There is a sudden concerted international push for online age verification, and we do not know where this push originates from. That is the scariest thing about it.
Of course, it's probably also been coopted by the neverending stream of nanny-state political power grabs in both the US and EU.
The push for online age verification started gaining momentum globally, with several countries implementing regulations. Here's a brief timeline:
- 2022: The European Union introduced the Digital Services Act (DSA), establishing a framework for digital services accountability and content moderation.
- 2023:
- *France*: Passed a law requiring age verification for social media and porn websites.
- *UK*: Enacted the Online Safety Act, requiring "highly effective" age assurance for platforms accessible to children.
- *Australia*: Announced plans to ban social media for under-16s.
- *Italy*: Implemented mandatory age verification for sensitive content websites.
- *Denmark*: Proposed banning social media for under-15s.
- *Malaysia*: Required social media platforms to ban users under 16. - *EU*: Rolling out digital age verification across member states.
- *Norway*: Proposed banning social media for under-15s.
- *Spain*: Announced plans to ban social media access for under-16s.Evident when the fight against "hate" was suddenly everywhere, and also during covid.