More from Let me see some ID: age verification is spreading across the internet
Bluesky already blocked users in Mississippi over the state’s age verification law. Now Mastodon has told TechCrunch it doesn’t “have the means” to comply with the law, leaving its future in the state, and others considering similarly restrictive age verification laws, in doubt.
The company built Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) into Google Wallet earlier this year, a technology that allows users to verify their age across different apps and platforms without linking it to their identity.
Google has now put the ZKP codebase on GitHub so developers can use it to build more private apps and tools. Countries in the EU can also use it to build digital wallets, which are set to launch next year.
Last week, online age verification violated the First Amendment. This week, it doesn’t.
The app is described as a temporary solution until the EU rolls out a Digital Identity Wallet with age-checking features next year, aiming to support the enforcement of rules that require online platforms to protect minors. The app will allow users to verify their age without giving personal information to platforms, and was briefly mentioned on Tuesday when the EU Commission announced its probe into major porn sites.
Gov. Spencer Cox (R) has signed the App Store Accountability Act, a law that will put the onus on app store operators like Apple and Google to verify users’ ages and get parents’ consent for their kids to download apps. It’s a model that app developers including Meta, X, and Snap have applauded and are pushing to be adopted across the country.
The internet could soon become a very different place.
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