Stop YouTube’s ID Checks
YouTube has started testing an age verification process that uses surveillance tech and AI to “estimate” peoples’ ages. And if the AI system is wrong, the only way to correct it is by uploading a credit card or government ID to verify your age. This system will force people to hand over sensitive data just to access the Internet, and asks us to trust companies with known track-records of exploitation and data breaches. This kind of age and ID verification will increase surveillance, censorship, and control of the Internet by both private companies and the government. We demand YouTube end this practice, and that lawmakers reject misguided legislation that requires or encourages online age verification and ID checks.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
Governments around the world are passing laws requiring people submit to age verification and ID checks to access online content. In July, the U.K.’s “Online Safety Act” went into effect, requiring platforms to implement age checks to keep young people from accessing adult websites. In the U.S., laws in Louisiana, Indiana, and Virginia require people to provide government ID to access certain apps and websites.
As these laws spread, companies are figuring out how to comply. And in YouTube’s case, they’re pre-complying. YouTube (which you probably know is owned by Google) is starting to roll out age verification in advance of any laws requiring it do so in an effort to appease lawmakers and others who think we need to restrict certain content online to keep kids safe. But we know that censorship and surveillance don’t make people safer, and this kind of pre-compliance smooths the way for more restrictive and dangerous laws to pass.
WHY AGE AND ID CHECKS?
While the idea behind limiting content by age are intended to keep people safer online, they don’t. In order to verify someone’s identity or age, websites collect and store your data, often through third party companies that are hackable and expose people to identity and data theft. Some companies are selling ID verification tools that use facial recognition or other biometric scans, which are inaccurate, discriminate against women and people of color, and can be abused by law enforcement.
The proliferation of these age-gating practices also makes it harder to access resources that are increasingly under political attack, like sex education, abortion healthcare information, and LGBTQ online communities. The data shows that when presented with age verification mechanisms, people are more likely to just give up instead of entering sensitive information, which they are rightfully mistrustful of. This makes age verification and ID checks an enticing option for people who want to censor certain content and perspectives.
WHO WILL THIS HURT?
As companies like YouTube amass more data, it opens up greater threats of misuse. And this threat is not hypothetical—ICE and other federal agencies are already criminalizing student protesters over their surveilled social media activity. Age verification would give companies and governments more unfettered access and surveillance of our digital lives. YouTube could link up information about what videos we watch with our government IDs, and share that with law enforcement, which could put a target on marginalized people looking for vital resources and community online. A journalist should be able to do research without leaving a paper trail. A queer person or parent of a trans kid should be able to look up information about sexuality or gender affirming healthcare without fear of a search being tied to their identity. A pregnant person in a state with an abortion ban should be able to look up abortion funds without being surveilled. Age checks interrupt the free flow of information and our right to free speech online.
YouTube’s age verification scheme will also hurt content creators by reducing their potential audiences and encouraging self censorship. The company automatically flags content as “adult,” which deprives creators of ad revenue. YouTube’s guidelines for what constitutes adult content are vague and it is often unclear to creators why their content has been flagged. Self-censorship is already the norm on the platform, and automatic age gating will only make it worse.
What Else Can I Do?
Whether you’re a YouTube creator who has noticed a difference in views since August 12th, or you’ve been falsely flagged by the AI age estimator while watching videos, we want to hear about it. Fill out this form to let us know about your experiences and we may use the story you share with us to advocate against censorship and ID checks.