TLDW:
Brazil is requiring OS level age verification by march 17th, 2026.
New York about to vote on a law that would “require all manufacturers of internet-enabled devices, operating systems, or application stores to conduct commercially reason-able and technically feasible age assurance for users at the point of device activation.”
In order to “incentivize” age verification, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that they will ignore COPPA violations for software performing age verification.
Pretty soon you’ll be hearing folks say things like “why are you worried if you don’t have anything to hide” as if personal privacy has no value whatsoever. It’s a slippery slope!!!
@TriplePlaid@wetshav.ing @qwerty@discuss.tchncs.de @technology@lemmy.world
For me, a Brazilian, there’s something I must hide if I want to be employable: my occultist practices, my religion. I’m a worshiper of Lilith, surrounded by mostly Christian people. I literally heard “faux-jokes” (when people want to condemn someone, but wrapping the condemnation as a joke) tying my belief to “ending up in hell”.
Even though my legal name isn’t difficult to find through my pseudonym, you can imagine why I use a pseudonym to openly express my religion. And once digital activity is tied to my CPF (Brazilian citizen/legal identity), and I’m definitely not buying the “anonymized checking” arguments, suddenly potential employers and buyers/merchants will know I “worship the devil” and will have yet another reason to refuse hiring me or buying/selling things from/to me.
Also, some of Lilith imagery and stories involve content which is sensitive, subjected to those very “age check” laws, further making it necessary for me to comply to “age checks” whenever I want to read or write, observe or do drawings about the fundamental deity I worship.
But according to certain people, “having something to hide = must be a criminal!!!”. Because they’re likely followers of some mainstream religion which is not socially persecuted, or religion isn’t something significant in their lives.
Seriously. I’m truly tired of this world.
You close the door when you poop and you don’t broadcast your WhatsApp messages on time square.
I have nothing to hide. I also have nothing to show you.