Tech and civil society group warns age verification could break the Internet

A group of civil society organisations and technology companies, including the Open Rights Group, Mozilla, and the Tor Project, has published an open letter urging UK policymakers to rethink proposed online safety measures. The group warns that access restrictions or age verification for VPNs and websites risk fragmenting the open Internet and eroding user rights.

The letter highlights that universal age verification would require all users to provide identification, creating significant privacy and data security risks. Furthermore, the group argues that expanding such systems risks entrenching the power of major platforms and turning the web into a patchwork of restricted jurisdictions.

Instead of blanket access restrictions, the signatories call for interventions that address the root causes of online harm. They identify these as the business models of large online platforms, which rely on extensive data collection, behavioural targeting, and practices designed to maximise engagement. The letter calls for a transition towards policies that protect users without compromising the fundamental nature of a globally accessible internet.

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