The EU’s age verification app is part of an emerging trend in the Western hemisphere defined by permanent monitoring, infrastructure control, and the erosion of digital device ownership and removal of anonymity spearheaded by the Commission.
Announced by Ursula von der Leyen, the framework is similar to the highly controversial Covid health pass rollout, which itself raised plenty of eyebrows.
Still, the EU positions the app as a means to protect the children by requiring social media platforms to verify the age of its users. But the approach wholly ignores the existence and effectiveness of parental control tools already embedded in all mainstream systems, platforms and applications.
These tools allow parents to manage their children’s digital experiences directly on the devices they own. By contrast, the Commission’s approach, mandates an unnecessary, complex and state-driven system, effectively shifting control away from parents and into a central bureaucracy.
Ironically, von der Leyen frames the rollout as a mechanism to empower parents, when in reality, it empowers an out-of-control bureaucratic machine.
This is not merely a technical problem, but a profound shift in power dynamics that puts device ownership into question – requiring a Digital ID as a prerequisite to access social media platforms, and potentially all communications infrastructure.
Leaving aside the fact that credit card users already go through a KYC process, which is itself a security issue for potential identity theft and loss of funds, the architecture is unnecessary and does not provide additional safety.
To the contrary, age verification laws will establish a precedent where corporations and governments can arbitrarily restrict or revoke access to purchased devices.
Coordinated global government and big tech overreach
This trend is part of a broader global pattern actively pursued by governments and supported by large platforms such as Meta, which is itself preparing for compliance.
In the United States, a new bill called the Parents Decide Act was introduced this week. The bill would require operating system companies such as Apple and Google to verify users’ real age when they first set up a phone, tablet, or computer in the US.
Apparently, this “would” stop children from lying about their age to bypass restrictions on apps, social media, and AI platforms. The device would then be locked behind this new control system, for which access could be revoked at a moment’s notice.
The full bill text has not been released yet.
Security researchers raise alarm on growing surveillance threat
In March, security researchers issued stark warnings on age verification laws, which are laying the groundwork for a global surveillance grid in their expert view.
Hundreds of academics from thirty countries signed an open letter urging an immediate halt to any kind of implementation until the significant privacy and security implications are widely understood.
They argue the proposed solution – large-scale identity verification – is dangerously disproportionate to the apparent problem and fundamentally incompatible with the open web.
The academics, including leading experts in cryptography and computer science, reject the premise that identity verification is the answer.
They state it “plain dangerous and socially unacceptable” to deploy such systems without understanding their impact on user security, autonomy, and freedom. The proposed systems would require “government-issued IDs with strong cryptographic protection for every single interaction,” creating friction and centralisation far exceeding existing parental controls, and achievable only by the largest corporations.
This raises the chilling possibility that the precedent could eventually extend to requiring licenses for owning devices themselves – sentiment echoed by users warning that the path towards mandatory device licensing is being deliberately constructed.
The call is clear: there must be a pause, a genuine scientific and technical assessment, before building mass surveillance infrastructure based on unproven assumptions.
The Western hemisphere’s rush to deploy this latest iteration of age verification controls is deeply concerning and does not pass the smell test.
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