The Paradox of Age Verification: Why Spying on Children to Protect Them is Counterproductive

Age Verification is Mass Surveillance

Mandatory age verification for internet use is not a tool for child safety, but a mechanism for mass surveillance. Because there is no technical way to verify age without identifying the user, these mandates require every internet user to submit to pervasive tracking and recording of their online activities. This creates a system where avoiding tracking is effectively illegal, providing a massive windfall to the surveillance advertising industry.

The Surveillance-Harm Cycle

Online harms to children—such as algorithmic targeting of pro-anorexia content or extreme misogyny forums—are fundamentally driven by surveillance. These harms are only possible because commercial spying collects the data necessary to prime the algorithmic funnels that target vulnerable users. Consequently, attempting to solve these harms by implementing more invasive surveillance (via age verification) addresses the symptoms while strengthening the underlying cause.

Strategic Alliances and the VPN Ban

The push for age verification often comes from an unlikely coalition of anti-Big Tech campaigners and cultural conservatives. However, Cory Doctorow notes that they are unwitting allies of the tech industry. Tech companies benefit from the increased data collection, and the subsequent move to bypass these restrictions often leads to the banning of VPNs.

Systemic Failures in Privacy Law

The current regulatory environment is ill-equipped to handle these surveillance threats:

• United States: Consumer privacy laws have not been significantly updated since 1988.
• European Union: While the GDPR exists, enforcement is often hindered by the fact that many cases against Big Tech are handled in Ireland, which Doctorow describes as a "crime haven" due to its status as a tax haven.
• Geopolitical Pressure: US tech giants, integrated with political regimes, may impose penalties on other countries that attempt to regulate their data collection practices.

The Broader Risks of Identity Data

The data collected for age verification does not remain siloed for a single purpose. There is a significant risk that identity data collected today for "child safety" will be repurposed for state surveillance. Doctorow cites examples where agencies like ICE have sought access to ad-tech and big data tools to identify and locate individuals, suggesting that age verification databases could eventually be used for state-led round-ups or concentration camps.