1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I'm asking you to oppose any age verification legislation that requires uploading government IDs or creates centralized databases of user identities. These proposals will end online anonymity while failing to protect children. The data security risks are real and immediate. In October, hackers breached Discord's third-party age verification vendor and accessed government ID photos of over 70,000 users. The EU's new age verification app was compromised in hours, with one hacker claiming it took just two minutes. Every database of sensitive verification data becomes a target for criminals and a temptation for companies to monetize. Eliminating anonymity online silences whistleblowers, prevents people in crisis from seeking help, and undermines democratic accountability. Big Tech companies already cooperate with hundreds of thousands of government data requests annually. Apple's recent UK announcement about device-level age verification creates a slippery slope where every account gets tied to government ID, enabling blocking based on nationality or other factors. The real problem is the advertising business model that keeps children hooked on toxic products. Meta has lobbied for age verification to shift responsibility away from their platforms while continuing to exploit users. If age verification absolutely has to be implemented (for some reason), it must be client-side only, use instantly discarded facial scans rather than uploaded IDs, and operate on open-source code. Better yet, reject identity verification entirely and instead mandate robust parental controls and hold platforms accountable for their predatory design.