this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2026
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[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 21 points 4 days ago

This has nothing to do with protecting children

[–] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 51 points 5 days ago

Wrong. This is to violate everyone's rights and target children. This is fucking abhorrent and needs to be stopped.

[–] DoomBananas@sh.itjust.works 89 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

If they are so dead set on protecting children, I suggest starting with:

Gaza Strip and the West Bank (Palestine) Ukraine Sudan Myanmar Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Syria Yemen Ethiopia Afghanistan Haiti Niger Mali Burkina Faso

Zuks wallet will do just fine in the mean time

[–] dansemacabreingalone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 26 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Can we stop pretend they give a single fuck about kids?

Edit: poor choice of words. Thats the only thing they give kids.

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[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 27 points 4 days ago

It will help the pedophile class and Israeli backed oligarchs mass surveil us more effectively

[–] GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world 57 points 5 days ago (11 children)

Fucking cunts won't stop. Next, it's gonna be chat control 3.0 again.

Who do we need to send to the guillotine?

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 46 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I get my porn from illegal download sites that aren't interested in age-verification.

Like all Prohibition Policies, this is only going to push people toward more illegal outlets, which demonstrate more morality than the legal ones.

[–] Soup@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago

Or, as is the case with a lot of sex work, push people into more dangerous situations.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 43 points 5 days ago

The pedophile class is tightening the noose

[–] Squizzy@lemmy.world 64 points 5 days ago (33 children)

Parents should protect children online.

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[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 23 points 4 days ago
[–] Humanius@lemmy.world 148 points 6 days ago (27 children)

From my understanding this age verification app seems to be based on the age verification blueprint they have been working on for a while now, which is supposed to be part of the European "digital wallet"

https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/eu-age-verification

From my understanding it works as follows:

  • There will be a central "authority", with which you can identify
  • This authority will provide you with tokens indicating you are 18+ (or whatever age verfication you may need)
  • These tokens are stored locally, and contain no identifying information other than a simple "is this guy 18+?"
  • You can use these tokens to verify age with a website that requires age verification

This solution does seemingly address my two greatest concern with online age verficiation:

  • You cannot trust the website, so they only get the information they need. They don't get any identifiable information
  • You cannot trust the authority, so they don't get to know for which websites and for what reason you request 18+ tokens

Assuming that this blueprint is followed, it seems like a decent approach at online age verification.

[–] Dsklnsadog@lemmy.dbzer0.com 111 points 6 days ago (12 children)

I get why this sounds better than websites directly collecting IDs, but I think it still understates the problem. Even if the site only sees “18+”, the system still begins with strong identity proofing somewhere upstream. So this is not really anonymous access, it is identity-based access with a privacy layer on top.

The bigger issue is centralization. You still need trusted issuers, approved apps, approved standards, and authorities deciding who can participate. That means users are being asked to trust a centralized framework not to expand, not to abuse its power, and not to fail. History gives us no reason to be relaxed about that.

I am also skeptical of the privacy promises. These systems are always presented in their ideal form, but real-world implementations involve metadata, logging, renewal, compliance rules, vendors, and future policy changes. “The website does not know who you are” is only one small part of the privacy question.

So even in the best-case version, this is still dangerous because it normalizes the idea that access to lawful online content should depend on credentials issued inside a centrally governed identity ecosystem. Today it is age verification. Tomorrow it is broader permissioned access to the internet. That is why I do not see this as a decent compromise, but as infrastructure for future control.

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 29 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Also once they get their foot in the door, they can remove the privacy next time they want to unmask someone online saying "I support Palestine action"

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[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 24 points 6 days ago (6 children)

The big problem is the trustworthiness of that central authority to maintain the confidentiality of your information, and to not use it for other purposes.

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[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 28 points 6 days ago

This is the intelligent non-invasive way to implement this. Basically using a similar cryptographic signing scheme as SSL certificates. We've known how to do this for decades.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 27 points 6 days ago

Hi. This system doesn't have the cryptographic properties that you think it does. The authority could keep a map between tokens and real IDs. They just say they don't.

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[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 57 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (25 children)

The motives are irrelevant. This will destroy the internet as we know it and disempower citizens. I can't help but wonder if the empowerment LLMs may have to an individual is terrifying leaders into an authoritarian mindset, finally demanding to be able to know and track what we do online, everywhere we do it. This is about protecting their ability to rule, not children from harm.

[–] IratePirate@feddit.org 17 points 5 days ago

I can't help but wonder if the empowerment LLMs may have to an individual is terrifying leaders into an authoritarian mindset

LLMs are here to enrich the rich, not to "empower the individual". They require ridiculously expensive computing power, which makes them impractical or even impossible to self-host (with data centers buying up the market, the required hardware becomes unaffordable to the individual). Now you're at the mercy of renting out the compute from the oligarchs and their companies, and you're also relying on their censored and biased models (see Grok and his "Mecha-Hitler" antics if you want a taste of the future). Please don't expect that to empower you, or anyone else. It can't, and even if it could, it wouldn't be available to you.

Unless we democratise LLMs, they'll just become yet another tool of enslavement in the clutches of the Epstein class.

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[–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 41 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I don't use apps from official software installation sources. I will boycott any site or service that asks me for unnecessary information.

[–] matlag@sh.itjust.works 14 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Until you can't because they will deploy this absolutely everywhere to "protect the children" from whatever real or imaginary threat.

[–] ThetaDecay@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago (2 children)

It will be banking that is used as the wedge for this. You'll have to use an approved device / OS / App to get access to the banking system. To protect the children.

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[–] texture@lemmy.world 69 points 6 days ago (1 children)

bad title, this isnt about protecting kids online

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 43 points 6 days ago

this isnt about protecting kids online

It never is, but they always try to sell unpopular things as "protecting the kids".

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 5 days ago

If this is not the most crooked EU Comission ever, it's a pretty close second.

[–] wrinkle2409@lemmy.cafe 50 points 6 days ago (2 children)

How about being a fucking parent instead of letting the government do it?

[–] ilickfrogs@lemmy.world 30 points 6 days ago

The government isn't doing shit except censorship and mass data surveillance. This has less than nothing to do with kids.

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[–] YerLam@lemmy.world 46 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Lotta internet users are going to suddenly be from outside the EU, just like the UK population suddenly all moved to the Netherlands after their own version of this.

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[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 30 points 5 days ago

Ewww gross. Fuck age verification

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 18 points 5 days ago

to moniter political dissidents against the right wing to be exact, and may track women as well.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 13 points 5 days ago

It's for the CHILDREN, you COMMIE!

[–] FosterMolasses@leminal.space 13 points 5 days ago

Nnnnnoooooooooo

Et tu, Bruté?

[–] webkitten@piefed.social 31 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Democracies: Hey we have to stop the onslaught of right wing populism

Also Democracies: Let's push moral policies that right wing populists thrive on.

[–] kubofhromoslav@lemmy.world 26 points 6 days ago

Sure nothing wrong can result from that. /s

[–] Ardyvee@europe.pub 18 points 6 days ago (4 children)

People keep saying that they verify your age at the super market and I keep trying to remember the last time that happened to me and I just cannot. Nor, for that matter, at bars or coffee shops (for after lunch chat chilling before returning for the afternoon stint).

It may just be my corner of the European Union being much more lax than others.

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