Buckle up, folks! The UK has decided to age-gate the internet, and no, this isn’t about restricting access to snooty wine websites. Starting now, thanks to the Online Safety Act, websites must throw in some ‘strong age checks’ before letting users stroll through potentially NSFW content.
Your favorite platforms like Bluesky, Reddit, and Discord are already rolling out age verification tools that require you to upload a selfie or a government ID. Sounds fun, right? Because what better way to prove you’re not a minor than by handing over your personal data!
The idea here is noble: to protect kids from stumbling across pirate treasure maps of explicit content. But as we trade privacy for safety, one has to wonder—are we opening Pandora’s box of digital privacy violations in the process?
Let’s unpack more on how this could change the way we navigate the internet and whether these measures will actually keep the kiddos safe or just put a bouncer at the door of the internet’s wildest nightclubs.
Your thoughts, dear readers? Are these regulations a necessary evil or a slippery slope into a surveillance state?
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