It’s really a no-brainer both for politicians and those crafting the wording and perception of their policies.
Namely – if you want genuinely complex and controversial initiatives (such as those related to mass surveillance and privacy infringements) fast-tracked both in legislatures and the media/public, just frame them as geared toward “child safety.”
Job done. Not many will even attempt to stand up to this, even if arguments in favor are patently disingenuous.
One gets the sense this is what Australia’s “chief censor” – eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant – is there to do – and she seems to understand her assignment well. Whether she succeeds, though, is a whole different question.
For right now, Grant is not letting up on trying to attack online security and privacy via demands for swift implementation of age verification schemes by online platforms.
Grant is now setting a six-month deadline and threatening mandatory codes unless these platforms play along.
It might bear repeating, and louder, “for the people in the back”: The only way to truly verify anyone’s age online is for adults with a government-issued ID to present a copy of it to the platforms ruling the internet – ruled by governments.
This effectively destroys online anonymity, and in many countries and under many regimes, people’s (physical) safety.
Hellbound and Down 