Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Age verification

2026-05-12T23:30:34Z

ClippyWantsToHelp:

{{Incomplete}}
{{See also|Forced identification|De-anonymization}}

'''[[wikipedia:Age_verification|Age Verification]]''' (AV), also referred to as '''Age Affirmation''' (AA) and '''Age gating''', is the process in where a business requires some form of identification to verify your age, a mass surveillance measure disguised as child safety to de-anonymize the internet. This is usually done for more explicit, mature content or social media. This practice has been widely spreading since the [[UK Online Safety Act|UK's Online Safety Act (OSA)]] has passed; requiring all individuals to verify themselves before accessing mature content. Ways of checking age include, but are not limited to: checking for a valid credit card, facial age estimation tools, government-issued ID, biometric data, account history behavior, and more.

As of December 2025, 25 US States require websites with mature content to verify age.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Age Verification Laws - Action Center |url=https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251228121257/https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |archive-date=2025-12-28 }}</ref>

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) reveals Meta Platforms spent $26.3 million on federal lobbying and funded a "grassroot" Digital Childhood Alliance group, with $0 to child safety<ref>{{Cite web |last=upper-up |date=2026-03-24 |title=Meta Platforms: Lobbying, Dark Money, and the App Store Accountability Act |url=https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260413033424/https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings |archive-date=2026-04-13 |access-date=2026-05-02 |website=[[Github]]}}</ref>.

==How it works==

===Online Platform Age Verification===
When accessing a platform or website that may contain content not suitable for all audiences may force you to register for the platform along with verifying your age by one of the methods mentioned previously. Sites that likely don't use any form of account system will probably have a popup instead requiring you to verify your age before even serving the content you were trying to access.

===Operating System Age Verification===
New legislation now mandates [[wikipedia:Operating_system|operating systems (OS)]] to block the user until they verify their age. This is done "for convenience" so that apps and websites don't individually prompt the user, instead those apps/websites can just query the platform (e.g. OS, web-browser, etc...) without the user noticing.

==Why is this a problem?==
The Online Safety Act is already exerting extraterritorial control through the age‑verification and validation changes it prompts, which are being implemented in the U.S. even though those companies customer bases are not at all subject to UK law, even Europeans that are also not under UK law are affected. This stems from the Act’s vague, overly broad language requiring companies to comply whenever users are located in the UK. Because the law effectively ignores national borders, non‑UK companies face only two options: geo‑block affected content for UK users or apply the same verification measures globally.

Geo‑blocking would severely disrupt services and business relationships that where already in place with UK customers before the Online Safety Act, so many companies choose to implement the changes for all users resulting in practical overreach beyond the UK. A reason for this is Ofcoms<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=What is Ofcom? |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/what-is-ofcom |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref> statutory powers to require platforms to use “accredited technology” to detect illegal content. As such systems would have to be implemented onto all the content this again would be an overreach of their precieved authorities. Companys that do not comply are already beeing fined for this.

Even if the UK Government has “paused” its demand for implementing “accredited technologys” there is no practical way to meet the vague requirement set out by Ofcom in the Online Safety Act. The proposal ignores that smaller companies would likely be forced to close under the financial burden of compliance, producing a sterilized market with reduced competition only firms with deep pockets can comply. That still does not prevent Ofcom from fining companies that fail to comply.

Examples:

Webpage 4chan<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into 4chan and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-4chan-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

AVS GROUP LIMITED<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=Investigation into AVS Group Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

The provider of Im.ge<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into the provider of Im.ge and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-the-provider-of-im.ge-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

Youngtek Solutions Ltd<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-11 |title=Investigation into Youngtek Solutions Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

===Customer Profiling===
Having companies easily able to identify you means they can track you more efficiently and sell that shared profile to other companies such as ad agencies that then start targeting you specifically. Age data stored in a computer's operating system is another data being used for device fingerprinting<ref>{{Cite web |last=Costa |first=C. da |date=2026-03-16 |title=Reddit User Uncovers Who Is Behind Meta’s $2B Lobbying for Invasive Age Verification Tech |url=https://www.gadgetreview.com/reddit-user-uncovers-who-is-behind-metas-2b-lobbying-for-invasive-age-verification-tech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260415225107/https://www.gadgetreview.com/reddit-user-uncovers-who-is-behind-metas-2b-lobbying-for-invasive-age-verification-tech |archive-date=2026-04-15 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=Gadget Review}}</ref>.

