As age verification laws sweep the US and the prospect of a federal “online safety” law similar to the UK’s gains momentum, boosters of these policies claim that they’re necessary to rein in “Big Tech.” But in reality, these laws expand surveillance, threaten startups and independent communities, and further consolidate Big Tech’s power.
Democratic leaders, centrist political pundits, and the mainstream media falsely claim that removing anonymity from the web and censoring content via age verification is “cracking down on Big Tech.” They frame privacy and civil rights advocates as somehow doing the bidding of Big Tech. ….more
