Age Verification Systems Built to Protect Kids Online Create a New Privacy Risk for Everyone

A growing number of US platforms require users to submit a face scan or government ID to access certain content, presenting it as a way to protect children. The problem is that the identity data collected for protection immediately becomes the next thing that needs protecting.

If a determined bad actor can simply create a new account, how does forcing everyone else to hand over a photo of their face actually stop anything?

That concern has real backing. A Washington Post columnist found that ChatGPT's age verification controls could be bypassed in about five minutes by logging out and creating a new account on the same computer, leaving the full privacy burden on honest users while doing nothing to stop anyone motivated to get around it.

What should count as effective age verification that does not require people to hand over government ID?