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It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms.

The European Age Verification App is ready.

It will allow users to prove their age when accessing online platforms. Just like shops ask for proof of age for people buying alcoholic beverages.

And it ticks all the boxes:
✅ Highest privacy standards in the world
✅ Works on any device
✅ Easy to use
✅ Fully open source

More info: link.europa.eu/HmnrJc

reshared this

in reply to Earthworm 🐌

@earthworm

On the contrary. This account is labeled "EUCommission", not "EUCommission PR" or similar.

And even if it were: There is no reason at all why governmental propaganda outlets should be treated like good friends that we just love to have around.

They're not: their agenda is propaganda, including the packaging of even the most outrageous plans, decisions and laws into a language designed to normalize them.

They're part of the system, not our friends that we comfortingly put our arms around.

@EUCommission

Oblomov reshared this.

in reply to Earthworm 🐌

@earthworm interestingly this proposal does actually offer a response to the concerns raised. Although I still disagree with age verification on social grounds, the approach taken here (zero-knowledge proof: the site doesn't get any personal info, only an assurance you are over 18) is much better for privacy than any of the alternatives.
in reply to European Commission

An age verification app's back end is arguably just as important as the front end. No word on that yet.

And it goes without saying that nothing apart from the boolean "is user older than x" should be shared with a platform.

Curious to see how this plays out. Platforms wanting age verification shouldn't have to rely on infamous contractors that leak data.

But everyone is aware of the slippery slope: IDing everyone on the web isn't something we'll let happen without pushback.

@EUCommission

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to Trash Panda

@raccoon no, the EU app just reads the age information of your ID or passport. It's open source, any programmer can check it's realy this way. Maximal security, maximal privacy, maximal transparency!

Or you realy want your children to grow up watching hardcore rape scenes just clicking "are you 18 yo and older? Yes or no?" on portals, thinking this is normal?

This solution is a small compromise and doesn't hurt!

in reply to Aral Balkan

@aral @raccoon ouch! You have a PIN for your E-ID. It's not enough to put your card on your RFID - Reader. How can the bank know it's you drawing cash on an ATM?

If you let your bank card lying around with your PIN, that's stupid, cause you shouldn't wonder of your bank account is empty then!

With an E-ID AND your PIN someone can do a lot of crazy stuff. Like doing a tax return for you or report you falsly unemployed!

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68 @raccoon
>Or you realy want your children to grow up watching hardcore rape scenes just clicking "are you 18 yo and older? Yes or no?" on portals, thinking this is normal?

If your kid decides to do that and you didn't put any barriers for your kid to do that, it is only your fault and you can blame only yourself as a failed parent. Period.

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68 @raccoon So you want to live in a world where the government takes care of your kids instead of you, while using invasive regulation that doesn't need to exist. Got it.

Do you know why nobody questions alcohol/tobacco regulation and kids? Because showing your ID to a shopkeeper doesn't tie your indentity to everything you do online. The shopkeeper won't even remember your identity in a few hours.

Also if you think children cannot buy alcohol and tobacco products, and aren't bypassing the laws, you probably in an alternate universe then.

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to Phantasm

@phnt @raccoon "taking care of kids" is not simular to youth protection.

Neither does the EU app control your identity anywhere in the internet.

The one who sells alcohol or tabaco to underaged riscs to be punished by law then.

Try to discuss with facts, not with emotions and desinformation next time!

Youth protection is a matter of the state since a long time, the members of the EU agreed to outsource parts of their sovereignty to the EU and to make EU law domestic law.

Get over it, it's up to the EU, it's how it works. EU is not just to redirect money from rich EU member states as subsidies to poor EU member states. You got something wrong then!

in reply to SummerOf68

If in the future our governments decide we are living in a nazi regime (I am being hyperbolic for the purpose of an example here) are you gonna say "Get over it, it's how it works" or are you gonna do the right thing and try to fight against it the best way you can?

Because this is the beginning of surveillance state, and we are doing what we can against it, which is trying to get people to understand it.

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68 @raccoon So I hit the nail on the head regarding the world you want to live in. Educating your child on what they should and shouldn't do on the Internet is something that should be left to the governments and their age verification checks apparently. Preventing your child from going on porn sites with something simple as DNS filters and educating them on what porn even is and why they shouldn't watch it is something the government should teach them instead by showing them a "you are not allowed to view this page" error page.

There's no point in continuing this further. iPad parenting.

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68 @phnt @raccoon

> Get over it, it's up to the EU, it's how it works

Love when the mask slips off.

You know how democracy works right?

People are expected to be able to criticize their government, whether it's the national or the supra national one.

We're creating a (more) authoritarian state because some parents need to shelter their kids from the world (I hope you don't let them watch the news).

Your kids want to watch rape porn?
You tell them it's really bad stuff, you ask them if they're sure and then you offer them to watch it with them or to discuss it later with them, you fucking coward.

in reply to SummerOf68

What part of that is a conspiracy? Would have made sense to instead provide a government funded framework for parents providing them with both the tools and knowledge to parent properly and protect their children rather than requiring every adult to effectively dox themselves on the internet.

They went for the latter, why?

@SummerOf68@social.vivaldi.net @raccoon@hollow.raccoon.quest @phnt@fluffytail.org @subnetter@shitposter.world

in reply to Saorsa

@Saorsa @phnt @raccoon @SummerOf68 @subnetter

> What part of that is a conspiracy?
Mandating EVERY and EACH adult to have ALL their devices marked with their identity tied blob. Next step will be outlawing network access to any device not tied to the serf identity. IP v6 is loaded and ready for this "feature".

in reply to SummerOf68

I want parents to be parents and take care of what kids do.
It's up to parents to do the parenting and set parental control on their routers and devices.
It's not up to the EU.

And yeah it's open source, but we don't know if what they add stuff when they release the apk

If I was an alcohol drinker I wouldn't leave the alcohol cabinet open.
Same with my router, just like I can lock the alcohol cabinet I can put blocks on the router.

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68
My children doesn't have unlimited, unsupervised internet access, and are teach the risk that exist on it.

Because parents doesn't want to educate their children and prefer let them alone with screens all dayand us/chinese-based monopoly do their education, all people must now be tracked and identified ... with solutions which do absolutely nothing about the problem (which exist from _before_ internet, but doesn't seems at this age to track everyone)

Theses solutions will then be used then abused for absolutely all. Fiest porn, after social network. Then shopping, union and blog

@raccoon

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68 @raccoon you raise your kids, I'll raise mine. Kids have been seeing ugly stuff forever. There is nothing delivered on a computer screen that will hurt a child. If they are mature enough to find it, they are mature enough to cope with it. If that terrifies you, supervise them at your expense, not mine.

Trashing anonymity online is the precursor to prosecuting thought crime.

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68

Hardcore rape scenes are not on legitimate sites that will comply with these age verification laws. Rape, death and violence videos are on illegitimate websites though, which won't comply with age verification. This law will TRY to keep kids away from moderated legitimate websites, into illegitimate websites with all the nastiest videos imaginable available.

