The UK

Beginning last week, the United Kingdom has started requiring purveyors of online porn to check IDs—and it's already reverberating beyond adult websites. For example, Bluesky—a general-interest social media platform and not what most people would call an "adult website" by any means—will begin requiring U.K. users to prove they're adults or otherwise find direct messaging and certain content inaccessible.

In addition to Bluesky, Reddit, X, Discord, and Grinder "have now announced they will deploy age assurance" schemes, Ofcom says.

Per Ofcom's rules, there are various ways that age checks can be done, including checking users' government issued IDs, employing some sort of online ID verification service, or utilizing bank, credit card, or phone information.

It Will Happen Here

If you're in the U.S. and thinking, "What does this have to do with me?" Well, consider the U.K. a glimpse into our inevitable surveillance-mad future. At least 20 states ¹ have already passed rules requiring age verification for adult content. And I think we can expect most, if not all, states to follow suit now that the Supreme Court has given it the OK ².

But sex work is always the canary in the coal mine for free speech and privacy, and age-check requirements aren't stopping with online porn. Already, some states are passing laws that necessitate social media platforms checking IDs or otherwise verifying user ages. A federal appeals court recently ³ gave the green light to Mississippi ⁴ to start enforcing a social media age verification law.

A Global Attack on Anonymity and Privacy

"Around the world, a new wave of child protection laws are forcing a profound shift that could normalize rigorous age checks broadly across the web," note Matt Burgess and Lily Hay Newman at Wired ⁵. They point out that "Meanwhile, courts in France ruled last week that porn sites can check users' ages. Ireland implemented age checking laws for video websites this week. The European Commission is testing an age-verification app. And in December, Australia's strict social media ban for children under 16 will take effect, introducing checks for social media and people logged in to search engines."

The age of online anonymity being possible is rapidly vanishing. In its place, we get dubious "protection" measures that can be easily gamed by motivated parties, may send people to less regulated and less responsible platforms, put adults and children alike at risk of identity theft and other security violations, and make it much easier for authorities around the world to keep tabs on their citizens.