Say No to Online Age Verification

10 hours ago

Age verification systems require submitting sensitive personal data to third-party companies to access certain online content, starting with adult sites and expanding to social media and beyond.
Anonymous speech is essential for protecting vulnerable groups like whistleblowers and political dissidents; age verification leads to self-censorship and chills free expression.
Privacy is compromised as data breaches expose IDs, selfies, and other personal information, with systems enabling surveillance under the guise of child safety.
Laws mandating age verification have spread globally from Louisiana in 2023 to multiple countries, targeting increasingly broad areas like AI chatbots and VPNs.
Children's rights to access information and free speech are undermined by age verification, which restricts their ability to explore ideas and seek knowledge online.
Counterarguments highlight that age verification expands in scope, creates surveillance infrastructure, and fails to protect data, with alternatives like privacy laws and parental controls being more effective.
Action steps include contacting lawmakers to oppose age verification mandates, using provided email templates to advocate for free expression and privacy.

Hasty Briefsbeta