===Government overreach===
Governments can also more easily track online movements and find out who you are. Saying something that may go against their own agenda may end up with a police raid, heavy interrogation, and prison time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=John |date=2025-06-20 |title=China tightens internet controls with new centralized form of virtual ID |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20a%20state%2Dled,an%20infrastructure%20of%20digital%20totalitarianism.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2025-09-04 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620233250/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl |archive-date=2025-06-20 }}</ref>

===Censorship===
Certain topics, such as adult content, politics, and LGBT+ topics, will likely be unfairly censored by the governing body or company that has a say on what platform has the '''potential''' to be inappropriate for minors or other age groups.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-01 |title=Strict Age Verification Laws: Balancing Content Restriction and Educational Rights |url=https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/#:~:text=Impact%20on%20K12,affect%20these%20groups |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Think Academy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251018030711/https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/ |archive-date=2025-10-18 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |last2=Mackey |first2=Aaron |last3=Mullin |first3=Joe |date=2024-02-15 |title=Don’t Fall for the Latest Changes to the Dangerous Kids Online Safety Act |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215234054/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |archive-date=2024-02-15 }}</ref>

Platforms that host this type of content may also be more proactive in deleting/hiding posts that may get them in trouble or fined by laws or policies by local governments, leading to a more censored internet where opinions are streamlined to fit a set narrative or outlook.<ref name=":0" />

===Increased inequality and denial of service===
Some stores, such as grocery stores, prohibit young people from viewing their web sites or using [[loyalty cards]], which provide discounts and digital coupons. Age verification means that young people and families where the young person does the shopping pay more for essentials like food.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pell |first=Miranda |date=25 Oct 2024 |title=Tesco, Lidl and Sainsbury's shoppers issued warning over little-known 'age limit' rules |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |access-date=20 Sep 2025 |work=Manchester evening news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251021121644/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |archive-date=2025-10-21 }}</ref> Those who do not have ID, or do not chose to use it (for instance, those who fear domestic violence, or are members of a group subject to persecution) may also be locked out or have to pay more.

===Storage of private and biometric Information by age verification service providers===
A study commissioned by the Australian government found that age verification service providers accumulate a concerning amount of personal information, sometimes even biometric in nature, even when that was not necessary to provide the age verification service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastian |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Age Verification Providers are hoarding biometric Data] |url=https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903115436/https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |archive-date=2025-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastion |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Google Translate English Version] |url=https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251023063119/https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |archive-date=2025-10-23 }}</ref>

===Driving users towards smaller and completely unregulated offerings===
Big platforms can be regulated and forced to comply with applicable laws since they need to have infrastructure such as servers in all major markets. Only these will be affected by the age restriction requirement.

However, users who do not wish to compromise their privacy or who are not of age will then go looking towards smaller niche platforms, often in other regions not affected by the regulation or the [[wikipedia:Darknet|darknet]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kaleta |first=Miroslav |date=2025-08-20 |title=The Cost of Data Privacy Negligence (And How to Avoid It) |url=https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence#:~:text=2.%20Losing%20Customer,IBM%20Report. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251217003447/https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence |archive-date=17 Dec 2025|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Countly Blog}}</ref> With these offerings, there is little to no leverage with regards to removal of illegal content. Increased exposure to illegal content can then lead to both a strengthening of illegal content providers<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branley |first=Dawn |last2=Covey |first2=Judith |date=2016-06-06 |title=Is exposure to online content depicting risky behavior related to viewers' own risky behavior offline? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403233150/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=ScienceDirect}}</ref> and significantly increased danger to minors, who may not yet be able to differentiate between legal and illegal content as well as an adult.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Potential risks of content, features, and functions: The science of how social media affects youth |url=https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416042251/https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |archive-date=2024-04-16 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=American Psychological Association}}</ref> 

===Increased damage from data breaches===
Platforms which implement age checks that require sensitive information such as a government-issued ID will likely be more of a target for cyber criminals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-02 |title=Cybercriminals Target These Industries the Most – Here’s Why and How to Stay Safe |url=https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/#:~:text=The%20Most%20Vulnerable%20Industries%20to,information%20stored%20within%20their%20networks. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119030330/https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Brandefense}}</ref> As more platforms comply with the age checks, it becomes more likely that a data breach on at least one of these platforms can reveal extremely sensitive information. In the case of a data breach, it can be catastrophic if users' sensitive information were exposed, which can likely result in identity theft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Popov |first=Cristina |date=2023-03-22 |title=Why breaches can affect you long after they occur |url=https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur#:~:text=%232%3A%20Breaches%20can,for%20online%20accounts. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104220250/https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur |archive-date=4 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Bitdefender}}</ref>

