The European Union Council has not passed the message-scanning proposal, but some states in the U.S. are looking toward age verification requirements
Adult chats are a fun way people can engage in intimacy if in-person intimacy isn’t desired or possible. This kind of content is perfectly legal, but states like Louisiana and Virginia have introduced bills to require age verification for adult content websites.
Most notably, PornHub blocked access to users in Virgina rather than attempting age verification – because age verification processes bring up privacy concerns.
Even if your business is just chatting, Nevada’s attorney general submitted a request to stop encrypting messages of Meta users under 18. The problem is Meta already collects user data and complies with law enforcement, and users can report messages and can still be accessed from their devices.
So, there’s nothing that banning encryption would do that isn’t already being done to aid law enforcement.
But banning encryption does bring up a whole other issue: privacy.
Age Verification & Privacy
Millennials are a unique generation. We were the first to access the internet as children or teenagers when there were little to no protections. We were encouraged to be vigilant and never share our full names, addresses, or any other kind of identifying information. We could hide behind screen names, but so could anyone potentially trying to harm us. Because of this we were cautious and sometimes stumbled onto things we wished we hadn’t seen. Still, we proceeded cautiously because having the freedom to surf the web was better than staying in safe shallows.
That’s the important thing to remember. There are still parental controls that can block certain websites to keep minors in an appropriate place on the web. There are punishments for individuals who still seek to harm minors, but age verification does very little to assist that while also risking the privacy of law-abiding individuals.
We grew up reciting “stranger danger.” Why would we now share our government-issued IDs anywhere that isn’t end-to-end encrypted?
How to Verify Age Safely
Because you’re a savvy entrepreneur and you care about protecting minors, you probably already have your own verification techniques in place. One of the ways to quell any subscribers’ concerns is by using platforms that offer end-to-end encryption. Your messages are secure so only the intended recipient receives the appropriate ID and you can continue business as normal. It’s quick, easy, and secure, and we want it to stay that way.
Topics to Follow
Louisiana, Virginia, and Nevada aren’t the only states introducing bills requiring age verification and the best offense is a good defense – pay attention to your local representatives and the bills they support or introduce. You can also contact your representatives to share your opinion on potential votes.
Age verification is a topic that falls under the privacy umbrella. Free speech is adjacent to the privacy umbrella and parts of it even rest under privacy.
This is why the recent Dobbs decision was so detrimental – the Supreme Court decided that abortion was no longer protected by the Constitution, but the language specifically repeals the Roe and Casey cases, which were determined based on the Fourteenth Amendment – the Civil Rights Amendment. So, the concern doesn’t stop at abortion. The cornerstones of the Fourteenth Amendment are citizenship, citizens’ rights on infringements from state governments (like privacy), due process, and equal protection.
This is also why it’s crucial to follow similar topics. Decisions under these umbrellas can get lumped together and a decision on one topic could affect related topics.
So, protect your messages. Protect your business. Protect yourself.
And tell your representatives how you want them to vote.
Photo by Alejandro Sotillet on Unsplash
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