10 (Not So) Hidden Dangers of Age Verification

The Year States Chose Surveillance Over Safety: 2025 in Review

2025 was the year age verification went from a fringe policy experiment to a sweeping reality across the United States. Half of the U.S. now mandates age verification for accessing adult content or

Age-verification laws are just VPN tutorials

On July 25, the day the United Kingdom activated the first phase of its Online Safety Act, requiring any website with sexually explicit…

The Age-Gated Internet Is Sweeping the US. Activists Are Fighting Back

Half of the country now requires age verification to watch porn or access “harmful” content. Digital rights advocates are pushing back against legislation they say will make the internet less safe.

Age verification: Child protection or privacy risk?

With more platforms and governments asking for age verification, we look at the options and the implications.

Age verification on porn sites is putting queer adult industry workers at risk

The laws requiring digital age checks — sold as child protection — are tanking the income of adult industry workers, risking their safety and even forcing them out of business.

Age Verification in the US

We continue to block access to Pornhub in more states that have passed age verification laws.

‘Age Verification’ could force trans people to out themselves to use the internet

Automated online ID checking systems add new potential dangers to having a mismatching ID.

Who’s Harmed by Age Verification Mandates?

Age-verification laws may sound straightforward to some: protect young people online by making everyone prove their age. But in reality, these mandates force users into one of two flawed

Age verification is coming for the internet — and it’s already raising red flags

Legislative efforts to age-gate parts of the internet are gaining traction. Some experts warn of compliance complications and data security breaches.

Who Really Sees Your ID When You Verify Your Age Online? - Intercede

We’re asked to prove our age online more than ever before. Whether we’re accessing social platforms, buying age‑restricted products, or visiting sites that require identity checks by law. Age verification has quickly become a standard part of the digital experience. But as these systems spread, so do the questions around what really happens to the … Continue reading ""

Mandatory age verification for pornography access: Why it can't and won't ‘save the children’ - Zahra Stardust, Abdul Obeid, Alan McKee, Daniel Angus, 2024

Age verification is currently gaining traction among some western democracies as a means to restrict minors’ access to online pornography. In this article we co...

438 Experts Said Age Verification Is Dangerous. Legislators Are Moving Forward With It Anyway. - Above the Law

From the seems-like-someone-should-pay-attention? dept

Hackers Expose The Massive Surveillance Stack Hiding Inside Your “Age Verification” Check

We’ve been saying this for years now, and we’re going to keep saying it until the message finally sinks in: mandatory age verification creates massive, centralized honeypots of sensitiv…

Online Age Verification: Government Legislation, Supplier Responsibilization, and Public Perceptions

There are widespread concerns about the online harms to children operating online. As such, governments have enacted laws to require online service providers to deploy age verification to prevent such harms. We investigate the following three research questions regarding this topic: (1) To what extent have different governments legislated age verification controls? (2) Do governments embrace a responsibilization strategy when it comes to online age verification? and (3) How does the UK public feel about online age verification legislation? We find that governments are applying a responsibilization strategy, which has led to widespread deployment of privacy-invasive or ineffective age verification. The former violates the privacy of underage users, with the latter undermining the overarching aims of the legislation. We have also found general disengagement and a lack of trust in the government amongst the public with regards to new online age verification laws within the UK. To conclude, despite governments globally looking to put more robust online age verification mechanisms in place, there remains a general lack of privacy preservation and affordable technological solutions. Moreover, the overarching aims of the online safety and age verification legislative changes may not be satisfied due to the general public stakeholder group's disengagement and lack of trust in their government.

Age-Verification Laws Seek to Erase LGBTQ+ Identity from the Internet

Age-verification laws are weaponized to censor LGBTQ+ and abortion-related content online under the guise of protecting children from porn.