@raccoon

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68 @raccoon I watched porn at 15. It's normal. Porn has been a part of human society for thousands of years and as far as I am aware it is a healthy outlet for sexual desires, which kids will have. Obviously there are problems, but this is not a good solution.

None of this is to mention how I'm sure this will be used to restrict access to resources for LGBT kids and create frictions that platforms will use to make everything worse.

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68 @raccoon
ignoring the fact its just digital border control and can/will be used for regional lockout and DRM purposes:
tech.lgbt/@Li/1164193254438346… (as it already is in places that use it-)

but like it hurts people without ID .. as it is designed too do,

in reply to SummerOf68

@SummerOf68
Except that “rape scenes” are not the problem to begin with, it’s emotional-response optimized #doomscrolling “content” that is the problem – something that age-verification changes exactly zero about!

Yes, there are also those seeking this kind of thing out anyways (children or not), but that’s (a) a much smaller problem and (b) given a proper prior content warning, a single case of “View anyways” is generally enough to teach the lesson of why it was hidden to begin with. It’s not different from touching the hot stovetop. What we need here are broadly-available support networks to help deal with the burns.

Age verification (if done right), is merely a tool to decrease the likelyhood of eary-burns – somewhat balanced by the cost of allowing less learning possibilities. (All assuming everyone gets access to privacy-respecting, security-reviewed and non-intrusive implementions!)

I just don’t see how #age-verification is supposed to be the big game-changer.
@raccoon
#policy #parenting

in reply to Trash Panda

Hi, @raccoon The goal is actually to let you prove your age without sharing your identity with websites or platforms.
If you’re interested in how it works in practice, you can read more here:
link.europa.eu/fkGCth
in reply to European Commission

@raccoon It is impossible to check age without disclosing an identity. That means the member states and or EU offices in some way will be able to disclose the identity of a user.

This is not OK and a breach of the EU charter (again).

Function creep has always existed and will also exist in the future. You can be sure this technology will be used for other goals than the protection of children.

#goodbuyanonimity

in reply to European Commission

Can you guarantee the age information doesn't get stored?
Can you guarantee the age information isn't tied to identity?
If you can't guarantee the first, then it's not equivalent to "showing the physical ID" (the physical ID isn't copied/written down in the process)
If you can't guarantee the second, then you're not doing age verification but ownership verification/identity verification which is a different task.

Moreover:
"It is for parents to raise their children."
Then make sure parents have safe environment to do so. This means not needing them to work 24/7, losing their mind to stress so they have time to do parenting which is in fact a full-time job that can't be offloaded to anything or anyone else.

Right now the only thing you and many other "Liberal" administrations are doing is an equivalent of "building a kid's corner in a minefield" or "marking a minefield 'Adults Only'".

in reply to RawiWoof

@rawenwolf so I worked on the law for digital ID, and one of the elements in the law is enabling zero-knowledge proof. This means there should be a way for someone to attest to something about themselves with our actually having to reveal any of their personal information.

I'm wondering if this is the first actual implementation of that. If so it is extremely privacy-friendly: no personal data is shared.

in reply to Jordan Maris 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 #NAFO

@jmaris @rawenwolf It looks like an app is involved that will hold an attestation that you are of age. This only holds the attestation, no other id.

Effectively this should enable the user to request an attestation without disclosing what it's for, and hand it over without disclosing any personal information, making it perfectly private.

in reply to Jordan Maris 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 #NAFO

@jmaris @rawenwolf Bottom line it is impossible to check age without an identity check. This system will lead to function creep and it's a matter of time until member state XYZ thinks it is good idea to checkup on what user on a social media platform was not positive about a government leader.

We all know this is not OK and 'what about the children' is more often misused that really true.

in reply to Jordan Maris 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 #NAFO

@jmaris
If it's being done with zero-knowledge proof in mind, then I'm somewhat reassured that it should be harder to abuse (still not 100% sure but at least not panic mode). It of course doesn't solve the social issues but that's a different field.

It'd be better to make the ZKP mandatory so there's the privacy-preserving layer. Sadly can't check the code for this myself since I don't possess the necessary CyberSec expertise (I could at most check if there's no side-channel that could leak the ID information).

Happy to get feedback from a person directly involved with the work :vlpn_happy:

in reply to RawiWoof

@rawenwolf
I've had a closer look at the code repository if anyone is interested?

PART 1: mastodon.social/@DazRunner/116…

PART 2: mastodon.social/@DazRunner/116…


EU Commission's Digital Wallet. A closer look...

1. Individual states are responsible for the initial ID verification
2. The wallet stores educational qualifications, medical prescriptions, driver's licences and other personal data
3. The wallet is downloaded from the 'app store' ie. Google and Apple
4. The wallet will have a 'certification' badge to help stop imposter apps
5. Awareness will be spread by word-of-mouth and online eg. Ads

(continued...)

#ageverification #europe

@eff @noybeu


in reply to European Commission

can't wait to try on my PostMarketOS phone, running just Linux (no Android, no iOS) and if genuinely it "✅️ Works on any device".

I honestly hope so but until I can attest it I'll remain skeptical of that claim.

Also it's not open source until we can see the code. Making a statement without a link to the repository with the license is simply wrong.

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to Gil Pedersen

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@kanongil Huh she says it will work on "computers"? If they plan to make a desktop version, then it could indeed work on Linux smartphones.

For example I recently realized the German eID App ausweisapp.bund.de/en/open-sou… being packaged for Alpine means it's already on postmarketOS and it actually does run out of the box (no NFC on my phone yet for actual functionality though)

in reply to European Commission

Dear @HennaVirkkunen , I would like to report a 76-year-old man who should obviously not be left unsupervised on the internet and then spread Russian slopaganda to our entire Union. Can we adjust the app settings for this demographic?

Thanks.

mastodon.social/@eunews/116404…


Polish opposition admits leader wrong to suggest Hungarian PM-elect killed puppy in microwave

Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of Poland’s opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, today suggested that Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Péter Magyar, killed a puppy in a microwave, repeating a false and widely debunked online claim.

notesfrompoland.com/2026/04/14…


Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

look I'm glad you guys considered privacy, that the app is opensource, etc, but to me it seems both unnecessary and dangerous, it's a whole new system that can fail and leak in its own ways, and this puts the burden of identifying on EVERYONE instead of the controls with parents that should be keeping an eye on their kids.

I don't have kids, and now every website is going to ask me personal details. No thanks. I guess I'll just selfhost everything then, just like the kids would?

in reply to Anthropy

@anthropy
Better than the alternatives, investigated the code and documentation bit that it was in it's design safe, if everything follows the design, I found 2 points of failure that could store data without permission, the initial registration step, gotta trust them to not store the data if you don't use something like BankID, second one is the checker, gotta trust it to not store your key (even if it's anonymized, it's consistent). May have changed since I checked.

Should not store shit like the US companies, the anonymous ID database should not be storing any personal info from what I saw.

