Age-Gating the Internet + Cloudflare Takes On A.I. Scrapers + HatGPT

This is one of the most far-reaching attempts by a Western democracy to regulate online speech. We've previously discussed various methods to protect children online, including age verification. However, it's rare to see such measures implemented nationwide, as in the UK. This trend is also coming to the United States. In June, the Supreme Court upheld a Texas law requiring similar age verification for accessing adult online content. Therefore, this isn't just a UK issue, Kevin. We are witnessing a gradual erosion of online freedom of expression.

Many people in the UK didn't realize this was about to happen. They're sitting down for their evening visit to Pornhub, and suddenly they're asked to upload their driver's license to prove they're 18. There are several ways to prove identity: you could show your credit card, as you must be at least 18 to have one. Alternatively, you can use your phone or laptop camera to take a picture, and AI will determine if you're 18. For many adults who didn't anticipate this, it causes real anxiety. An experience that was previously completely private, just visiting a website, is now linked to personally identifying information, and it's unclear what happens to that data once submitted.

This year, Apple suggested a more elegant way to do age verification, though it's not yet available. They told Bloomberg it's coming soon. Essentially, they'll offer an Age Assurance API. If you're a parent setting up your child's device, you can input their age or birthday. Apple will then anonymize this information and pass it to developers. So, if you're Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, you'll receive a token indicating the user's age, for example, "this person is 13." This allows you to show different content or restrict features, placing the onus on parents and device makers. This way, a normal adult internet user won't need to upload a driver's license to visit a website. I think it's a very elegant solution.