EU’s Age Verification Fiasco: Why It’s More Harmful Than Helpful
Age verification in the EU is as effective as a chocolate teapot. It fails to stop harmful behavior, and kids often lack required IDs. Meanwhile, adults face privacy invasions. Instead of futile age checks, we need risk assessments and privacy-first approaches to keep everyone safe online.
Hot Take:
Age verification in the EU: a bureaucratic attempt at digital babysitting that’s about as effective as a chocolate teapot. Instead of identity checks, how about we start with a little common sense and a dash of privacy respect? After all, if we wanted to upload ID to surf the web, we’d just get a library card, am I right?
Key Points:
- Mandatory age checks in the EU are seen as ineffective and disproportionate for mitigating online risks to minors.
- The Digital Services Act and AI Act are pushing a risk-based approach to online safety, focusing on rights and privacy.
- Platforms are encouraged to offer more user control and transparency, but the enforcement of these measures is still developing.
- The EFF advocates for a privacy-first approach, emphasizing the futility of age checks and the need to address data exploitation.
- Banning online behavioral advertising could significantly reduce data collection and enhance user privacy.
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