Big minus for relying on the Google Play API instead of the generic that works on GrapheneOS etc, at least when I last checked. It's reliant on a US company using that.

Not needed in the first place my opinion tho, hopefully it's just a non-corporate decentralized option IF a country decides to add those laws.

in reply to Anthropy

@anthropy this is all strange. You need to prove your self, but at the same time you are taking the responsibility that social networks should have … the balance is tending to much for one lobby side …
Seeing some quotes of Everyone Is Lying to You for Money. How do intend to do w crypto ?
Oh please sir you that are doing some strange things with Crypto can you please verify yourself 😬🤦‍♂️.
For perpetrators, criminals , will simple bypass
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

For the record I never installed the Covid app you talk about in the link.

And I am also a parent. There's a simple way not to have kids on social media: give them a dumbphone instead of a smartphone.
And set up parental control on their devices.

If you wanted to do something meaningful you should have regulated all services and telecom providers to include advanced rules for parental controls.

#AgeVerification #EUPol

Leander Lindahl reshared this.

in reply to s1m0n4

@s1m0n4 Your kids do (at least I hope so) leave your house and visit friends. They (at least I hope so) go to school.

Unless you lock your kids at home, or you live with them in some religious walled garden or something, you don't have the choice to hide the world from them. The only choice you have is whether you build trust and have them share their experiences with you, or you don't and they hide their experiences from you.

in reply to Nik | Klampfradler 🎸🚲

@nik middle schools in France do not allow smartphone usage inside the building. My kids can, of course, check what their friends do on their phones outside school, but they don't have an account of their own on social media.

And I do not intend ti shield them 100% from images and videos on SM. I saw things I shouldn't have too when I was young. My goal is to not have them develop an addiction and protect their mental health.

in reply to European Commission

No, it's not just like shops.

1. The shop keeps no record.
2. The shop only asks those that look young,

On the internet, any age verification results in everyone's details being stored and most of the companies are not trustworthy. The info will be sold or leaked.
It will be used for surveillance.

"It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms."
So do no age verification. OTOH hold web sites and apps to the same standards as TV, Radio, billboards & print.
Fine them!

in reply to European Commission

Being able to authoritatively prove adulthood without revealing any other personal information is a useful capability. However, age-gating the Internet is a terrible idea that risks accelerating surveillance and removing the human right to privacy in digital spaces.

A better solution: fund education of parents on digital risks and tools, education of children on digital literacy, and promotion of on-device parental controls. The obligation here is the guardian’s.

in reply to Jeremiah Lee

@Jeremiah
Indeed.

#EFF @eff have a useful piece (dated 1 year ago) on the #AgeVerificationApp of the #EuropeanUnion and more globally on #AgeVerification mandates, although an update with the current implementation choices would be welcome.

eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/age-…

in reply to European Commission

Nicht schon wieder die Kinder bei eurem Mist vorschieben. Ich kann das langsam nicht mehr hören.

Haltet ihr uns als Eltern nicht für mündig genug? Aber kann es sein, dass es euch vielleicht gar nicht darum geht, sondern nur um mehr Kontrolle?

Wie komme ich jetzt bloß auf solche Gedanken? 🤔

Bin auch sehr gespannt, wie die App dann so auf einem Linux-Phone läuft. Geht ja angeblich überall. 🐧 📱

in reply to Scapigliato 🚲

@francescotocci Manco a dirlo ed è già successo: x.com/paul_reviews/status/2044…
in reply to Scapigliato 🚲

@scapigliato beh l'hacking è stato fatto in due minuti perché il codice è open source e il tipo non ha dovuto impiegare mesi a fare reverse engineering. Finché non raggiungerà una maturità sufficiente nessuno si sognerà di rilasciarla e adottarla, mi risulta che sia ancora un proof-of-concept.
Al di là della questione tecnica, risolvibile, non credi sia necessario inibire alcuni contenuti ai minori? Si lo so, ci sono le VPN, ma perché allora non vendere anche alcool ai dodicenni?
in reply to Francesco Tocci Ⓥ🇪🇺

@francescotocci Non penso che la soluzione per vietare qualcosa ai minori sia quella di controllare tutti a prescindere e poi decidere. Oggi puoi vietare qualcosa ai minori ma domani? Chi dice che non mi verrà vietato altro? Non viviamo molto lontani da politiche con derive pericolose.

Trovo un po' benaltrista l'esempio dell'alcol (scusami se mi permetto). Inoltre la presenza fisica è diversa da quella digitale.

in reply to Scapigliato 🚲

@scapigliato figurati, scambio civilissimo. Capisco la preoccupazione per un eccessivo controllo dello stato sui cittadini, ma a mio parere questa app, se implementata e usata con criterio non è particolarmente rischiosa. La società è in una mediazione continua tra controllo paternalistico (o autoritario) e libertà individuale. Mi sembra che qui siamo in una via di mezzo accettabile.
in reply to Francesco Tocci Ⓥ🇪🇺

@francescotocci l'apertura verso queste soluzioni è un facile lascia passare a controlli sempre più rigidi. Oggi molto passa dal digitale e non è difficile pensare che tutto può essere visto come "potenzialmente pericoloso". È come volere un poliziotto a ogni angolo per una società più sicura.

Inoltre le scelte di cosa controllare passano dalla politica di chi governa. Oggi non abbiamo niente da nascondere. Ma domani?

in reply to Scapigliato 🚲

@scapigliato mi rendo conto che l'esempio dell'alcool era buttato lì un po' a caso. Elaboro: il divieto di vendita alcool ai minori (con richiesta di prova dell'età) è parernalistico e spesso inefficace. Infatti per un minore non è così difficile accedere ad alcoolici, se si impegna. Il divieto e le sanzioni però circoscrivono questi comportamenti in un'area grigia, che la società sanziona come illecita, già questo aiuta a non normalizzare questi comportamenti, ma a scoraggiarli.
in reply to European Commission

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Advertising X in your page footer... Vouching for X. School children writing essays on the EU and visiting the commission web site are encouraged to "follow you" on X. You give X your seal of approval.
Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

"It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms."

Then don't make a damn app and leave parents and kids alone. It is that simple. You could instead:
- Raise awareness of privacy and security issues for kids (and users, in general).
- Educate kids in schools about responsable use of electronic devices.
- Just ban roblox and other pedo-infested platforms. Seriously. Predators don't hide in signal DMs precisely.
- Start reducing dependency on foreign private digital platforms that ARE out of your control and don't care about sanctions.
- Invest more resources on secure and free software that you can actually control.

#ageverification #FOSSwashing

in reply to ⁂ Jnk ∞ 📎

@jnk and I would add. Block Snapchat. It has become infested with sales of illegal drugs, illegal Vapes, children are being beaten up for sharing videos about it on Snapchat, children are being recruited for crime on the platform. While #snapchat washes their hands, yup privacy .. we can't see that stuff.
Snapchat is an enabler or better turbocharger of too much bad/illegal stuff. It must be banned.
in reply to European Commission

Today's not 1st of April. You're trying to enter our chats, profiles and track us online, make the web worse and more dangerous that it needs to be. You want control without a real reason apart capitalism and power.

