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What is coming in December?
THE TROJAN HORSE
Australians will soon be required to verify their identity in order to access major social media sites, and trials are currently underway to determine the best form of implementation.
According to the organisation contracted by the government to assess viable technologies for the ban, options exist to verify the age of users “privately, robustly and effectively”.
“The preliminary findings indicate that there are no significant technological barriers preventing the deployment of effective age assurance systems,” project lead Tony Allen said.
“These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online.”
But the two-page preliminary report does not include details of what tests have been undertaken, or the results of individual methods and technologies.
Essentially, we just have to take Tony’s word for it.
Now, despite positive words from authorities about the trial, many critics of the plan aren’t too happy with how this saga is playing out — highlighting the dangers that lie ahead.
One particular danger surrounds the use of biometric authentication as a verification method, with the technology still not able to 100% accurately predict age range.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that face-scanning technology tested on school students as part of the trial could only guess their age within an 18-month range in 85 per cent of cases.
The preliminary report also found “concerning evidence” that, in the absence of specific guidance, some social media companies were “over-anticipating the eventual needs of regulators” about information that might be required for future investigations.
This included some providers that were found to be building tools to allow law enforcement agencies and regulators to retrace steps of verification, “which could lead to increased risk of privacy breaches due to unnecessary and disproportionate collection and retention of data”.
In other words, because the government wants social media companies to finetune the verification side of things, these companies have gone ‘full Big Brother’ in anticipation.
Australia’s WEF-puppet e-Safety Commissioner will determine how the laws can be implemented, with consultations currently underway.
In just a matter of six months, the very landscape of online consumption and interaction will likely change forever in this country, as the road to destroy anonymity reaches a major goal.
AGE VERIFICATION
The path to full spectrum online surveillance is so close you can taste it.
Australia’s “world-leading laws” to ‘stop children and teenagers accessing social media platforms’ are due to come into force in December 2025, after the legislation passed parliament with bipartisan support late last year.
A 12-month buffer was built into the legislation to allow time for the e-Safety commissioner to figure out how to implement the ban and the Age Assurance Technology Trial to finish.
Under the ban, anyone under the age of 16 will be blocked from using platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook — a move both sides of politics argue is ‘necessary to protect children and teenagers’ mental health and wellbeing’.
But is this all the government are intending to achieve with these laws?
While the ban only applies to young people, it will likely also require adults to verify their ages with social media providers, to the concern of many individuals.
The trial is being led by the Age Check Certification Scheme – a company based in the United Kingdom that specialises in testing and certifying identity verification systems.
It includes 53 vendors that offer a range of age assurance technologies to guess people’s ages, using techniques such as facial recognition and hand-movement recognition.
Anyone with half a brain can see just what this legislation is truly being used for – to further monitor people and their beliefs online without any anonymity.
Tech-savvy kids will always be able to navigate these tools, whereas law-abiding adults will still be subject to this invasive process just to scroll for a bit on Facebook.
Alongside Digital ID, this legislation is the government finally achieving what they have wanted for so many years – a national facial recognition database of most Australians.
They tried something similar in 2018-19, which at the time involved states handing over drivers licenses to a federal biometric system. This was ultimately rejected by the senate.
But this didn’t stop the government, who is now back in the form of legislation for digital identity and biometric age verification – essentially the exact same thing.
Combined these actions with other draconian laws currently in effect, such as anti-encryption legislation for social media chat circles, and we can all see where this is going.
The internet has become a major tool for truth to reach the masses, as if proof by you reading this very piece right now. But this luxury of a (relatively) free internet may not last.
Slowly, but surely, the government wants to chip away any freedom of the internet, all under the guise of ‘safety and security’ like always.
We can all see through your lies, government. They are so blatant you can barely miss them.
Will you continue to use sites like Facebook and Instagram if verification is rolled out?
Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
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I can see all this causing enormous problems. Yes, tech savvy teenagers will probably find a way around this. Anyway isn’t this issue regarding what children see and do on the net a parental issue. Lets parents be the arbiters of what teenagers do on line. I know why they, the government, are doing this and it’s nothing to do with the safety of kids under 16 and all about who is spreading so-called ‘misinformation’ , aka the truth, on line.
We need to establish an alternate internet system that is not governed by government or industry but by the people themselves. In these times we are in desperate need of more free speech, not less..
Yes kids are smart, they will work around it. They still can use WhatsApp. There is already the Dark Web, not that I have used it.
Would it hurt them if everyone abandoned Facebook , and Instagram etc. Maybe it’s time to give these tech companies a taste of their own medicine I haven’t had Facebook for ages. Instagram I could probably do without or anything to do with meta though what’s app can be useful.
Yep I will be dumping Fakebook and other platforms just to prove a point and the government and MSM won’t be able to push their propaganda
This has nothing to do with ‘protecting children online’, it’s all about introducing mandatory identity verification to essentially use the internet, and make no mistake it will eventually expand beyond social media to encompass all the major platforms across the internet that require the use of an account to use their services!
Yes, I think that’s the idea. Nothing to do with kids. If it was there wouldn’t be all these problems over childcare evils, or pedophilia getting at kids. It’s about stopping anyone having a voice over anything they disagree with plus the inability to search for anything meaningful.
Exactly, we all need to refuse digital ID.