Platforms already experience major losses and consumer distrust from data breaches that reveal information less sensitive than government-issued IDs or biometric data.<ref name=":1" /> A data breach involving information this sensitive will seriously damage a business, and the users even more so. As stated previously, users who foresee these privacy risks will turn away from platforms which implement the policy, and towards niche platforms.

===Inaccuracy===
Researches about age verification software that estimates age via face scans are inaccurate, identifying children as adults or vice versa. These inaccurate estimations might lead to have to use more privacy-invasive methods like submitting a picture of a personal ID. {{Citation needed}}

===Questioned effectiveness===
Recent studies evidenced practices done by the Online Safety Act legislation are poorly effective as many users managed to reach to VPNs and bypasses in order to protect their privacy online {{Citation needed}}. Children might use their parents' IDs or credit cards to circumvent the systems and have access to mature content. {{Citation needed}}

===Limitation of control over owned devices===
Age verification methods that are done at the operating system level, such as how it is done on [[Apple introduces OS-level age verification|iOS]] in some regions, prevent the device owner, even if they're an adult, to freely use their device unless they send sensitive data online. This also prevents parents from configuring their children's devices to their liking or to create different profiles in case a device is used by multiple people.{{Citation needed}}

===Threat to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)===
Age verification, especially identity verification, are fundamentally incompatible with the four essential freedoms of [[Free software movement|free software]]. Legislation that mandates nationwide operating system age verification could outlaw GNU/Linux, consolidating monopolistic power to proprietary operating systems<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trevino |first=Sam |date=2026-03-06 |title=Age Assurance Laws and the End of General Purpose Computing |url=https://samtrevino.substack.com/p/age-assurance-laws-and-the-end-of |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/age-assurance-laws-and-the-end-of-general-purpose-computing-report |archive-date=2026-03-11 |access-date=2026-05-01}}</ref>.

==Methods==
There are various methods used to verify and check the age of an user, being these the most common ones:

*'''Age attestation''': Consists of establishing the user's birthdate on their account or profile.
*'''ID check''': The most privacy-invasive method and the riskiest of all. It consists of sending a picture of a government-issued ID, a passport or a drivers licence.
*'''Live selfie''': It consists of a live recording of the user's face. It has been questioned for its effectiveness and accuracy.
*'''Credit card check''': Less privacy-invasive than an ID check or a live selfie, but very problematic because of potential card theft if a data leak occurs.
*'''Behavior prediction''': Used by some social media to estimate the user's age by its behavior on the platform using algorithms.

==Examples==
*[[YouTube age verification|YouTube's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm.

*[[Spotify]]'s Age affirmation for MA rated songs and content.

*[[Discord's Mandatory Age Verification|Discord's age verification]] for accounts determining what eligible servers are available.

*[[Roblox#ID & face scan age verification|Roblox's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm for talking with users of similar age.

==External links==

*[https://agelesslinux.org/distros.html Ageless Linux — Distro Compliance Tracker]
*[https://github.com/BryanLunduke/DoesItAgeVerify GitHub BryanLunduke - List Tracking Operating Systems Not Implementing Age Verification]
*[https://www.eff.org/pages/age-verification-bills-are-unconstitutional EFF explains how OS-level age-verification is unconstitutional]
*[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8250/all-info All Information (Except Text) for H.R.8250 - Parents Decide Act]
*[https://csa-scientist-open-letter.org/ageverif-Feb2026| Joint statement of scientists and researchers on Age Assurance - Open letter signed by academics, warning about age verification risks]

==See also==

*[[Chat Control]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Age verification

2026-05-11T00:18:25Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* External links */ included the open letter that warns about the risks of AV

{{Incomplete}}
{{See also|Forced identification|De-anonymization}}

'''[[wikipedia:Age_verification|Age Verification]]''' (AV), also referred to as '''Age Affirmation''' (AA) and '''Age gating''', is the process in where a business requires some form of identification to verify your age, a mass surveillance measure disguised as child safety to de-anonymize the internet. This is usually done for more explicit, mature content or social media. This practice has been widely spreading since the [[UK Online Safety Act|UK's Online Safety Act (OSA)]] has passed; requiring all individuals to verify themselves before accessing mature content. Ways of checking age include, but are not limited to: checking for a valid credit card, facial age estimation tools, government-issued ID, biometric data, account history behavior, and more.