Tell us why you did this. Tell us why we need it. Tell us it's the best you can think of. Tell us the science that can backup this choice. Show us scientific data that proves that this solution is the better one. 1/X

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)

reshared this

in reply to dunklecat

Disclose the ones that will really benefit from this, all of them. Tell us everything. And then, and only then, we will be able to talk about this. Don't think we're stupid. Don't think we're going to be silent about this. Don't think you know more than we do. We know what our children need. We know what our children wants. And we have some ideas about why you need less privacy, less security and more power over us.

2/X

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)

Davide_Sandini reshared this.

in reply to dunklecat

Let's build a safer, privacy-focused, secure internet for everyone together. It will be a long process. It will need willpower. It won't be easy, but we need to do it.

We need to abandon all applications that don't put the user at their centre. We need you to leave X, we need you to leave Meta. We need you to leave them. We need you to share your Peertube instance. We need you to share Mastodon more on your site. We need to share and build safer spaces using libre software. 3/3

in reply to European Commission

Because no link to the application was posted, I assume its this github.com/eu-digital-identity… & github.com/eu-digital-identity….

Either way, Age Verification on the Internet as a concept is dangerous and many scientists have warned of it already in an open-letter.

We don't need Age Verification technology to protect children, we need regulation of big tech to reign in on maliciously created algorithms and practices.

And don't weaken the protections we already have with Omnibus.

This time around it's an L for you, EU.

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

❓ "Highest privacy standards in the world"

You have merely claimed to have done threat modeling in the course of an "internal design process". To this day, you haven't published any related documents. "Trust me" and vague assertions don't prove anything.

What is currently published, though, rather diminishes trust, like your "important note" on PINs:

»To enhance security, it is strongly recommended that the allowed PINs raise the overall security level. Sequential or easily guessable patterns (such as "135246 or "147258") should not be permitted. Additionally, it is advisable to check against a list of the most commonly used or "pwned" PINs to prevent users from choosing weak credentials.«

❌ "Works on any device"

"To enable online age verification, the User is required to install an AV app on their mobile device."

You have openly stated in 2025 already (and bluntly closed the related issue on GitHub as "completed"): "The project is currently focused on mobile platforms, specifically Android and iOS, as these cover the vast majority of end users and use cases. Desktop support is not in the current scope of the project, but we will take this suggestion on board."

No desktops, no de-googled phones.

That is: you are lying straight to our faces, here.

❓ "Easy to use"

Again, from your current "important note":

»This white-label application is a reference implementation of the Age Verification solution that should be customised before publishing it. The current version is not feature complete and will require further integration work before production deployment.«

How is ease of use, let alone accessibility, tested for a "white-label application [sic]" that isn't even customized?

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)

reshared this

in reply to Penguin Rebellion

I'd encourage you to actually share your thoughts with the commission, because nobody involved will see them here!
commission.europa.eu/about/con…
in reply to European Commission

Dear #Zensursula,

fixed that for you:

"It is for parents to raise their children. Not the total #surveillance state. But since we don't care for children and use this sentimental bs only as cover up for our totalitarian dream:

The European #BigBrother App is ready.

It will allow us to follow your every step. Every move you make. We'll be watching you.

Just like China asks for proof of good behavior for people trying to access services like finance, travel or entertainment."

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

So to everyone replying here
I know this just asks for mockery and outrage. Rightly so. But be sure noone with actual weight will read any comments you leave here You can ask europe direct for clarification about any concerns you might have here: european-union.europa.eu/conta…, or check for other forms of contact here: commission.europa.eu/about/con…
If you want to complain it then do as I did, and at least direct your complaints somewhere they will possibly be read.
in reply to European Commission

@European Commission

Because we will have zero tolerance for companies that do not respect our children's rights. And this is why we are moving ahead with full speed and determination on the enforcement of our European rules. We are holding accountable those online platforms that do not protect our kids enough.

🤣 really? This is ridiculous. You don't hold platforms accountable for the bad they do to society. You have a lot of tolerance for companies that does not respect children's and adults human rights. Everybody knows that all this system was not developed to "help children" but to track citizens in future updates.

in reply to ArtistSynth - Ahora en NeoPaquita

@ArtistSynth making platforms accountable for third-party content is a mistake, that will cause over blocking and censorship, it will make platforms speech police, judge and executors. It's anti-democratic.

What we need is to create conditions and requirements for the implementation of moderation policies, and systems (including cooperative), transparency and community engagement. Also, leave to the courts deciding what is actually illegal or not.

in reply to European Commission

#Linux support? Where is the actual link to the source code repository?

That being said, age verification is a terrible idea and I'm saying that as a parent of kids in the age bracket that you are so worried about! Regulate the huge social media corporations properly instead of acting like they're only problematic for minors.

I fear you'll just end up killing Linux on the desktop or smaller online forums or similar.

in reply to European Commission

"They are personal digital wallets that allow citizens to digitally identify themselves, store and manage identity data and official documents in electronic format. These documents may include a driving licence, medical prescriptions or education qualifications. Thanks to the wallet, all citizens will be able to prove their identity where necessary to access services online, to share digital documents, or simply to prove a specific personal attribute" 🤨🤐🫣

digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/…

in reply to European Commission

If "it is for the parents to raise their children", why do we have an ID verification app?

It is open-source, but is the back-end?

Highest privacy standard?
With #digitalomnibus I doubt that.

Just do not interfere with the privacy and usability of internet due to incompetent parents.

Also, what use doea ID verification app have when parents can it so their child can access the net?
Or the children using it without the knowledge of their parent?

in reply to European Commission

Why is it not open source? You published the interoperable Europe Act. You published an open source strategy and have an open source programme office. Experts could easily verify it, it would be easy integrate-able in European software and help non-European countries to establish a secure, privacy-preserving, non-tracking own app.

@EC_OSPO

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

Do you understand what you are doing? What freedoms you are quietly eroding? What for?

There is nothing more private then just having NO IDAV in place.
I dont trust you to keep my data safe just as I dont trust anyone.

It is obvious you want to protect children from harm, but what is verification of age now, is soon gonna be "passport please", and then you get arrested for a opinion on the internet.

Welcome to North Korea.

in reply to Helen LH

Hi, @Research_FTW thank you for your comment. Holding platforms accountable is key and EU rules like the Digital Services Act already address this. Age verification is meant to complement that and not replace it, especially when it comes to protecting younger users. More info here: link.europa.eu/gbRf9h
in reply to European Commission

Age -gating restrictive mandates strike at the foundation of the free and open internet. They are tools of censorship, used to block people from viewing or sharing information that the government deems “harmful” or “offensive.” And they create surveillance systems that critically undermine online privacy, chill access to vital online communities and resources, and burden the expressive rights of adults and young people alike.
eff.org/issues/age-verificatio…
in reply to cgnarne

@cgnarne they are already regulated (EPrivacy, Internet Society Services Directive, GPDPR, DMA, DSA, AI Act)... What's missing is way faster, more transparent action by the regulators, including the EU Commission.

