Open letter: The dangers of age verification proposals to fundamental rights online
On 16 September, EDRi and 63 organisations, academics and experts in privacy, encryption, child safety, sex workers' rights and consumer rights issued a joint statement urging the European Commission to prioritise effective child safety measures while expressing serious concerns about the suitability, proportionality, and negative impact on fundamental rights of current age verification proposals.
Children and young people are some of the most at-risk users of online services, and they deserve age-appropriate online environments that safeguard their well-being. However, as policymakers across the European Union push for EU-wide rules to mandate age verification tools on social media, civil society’s concerns are growing about the impact on fundamental rights.
Current age verification systems often fail to effectively protect children, instead they are undermining privacy and creating a false sense of security. By relying on these measures as a solution to online safety, we risk compromising the rights of children and adults alike.
Join us in urging the European Commission to adopt a more holistic approach that prioritises child safety and ensures our privacy.
Read the open letter signed by EDRi and 63 organisations, academics and experts in privacy, encryption, child safety, sex workers’ rights and consumer rights to learn why age verification is not the answer and how we can create a safer, more inclusive digital space.
