I recently wrote about the data harvesting reality behind age verification on my professional blog. But this isn’t just a tech issue — it’s a human rights issue. And there are things we can do about it right now.
Let me be blunt. Age verification — the kind being pushed through parliaments right now in the name of “protecting children” — is not about protecting children. It’s about control. And once we hand over these rights, we don’t get them back.
The Problem With “Safety” Theatre
The UK’s Online Safety Act and similar legislation across Europe demand that platforms verify the age of their users. On paper, that sounds reasonable. In practice, it means handing over your identity documents, your face, or your personal data to third-party verification providers — companies with patchy track records on data security. As the Electronic Frontier Foundation puts it plainly: age verification systems are surveillance systems.
These systems are often inaccurate, frequently leak data, and create a chilling effect on free expression. They don’t just affect children — they burden the rights of every adult who uses the internet. And the technology doesn’t even work reliably. Kids will find workarounds in minutes. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left with our identities logged, linked, and stored on servers we have no control over.
Follow the Money, Not the Morals
The lobbying behind these laws is enormous — and murky. The companies building age verification technology stand to make billions from government mandates. The motivations behind this legislation are, at best, naive and at worst, a deliberate power grab dressed up as child protection.
We’ve seen where this road leads. The Five Eyes alliance — the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand — has repeatedly pushed for encryption backdoors under the same “think of the children” banner. Once those backdoors exist, they don’t stay limited to their original purpose. They get used for mass surveillance, political targeting, and the erosion of civil liberties. The abuses we’re seeing in the United States right now should be a warning to all of us.
What You Can Actually Do
This isn’t a spectator sport. Here are three things you can do today:
1. Write to your MP. You don’t need to write an essay. A few sentences in your own voice telling your representative that you oppose invasive age verification and want stronger regulation of Big Tech — not of ordinary citizens. Use WriteToThem to find your MP and send a message in minutes. If you’re in the EU, contact your MEP through the European Parliament’s website.
2. Move your conversations to Signal. WhatsApp is owned by Meta. Your metadata is harvested, your contacts are profiled, and your data feeds an advertising machine. Signal is free, open-source, end-to-end encrypted, and run by a nonprofit. Pick your three most important contacts and ask them to switch. It might take some convincing — but it matters.
3. Support the EFF. They’re fighting this fight on a global level, challenging age verification mandates in courts and legislatures. Join them.
Don’t Trade Your Rights for a False Promise
I’ve written before about how governments aren’t listening and how we need to take matters into our own hands. The same principle applies here. We can’t wait for the people in power to protect our digital rights — they’re the ones dismantling them. We can choose privacy-respecting tools. We can choose to speak up. And we can choose to stop pretending that handing our identities to corporations is the price of keeping children safe.
It’s a con. Don’t fall for it.
What Do You Think?
Have you written to your MP about age verification? Made the switch to Signal? Leave a comment below or share this with three people who need to hear it.
Stay strong. Be braver. KYAL <3