The legislation that exists is nor perfect, and might need some improvements, but the Commission is actually proposing making it mostly worse, not better.

@EUCommission

in reply to Luka Rubinjoni

Hi, @rubinjoni. Platforms already have responsibilities under the Digital Services Act when it comes to protecting users, including minors.

This solution complements those efforts by giving users a way to prove their age online while protecting their privacy. More info here: link.europa.eu/gbRf9h

in reply to Kenner

Hi, @kennergf .

Parents play a key role in keeping children safe online.

That is why the Commission also engages with parents, young people and educators to better understand their perspectives. For example, a Special Panel on child safety online was held recently to discuss how to make the digital environment safer for children.

The aim is not to replace parents, but to help ensure that children can enjoy the opportunities of the online world in a safe way.

in reply to Kenner

@kennergf
"Works on any device".

Amazing not only will it work on my PinePhone running mobian but even better it will work on my primary phone, a dumbphone with RAM counted in megabytes.

I am also looking forward to trying to use it on my Iyonix. Although I might need to upgrade to a later version of RISC OS.

At least I will not have to buy an Android or Apple device ever again.

/s

#mobian #riscos #pinephone #dumbphone

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to Eggs now in different baskets.

@kennergf Replying to myself.

So if this is a reference design that does not require hooks into other operating systems, particularly Android/iOS then it is to be applauded.

The issue is really if the apps that a created by individual governments are limited to certain devices.

If the Linux community can build a FOSS app that works with the age verification systems of EU governments then, while age verification is not ideal at least #digitalsovereignty can still exist.

in reply to Anarchic Teapot ⚧️

Hi,@anarchic_teapot The comparison is just an example to illustrate situations where age needs to be confirmed.

The focus here is on enabling that online in a way that protects users’ privacy by only confirming age, not identity.

More information: link.europa.eu/fkGCth

in reply to European Commission

@anarchic_teapot
Dear EU Commission, please answer one very simple question.

Will everyone have to own an Android or iOS device in order to be able to use the age confirmation system?

Some of us really do not use either and do not wish to be forced to use them either.

#digitalsovereignty

in reply to European Commission

you guys might want to read this thread: cosocial.ca/@mhoye/11640871041…


Age verification is a deliberate attack on system sovereignty, both for individuals and countries. There’s no “age verifcation”, there is only “identity verification that includes age”, and the system doing that verification is not just a privacy-invasive user tracking system but a remotely controlled off switch for anyone of any age.

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

Please stop publishing lies about this.

The code WILL NOT run on ANY device.

My primary phone is a recently purchased 4G dumb phone with no internet capabilities and RAM measured in megabytes.

It is a device.

It does what I need it to do and I expect to get ten years worth of use out of it.

I cannot install any apps on it.

Who will make this code run on my dumb phone so that I am not forced to buy a smartphone with an OS developed in the US?

#digitalsovereignty

Questa voce è stata modificata (4 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

From the EU statement "Social media platforms offer highly addictive designs – infinite scrolling that is feeding the addiction, short videos snap attention span, highly personalised content, targeted. "

So fix the bloody platforms that harm our children first.

Making adults compensate for a lack of regulation by the EU of the digital market place by forcing them to constantly ID themselves is addressing the wrong set of issues.

#digitalsovereignty #surveillance #chatcontrol

in reply to European Commission

This renders internet services unusable for adults as well! Why would I trust my personal data to a random BigTech company?
And no, no adult looking like an adult is asked to provide an ID when buying alcohol. And even if, this data would not be stored somewhere.

Please try to solve the problem at the root and control THEM (Big Tech), not us! You have the DSA, please enforce it!

in reply to European Commission

It is high time you lot stopped using children as an excuse for this censorship you call "age verification". Implementing age checks will only serve to drive bullying underground where it cannot be seen. The ultimate end of this policy is a society like the Soviet Union or East Germany, where everyone is under constant surveillance and anyone deemed inconvenient is taken to a basement and shot.
in reply to European Commission

“We already know that the online ecosystem is porous, insecure and routinely subject to data breaches,” said Aaron Mackey, deputy legal director of the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation. “So why would we, then, in the name of protecting people, create a whole other legal mandate that requires the collection and storage of even more personally identifying information that would be subject to either data thieves or data breaches?”
in reply to European Commission

Has anyone considered what this technology can also be used for? Like governments or websites saying "You need to verify that you are not of [religion of choice] belief." Or "Verify that your name does not sound foreign."
Age verification, even with zero knowledge proofs is a dangerous precedent to set, as it locks down the internet by default and that is the dream for any authoritarian.
Instead dear @EUCommission why not defend the free internet? As you said: "It is for parents to raise their children." Just sign into law that minors are only allowed to be given devices with child protection mode by their parents and leave the rest of us the hell alone.
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

shame on you. All child protection groups are screaming that it's a terrible idea. You're pushing children towards the dark web, you're taking their safe spaces, preventing them from learning to navigate the world of information (until 18 when they're magically no longer vulnerable). And we all have to pay for this with our privacy.

If you want to protect kids, fix the climate change and control American social networks - for everyone.

in reply to European Commission

IMHO, this approach will fail. Whatever runs on your device, especially if open source, you can manipulate at will. So there will be replacements for this App that allow you to enter any age.

Australia already shows that teenagers don't let them stop that easily.

Next step therefore will be to enforce age verification by restricting users' power and freedom over their own devices, and/or communicating back to some state/company controlled infrastructure.

#FreeSoftware #Freedom

in reply to European Commission

Age verification is not a "good idea" for anyone.
It doesn't stop youngsters from accessing ' illegal" sites, they will find a way around it, but what these laws do accomplish is:

- Everyone, will have to upload their official ID on the internet, thus exposing all *your* personal information to hackers via data leaks.

*Your ID* can then be used to do all sorts of fraudulent activities, and *you* will be responsible for untangling the mess -- it will take years , plus you will be forced to pay out all legal fees, not the website or the government.

Additionally, because the government can monitor every keystroke from your computer or other device, you could be penalized for your opinion....not to mention I don't want to live in a dictatorship like North Korea, China, or Russia --censorship is terrible for democracy.

-kids will learn how to become 'hackers' in order to circumvent law so, I ask you how does this improve the life of children or yourself?

in reply to European Commission

...but it only works with american proprietary phones so since I have an European phone I guess I am considered underage now.

What a way to throw privacy out the window. To exclude yet again children and teenagers from society, until the day we throw them inside without warning. To throw the one and best rule of the internet that gave us true liberty and made it great: never give your identity. And to help pirates have more data to steal (we know how government protects our data, we are used to being defenceless against it).

