On the one hand, I actually think this is a very good thing. Social media is especially damaging to children.
However:
The government says platforms must take “reasonable steps” to keep kids off their sites and use age assurance technologies, such as uploading official ID or facial/voice recognition, but they haven’t specified what technology platforms should use.
I hope the law stipulates that Meta is not allowed to keep this data, or use it for any purpose other than the verification itself. Not for training, not for building a profile on someone, nothing. Unfortunately the article doesn’t elaborate on that.
If they’re allowed to keep that data, then that needs to be addressed immediately. It’d be all kinds of fucked up.
If they’re allowed to keep that data, then that needs to be addressed immediately. It’d be all kinds of fucked up.
Don’t worry, they probably use a third party to have this that says it deleted the data, doesn’t, and will be hacked within a year.
Wait, no. Do worry.
So how does this affect all those kids with Meta Quest VR? This is why I don’t own a quest and still have HTC goggles regardless of that flaws.
There’s probably a distinction between a Meta account and a Facebook account.
Usually I’m against this sort of thing but hear me out:
- it’ll at least keep SOME kids off social media
- “kids will just use VPNs” >> some will, but maybe govs will finally realise how stupid trying to block things are and actually start regulating social media properly
- “kids will just join other social medias” >> not great but maybe that’ll help break meta’s dominance?
kids will just use VPNs" >> some will, but maybe govs will finally realise how stupid trying to block things are and actually start regulating social media properly
We’re seeing in real time that some (US) states that pass these stupid age verification laws are already going after VPNs instead of realizing their law is dumb.
I can guarantee they’re going to try to completely outlaw VPNs before they do any kind of meaningful regulation on social media, when they can use that as a massive data warehouse by making favorable decisions to the oligarchs running them.
If I had kids, I’d say an hour of social media is fine. After that, give me the phone and do your damn homework you dumb kid.
Good you don’t have any.