Commission to start testing EU-wide #ageverification app: The #ageverification app is expected to launch alongside the guidelines under the DSA. https://www.euractiv.com/section/tech/news/commission-unveils-plans-for-eu-wide-age-verification-solution/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=dlvr.it
Key Argument for Age Verification Laws Shot Down By Science
"Porn addiction" may be more myth than science - a key argument for those pushing for so-called "age verification" laws.
https://www.freezenet.ca/key-argument-for-age-verification-laws-shot-down-by-science/
Another big highlight: support for age verification.
"It achieves this by asking for the user birth date when signing up and checking it against the configured age. The birth date is not stored anywhere."
Love the transparency here, and focus on privacy.
Ohio lawmakers to take second crack at online age verification
Ohio lawmakers will try again to pass age verification provisions regulating technology companies, this time targeting application stores rather than individual apps.
#Ohio #Tech #SocialMedia #AgeVerification #Safety #OnlineSafetyAct
https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/136/sb167
https://search-prod.lis.state.oh.us/api/v2/general_assembly_136/legislation/sb167/00_IN/pdf/
A U.S. judge has overturned an Arkansas law that required #ageverification from all users for online safety citing restrictions on protected speech.
The law "was so vague it was unclear which social networks the law would cover". Sound familiar? The Online Safety Amendment in Australia is quite vague too, potentially applying to any service that allows communication between users. The Australian Communications Minister proposed a "sweetheart deal" for YouTube exempting it from the rules (perhaps YouTube and Google already know enough about their users...)
What impact will such legislation have on the Fediverse? EFA would like to see a broad exemption for digital communities that are not profit-based to avoid any chilling effects on Australian communities and operators, among other exemptions and wider concerns with regards to the legislation.
Australia does not have protected speech like the U.S. does, but we can draw on experiences from other countries and pay attention to both safety and human rights concerns.
A bit of sanity from the U.S.: a federal court ruled in the NetChoice v. Griffin case that a particular implementation of #ageverification is unconstitutional because it restricts protected speech of adults online by requiring ID and blocks those who don't provide it.
#Arkansas social media age verification law blocked by federal Judge
An Arkansas law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of their users has been struck down by a federal judge who ruled that it was #unconstitutional. The decision is a significant victory for the social media companies and digital #rights groups that have opposed the law and others like it
#socialmedia #ageverification
From: blenderdumbass . org
I shall complain a little bit on a stance from EFF and how I think they should be pushing harder. Not so long ago Australia decided to ban any platform where users can upload things, to anybody who is younger than 16 years. This is an ageist, paternalistic atrocity and has to be fought with viciousness. Yet EFF seem to only understand the ...
Read or listen: https://blenderdumbass.org/articles/eff_is_not_opposing_age_verification_hard_enough
Texans Might Soon Have to Show Photo ID to Buy a #Dildo Online
#SB3003 , introduced by Senator Angela #Paxton (wife of #Texas AG Ken Paxton), would criminally charge online retailers for selling “an obscene device” without verifying the buyers’ age. Sellers would have to require customers to submit their gov-issued photo ID, or use “3rd-party #AgeVerification services that use public records or other reliable sources to verify purchaser's identity & age,” the bill says.
#Germany #coalition treaty notable interim-results of the "#digital" sub-group, dated 19.03.2025
* AI buzz, e.g. cloud-based, AI-driven public administration
* "End-To-End-Digitalisation" 
* Mandatory #eID
* Mandatory #AgeVerification for social media
* 'Innovation-friendly' and 'less bureaucratic' revision of #AIAct
* Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information to become Federal Commissioner for Data Usage
* 'Innovation-friendly' revision of #GDPR
* Digital ministry
The dust is settling on the OSA and I'm still trying to figure out what it means in the longer term, both for myself and for the wider industry. #ageverification #porncensorship
Imagine, if you will, that the high-heeled dominatrix in this image is the Online Safety Act, and the attractively trampled enby is all the sexy website owners trying to figure out what the heck to do about it. #onlinesafetyact #ageverification #porncensorship
I'm going ahead with the self-hosted, open source GoCam backend. A lot of work has gone into this decision, and summarising weeks of research and collaboration is turning out to be a long job! #onlinesafetyact #ageverification
First #Porn, Now Skin Cream? ‘#AgeVerification’ Bills Are Out of Control
"Age verification laws do far more than ‘protect children online’—they require the creation of a system that collects vast amounts of personal information from everyone. Instead of making the internet safer for children, these laws force all users—regardless of age—to verify their identity just to access basic content or products. This isn't a mistake; it's a deliberate strategy. As one sponsor of age verification bills in Alabama admitted, "I knew the tough nut to crack that social media would be, so I said, ‘Take first one bite at it through pornography, and the next session, once that got passed, then go and work on the social media issue.’” In other words, they recognized that targeting porn would be an easier way to introduce these age verification systems, knowing it would be more emotionally charged and easier to pass. This is just the beginning of a broader surveillance system disguised as a safety measure.
This alarming trend is already clear, with the growing creep of age verification bills filed in the first month of the 2025-2026 state legislative session. Consider these three bills:"
First #Porn , Now #SkinCream ? ‘Age Verification’ Bills Are Out of Control
What started as a misguided attempt to protect minors from "explicit" content online has spiraled into a tangled mess of privacy-invasive #surveillance schemes affecting #skincare products, #dating apps, and even diet pills, threatening everyone’s right to #privacy.
#ageverification
#Utah Passes App Store #AgeVerification Bill Despite Constitutional Concerns
#Utah Passes First US App Store #AgeVerification Law - Slashdot
The App Store #AccountabilityAct adds to a wave of children's online safety bills advancing through state legislatures nationwide. Similar legislation has faced legal challenges, with many being blocked in courts. A comparable federal bill failed last year amid free expression concerns.
#privacy #security