But wait its open-source !

in reply to European Commission

Now do IQ verification for car drivers.

Ten years ago I observed texting while driving once or twice daily. Today I'd be surprised if it went below 50% of the drivers. It's absurd we allow morons to operate death machines; unfortunately our "economy" is highly car centric.

Counterintuitively though, road accidents have been dropping somewhat, at least in Belgium: statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/mobi…

Nevertheless, texting and driving remains an act of morons.

@EUCommission #CarCentrism #FuckCars

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

Interesting approach to a critical problem.

Surely, it's not perfect. There real challenge is to improve it, not enshittify it.

Once again, the EU shows that regulation is the way forward on key issues, not laissez faire techbros. Time for the UK and other countries to follow their lead.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

So if this is the only planned implementation: if a European citizen wants to use an European website to communicate with other European people, he/she needs to buy special devices, involve an US operator for verification and there are no local, sovereign options like using a id card and NFC, relying on the cards cryptographic security rather than regulating the communication devices?
in reply to Valerie Aurora 🇺🇦

@vaurora Wrong. It is for governments to *regulate* these PLATFORMS.

Ban opaque algorithms designed to addict users and manipulate their behaviour, spending and beliefs thru misleading content and dark patterns.

These harm *all users* and exist only to enrich the owners of said platforms at the detriment of everyone else.

Fining the companies is not enough.. Its seen as "the cost of doing business" - they merely pay (or refuse to) and change zero harmful behaviours.

in reply to Herisson Rose

@vaurora Claiming to "protect children" is not just functionally useless / cowardly excuse to avoid meaningful change:

- Its the companies's *OWN POLICY* in disguise

- A vehicle to steamroll remaining privacy rights, because these corps despise it, and seek to harvest *more* data on us.

- Forcing everyone to give up their identity is extremely lucrative!

- It opens the door to *more* harmful and extractive corporate behaviours

- All the risks, and dangers of course, fall on us

in reply to Herisson Rose

@vaurora Helpful reminder that children are *also people*

They have human rights, including the rights to privacy, self-expression, and education.

Free and anonymous Internet access is sometimes their only social outlet, or access to comprehensive, unbiased information not filtered by an abusive, controlling or extremist parent.

Their children should not suffer, but nor should they be walled off from the greatest free and open source of information the world has ever known.

in reply to European Commission

will LGBTQ+ kids have to prove their age to read about who they are? Will everyone have to prove their age to read the news as there may be disturbing images? Will the legislative processes be age gated when discussing laws on sexual abuse, including abuse of children? Will refuge centres have contact details hidden because of the trauma they discuss? Will we need to identify ourselves to look at Michelangelo's David? Or to learn about Auschwitz?
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

This app still requires a Device ID from Apple of Google. Apple and Google control which apps enter their stores and can impose requirements on the implementation of age verification. This gives them indirect influence over how the EU app functions, which undermines the EU’s digital sovereignty. When will the EU finally start to address the real root cause of these privacy issues?
in reply to Johan Barelds 🇪🇺

...i understand the frustration some people have about this but this functionality is ment to be used. So regardless that we want to detach ourselves from the Google/Apple ecosystem it is acceptable that this app uses that platform, 99% of our citizens are there. The only real criticism possible is that it doesn't work on non-Google/Apple mobile platforms. But i know there are some real technical hurdles with regard to device security there.
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

Okay I'll bite, in the UK (Scotland) even in my mid thirties I fell foul of the challenge 25 laws. So I carried the easier to replace ID which I had to carry when driving. My driving license.

I'd often get challenged. Which meant I had to show my ID with my home address to a total stranger. When the check out guy was a man it felt unsafe

As someone who's been stalked, it's not safe showing that information to a complete stranger. Let alone an untrustworthy org like Europol.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)

reshared this

in reply to Esther Payne

@onepict The github criticism is legit, however to my knowledge the EU system uses Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) for things like age verification (meaning platforms only get a "true/false" answer for the specific question with no third party even seeing the question asked). Also the apps are really available anywhere it seems. So far I haven't heard raging opposition about the EU system in my hackspace either.

I'm carefully optimistic about this, as long as they keep the ZKP system.

in reply to Natanox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@Natanox @onepict
There is indeed reason for some optimism, especially when sth like this is a minimum baseline for privacy.
This is already in actual use:

yivi.app/

github.com/privacybydesign

in reply to Natanox 🇺🇦🇵🇸

@Natanox 🇺🇦🇵🇸 @Esther Payne @European Commission There will be 3rd parties enforcing your ID even soon once this gets trough, same as the Colorado law on even Linux. From that point they can keep invent adaptive laws and use 3rd parties of their own to enforce more digital and real life contra privacy tools.
in reply to Plan-A̵̛͈̬̥̿͋̓͛̕

@zer0unplanned @onepict For EU that's unlikely, it's in the interest of both the EU governments as well as citizens for the official eID system to be used. Places like US, UK and Australia already do the other nonsense, but they know those other systems are garbage and constantly circumvented. It's more likely they might be interested in the EU app, perhaps to fork it.

Likewise it's unlikely the EU is interested in the nonsense OS laws the US is dabbling in for multiple reasons.

in reply to European Commission

Age Verification Apps will do zero to help keep children safe. If a technology is being heavily lobbied by Mark Zuckerberg at Meta and Sam Altman at OpenID is a big red flag. Didn't you learn anything from Brexit and the Cambridge Analytica scandal!!!

If you really want to keep children safe you would keep pressure on the US to release the Epstein files and prosecute all the pedophiles involved in it.

in reply to European Commission

Liars!

Here, i'll fix it for you:

It has nothing to do with children. It doesn't help children. It doesn't help parents raise any children.
❌ Made to render any kind of privacy impossible
❌ Works on almost no device
❌ Impossible to use, without ties to unethical big tech apple and google
✅ Fully open source

edit: reported for deliberately and knowingly spreading misinformation.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

The proposal raises fundamental concerns that remain unanswered.

The comparison to offline age checks is misleading: online verification is inherently scalable, leaves digital traces, and can enable tracking.

In practice, this is not just age verification, but a layer of digital identification with clear risks of future expansion.

BTW, where is the evidence that age verification actually improves children’s safety?

in reply to European Commission

works on any device ❌ - only Android, Apple with corresponding accounts, so yes vendor lock in and platform dependent.

Highest privacy standards in the world ❌ - Not really, considering it requires face scanning. Also only pseudonymity no anonymity is guaranteed, so the same platform can easily link transactions.

