I just want to highlight this and I hope Matt doesn’t mind but it is rare & wonderful. @openmedia.org has adjusted their position based on feedback & is changing their policy going forward to be entirely against digital age verification. It is unconstitutional & I am glad we are all a united front.

Matt Hatfield 🇨🇦@matthtfld.bsky.social · yesterday

Hi! Just to let you know we’ve talked about this internally and agree we should stiffen this point. We’ll be amending the default text today to demand dropping all age-verification from C-34’s text. Thanks for the input - and as always, please feel free to edit to reflect your specific view!

Four bills up for a Senate vote on Wednesday would push websites and apps to collect more personal information, putting privacy and anonymous access to lawful speech at risk. Tell your Senators to reject them today: www.acteff.org/campaign/16...

Tell the Senate: Don't Turn the Internet Into an ID Checkpoint

Tell the Senate to Reject Bills That Expand Age Verification

acteff.org

Should you have to prove your age before you can read or speak online? KOSA would pressure online services to build age verification systems that put everyone's privacy at risk. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

The Senate Should Reject KOSA's Privacy Risks

The Senate Commerce Committee is once again considering legislation that would dramatically expand age verification, and undermine privacy for everyone. Alongside the SCREEN Act, the CHATBOT Act, and

eff.org

WARNING! @openmedia.org 's new "Fix Bill C-34" messaging campaign still supports mandatory age verification for "adult content". This is even more broad than what Bill C-34 requires, and it means unacceptable privacy violations. #c34 #privacy #billc34 action.openmedia.org/page/196242/...

Fix Bill C-34: No Ban. No Surveillance!

Ban illegal harms, not young Canadians! 🇨🇦 #BillC34 should be amended to hold platforms accountable, protect privacy and free expression, and keep young people connected. Tell your MP to fix the bill:...

action.openmedia.org

Australia’s eSafety commissioner buried a report (released Friday afternoon) that shows the under 16 social media ban didn’t tangibly reduce teen social media use, and also resulted in parents tuning out of kids usage. We traded our privacy for no reason. theconversation.com/more-than-80...

More than 80% of kids still using social media despite ban, new eSafety report finds

The report provides more evidence Australia’s world-leading social media ban isn’t going to plan.

theconversation.com

"The SCREEN Act also targets VPNs .... and bill requires covered websites to verify users' ages based on their IP addresses unless the service can determine that the user is outside the United States, and specifically requires age verification on traffic coming from known VPN addresses."

The SCREEN Act Threatens Privacy Far Beyond Adult Websites

The Senate Commerce Committee is set to consider S. 737, the SCREEN Act, a sweeping age-verification bill that would require online services to verify users’ ages before they can access any sexually e...

eff.org

Warning to those sharing Open Media's new "Fix Bill C-34" messaging campaign. If you read the campaign's text closely, it explicitly supports mandatory online age verification for "adult content". This means unacceptable privacy violations. #c34 #privacy #billc34 openmedia.org/BillC34-bsky

Fix Bill C-34: No Ban. No Surveillance!

Ban illegal harms, not young Canadians! 🇨🇦 #BillC34 should be amended to hold platforms accountable, protect privacy and free expression, and keep young people connected. Tell your MP to fix the bill:...

openmedia.org

All Americans need to fight back and tell their Senate representatives to reject the SCREEN Act's unacceptable mandatory age verification requirements: www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/stop... www.defendonlineprivacy.com/screen/actio... S. 737 #privacy #SCREENACT #onlineprivacy

The Senate Commerce Committee will vote on the SCREEN Act on August 5, 2026. Take action now to oppose nationwide age verification in the US This bill would force every adult in the country to hand over identifying information just to use the internet. www.defendonlineprivacy.com/screen/

Canada has quietly signed the UN Cybercrime Convention, a treaty it once opposed given fears of expanded state surveillance. The US, Japan, New Zealand, and the Netherlands still haven't signed. Russia, China, and Iran signed on day one. What is happening?

