Over the past few months, we’ve watched an unprecedented push for age verification laws. Verification to use social media. Verification to access certain apps and services. And now? Colorado and California are leading the push for your computer, tablet and phone to report your age as well.
The technical hurdles aside, it bears asking: why is this happening? Where are all of these efforts coming from? Why now? Why all at once?
We need to start looking past the stated reasons and start asking questions.
The push for age verification is global
I recently published a story about the push from California and Colorado to require all operating systems to impose age verification on their users.
In that story, I focused just on those two states without realizing that the efforts aren’t limited to the United States.
A few days ago, I learned about yet another push for verification at the operating system level. In September of 2025, Brazil passed Public Law No. 15,211 which requires age verification for all operating systems as well.
The penalty for violations is roughly $9.5 MILLION. Per infraction. Wow.
And what’s worse? Brazil’s law doesn’t allow users to merely self-report an age. It requires some form of actual verification. That’s a slippery slope to tyranny.
Brazil’s law isn’t coming. It’s already passed and ready to be enforced.
New York now has a similar bill also.
So many countries. So many jurisdictions. Why is this push happening? Who’s coordinating it?
We need to start asking questions.
Don’t let good intentions hide consequences
“But this is all to protect the children!” you say. Yes, dear reader. That is the line we’re being fed. We’re told that laws like these are needed to keep children away from sites, apps, services and people that are harmful for them.
To be clear, that would be an honorable goal if indeed that were the only motivation for these laws. There are people, places, apps and services on the Internet that no human should ever be exposed to. Especially not children.
But have you ever noticed how often “but think of the children” is used as an excuse for bad legislation?
A bill or law written with the best of intentions that can be misused is a bad law.
That’s the reality we’re faced with here.
I truly believe that many of those pushing age verification systems at the operating system level truly believe that they’re doing what’s right to protect kids. But they seem to be failing to understand the degree to which these systems are installing the plumbing for digital surveillance.
It won’t stop with your age
If you’ve been paying attention, you know that there have been multiple (ostensibly) separate pushes for the establishment of a digital ID around the world. We’re told that such a system is in our best interest, would help improve security, etc etc.
I don’t buy it.
What does age verification have to do with the push for a digital ID? Everything. See, these laws won’t stop in their current form.
Right now, all that’s required in California and Colorado is for a user to select an age bracket when he creates his account in Windows, macOS or Linux or on his iPhone or on an Android device. But there’s no mechanism to confirm that the age the user selects is accurate. New York and Brazil demand some form of actual verification.
So I expect to see in the near future legislation that goes further and requires operating systems to verify the user’s age. Maybe through a face scan. Maybe by taking a picture of a government-issued ID. But soon even that wouldn’t be good enough.
Face scans can already be faked. And a picture of an ID? How is the OS to verify that’s even legitimate?
“No,” I expect legislators to say. “We need to verify the user’s age with an external resource so we know.” Enter, digital ID.
If that happens, you can say goodbye to privacy.
That would be a totalitarian regime’s dream scenario.
Linking to a digital ID system would mean everything you do on your computer is trackable and can be tied right to you. Gone would be the days of being able to fight tyranny or have free speech.
“I don’t have anything to hide,” you say. And I hope you don’t, dear reader.
But you don’t until you do. What happens when a political power wants to crack down on speech, as we’ve seen in parts of the world? What happens when a regime seeks to punish its political opposition?
That’s a scenario we’ve seen play out over and over throughout human history, and we’re walking right into a net that gives more power to those who would abuse it.
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions
Protecting kids online is a good goal. One that I support wholeheartedly. If I had my way, much of what is legal online would be gone entirely. For everyone.
Age verification laws, I have to believe, are often well intended. But a law that can be misused is a bad law. Full stop.
The good intentions of some proposing such legislation can’t outweigh the draconian nightmare that will be the inevitable result.
These laws, in their current form, are the legislative equivalent of putting the frog in the water with the heat off. Soon enough, the heat is turned up.
Today, there’s no requirement for operating systems to verify that users are being honest about their age. But you know that won’t be the end of the story.
We have seen over and over how these kinds of laws act as a tightening noose. Legislators take a good goal and use it as an excuse to impose surveillance or restrict freedoms.
And if there’s one thing we’ve seen, when something like this gets started, it doesn’t stop. No matter which party is in power. This isn’t a left wing or a right wing issue.
We need to wake up and realize that before it’s too late.