Canada’s proposed Bill S-209, which addresses online age verification, is currently making its way through the Senate, and its passage would be yet another mistake in tech policy.
The bill is intended to restrict young peoples’ access to online pornography and to hold providers to account for making it available to anyone under 18. It may be well-intentioned, but the manner of its proposed enforcement – mandating age verification or what is being called “age-estimation technologies” – is troubling.
Globally, age-verification tools are a popular business, and many companies are in favour of S-209, particularly because it requires that websites and organizations rely on third parties for these tools. However, they bring up long-standing concerns over privacy, especially when you consider potential leaks or hacks of this information, which in some cases include biometrics that can identify us by our faces or fingerprints. […]
Do you have proof that the LCBO or gas stations scan and resell your ID?
That sounds like the very definition of ‘big if true’.
I never said they resell the ID. Are you saying porn sites are reselling IDs?
Collecting and reselling any data is far easier done by a website than it would be by the corner LCBO.
But did you or did you not say the LCBO scans the ID and sells the data? I have to admit I’ve never seen that happen. What do they scan it with?
Anyway there is no way to argue that handing a guy your ID for a glance to buy cigs, weed or alcohol is less safe than uploading to some random porn site on the internet, even if they didn’t store your data (and I believe strongly that they would store your data for documenting the verification… either they would, or the third party that does the service)
I’m saying they are the same safety. There’s alternative ways to get porn without giving an ID and its not even illegal.
If they implement age verification on porn sites, what will be the other nonillegal ways to get porn without ID?
Is it illegal to download directly from one person? Is filesharing illegal? What about torrents?
Yes torrent and file-sharing in most cases violates copyright and is therefore illegal.
That fact won’t stop people, especially teens, from doing it. But it is a fact.
As with most things involving kids, open, healthy and honest communication is the best way. If you don’t have that then no constraints will really contain them, they will find a way around them, they will sneak around behind your back, and you will lose their trust.
Edit - I’m curious, do you believe it’s acceptable to spank children?
Not all porn is copyright.
If parents can’t keep track of their kids, there needs to be a way for society to make up for it. We can’t have a bunch of drunk kids running around just because some parents are shitty.
Parents should keep their kids off of porn, porn sharing websites should also do their part to keep kids off their service.
You’re acting as if there aren’t negative impacts to privacy. Adults should not have to give their identity over to web sites to enjoy content. Identification theft is a real thing.
Moreover, we already have solutions for this. Parents can block content at the router, and at this point every ISP allows you to set up security and content filters.
This is puritan, social conservative bullshit. It’s a thin edge of the wedge ultimately aimed at making pornography illegal.
I’m curious - are you religious?