A Surveillance Treaty in Disguise: The Trouble With Canada's Quiet Decision to Sign the UN Cybercrime Convention - Michael Geist

Last week, the government announced that Canada has signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, with Ministers Anita Anand, Gary Anandasangaree and Sean Fraser touting the treaty’s child…

michaelgeist.ca

A new European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) from Stop Killing The Internet has been registered: "Stop Killing The Internet: No Digital ID & No Age Verification" #privacy #ageverification #ageassurance #DigitalID #EU #EuropeanUnion citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/...

Initiative detail | European Citizens' Initiative

citizens-initiative.europa.eu

“There is no technology available that is entirely privacy-protective, fully accurate, and that guarantees complete coverage of the population,” EFF’s Rin Alajaji told @inc.com, and “no one should have to sacrifice their privacy or anonymity in order to exercise their free speech rights online.”

The Internet Is Starting to Card Everyone. These Startups Are Making Millions From It

Age-verification systems are increasingly sophisticated. They're lucrative for the businesses creating them, too.

inc.com

Senator Wyden warns that Bill C-22 represents a “counterintelligence threat” and urges the administration to take action. Given the latest Trump tariff threat, lawful access could add yet another complication in the increasingly fraught trade relationship. www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/07/rush...

Rushing Lawful Access Backfires: Wyden Letter on Bill C-22 Highlights Political, Trade and Business Risks - Michael Geist

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and the government presumably hoped that pushing Bill C-22 through a House of Commons committee past midnight without debate or a recorded vote would put an ...

michaelgeist.ca

Canada is considering new online safety legislation through Bill #C34, the Safe Social Media Act. We want to know what YOU think “safe” social media looks like🔒📝Take our short survey before August 2 👉 openmedia.org/digita-safet...

OpenMedia Survey: Your Voice on Digital Safety

🌐 Online safety laws affect all of us. As Canada considers #BillC34, OpenMedia wants to hear what Canadians think. 📝 The survey takes about 5 minutes. Add your voice before August 2 👉 https://openmed...

openmedia.org

Australia is moving forward with a VPN ban, and they are demanding that online enforce the ban. #ageverification #privacy #esafety www.techdirt.com/2026/07/20/a...

Australia’s Next Target In The War On Kids Online: Your VPN

We — and plenty of others — have been warning that the global rush to mandate age verification wouldn’t stop at “let’s make sure kids can’t see porn” or even just &#82…

techdirt.com

French President Emmanuel Macron's party has spent years lobbying for Chat Control and trying to force through mandatory encryption backdoor requirements in the National Assembly. The National Assembly is now rushing through mandatory age verification for all "social media" platforms.

There's no "middle ground" when it comes to encryption. The pro Chat Control voice in this article is from Scharliina Eräpuro, who is one the Brave Movement's anti-encryption and anti-privacy lobbyists. #chatcontrol #privacy #encryptedmessaging #europe www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

Why the EU’s so-called Chat Control law has privacy experts up in arms

The European Parliament has approved extraordinary measures to fight child sex abuse online. The rules have been dubbed "Chat Control" by critics, who warn of mass surveillance. Supporters reject thes...

euronews.com

After demanding mandatory online age verification, Australia is now moving to target VPNs. Those lobbying social media and adult content bans enforced by mandatory age verification will never be satisfied. They will target operating systems and VPNs. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Use of VPNs to bypass age checks on porn sites to be investigated by Australia’s eSafety watchdog

Online safety regulator monitoring compliance of top 30 adult sites after age verification laws introduced in March

theguardian.com

In a new blog, CDT's Tess Vartanian explains why a small change in the KIDS Act could have big consequences for everyone online.

