When No ID Means No Internet
EFF argues age-verification laws requiring government ID block millions without documents from internet access and expression.
An Electronic Frontier Foundation analysis argues that age-verification laws requiring passports, driver's licenses, or similar documents exclude people who cannot prove their age. It cites Australia's under-16 social media account ban, the UK Online Safety Act, India's DPDP parental-consent rules, age-verification statutes in more than half of US states, and an EU expert recommendation to bar under-13s from social media. The post notes about 850 million people globally lack ID, including many in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and that roughly 15 million US adult citizens lack a driver's license while 2.6 million lack any government photo ID. EFF says these rules create unequal access to information and online expression, not only privacy risks.
- Australia, the UK, India, many US states, and the EU are expanding age checks.
- About 850 million people worldwide lack official identification, mostly in lower-income countries.
- Roughly 15 million US adults lack a driver's license and 2.6 million lack photo ID.
- EFF says document-based age gates harm privacy, expression, and equal access to information.
From the original article
5 min read at eff.org
This post was co-authored by Sheila B. Lalwani , a doctorate student and recent COMPASS Fellow hosted by EFF. Age verification proposals are often presented as a simple tradeoff: sacrifice a little privacy to better safeguard children online.
By DASD · eff.org
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.