there is no such thing as "age verification."
All "age verification" is actually "identity verification."
You can coat it in glitter and "privacy-preserving" wrapping paper.
But in the end, mandating age verification means mandating surveillance be built into software and hardware.
Period.
All "age verification" is actually "identity verification."
You can coat it in glitter and "privacy-preserving" wrapping paper.
But in the end, mandating age verification means mandating surveillance be built into software and hardware.
Period.
August 16, 2026 at 12:24 AM
there is no such thing as "age verification."
All "age verification" is actually "identity verification."
You can coat it in glitter and "privacy-preserving" wrapping paper.
But in the end, mandating age verification means mandating surveillance be built into software and hardware.
Period.
All "age verification" is actually "identity verification."
You can coat it in glitter and "privacy-preserving" wrapping paper.
But in the end, mandating age verification means mandating surveillance be built into software and hardware.
Period.
So uploading my ID and a selfie to an unknown private company is 'privacy preserving'? We may have different understandings of privacy preserving.
June 17, 2026 at 4:16 PM
So uploading my ID and a selfie to an unknown private company is 'privacy preserving'? We may have different understandings of privacy preserving.
Warm Welcome to all followers on W
👌 User friendly
🔓 Open source AT Protocol
🔒 Privacy preserving
🧑🤝🧑 Humans only / No bots
And 🇪🇺 European!
👌 User friendly
🔓 Open source AT Protocol
🔒 Privacy preserving
🧑🤝🧑 Humans only / No bots
And 🇪🇺 European!
June 17, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Warm Welcome to all followers on W
👌 User friendly
🔓 Open source AT Protocol
🔒 Privacy preserving
🧑🤝🧑 Humans only / No bots
And 🇪🇺 European!
👌 User friendly
🔓 Open source AT Protocol
🔒 Privacy preserving
🧑🤝🧑 Humans only / No bots
And 🇪🇺 European!
"Privacy-preserving"
Do you use Firefox? In the new Firefox 128 there's a box, *on by default*, for a feature that collects info about the ads you've seen as you browse and sends it directly to the ad companies. (Chrome has this too, but doesn't enable it without a disclosure/consent box.)
I recommend you turn it off:
I recommend you turn it off:
July 12, 2024 at 9:18 PM
"Privacy-preserving"
Privacy-Preserving Mass Surveillance Device
September 9, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Privacy-Preserving Mass Surveillance Device
It took us a long time to get to building contact imports for Bluesky because we wanted to do it in a privacy preserving way. Read more about how we did it in the blog post below!
v1.112 is live!
We’re launching Find Friends, a contact import feature that helps you find people you know on Bluesky.
Try it! In the mobile app, go to Settings → Find friends from contacts.
Read how we took a more secure approach to this than other platforms: bsky.social/about/blog/1...
We’re launching Find Friends, a contact import feature that helps you find people you know on Bluesky.
Try it! In the mobile app, go to Settings → Find friends from contacts.
Read how we took a more secure approach to this than other platforms: bsky.social/about/blog/1...
December 17, 2025 at 8:22 PM
It took us a long time to get to building contact imports for Bluesky because we wanted to do it in a privacy preserving way. Read more about how we did it in the blog post below!
An instant must-read from @stevebellovin.bsky.social on why privacy-preserving age verification is both theoretically straightforward and practically impossible: "Privacy-Preserving Age Verification—and Its Limitations"
www.cs.columbia.edu
August 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
An instant must-read from @stevebellovin.bsky.social on why privacy-preserving age verification is both theoretically straightforward and practically impossible: "Privacy-Preserving Age Verification—and Its Limitations"
No. This is not true. And spreading disinformation about privacy preserving tools in our current environment could literally get someone killed, so please stop saying shit like this just cuz you think it scores you “I know more than you” points
January 22, 2025 at 1:55 PM
No. This is not true. And spreading disinformation about privacy preserving tools in our current environment could literally get someone killed, so please stop saying shit like this just cuz you think it scores you “I know more than you” points
Discord launches controversial age-verification system "using the most privacy-preserving approach we could build" months after first delay. https://bit.ly/3TkvENi
September 27, 2026 at 6:31 AM
Discord launches controversial age-verification system "using the most privacy-preserving approach we could build" months after first delay. https://bit.ly/3TkvENi
I joined Zack Guzmán on Coinage this morning to talk a little bit about the case, and broadly about privacy-preserving software. Here’s an excerpt.
July 28, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I joined Zack Guzmán on Coinage this morning to talk a little bit about the case, and broadly about privacy-preserving software. Here’s an excerpt.
my torment nexus is going to be Privacy-Preserving
June 8, 2026 at 5:29 PM
my torment nexus is going to be Privacy-Preserving
I think this is a really important thing about libraries that many people may not realize. not only not tracking, but ideally really making an effort to maintain privacy on hold shelves as well. Corporations and many government entities are attacking our privacy; support libraries in preserving it.
December 7, 2025 at 2:28 AM
I think this is a really important thing about libraries that many people may not realize. not only not tracking, but ideally really making an effort to maintain privacy on hold shelves as well. Corporations and many government entities are attacking our privacy; support libraries in preserving it.
The bill should clarify that the FTC can't sue for mere content recommendations, and that privacy-preserving features like auto-delete and end-to-end encryption aren't unreasonable or harmful designs. It's possible to protect children from harmful platform design without sacrificing user privacy.
