digitalid #id #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol

We need to push much harder against
Age Verification laws and law proposals.

Contact your local representatives NOW to tell them you firmly oppose these privacy-destroying laws that will harm democracy and civil liberties in unprecedented ways.

#AgeVerification #Privacy #MassSurveillance #Authoritarianism