Age verification systems on the internet are gaining ground in different countries with a common requirement: asking users to hand over sensitive personal data to third parties in order to access content or services online.
The contradiction appears in the very design of these measures. They are born with the argument of protecting minors, but they concentrate private information in databases that become a target for leaks, cyberattacks, and misuse, incidents that have already occurred on several occasions.
Age verification forces the surrender of sensitive data to browse
Lawmakers in several countries are implementing regulations that force online age verification as a requirement for accessing the internet or certain digital spaces. This model transfers the reception and processing of especially sensitive personal information to companies or intermediaries.
The accumulation of this data adds a new point of risk. When information is centralized, the interest for attackers increases, as does the possibility of reuse for purposes other than the initial one for which it was collected.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, known by its acronym EFF, an American non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status and supported by its members, intervenes in this debate. The entity maintains a campaign against age verification and against mandatory identification systems on the internet.
EFF maintains that the regulations also expand censorship and surveillance
The organization works with lawmakers to promote alternative policies, develops public education tasks, and opposes age verification proposals in different countries. Its position stems from a double objection: the exposure of private data and the political use of these regulations.
EFF states that the new restrictive regulations also serve to justify government censorship mechanisms and to expand digital surveillance. In this context, the discussion is no longer limited to minors' access to content, but extends to the control of identity online.
The entity sustains its activity with contributions from its members and points out that donations can be deducted from taxes as permitted by law. Furthermore, it has received top ratings from Charity Navigator since 2013, a fact that the organization presents as a guarantee of external oversight.