As of December 2025, 25 US States require websites with mature content to verify age.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Age Verification Laws - Action Center |url=https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251228121257/https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |archive-date=2025-12-28 }}</ref>

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) reveals Meta Platforms spent $26.3 million on federal lobbying and funded a "grassroot" Digital Childhood Alliance group, with $0 to child safety<ref>{{Cite web |last=upper-up |date=2026-03-24 |title=Meta Platforms: Lobbying, Dark Money, and the App Store Accountability Act |url=https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260413033424/https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings |archive-date=2026-04-13 |access-date=2026-05-02 |website=[[Github]]}}</ref>.

==How it works==

=== Online Platform Age Verification ===
When accessing a platform or website that may contain content not suitable for all audiences may force you to register for the platform along with verifying your age by one of the methods mentioned previously. Sites that likely don't use any form of account system will probably have a popup instead requiring you to verify your age before even serving the content you were trying to access.

=== Operating System Age Verification ===
New legislation now mandates [[wikipedia:Operating_system|operating systems (OS)]] to block the user until they verify their age. This is done "for convenience" so that apps and websites don't individually prompt the user, instead those apps/websites can just query the platform (e.g. OS, web-browser, etc...) without the user noticing.

==Why is this a problem?==
The Online Safety Act is already exerting extraterritorial control through the age‑verification and validation changes it prompts, which are being implemented in the U.S. even though those companies customer bases are not at all subject to UK law, even Europeans that are also not under UK law are affected. This stems from the Act’s vague, overly broad language requiring companies to comply whenever users are located in the UK. Because the law effectively ignores national borders, non‑UK companies face only two options: geo‑block affected content for UK users or apply the same verification measures globally.

Geo‑blocking would severely disrupt services and business relationships that where already in place with UK customers before the Online Safety Act, so many companies choose to implement the changes for all users resulting in practical overreach beyond the UK. A reason for this is Ofcoms<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=What is Ofcom? |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/what-is-ofcom |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref> statutory powers to require platforms to use “accredited technology” to detect illegal content. As such systems would have to be implemented onto all the content this again would be an overreach of their precieved authorities. Companys that do not comply are already beeing fined for this.

Even if the UK Government has “paused” its demand for implementing “accredited technologys” there is no practical way to meet the vague requirement set out by Ofcom in the Online Safety Act. The proposal ignores that smaller companies would likely be forced to close under the financial burden of compliance, producing a sterilized market with reduced competition only firms with deep pockets can comply. That still does not prevent Ofcom from fining companies that fail to comply.

Examples:

Webpage 4chan<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into 4chan and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-4chan-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

AVS GROUP LIMITED<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=Investigation into AVS Group Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

The provider of Im.ge<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into the provider of Im.ge and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-the-provider-of-im.ge-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

Youngtek Solutions Ltd<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-11 |title=Investigation into Youngtek Solutions Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

===Customer Profiling===
Having companies easily able to identify you means they can track you more efficiently and sell that shared profile to other companies such as ad agencies that then start targeting you specifically. Age data stored in a computer's operating system is another data being used for device fingerprinting<ref>{{Cite web |last=Costa |first=C. da |date=2026-03-16 |title=Reddit User Uncovers Who Is Behind Meta’s $2B Lobbying for Invasive Age Verification Tech |url=https://www.gadgetreview.com/reddit-user-uncovers-who-is-behind-metas-2b-lobbying-for-invasive-age-verification-tech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260415225107/https://www.gadgetreview.com/reddit-user-uncovers-who-is-behind-metas-2b-lobbying-for-invasive-age-verification-tech |archive-date=2026-04-15 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=Gadget Review}}</ref>.