Should Have Known Is the Wrong Standard for Kids’ Safety Laws

Getting This Right"#the-de-risking-warning" class="toc-anchor">The De-Risking Warningwer-mens-rea-standard-means-verifying-everyonenbsp" href="#a-lower-mens-rea-standard-means-verifying-everyonenbsp" class="toc-anchor">A Lower Mens Rea Standard Means Verifying Everyone s="toc-anchor">Knowledge Requirements Protect Speechpa-2-0-and-kosa-would-change" class="toc-anchor">What COPPA 2.0 and KOSA Would Change" class="toc-anchor">A Quick Primer on Mens Reaps://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/kids-safety-package-wins-house-approval-00980846">passed the KIDS Act, which includes a revised version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) 2.0. […]

cdt.org

Mélanie Joly’s Federal memo about taking legal action and responding to posts containing "misinformation", appears like it could include Bill C-22 under "national security decisions". The government has repeatedly called criticism of Bill C-22 "misinformation". #c22 #privacy

If you are anti-AI, data centers are being used to process and train on all personal information submitted for mandatory online age verification. If you are pro-AI, mandatory online age verification is increasing hardware costs and wasting compute. And for both, it is a major attack on privacy.

Sadly anti-porn rhetoric is also an issue in Canadian parliament, and an even bigger issue in the Senate (S-209). Anti-porn rhetoric is also why the far-right and Heritage Foundation has been aggressively lobbying for mandatory online age verification. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Opinion: The Montreal shooting revealed how antiporn rhetoric is being taken up by incels

The shooter’s 104-page manifesto made clear that misogyny was the clearest of his motivations

theglobeandmail.com

The US Senate thinks the House's version of the KIDS Act (H.R. 7757) doesn't go far enough, and thus they do not support it: www.axios.com/2026/06/29/h...

House vote sets up Senate clash over kids' online safety

The House passed the KIDS Act, but key senators say the legislation has little chance of advancing in its current form.

axios.com

The US House of Representatives unfortunately has voted to pass H.R. 7757, also known as the KIDS Act, on suspension. It will now be sent to the Senate, but the fight is not over. The Senate already has their own version of the bill that conflicts with the House's version, so it may still fail.

The US House of Representatives is currently voting on H.R. 7757, also known as the KIDS Act, is being voted on under suspension. This means they need a two-thirds majority to pass it. There appear to be 421 reps present, which means they need at least 281 votes to pass it.

The US House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 7757, also known as the KIDS Act, at 6:30pm ET today. This legislation includes massive privacy violations with mandatory online age verification. live.house.gov?date=2026-06...

The US House of Representatives is seeking to pass mandatory online age verification requirements as part of the KIDS Act in a single vote. Tell Congress to protect privacy by rejecting the KIDS Act! act.eff.org/action/tell-... www.badinternetbills.com www.stopkosa.com #KOSA #privacy

Tell Congress: Don’t Force Age Checks Online

Congress is preparing to vote on the KIDS Act, a sweeping internet bill that would pressure websites and apps to determine users’ ages before allowing them to read websites, send private messages, or ...

act.eff.org

Age verification for supporters are claiming that it somehow gives parents a choice. But the head of the Age Verification Providers Association says that the world needs age verification because parents will help their kids pass age checks. www.ftc.gov/system/files...

Tomorrow on Monday June 19, the world faces a double threat from the European Parliament seeking to force mandatory age verification for online messaging, and the US seeking mandatory online age verification with the KIDS Act/KOSA. EU: fightchatcontrol.eu US: www.badinternetbills.com

In addition to violating user privacy, mandatory online age verification laws could also kill whistleblowing: theintercept.com/2026/06/28/a... Chat Control (EU), KOSA/KIDS Act (US), and Bill C-34 (Canada) all seek to force mandatory age verification on everyone. #kidsact #kosa #c34 #chatcontrol

Online Age Verification Law Could Kill Whistleblowing

The KIDS Act, ostensibly aimed at protecting children, will raise the risk for journalists, dissidents, and whistleblowers.

theintercept.com