EU’s Age Verification Disaster

The EU released a new age verification app on April 15, and it went the same way the EU’s IT projects usually go. It was a disaster.

• The app is designed to help governments block teens from using social media. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was “technically ready” and available for government use soon. “It is fully open source,” she said. “Everyone can check the code.”

Some did. Security researcher Paul Moore said it took him just 2 minutes to hack the app.

The next day, the EU backtracked, saying it was a “demo version” released for “testing and development purposes.”

• The EU is clearly in a hurry to get this technology out. Why?

The danger to teens from social media is clear. The EU is right to be worried.

But the EU is also using its regulatory power to try to police the global Internet. Germany has arrested people for sharing memes, criticizing politicians and even disagreeing with their leaders.

• No wonder people suspect the EU of not acting in good faith. Age verification laws can be used to force everyone to upload ID, making it much easier for governments to censor or even arrest them.

“Germany’s ambitions for the Internet should concern everyone, even those who don’t have a computer,” wrote Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry in 2019. “The EU’s behavior on this issue exposes the dictatorial nature of this German-dominated entity. Really, we are witnessing the manifestation of the spirit of the Holy Roman Empire in the tech world. The biblically prophesied seventh and final resurrection of this empire wants to control the Internet!”