May 11, 2024 at 12:46 AM
The bill should clarify that the FTC can't sue for mere content recommendations, and that privacy-preserving features like auto-delete and end-to-end encryption aren't unreasonable or harmful designs. It's possible to protect children from harmful platform design without sacrificing user privacy.
yes, noblogs is back up (mostly) but it's still very much in danger. it's extremely important not to let the state declare that privacy-preserving communication architecture is an act of terrorism. if it helps, think of it as part of the same range of attacks on privacy as "age verification" etc.
August 29, 2026 at 11:01 PM
yes, noblogs is back up (mostly) but it's still very much in danger. it's extremely important not to let the state declare that privacy-preserving communication architecture is an act of terrorism. if it helps, think of it as part of the same range of attacks on privacy as "age verification" etc.
Thank you for saying something and for preserving those women’s privacy 🙏
April 27, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Thank you for saying something and for preserving those women’s privacy 🙏
Apropos of nothing, I've joined the advisory board of IFTAS (Independent Federated Trust & Safety), a nonprofit that has spent the past two years working with moderators in the Fediverse to build privacy-preserving safety tooling and support systems for moderators in the ActivityPub ecosystem.
December 13, 2024 at 8:27 PM
Apropos of nothing, I've joined the advisory board of IFTAS (Independent Federated Trust & Safety), a nonprofit that has spent the past two years working with moderators in the Fediverse to build privacy-preserving safety tooling and support systems for moderators in the ActivityPub ecosystem.
Apple has opted iOS and MacOS users into an AI photo scanning feature which tries to extract landmarks from your photos called Enhanced Visual Search by default with little notice.
www.theregister.com/2025/01/03/a...
www.theregister.com/2025/01/03/a...
Apple opts everyone into having their Photos analyzed by AI
Homomorphic-based Enhanced Visual Search is so privacy-preserving, iPhone giant activated it without asking
www.theregister.com
January 4, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Apple has opted iOS and MacOS users into an AI photo scanning feature which tries to extract landmarks from your photos called Enhanced Visual Search by default with little notice.
www.theregister.com/2025/01/03/a...
www.theregister.com/2025/01/03/a...
The findings have significant implications for online privacy, researchers say.
LLMs can unmask pseudonymous users at scale with surprising accuracy
Pseudonymity has never been perfect for preserving privacy. Soon it may be pointless.
arstechnica.com
March 3, 2026 at 8:15 PM
The findings have significant implications for online privacy, researchers say.
Secure backups will let you save an archive of your Signal messages remotely in privacy-preserving form, refreshed every day.
Now available in the latest Android beta release, rolling out to iOS and Desktop in the near future.
Now available in the latest Android beta release, rolling out to iOS and Desktop in the near future.
September 8, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Secure backups will let you save an archive of your Signal messages remotely in privacy-preserving form, refreshed every day.
Now available in the latest Android beta release, rolling out to iOS and Desktop in the near future.
Now available in the latest Android beta release, rolling out to iOS and Desktop in the near future.
AB 1043 does not apply to websites, meaning the technology is not currently available to adult sites who wish to block minors. While there is inherent privacy risk in all AV solutions, device-based solutions are more privacy preserving than the platform-based verification mandated in other states.
California just became the latest state to require device-level age verification. Under AB 1043, users must verify their age when setting up a phone or downloading apps, forcing Apple & Google to build age-check systems into devices.
avn.com/news/legal/c...
avn.com/news/legal/c...
California Governor Adopts Device-Level Age Verification Law AVN
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) 1043 on Monday, implementing an age verification regime that requires users' ages to be verified at the device operating…
avn.com
October 15, 2025 at 10:37 PM
AB 1043 does not apply to websites, meaning the technology is not currently available to adult sites who wish to block minors. While there is inherent privacy risk in all AV solutions, device-based solutions are more privacy preserving than the platform-based verification mandated in other states.
Both Chrome and Firefox claim their ad snitching features are "privacy-preserving" because they use a buzzword called "differential privacy". Without getting too much into the weeds, my opinion as a subject expert is this technology is "fucking bullshit" and "basically candy for the fucking NSA".
July 12, 2024 at 9:01 PM
Both Chrome and Firefox claim their ad snitching features are "privacy-preserving" because they use a buzzword called "differential privacy". Without getting too much into the weeds, my opinion as a subject expert is this technology is "fucking bullshit" and "basically candy for the fucking NSA".
Every Tesla is a surveillance device. This is worth knowing regardless of whether you engage in protest activity.
This chart shows the locations and ranges of the cameras, presuming they have an unobstructed view.
Fashion tips for preserving your privacy around Teslas:
crimethinc.com/fashiontips
This chart shows the locations and ranges of the cameras, presuming they have an unobstructed view.
Fashion tips for preserving your privacy around Teslas:
crimethinc.com/fashiontips
March 20, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Every Tesla is a surveillance device. This is worth knowing regardless of whether you engage in protest activity.
This chart shows the locations and ranges of the cameras, presuming they have an unobstructed view.
Fashion tips for preserving your privacy around Teslas:
crimethinc.com/fashiontips
This chart shows the locations and ranges of the cameras, presuming they have an unobstructed view.
Fashion tips for preserving your privacy around Teslas:
crimethinc.com/fashiontips
A Privacy-Preserving Postcode lookup tool
YouTube video by Computing: the Details
www.youtube.com
August 8, 2025 at 10:20 PM