Hi, I am over 18 in Australia and Substack is blocking me from accessing anything due to the new internet laws, unless I verify my age with GovID or face scan which I’m not going to do.

Disclaimer (no need to read if you’re cool): My politics aren’t relevant but since it has to be said here apparently, no I’m not an “alt right person trying to bypass hate speech rules”. This is literally just to access information, not even to post anything. I also am not interested in why I shouldn’t care about giving my info over. Please let’s keep it on topic.

Every other service somehow used AI, fingerprinting, linked accounts, device info, location data, activity etc to determine my age. Not creepy at all. But at least I didn’t have to give over my ID or biometric data.

But Substack in all its wisdom has somehow determined that I’m under 18 and won’t let me in now, even with VPN set to other countries (idk how). What’s ironic is 1. Apparently Substack wasn’t even on the list of platforms subject to the laws, and some people (yes, many Australians, particularly on Reddit, have complained about the exact same situation, Substack being the only company to do this to them) suspect they are doing this as a form of malicious compliance (as a form of protest against the laws, which they know will lead to complaints that might contribute to the laws being overturned), since 2. Substack have been open about opposing this legislation. But that’s neither here nor there I guess, just maybe kind of relevant to figure out what’s going on.

Anyway, this isn’t a free speech thing, so you can set aside your pitchforks. I just want access to the news and blog posts I follow on Substack. Maybe there’s some way that doesn’t involve the app on my phone but I’d rather make it work in that way since that’s what I use the most, get notifications on and is most convenient for me

Thanks and sorry if My tone sounded aggressive or anticipating pushback, I am very used to it