As your constituent, I urge you to reject any state legislation requiring apps or operating systems to implement age verification or identity checks.
Civil liberties groups warn that such mandates force millions of residents to submit government IDs or biometric data to access the internet. This creates dangerous surveillance infrastructure that threatens the privacy and security of all citizens.
The risks are well-documented:
- Security Vulnerabilities: Centralized databases of identity information are prime targets for hackers. A recent breach of an Australian age verification database exposed the sensitive data of over one million people. Replicating this model here would invite similar catastrophes.
- Constitutional Rights: Courts have already blocked similar laws in Arkansas, Texas, and California for violating the First Amendment. These mandates effectively censor lawful speech and create barriers to information access.
- Existing Solutions: We already have effective, non-invasive tools to protect children. Robust parental controls are built into almost every device, operating system, and router. These tools allow parents to manage screen time, filter content, and monitor activity without surrendering their family's identity data to the state or third-party vendors. Mandating ID checks ignores these proven, voluntary solutions in favor of a one-size-fits-all surveillance approach.
- Ineffectiveness: Age verification does not stop determined minors from bypassing restrictions, yet it successfully excludes vulnerable populations—such as those without government IDs or undocumented individuals—from the digital economy.
Instead of mandating invasive identity checks, please support legislation that promotes digital literacy education and encourages the use of existing parental control tools. These approaches protect youth without compromising the fundamental rights of all constituents.
I respectfully ask that you vote against any bill requiring online age verification.
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