10.03.2026 19:12:00
Дата публикации
Cybersecurity and data protection experts from MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, ETH Zurich, and other leading universities signed an open letter calling for a halt to the widespread implementation of age verification for internet users.
They argue current methods are ineffective and pose excessive privacy risks. Systems can be bypassed with VPNs or fake selfies generated in video games. The biggest issue, they note, is that regulation is being introduced before science has confirmed the safety and reliability of such technologies.
Requiring uploads of passports or credit cards creates a “goldmine” for hackers. Breaches have already occurred, such as when a Discord contractor leaked ID data of 70,000 users. Unlike passwords or phone numbers, a person’s face cannot be changed once compromised.
The authors stress that laws intended to protect children may cause more harm than good. International law shows that interference with digital identity affects fundamental rights — freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy of correspondence.
Researchers suggest safer alternatives like attribute‑based verification (ABV) or checks at the device/OS level, but even these require further security testing. They insist on a moratorium until research proves such technologies safe and effective.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is preparing a bill to ban social media registration for users under 16. Similar initiatives are already in place in Australia and under discussion in Europe, Canada, Chile, the US, and elsewhere.
Thus, age verification is becoming a global trend. Yet, as scientists emphasize, neither its effectiveness nor its potential harm has been proven.
They argue current methods are ineffective and pose excessive privacy risks. Systems can be bypassed with VPNs or fake selfies generated in video games. The biggest issue, they note, is that regulation is being introduced before science has confirmed the safety and reliability of such technologies.
Requiring uploads of passports or credit cards creates a “goldmine” for hackers. Breaches have already occurred, such as when a Discord contractor leaked ID data of 70,000 users. Unlike passwords or phone numbers, a person’s face cannot be changed once compromised.
The authors stress that laws intended to protect children may cause more harm than good. International law shows that interference with digital identity affects fundamental rights — freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy of correspondence.
Researchers suggest safer alternatives like attribute‑based verification (ABV) or checks at the device/OS level, but even these require further security testing. They insist on a moratorium until research proves such technologies safe and effective.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is preparing a bill to ban social media registration for users under 16. Similar initiatives are already in place in Australia and under discussion in Europe, Canada, Chile, the US, and elsewhere.
Thus, age verification is becoming a global trend. Yet, as scientists emphasize, neither its effectiveness nor its potential harm has been proven.
