EU tightens grip on digital age verification, sparking privacy and free speech concerns
By kevinhughes // 2025-10-21
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  • The EU is pushing for strict age verification on platforms like Google, Apple, Snapchat and YouTube, requiring users to submit official ID documents via a centralized app. Critics warn this erodes online anonymity and normalizes mass surveillance, linking internet access to government-controlled digital identities.
  • Major platforms must disclose how they prevent minors from accessing "harmful" content (e.g., vaping, drugs, eating disorders). Snapchat must explain its under-13 ban, while Apple and Google face scrutiny over age-rating systems and safeguards.
  • EPP (Conservatives) want mandatory ID checks for all users, effectively ending online anonymity. Greens and Left oppose age controls, warning of censorship risks and disproportionate surveillance. A study commissioned for MEPs found age verification "necessary but not feasible in democracies."
  • The DSA already enforces censorship of "disinformation" with vague definitions, allowing governments to suppress dissent. A "crisis mechanism" grants Brussels emergency powers to impose draconian controls on social media during undefined "threats."
  • Framed as "child protection," these measures risk normalizing digital ID requirements for all online activity. Critics fear tech giants will comply with backroom censorship deals, turning the DSA into a binding surveillance and speech-control regime by 2026.
The European Union is accelerating its push for mandatory digital age verification across online platforms, raising alarms among privacy advocates and free speech defenders. Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission (EC) has issued formal requests to tech giants like Google, Apple, Snap and YouTube, demanding details on how they prevent minors from accessing "harmful" content – including material related to vaping, drugs and eating disorders. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, the DSA aims to regulate the behavior of large online platforms – known as "very large online platforms" and "very large online search engines" – to ensure that they act responsibly and protect EU citizens' fundamental rights and interests. Simultaneously, the EU is rolling out a controversial age verification app that requires users to submit official identification documents, effectively linking internet access to digital identity. However, critics warn that such a move could normalize mass surveillance and erode online anonymity. The EC's latest enforcement actions target both major platforms and smaller services. Snapchat has been asked to explain how it keeps users under 13 off its platform, while Apple's App Store and Google Play must disclose their age-rating systems and safeguards. YouTube faces scrutiny over its recommendation algorithms and age-assurance tools. The EU's Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen emphasized Brussels' stance, stating: "When minors are using online services, a very high level of privacy, security and safety must be ensured." The EC's proposed age verification system requires users to install an app, submit ID documents and receive an "anonymous" age token – though skeptics note that the initial identity check still undermines privacy.

Denmark leads push for harmonized rules

Denmark, currently holding the EU Council presidency, is spearheading efforts for unified age verification rules to prevent fragmented national regulations. Danish Digital Minister Carolin Stage Olsen stated: "If we make European regulation, we should also give some room for national differences. So I believe it would be wisest if we don’t have one set majority age." Olsen stopped short of endorsing an EU-wide "digital age of majority" but stressed that member states should retain flexibility in setting age limits. Denmark itself recently proposed banning social media for children under 15 – a move that will be debated nationally. The European Parliament remains deeply divided over mandatory age checks. Christel Schaldemose, the Social Democrat leading negotiations on the Digital Fairness Act, advocates for uniform age verification, but her proposal has sparked fierce debate.
  • EPP (Conservatives): Push for the strictest rules, including mandatory ID checks for all users—potentially ending online anonymity.
  • S&D (Social Democrats): Divided, with some supporting age verification while others question its proportionality.
  • Renew (Liberals): Support verification but overlook civil rights risks.
  • Right-wing groups (ECR, Patriots for Europe): Demand measures that don't restrict free speech or enable surveillance.
  • Greens and Left: Firmly oppose mandatory age controls.

Civil rights groups warn of overreach

A recent study commissioned for MEPs concluded that while age verification is "necessary," it is "not at all feasible in democracies." Meanwhile, Pivacy advocates argue that age verification fails to address systemic platform design flaws that harm both minors and adults. European Digital Rights (EDRi) cautioned: "This overly narrow focus on age-restriction obscures the fact that systemic design decisions at platform level are the root cause of harm that affects children and adults alike." Child protection group ECPAT added: "A child's right to online safety can never be guaranteed by implementing age-restriction technologies on selected websites or platforms." The EU's aggressive stance on digital ID checks aligns with its broader crackdown under the DSA, which already mandates censorship of "disinformation" and "harmful content." Critics warn that vague definitions allow governments to suppress dissent under the guise of safety. Most alarming is the DSA's "crisis mechanism," granting Brussels emergency powers to impose draconian controls on social media during vaguely defined threats. While framed as child protection, the EU's age verification push risks normalizing digital ID requirements for all online activity. With tech giants already capitulating to political pressure – evidenced by their compliance during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and Ukraine – critics fear the DSA merely codifies backroom censorship deals into binding law. As the EU moves toward full implementation by 2026, the battle over privacy, free speech and government overreach will only intensify—with global implications for internet freedom. Watch this clip from "Redacted News" about the European Union's DSA. This video is from the NZ Will Remember channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ReclaimTheNet.org BrightU.ai Euractiv.com Heise.de Brighteon.com
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