- Proton releases map to show how age verification laws are spreading globally
- Proton CEO said these laws will lead to ‘the death of online privacy’
- Proton maintains that alternatives are possible to prevent digital security
It seems like forever ago, but it’s only been less than a year since Australia made global headlines by introducing the world’s first national social media ban for under-16s. Perhaps even longer, as mandatory age verification checks have arrived in the UK.
However, over the past 12 months, mandatory age verification regulations have spread rapidly around the world. The era of anonymous browsing (and perhaps the very concept of online privacy) may be quickly coming to an end.
To keep up with these seismic changes, Proton, the Switzerland-based company behind one of the best VPN and secure email services on the market, has launched an interactive map that tracks the global spread of age verification laws.
While these laws continue to draw criticism from scientists, technology experts and digital rights advocates, Proton aims to ensure the public remains adequately informed by providing timely updates as new legislation progresses.
Proton age verification map
Proton’s age verification map provides a real-time overview of where these measures are being introduced and how they are being implemented.
Clicking on any country reveals information about the progress of legislative proposals in that region, and the tool offers a detailed overview of the different approaches taken by governments to age verification legislation.
Just a glance at the map shows how quickly laws are proliferating.
In EuropeFor example, 18 countries have already implemented or proposed age verification requirements targeting adult content. Fifteen of them have already introduced measures specifically targeting social media platforms.
On the other side of the pond, 49 US states have submitted proposals and 27 have successfully implemented mandatory age controls for websites with content harmful to minors. Additionally, many states have successfully implemented or are considering parental consent or age verification mechanisms for major social apps.
But this pattern extends far beyond Europe and North America. In it Asia and Pacific Region and emerging markets Latin AmericaGovernments are targeting a wide range of channels, including adult websites, social media platforms, online gaming platforms and apps.
The death of privacy around the world?
Andy Yen, founder and CEO of Proton, strongly argued that requiring every user to provide their identifying information simply amounts to “the death of online privacy.”
He is not the only one who holds these opinions. Many privacy advocates and digital rights organizations argue that current age verification methods encourage the growth of surveillance while compromising user privacy.
Critics also point to past failures to ensure the security of sensitive data. Breaches involving Discord’s third-party age verification service affecting more than 70,000 users or the EU age verification app reportedly hacked in two minutes are just a few examples of the magnitude of the problem.
The picture looks even bleaker when you consider that many experts from youth organizations and children’s charities seem to agree that such methods could have detrimental effects on young people surfing the Internet.
As opposition continues to grow – from scientists calling for the suspension of mandatory age verification to gamer groups and digital rights activists joining forces to prevent the erosion of internet freedom – Yen maintains that there are possible alternatives.
Proton advocates a different approach to child protection. One that does not compromise the very concept of online privacy and is based on client-side processing, with completely anonymous results thanks to end-to-end encryption and publicly accessible open source code.
“We simply cannot afford to be wrong. Who will benefit? The same tech giants building today’s privacy nightmare,” Yan said.
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