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California age verification bill backed by Google, Meta, OpenAI heads to Newsom (www.politico.com)

submitted 2 months ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/privacy@programming.dev

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A California bill to check kids’ ages online is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, after it secured rare support from major tech giants, including Google, Meta and Snap.

The proposal, which would require device makers and app stores to verify user ages, cleared the state Assembly 58-0 in the early hours of Saturday with backing from Republicans and Democrats.

Google and Meta, plus other tech firms like OpenAI and Pinterest, rallied around the online age verification plan this week despite recently sparring over similar measures in Utah and Texas. They argue the measure from Democratic state Assemblymember Buffy Wicks offers a more reasonable solution and hope it becomes a de facto national standard for other states weighing mandatory age-checks amid bipartisan concerns about kids’ safety online.

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[–] refalo@programming.dev 22 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

As far as I can tell from reading the text of the bill, this doesn't actually require anyone to realistically verify anyone's age... it just requires "account holders" (adults) at account creation time to provide a (any) birthdate for the purposes of categorizing their access by age bracket. It doesn't say anything about the information having to be accurate, and gives no penalties for such.

It applies not just to Internet sites but any software application, including operating systems. And strangely it also designates any "person that owns, maintains, or controls an application" as a "Developer".

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 6 points 2 months ago

This shit's goofy

[–] FizzyOrange@programming.dev 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah but often their trick is to push through the idea. It's easier if people are just like "eh fine, I can just lie".

Then later they say "it turns out lots of people have been lying! Lying is bad, so we need to stop them." - then they don't need to debate the idea of age verification because everyone has "agreed" to it already. They only need to argue that people must be honest, which is way easier.

[–] refalo@programming.dev 1 points 2 months ago

I disagree... I think that's like saying "people are ok with having a license to drive, they won't mind showing it every time they get behind the wheel."

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 months ago

Basically what social media services have been doing since their inception.

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 14 points 2 months ago

This shit is pure evil

[–] Cruel@programming.dev 6 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Big corporations LOVE regulations and barriers to entry. It strengthens their dominance. The little guy competing doesn't have the legal resources to keep compliant with all these accumulating laws.

[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Regulations only disproportionately hurt small businesses when we force the business to be the one auding themselves.

This also ignores the fact that we let big players skirt regulations because they pay off politicians.

A good system pays government auditors to regularly audit businesses and force compliance.