Why we’re raising hell

The invasive practice of demanding a government ID, credit card, or face scan to access websites has been growing in popularity among censorship-loving lawmakers globally. Lawmakers claim blocking sites and demanding IDs keeps kids safe. But what lawmakers claim isn’t “safe” for kids is often the very information that marginalized people need to survive: abortion care, sex ed, LGBTQ+ community, journalism, and political speech. And collecting massive amounts of our sensitive data to store in insecure databases sure isn’t safe, either.

With the implementation of the UK Online Safety Act and online ID check bills across the US, we’ve seen the real impacts of age-gating: popular games, Reddit, Bluesky, and X locked away, tens of thousands of IDs leaked online, and millions restricted from seeking out life-saving information. In response, VPN usage is soaring, and with it, fascist appetites for VPN bans. Online ID checks put the open Internet we know and love at risk. We need a firestorm against them—help us build it this week.

STEP 1: Sign the petition to companies demanding they don’t pre-comply with ID checks and censoring abortion info.

STEP 2: Sign the petition voicing your opposition to ID check mandates that censor and suppress life-saving information on the internet!

STEP 3: Share about the week of action *everywhere* Reddit, Bluesky, IG, Youtube…

Tag your favorite creators in the comments! Check out our Creator Toolkit for info on how you can spread the word.

STEP 4: Join our Reddit AMA on r/pcgaming!

Experts are answering questions on everything age verification and online ID checks through a Reddit AMA. You can go ahead and start dropping your questions here and advocates working directly on this issue will be answering your questions from noon-6 EST on Dec 1!

STEP 5: Join our Reddit AMA on r/prochoice on Thursday!

How do online ID checks impact abortion access? We’re answering questions on that front through a Reddit AMA. You can ask your own questions and organizers working directly on this issue and abortion access in the US will be answering your questions from noon-5 EST on Thursday, December 4!

STEP 6: More ways to help!

Op-eds to share with your community:

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/some-democrats-are-helping-the-trump-admins-anti-lgbtq-tech-agenda

https://www.techpolicy.press/papers-please-the-republican-plan-to-wall-off-the-internet