Techdirt The Problems With Age Verification
Apr 22, 2025
Eric Goldman, a law professor specializing in online child safety, discusses the paradoxes of age verification laws. He critiques the 'segregate and suppress' strategy, arguing it overlooks privacy and security concerns. Goldman highlights that age verification often harms youth engagement, pushing users to unsafe alternatives. He stresses the diverse needs of children, advocating for more nuanced policies that prepare them for the realities of the internet. The conversation calls for collaboration among stakeholders to create effective regulations.
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Segregate and Suppress Explained
- Laws targeting child online safety often use a "segregate and suppress" approach which splits users into adults and children.
- This approach has profound consequences that are often overlooked in policy debates.
Online Age Verification Risks
- Age verification online demands more private info than offline due to data storage and potential for misuse.
- Privacy risks and security vulnerabilities make online age verification inherently dangerous.
Third-Party Age Authenticators Risk
- Privacy risks increase when third-party authenticators collect data for age verification.
- Even if websites receive only a simple token, authenticators remain major privacy and security targets.