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

I'm writing today to express my disapproval for any and all age verification laws set to be considered in this state. Online ID check laws combine surveillance and censorship. These laws, already adopted by many states, require adults and children alike to provide sensitive information, such as a driver’s license or a face scan, simply to access websites and apps. ID check systems are vulnerable to hacking, putting this sensitive data at risk. Unreliable and biased facial recognition technologies can deny residents of these states access to large sections of the net. Requiring a website to implement an online ID check discourages users from interacting with it, harming both users and content creators. These bills allow governments (both state and federal) to limit access to reproductive healthcare information and online LGBTQ communities, and those are just a couple of examples. I urge my representatives to reject age verification legislation and instead work to strengthen data protection laws and put resources towards educating adults and children on internet safety and already existing parental controls (which do not compromise user data).