Privacy at Risk Disguised as Child Protection

Governments all over the world are pushing harder for mandatory government-issued IDs just to access adult content and even social media, and they're selling it to us as protecting children. Over in Europe, places like France, Germany, Italy, and the UK are now demanding strict verification that's tied to digital identity systems because of the EU's Digital Services Act, which went into effect July 25, 2025. These rules don't just hit adult websites anymore - they're spreading to social platforms, streaming services, and gaming sites, basically making it normal to upload your ID for regular online stuff. Sure, they talk about privacy safeguards, but think about it - giving up your passport, driver's license, or biometric scans just to access basic online content opens the door to massive surveillance and potential abuse. Source 1 / Source 2.

In the US, it's happening state by state, and 19 states are already making people show ID for adult sites. Florida's HB 3 law kicked in during January 2025, and it got so bad that major platforms like Pornhub just said "forget it" and started blocking Florida residents instead of collecting millions of IDs. You're seeing similar laws pop up in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas with hefty fines, and they're even going after social media now - states like Georgia, Utah, and Ohio are demanding ID or parental consent for anyone under 16. Source 3 / Source 4 / Source 5. Australia's jumping on this bandwagon too and plans to roll out mandatory facial recognition or ID scans for porn sites come December 2025.

When you really think about it, these so-called child protection laws don't feel like they're actually about protecting kids, they feel more like putting every single adult under constant surveillance. Making us fork over sensitive documents just to browse online creates permanent digital records of our internet activity, and those records could easily get hacked, leaked, or completely misused. Once governments get us used to this kind of monitoring, it's pretty much never going away. Instead of turning the whole internet into some kind of ID checkpoint nightmare, we should be focusing on real solutions like better parental controls, proper education, and giving families the tools they need without completely destroying everyone's right to privacy.

If you actually care about keeping the internet free and private, this is the moment to do something about it. Go sign and share petitions that are fighting back against these invasive laws, like the EU petition, the UK petition, or this Change.org campaign. The more people who speak up, the clearer the message becomes: our privacy isn't something we're willing to trade away.