Few issues are as sure as age verification continues to seem in every single place on the web. From the UK to the EU, US, and Australia, from adult-only websites to social media, gaming platforms, courting apps, and now even Google Search: we must be able to show that we’re over 18 to entry a ton of internet sites.
Regardless of this being a work-in-progress plan for some time, the latest implementation of age verification requirements on the UK’s digital soil made the necessity for actually personal and safe options more and more urgent.
However, a solution may already exist – a digital ID wallet. Some governments worldwide, the UK included, have already started working on their own national application. Yet experts warn that ID wallets aren’t necessarily the one-click privacy and security fix that many might think.
If you can’t beat them, join them – but privately
Starting from July 25, 2025, the latest implementation of the 2023 Online Safety Act launched the necessities for all Brits to scan their face, a bank card, or an ID doc to entry sure content material on X, Reddit, Bluesky, and even Spotify. The identical applies in the event that they need to play a brand new over-18 online game, discover a new match on a courting app, or watch a video reserved for adults solely.
These platforms, which have been by no means supposed to test consumer identities and retain this delicate information, have usually partnered with third-party age verification companies to implement the checks.
Leaks, abuse, and misuse of knowledge are simply among the dangers linked to the mass information assortment that age verification checks contain, pushing individuals fearing for his or her privateness and safety to show to the best VPN apps as a workaround. Points that, in keeping with some consultants, might be simply averted when utilizing the proper tech.
In response to the Co-Founding father of Privado ID, an ID administration supplier for personal and safe verification, Evin McMullen, the UK did not bear in mind all the doubtless dangerous penalties of those invasive age verification methods, de facto making a centralized honey pot of knowledge for dangerous actors to use.
“I really feel strongly that we must always protect kids, not expose adults, and that privateness mustn’t price individuals their security on-line,” McMullen advised TechRadar. “I then suppose age verification ought to work like a bartender’s look in actual life – affirm age and retain nothing.”
A safe ID Pockets ought to, if correctly constructed, allow you to show you’re over 18 and may entry sure content material, all with out revealing any of your identifiable data. It is like, as McMulen places it, “a thumbs up or a inexperienced gentle that’s cryptographically signed and verifiable.”
That is, for instance, the route that the EU is embarking on – however not with out controversy…
The encryption conundrum
Five EU countries (Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, and Italy) are set to test an age verification app, which claims to allow customers to show they’re over 18 “with out revealing every other private data,” the European Commission explains.
This app comes because the pilot venture of a means greater plan, which is ready to be enforced amongst all 27 member states by December 2026 – the European Digital Identification Pockets (EUDI), as outlined within the eIDAS law.
In response to McCullen from PrivadoID, whose firm has actively collaborated in designing the app’s technical specs, this can be a welcome step. Particularly, the EU app incorporates a number of strategies of verification, she explains, together with a non-invasive utilization of biometrics.
“This isn’t to say it is not with out faults and is ideal,” she added.
The large elephant within the room right here is that the European Fee is presently cut up in working in the direction of two targets that look incompatible at first look. On one aspect, lawmakers need to construct a trusted, personal, and safe digital ID system. However, they’re contemplating passing legal guidelines that might weaken the very expertise that’s supposed to carry these ensures collectively – encryption.
And, because the CEO of Mullvad VPN, Jan Jonsson, advised TechRadar: “You may’t construct belief and safety on a basis of distrust and surveillance.”
Encryption refers back to the technical infrastructure that scrambles our on-line communications to stop unauthorized entry. A vital piece of tech to maintain us all secure from malicious actors on-line, which, nevertheless, regulation enforcement our bodies usually see as an impediment to their prison investigations.
Particularly, the EU may go what’s been deemed Chat Control as early as October 2025. This might create a compulsory encryption backdoor into all residents’ personal chats as a method to halt the unfold of kid sexual abuse materials. Specialists have lengthy argued that making a backdoor is not doable with out undermining the safety and privateness protections intrinsic to the tech.
One other EU legislative plan, the so-called ProtectEU strategy, can also be taking a look at methods to deal with encryption (and decryption) whereas doubtlessly widening information retention obligations for digital platforms.
Regardless of the supposedly good intentions, these plans could result in yet one more privateness and safety catastrophe.
In response to Jonsson from Mullvad, in truth, it is not negotiable: “Both residents have safe gadgets and personal communications – or they don’t. You may’t have each.”
Head of Coverage at European Digital Rights (EDRi), Ella Jakubowska, agrees on what she describes as a “double normal” amongst EU lawmakers on the subject of digital safety.
Bart Preenel, cryptographer and professor on the College of Leuven, additionally identified that, if the EU ID Wallets have been finally used for age verification, “one would positively desire a very excessive degree of privateness and unlinkability, additionally with respect to governments.” One thing that may solely be achieved with at present’s most strong cryptographic instruments.
What’s next?
As we have seen, a secure digital ID wallet could be the privacy-first solution we were waiting for, and one that’ll considerably minimize the unintended consequences of age verification.
On paper, at least. The reality is that having the right infrastructure made of the most modern cryptography and zero-knowledge technology isn’t enough.
What we do need are guarantees that today’s encryption protections would not be weakened with new legislation. That such an ID Wallet system cannot ever be re-purposed for wider user tracking.
Sadly, it looks like we aren’t there yet – and not only in the EU.
While the UK ID Wallet scheme is still very much in progress, digital rights advocates haven’t exactly welcomed the proposal, rebranding it as the “Big Brother in your pocket.” Worse nonetheless, a possible encryption backdoor provision continues to be buried within the UK Online Safety Act.
Australia, which can also be implementing a strict obligatory age verification system, can also be contemplating breaking encryption, fueling a vow from Sign to leave the country if that happens.
There’s absolutely a sure starvation for safe and personal methods of proving your id on-line. It now stays to be seen if politicians will handle to dwell as much as the problem – and take heed to tech consultants alongside the best way.
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