Comment on Online age-verification tools spread across U.S. for child safety, but adults are being surveilled
Kraiden@piefed.social 21 hours agoYep, you’re not wrong. The people currently pushing for age verification are specifically doing it to destroy online anonymity, because they realise what a threat it is to them. I just want people to understand that they are peddling a false necessity. You do NOT need to give up privacy or anonymity to have a viable age verification system. Like I said in another comment:
At some point, I sincerely hope that the current regime will end and be replaced by something more sane. At that point, I don’t want people to immediately think “age verification = bad”
Lfrith@lemmy.ca 21 hours ago
I think easiest method is one that has already existed before. Just do a blanket parental internet block for ISPs and mobile providers.
Account holders who want it lifted can contact the company providing them their Internet access to do it. Or leave it in place and use a login whenever they attempt to access blocked sites.
But, there’s a reason that’s not the method proposed or used as an example with it already existing. Government wants surveillance like 1984 over their citizens and companies want to collect and sell data like Meta.
Kraiden@piefed.social 21 hours ago
What you’re describing is essentially the Great Firewall with an exemption form. It wouldn’t solve the problem of underage access to social media, and it would cause a whole slew of other, worse problems in it’s place. For so many reasons I don’t even know where to start, no!! Don’t do this!!
Lfrith@lemmy.ca 20 hours ago
Just starting it at the ISP level than a site by site basis handing over info for every site seems better to me. Its already a utility to begin with where people have to give their info, address, and payment method when they sign up. Its already a verification system to begin with.
Let households themselves decide if they want parental lock or not, and ISPs already offer parental block.
And I dont care about the social media justifications for verification anymore. You, me, and many other people accessed the Internet at a young age and turned out fine.
This hysteria of parents not wanting to take responsibility for raising and monitoring their own kids and demanding the government remove everything seems like boomers back in the day wanting games banned.
Kraiden@piefed.social 20 hours ago
Ok, lets start from an age verification POV: What you’re suggesting is at the account level. If YOU want to access social media, then everyone in your household gets access to is as well. Even if YOU decide you don’t want it, nothing stops your kid from connecting to your neighbours wifi, or going to their friends house, or even public library/cafe wifi. It will not address the core issue.
On the flip side, you’ve now given your ISP permission to decide what information you are allowed to see. Sure they may block porn, and social media, but hey, maybe “kids” shouldn’t be allowed to access information on LGBT issues, or political ideologies, or “upsetting” news about unrest at home or abroad. If YOU want to access that information, well that’s ok, we’ll just add you, along with the address of service, and all your contact information to our “whitelist”
Believe me, it’s the wrong approach
Actually there’s mountains of evidence to the contrary here. It’s pretty widely accepted now that social media is not a place for children.
In an ideal world, you’re right, parents would be responsible for protecting their kids, but we’re not in anything remotely like an ideal world. You could say the same about anything. It’s the parents responsibility to prevent underage drinking or smoking too, yet we still do what we can to restrict those at the point of sale, rather than just shrugging and going “Not my problem”