===Government overreach===
Governments can also more easily track online movements and find out who you are. Saying something that may go against their own agenda may end up with a police raid, heavy interrogation, and prison time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=John |date=2025-06-20 |title=China tightens internet controls with new centralized form of virtual ID |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20a%20state%2Dled,an%20infrastructure%20of%20digital%20totalitarianism.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2025-09-04 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620233250/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl |archive-date=2025-06-20 }}</ref>

===Censorship===
Certain topics, such as adult content, politics, and LGBT+ topics, will likely be unfairly censored by the governing body or company that has a say on what platform has the '''potential''' to be inappropriate for minors or other age groups.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-01 |title=Strict Age Verification Laws: Balancing Content Restriction and Educational Rights |url=https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/#:~:text=Impact%20on%20K12,affect%20these%20groups |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Think Academy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251018030711/https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/ |archive-date=2025-10-18 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |last2=Mackey |first2=Aaron |last3=Mullin |first3=Joe |date=2024-02-15 |title=Don’t Fall for the Latest Changes to the Dangerous Kids Online Safety Act |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215234054/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |archive-date=2024-02-15 }}</ref>

Platforms that host this type of content may also be more proactive in deleting/hiding posts that may get them in trouble or fined by laws or policies by local governments, leading to a more censored internet where opinions are streamlined to fit a set narrative or outlook.<ref name=":0" />

===Increased inequality and denial of service===
Some stores, such as grocery stores, prohibit young people from viewing their web sites or using [[loyalty cards]], which provide discounts and digital coupons. Age verification means that young people and families where the young person does the shopping pay more for essentials like food.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pell |first=Miranda |date=25 Oct 2024 |title=Tesco, Lidl and Sainsbury's shoppers issued warning over little-known 'age limit' rules |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |access-date=20 Sep 2025 |work=Manchester evening news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251021121644/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |archive-date=2025-10-21 }}</ref> Those who do not have ID, or do not chose to use it (for instance, those who fear domestic violence, or are members of a group subject to persecution) may also be locked out or have to pay more.

===Storage of private and biometric Information by age verification service providers===
A study commissioned by the Australian government found that age verification service providers accumulate a concerning amount of personal information, sometimes even biometric in nature, even when that was not necessary to provide the age verification service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastian |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Age Verification Providers are hoarding biometric Data] |url=https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903115436/https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |archive-date=2025-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastion |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Google Translate English Version] |url=https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251023063119/https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |archive-date=2025-10-23 }}</ref>

===Driving users towards smaller and completely unregulated offerings===
Big platforms can be regulated and forced to comply with applicable laws since they need to have infrastructure such as servers in all major markets. Only these will be affected by the age restriction requirement.

However, users who do not wish to compromise their privacy or who are not of age will then go looking towards smaller niche platforms, often in other regions not affected by the regulation or the [[wikipedia:Darknet|darknet]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kaleta |first=Miroslav |date=2025-08-20 |title=The Cost of Data Privacy Negligence (And How to Avoid It) |url=https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence#:~:text=2.%20Losing%20Customer,IBM%20Report. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251217003447/https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence |archive-date=17 Dec 2025|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Countly Blog}}</ref> With these offerings, there is little to no leverage with regards to removal of illegal content. Increased exposure to illegal content can then lead to both a strengthening of illegal content providers<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branley |first=Dawn |last2=Covey |first2=Judith |date=2016-06-06 |title=Is exposure to online content depicting risky behavior related to viewers' own risky behavior offline? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403233150/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=ScienceDirect}}</ref> and significantly increased danger to minors, who may not yet be able to differentiate between legal and illegal content as well as an adult.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Potential risks of content, features, and functions: The science of how social media affects youth |url=https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416042251/https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |archive-date=2024-04-16 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=American Psychological Association}}</ref> 

===Increased damage from data breaches===
Platforms which implement age checks that require sensitive information such as a government-issued ID will likely be more of a target for cyber criminals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-02 |title=Cybercriminals Target These Industries the Most – Here’s Why and How to Stay Safe |url=https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/#:~:text=The%20Most%20Vulnerable%20Industries%20to,information%20stored%20within%20their%20networks. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119030330/https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Brandefense}}</ref> As more platforms comply with the age checks, it becomes more likely that a data breach on at least one of these platforms can reveal extremely sensitive information. In the case of a data breach, it can be catastrophic if users' sensitive information were exposed, which can likely result in identity theft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Popov |first=Cristina |date=2023-03-22 |title=Why breaches can affect you long after they occur |url=https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur#:~:text=%232%3A%20Breaches%20can,for%20online%20accounts. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104220250/https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur |archive-date=4 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Bitdefender}}</ref>

Platforms already experience major losses and consumer distrust from data breaches that reveal information less sensitive than government-issued IDs or biometric data.<ref name=":1" /> A data breach involving information this sensitive will seriously damage a business, and the users even more so. As stated previously, users who foresee these privacy risks will turn away from platforms which implement the policy, and towards niche platforms.