What's the point in building another US-dependency that doesn't even solve any problems, as it's obviously not enforceable and also trivial to circumvent.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

Why not use the EU wallet instead of a custom app? The rumor has it that it is insecure, see cybersecuritynews.com/eus-age-…
Unknown parent

@serfdeweb the problem is "no Internet for you, then". That's what @EUCommission seems to want, to disenfranchise anyone that doesn't agree with their view on who should be responsible for children's safety online (the platforms are the party that should be thoroughly regulated, parents should be responsible for imposing limits on their children's online interactions).
The proposed app is just the backend (zero knowledge is just the best solution for a problem that the EU created), every EU member state will have it's own IDapp, and that's where most problems with privacy and safety will show up (the Google-Apple duopoly limitation, the PII leaks, etc.).
in reply to European Commission

It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms.


then what about queer children living in homophobic families ? what about if a child is a victim of abuse at home ? should we let them in harmful environments with no way of getting support or help or information until they are 18 ?

and, it's not like as soon as someone turns 18 that they magically become wise and smart and everything is good. the issues kids face online are also faced by adults, wouldn't it be more productive to regulate platforms and require proper moderation and tagging instead ?

in reply to European Commission

@European Commission

It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms.

Are you our children parents? This is taken out of context for PR reasons and it's the big tech industries or corporations that you name 'Platforms' that must take their responsibility, not the whole population even the ones without children.
This is discriminating and fascist style of merge the state with big Corps made by your own.

A crowd control system more in Big Brother Society , in fact Privacy is a Human Right!!!! So those platforms you say have to respect that and not make new rules and laws by those that were not elected.

I live in this Country but people from another Country make the laws as long they elected??? and elected by who? Do 1 of those a general election over whole EU as majority? No

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

"Works on any device"

Does it work on properly free phones - PostMarketOS, LineageOS, GrapheneOS, /e/os? Does it work on ANYTHING that's not tied to the Google, Apple or Microsoft surveillance empires?

For that matter, does it work on desktop Linux systems such as Fedora, Mint, Arch, for people who do not have smartphones?

I bet I know the answer to both questions.

What a joke.

in reply to European Commission

"It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms." ok, then it's the responsibility of parents to gatekeep their offsprings internet use, I have only been asked proof of age when buying booze once in my life, everyone else used common sense and didn't bother me, there is no point everyone having to use this platform, it should be the parents responsibility to deal with this.
in reply to European Commission

> It is for parents to raise their children

Maybe leave it up to the parents to do the parenting? It's not your 'job'.

And the source code is on M$ GitHub.
And I'm sure you've made it dependent on Google's and Apple's software, making yourself even more dependent on the US.

Have you ever considered NOT listening to US Big Tech lobbyists for your 'ideas'?

There are plenty of knowledgeable people in the EU who could give you actual useful suggestions who don't have an agenda.

in reply to European Commission

Good morning EU commission. As any day you share with us other techno contol tools that we not asked, prone to bugs, malware, rising the excuse that it's to protect childrens. As a janitor, I do not want that their safety is forever linked to an app (with all the preventivable weaknesses of the platforms where it run). Please do something for european citizens, instead to extend USA dupolies
in reply to Eugen Rochko

@Gargron If big tech cared about children they would ship devices all set-up day one and not rely on parents navigating the often impossible maze of parental controls.

Basic things often make parental controls worthless. My son had an Amazon tablet with the Outlook app installed but as it had an in app browser it removed all the search restrictions I had set up with the default browser so my son had full access to the internet.

in reply to Eugen Rochko

@Gargron with all due respect , it's easy to argue that from a purely observant perspective.

However there is clear evidence, that despite doing their best (and also not, as is always the case) parents are not able to intervene as much as they d wish,even if they know of and have all the tools to, bc there is a clear addiction-pattern instigated by cooperations.

This certainly is where responsible politics come into play.

I understand the objections,but it's not on the parents.
@EUCommission

in reply to European Commission

"any device" does not apply to:
- HarmonyOS devices
- LineageOS devices
- /e/OS devices
- postmarketOS devices
- GrapheneOS devices
- Linux Laptops
- Android devices of which Google believes they're not worthy to be used

I don't own any of your "any devices", since I prefer to keep Google out of my most personal life and data, I also plan to keep it that way.

in reply to European Commission

@European Commission You are endangering people by putting every ones life in a database and we all know one day it will be breached even with your military standards of security. So, I wonder what are you doing??? You care not for the Children that is bs, you never cared about them I remember pointing them to my local authority with no results. You just want control about our every step in life and more to come soon.

Remember one thing, on the internet .. no system is safe.
And you ask us to put ourselves vulnerable. On top spit on Privacy laws and as such human rights law.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

La misma Europa que dice estar muy preocupada por la infancia es cómplice del exterminio de decenas de miles de niños en Gaza. La infancia no os importa nada, se trata de identificar a cada persona que use internet (control de edad), y saber todo lo que dicen y piensan (chatcontrol) para poder perseguir en el futuro a toda disidencia. Ya se persigue en muchos países de la UE a quienes denuncian el genocidio y se tilda de terrorista a ecologistas por usar pintura lavable en actos
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to European Commission

Still not convinced of the need for a technical solution to protecting children online (as opposed to parenting).

However, props to the EU for their open source, cross-platform approach.

I could actually get behind this, if the initial certificate request would be a one time login to a government website, using an eID. Any validation by a 3rd party company would be a no-go.

With the cert. then containing only a boolean, this looks like a rather acceptable idea.

in reply to European Commission

if the idea is for parents to raise their children, then this is the opposite of it. Apart from the obvious that this is about tracking, censorship, control and dissolving privacy and not about children's safety in any way - what is the idea behind this? I mean, I'll have the same conversations with my children about any content, digital or otherwise. They'll need to exercise judgment and I'll need to stay involved. Trying to "automate" parenting has never and will never work.
in reply to European Commission

How about just banning children from the internet instead like a number of countries are doing right now, instead of enforcing a stupid app on the entirety of Europe that will suck for everyone and not work on all OS'es.

If this moronic idea would be put into a referendum, it would be dead and gone within a week. Just because parents don't wanna take their fucking responsibility by putting a mobile phone in the hands of their children, everyone else should not be punished.

Keep the internet free from control.

in reply to European Commission

boosting not because I approve of this, but for visibility that you’re going this route.

It’s the place of platforms to promptly police their content appropriately for each jurisdiction, not to lobby governments to push that responsibility elsewhere.

Strong legislation, strong enforcement, and fines that aren’t just treated as “the cost of doing business” are what is needed.

This app of yours may have its uses, but replacing content moderation with “prove you are 18” is not one of them in my opinion. Especially when this general approach has already resulted in device vendors locking features users have paid for (looking at you, Apple) if they choose not to verify.

in reply to European Commission

The media in this post is not displayed to visitors. To view it, please go to the original post.

What's this, @EUCommission ?
Are you trying to hide the fact that the European Age Verification App has been vibe-coded with Anthropic's LLM?

github.com/eu-digital-identity…

Unknown parent

@makdaam @raccoon Please be a bit respectful and don't insult me with "silly". Also I have to disagree. You can use a smartcard reader and use the desktop app or use the apk. There is also an fdroid version ausweisapp.bund.de/en/open-sou…
in reply to European Commission

To verify that every adult is an adult, you need to identify every adult. And children will not be protected. Age verification carries consequences that go well beyond its stated purpose.

