EFF Statement on Meta Settlement
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has criticized a settlement involving Meta, arguing that while it restricts young users' access to Meta products, it also mandates age verification across all products — requiring more data collection from everyone, not just minors.
Why this matters: Age verification sounds like child protection. Often it is also mass surveillance with better PR. When a settlement forces a platform to confirm who everyone is before they can participate, it does not just affect teenagers. It means adults also hand over more identifying information, which Meta then holds, and which governments can later request. The EFF's point is blunt: locking kids out while locking everyone's identity in is not a privacy win. It is a trade where users of all ages lose anonymity and gain exposure.
Who should care: Cybersecurity · Privacy officers · Administrators · Lawyers · Compliance · General readers · Policy
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