What we call "age verification" is actually mass surveillance
The Great Deception: "Age Verification" as a Tool for Mass Surveillance
Pluralistic | By Cory Doctorow | June 23, 2026 No trackers. No ads. No data retention. Period.
The Paradox of "Protecting" Children
The current discourse regarding the dangers the internet poses to minors is a chaotic blend of nuance and oversimplification. We see a strange bedfellows alliance:
- Anti-Big Tech Activists: Those rightfully outraged by the callousness of platforms.
- Culture Warriors (e.g., Heritage Foundation): Those attempting to shield children from LGBTQ+ content to prevent them from identifying as queer.
Despite their ideological divide, they agree on one thing: the internet should be open to all there must be a strict minimum age for specific online activities.
"Spying on kids to save kids from spying is very, very stupid."
The Lie of "Verification"
The fundamental flaw is that "age verification" for the web does not actually exist. What is being marketed as a safety measure is, in reality, mass surveillance.
This system is so invasive that it makes the current ad-tech industry look like a cypherpunk darknet pirate utopia. To "verify" an age, every single user must submit to granular, constant tracking of their digital footprint.
| Claimed Goal | Actual Mechanism | Real-World Result |
|---|---|---|
| Protect Children | Identity Verification | Total Surveillance |
| Filter Content | Behavioral Tracking | Ad-Tech Goldmine |
| Ensure Safety | Government Mandates | Illegalization of Privacy |
The Tech Industry's Hidden Agenda
The surveillance advertising industry loves these laws. It creates a world where avoiding tracking is literally illegal—all under the guise of child safety. The tech giants aren't fighting these laws; they are the ones whispering in the ears of legislators.
The Roadmap to Control
The industry knows exactly how this plays out:
- Mandate "Age Verification"
- Force users toward VPNs to bypass tracking
- Ban VPNs entirely (The next logical step)
Furthermore, we are seeing the rise of "caliper-wielding grifters" who claim their facial-age-estimation AI can distinguish a 17-year-old from an 18-year-old with surgical precision. It is a complete farce.
The Root Cause: Surveillance Harm
If we acknowledge that some children are being harmed online, we must realize that surveillance is the catalyst.
- Algorithmic Targeting: You cannot target a child without first spying on them.
- The Funnel: Pro-anorexia content and extreme misogyny forums only find their victims because commercial spying primes the funnel.
As for why this happens? It's the same reason a dog licks its balls: because they can, and nobody is stopping them.
The Legal Vacuum
The legal protections for users are practically non-existent:
- United States: Consumer privacy laws haven't been meaningfully updated since 1988 (when the focus was on hiding your VHS rental history).
- European Union: The GDPR exists, but cases against Big Tech are sent to Ireland, which acts as a "crime haven" because it is a tax haven.
- Global Power: US tech giants have merged with the Trump administration. Trump has threatened to penalize any country attempting to regulate these companies, even threatening to cut off their officials from the internet.
Mathematically, the probability of privacy in the current regime approaches zero:
The Broader Danger
Any real attempt to protect children must start by eliminating online surveillance, yet governments are doing the exact opposite. They are rushing to pass laws that effectively make privacy a crime.
Whether you are worried about:
- Algorithms pushing grandparents toward QAnon.
- Surveillance data being used to deny you a loan, job, or apartment.
- Dynamic pricing raising your costs and lowering your wages.
...you should be fighting for privacy. The data collected today to "verify an age" is the same data that will be used by ICE tomorrow to find and deport people.
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