So wow, thank you for repressing my freedom and creating an infrastructure that can be used to monitor, map, or suppress citizens. In the name of “the poor children”. What a great idea at the same time as fascism is on the rise.

in reply to European Commission

The highest privacy standards in the world can be broken in two minutes. Nothing to boast about, really.

politico.eu/article/eu-brussel…

in reply to Simon Roy Hughes 🧌 ⬋⬋⬋

@SimonRoyHughes
Elephant in room:
"Age checking" is nothing of the sort. It's 100% tracking & surveillance of all adults.

A shop selling alcohol or knives only check ID of some people and in most cases nothing whatsoever is put on computer, especially if you pay cash and don't use a loyalty card.

in reply to European Commission

"Just like shops ask for proof of age for people buying alcoholic beverages."

In real life, people can go shopping in a supermarket without an ID. It will be necessary only if they try to buy alcohol.

Generalized age verification to access a platform, whether some content should be restricted or not, is a privacy issue.

Harmful content is harmful also for adults, BTW. Most of it is just illegal activities and platforms should seriously face their own issues.

in reply to European Commission

EU commission, what we need is an app that show to us EU citizen every event of political genesis of your decision, every closed door meeting, every technical evaluation, every discussion with lobbyst, and all the economic transactions on your bank accounts. This would be a great advance in our confidence in your commitment to democracy, nobody would oppose to it. It would be democracy.
in reply to European Commission

You're burying freedom and celebrate it using the line that was an old dog whistle for reactionary politics even back when The Simpsons took it up in the Nineties - what a travesty!

Yes, parents should raise their children, but do you also know who should raise children: the rest of society! Ever heard of "it takes a village to raise a child"?

Like it or not, society is taking place more in virtual spaces than in physical ones, nowadays. Excluding youths from taking part in discussions that shape society will lead to adults that are ill-prepared to combat fake news and recruitment by the far right.

The corollary is that anybody who is speaking out against those who want to turn our society into an authoritarian one will wary of doing so in online spaces, because every message, every rebuke of a hateful message can ultimately be tracked. I don't care how super-duper your app is, once the enemies of democracy take power, the data will be there and it will be searchable.

Anonymity can be used as a cloak for evil, but more often it is a shield for the vulnerable, a way to speak up without being doxxed and harassed and a way to find information that abusers don't want you to find.

Should we try to make our children safer online? Absolutely, but there are better ways than that, unfortunately, the all cost time and money. Just shooting an app at the problem is easy and low-cost. Invest in education, invest in psychologically trained law-enforcement, invest in holding platforms responsible for their decisions.

PS: I don't have a smartphone and no webcam either. I guess I'll have to stay offline then.

in reply to European Commission

don’t understand what are we going to reach here… age verification reminds when we are young and want to go to a bar, if we are blocked we workaround and ask someone of age to buy drinks…

How do you intend to do when some pricks decide to stream online a violation at TikTok like unfortunately happens at PT??
Remove all responsibility from the social platform just because of age verification.
The problem of online is the advertising and all about 💰->

in reply to European Commission

I can't load the linked page without allowing the domain manually because it's in the Amazon spyware blocklist of Safing Portmaster. "Highest privacy standards in the world", right? RIGHT? 😉

social.linux.pizza/@pojntfx@ma…
"Works on any device", right? RIGHT?


Doesn't work without a Google/Apple-tied device btw. There is absolutely no story for how this would work on a desktop, anything without a Google/Apple account, or open source OS at all either.

@EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu:

It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms.
The European Age Verification App is ready.

It will allow users to prove their age when accessing online platforms. Just like shops ask for proof of age for people buying alcoholic beverages.

And it ticks all the boxes:
✅ Highest privacy standards in the world
✅ Works on any device
✅ Easy to use
✅ Fully open source

More info: link.europa.eu/HmnrJc
ec.social-network.europa.eu/sy…



in reply to European Commission

For the age verification, I am sure there will be left overs with impossible accesses... we'll see how big it becomes...

HOWEVER, I find it quite cautious to state that parents are responsible for education and not platforms.
E.g. sometimes they don't perform ideally: youtube.com/watch?v=Jf7JUino5V… (this "In Vitro Veritas" by Les Glands ne savent pas sauter, sorry no other source): A scaring dialogue of improvisation.

Parents can be responsible... with help! E.g. from #teachers .

in reply to European Commission

Age verification is incredibly wrong and dangeros take both for kids and democracy. Regulate platforms, not require collection of very private, very sensitive and often unchangeable data. This will only do good for American corpos, I'm ashamed of you and expect better. Don't know how? Ask @edri or @noybeu !
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
Unknown parent

Misschien kan je deze thread eens lezen. retro.social/@ajroach42/116420…

@ePD5qRxX


There's a lot of legislation going around "for the children" right now that will have the impact of making us all less safe and free, making computers more difficult to use, and generally making life worse for everyone.

Lots of folks are talking about this as if it is the only intended outcome of these laws, but it isn't

Part of these laws are also about children.

About controlling what kids can read, who they can talk to, what they can watch, and how they can interact with one another, making it harder for kids to use digital resources to learn about themselves and the world while at the same time making it easier for abusive and controlling parents to abuse and control their kids.


in reply to European Commission

It is for parents to raise their children. Not platforms.


yes, and it's also up to parents to prevent their children from accessing unwanted content on the internet by setting up filters on the child's device. and to have a conversation about the existence of such things at the appropriate time with the child.

NOT, I REPEAT, NOT THE GOVERNMENT'S JOB. the parent needs to parent their child.

in reply to European Commission

I do really hope you're going to fix the vulnerabilities found by researchers. More, given that this is a blueprint app, will the single state implementation be open source? Because I'd like them to be verifiable by the public, and not closed source

https://cybersecuritynews.com/eus-age-verification-app/?ck_subscriber_id=3601271528&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=📨%20Cè%20lapplicazione%20Europea%20per%20la%20Verifica%20delletà.%20E%20fa%20schifo.%20%20~%20Denkschule%20-%2021429917&sh_kit=d6ff567f271a6d9e5d6a6c0050300bb85196dcce02092256714dc01b6f9573a3

in reply to European Commission

trying to tick boxes ..

---

- [ ] "works on every device " ?
are you sure ?

what if i got only fdroids apps on my phone
(no google PLAY-store or any coporate_tools)

do you got flatpak or the AppImage

maybe availability for linux as e.g. #CoMaps
comaps.app/download/

---

- [-] safe ?
.. i heard it was easily cracked , .. any comment ?

info to appimage
blog.mikihands.com/de/whitedec…

in reply to European Commission

Shops ask for proof of age when buying alcoholic beverages for single use only. They don't request, retain, process or share a copy of your passport, address, contact details or any other personal information to use in own benefit.

You would not allow the shops to take a copy of your ID, the same like you would never give Apple a copy of your ID for the pretext of "age verification"

#digitalID #privacy #ageVerification #sovereignty #control #corruption #humanRights #naturalLaw