Reject Online Age Verification Mandates — ZKPs Don't Fix the Problem

Oppose any mandatory online age verification scheme, including those that rely on Zero-Knowledge Proofs. Proponents are selling ZKPs as a privacy-safe solution, but real-world evidence proves otherwise. A security researcher recently bypassed the EU's ZKP-based age verification app using a simple Chrome extension that tricked the system into accepting the same "over-18" token repeatedly, without ever requesting fresh verification. Over 400 security researchers signed an open letter warning that age assurance checkpoints, even privacy-minded ones, cause more harm than good. The deeper problem is structural. ZKP-based systems require a centralized token issuer that can track every time a credential is used, creating a metadata trail on any user they choose to target. That issuer can be pressured by governments to revoke a person's access entirely. That's not a privacy solution — it's a single point of failure for internet access. No method of online age verification is simultaneously privacy-protective, accurate, and secure. These mandates don't protect kids; studies from Australia show their broad social media ban had no substantial effect on teen access. Vote against any federal age verification legislation, including the KIDS Act and KOSA.