Drew Harwell

Drew Harwell, a tech reporter at The Washington Post specializing in online platforms and privacy, dives into the controversial rise of online age verification laws. He discusses various methods used for age checks, including ID scans and AI tools. The implications of recent Supreme Court decisions are explored, highlighting their impact on small websites and user privacy concerns. Drew raises alarm about data security and the unintended consequences for adults wrongly locked out of sites. He questions whether these measures genuinely protect children amidst a landscape of patchy regulations.

Drew Harwell, a tech reporter at The Washington Post, dives into the surge of online age verification laws now affecting half of U.S. states. He discusses various age-check tools like ID scans and AI algorithms, raising concerns over privacy and surveillance. Drew reveals the implications of recent Supreme Court rulings and how compliance is reshaping content accessibility across platforms. He highlights alarming security breaches in age-verification services and the unexpected traffic shifts between compliant and noncompliant sites.