EFF launches Age Verification Hub

Any time law-makers claim that a law is meant to protect children you can guarantee that the safety of children had almost nothing to do with it. This is all a push to normalize digital ID (to protect the children!); once normalized it will become mandatory.

I always ask myself who wins with these laws (well, any law really). so far, the only winner seems to be the government and data collectors. It seems these laws are intended to collect leverage in the long run.

Well, you just answered brilliantly to your own question. You nailed it.

Leaving room for someone to give me convincing evidence to the contrary. I didn't expect any, though.

It also lets someone who knows more than I to elaborate with more depth.

You're conflating protecting children with "protect the children!".

Required reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_Infocalyp...

Parents? Children? Schools?

I'd argue that this is negligible for data collectors and governments. Governments already know who you are and what sites you vist for 99.99% of the population. Data collectors already know who you are and have a pretty good idea of the sites you vist.

What unique information is this going to give the government and data collectors to abuse? Lets establish one case that both affects average people and is "bad" and not waste time discussing things that only affect a tiny minority of privacy minded people.

Keep in mind the law states a platform must provide multiple ways to reasonably verify a user is older than 16. No mention of giving the specific user age or requiring govt id

The internet, with verifiable identities, is the greatest system to collect kompromat that one could ask for.

Agreed, I just wanted to say I agree with your sentiment.

When they made smoke alarms mandatory in schools, it was only for selling smoke alarms! /s

That’s not the argument you think it is

https://www.consumermedsafety.org/safety-articles/how-childr...