===Inaccuracy===
Researches about age verification software that estimates age via face scans are inaccurate, identifying children as adults or vice versa. These inaccurate estimations might lead to have to use more privacy-invasive methods like submitting a picture of a personal ID. {{Citation needed}}

===Questioned effectiveness===
Recent studies evidenced practices done by the Online Safety Act legislation are poorly effective as many users managed to reach to VPNs and bypasses in order to protect their privacy online {{Citation needed}}. Children might use their parents' IDs or credit cards to circumvent the systems and have access to mature content. {{Citation needed}}

===Anti-ownership practices and limitation of control over the device===
Age verification methods that are done at the operating system level, such as how it is done on [[Apple introduces OS-level age verification|iOS]] in some regions, prevent the device owner, even if they're an adult, to freely use their device unless they send sensitive data online. This also prevent parents to configure their children devices to their liking or to create different profiles in case a device is used by multiple people.{{Citation needed}}

=== Threat to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) ===
Age verification, especially identity verification, are fundamentally incompatible with the four essential freedoms of free software<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-28 |title=What is Free Software? |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260426185514/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |archive-date=2026-04-26 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=GNU Operating System}}</ref>. Legislation that mandates nationwide operating system age verification could outlaw GNU/Linux, consolidating monopolistic power to proprietary operating systems<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trevino |first=Sam |date=2026-03-06 |title=Age Assurance Laws and the End of General Purpose Computing |url=https://samtrevino.substack.com/p/age-assurance-laws-and-the-end-of |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/age-assurance-laws-and-the-end-of-general-purpose-computing-report |archive-date=2026-03-11 |access-date=2026-05-01}}</ref>.

==Methods==
There are various methods used to verify and check the age of an user, but these are the most common:

*'''ID check''': The most privacy-invasive method and the riskiest of all. It consists of sending a picture of a government-issued ID, a passport or a drivers licence.
*'''Live selfie''': It consists of a live recording of the user's face. It has been questioned for its effectiveness and accuracy.
*'''Credit card check''': Less privacy-invasive than an ID check or a live selfie, but very problematic because of potential card theft if a data leak occurs.
*'''Behavior prediction''': Used by some social media to estimate the user's age by its behavior on the platform using algorithms.

==Examples==
*[[YouTube age verification|YouTube's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm.

*[[Spotify]]'s Age affirmation for MA rated songs and content.

*[[Discord's Mandatory Age Verification|Discord's age verification]] for accounts determining what eligible servers are available.

*[[Roblox#ID & face scan age verification|Roblox's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm for talking with users of similar age.

==External links==

*[https://agelesslinux.org/distros.html Ageless Linux — Distro Compliance Tracker]
*[https://github.com/BryanLunduke/DoesItAgeVerify GitHub BryanLunduke - List Tracking Operating Systems Not Implementing Age Verification]
*[https://www.eff.org/pages/age-verification-bills-are-unconstitutional EFF explains how OS-level age-verification is unconstitutional]
*[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8250/all-info All Information (Except Text) for H.R.8250 - Parents Decide Act]
*[https://csa-scientist-open-letter.org/ageverif-Feb2026| Joint statement of scientists and researchers on Age Assurance - Open letter signed by academics, warning about age verification risks]

==See also==

*[[Chat Control]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Age verification

2026-05-11T00:03:19Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Methods */

{{Incomplete}}
{{See also|Forced identification|De-anonymization}}

'''[[wikipedia:Age_verification|Age Verification]]''' (AV), also referred to as '''Age Affirmation''' (AA) and '''Age gating''', is the process in where a business requires some form of identification to verify your age, a mass surveillance measure disguised as child safety to de-anonymize the internet. This is usually done for more explicit, mature content or social media. This practice has been widely spreading since the [[UK Online Safety Act|UK's Online Safety Act (OSA)]] has passed; requiring all individuals to verify themselves before accessing mature content. Ways of checking age include, but are not limited to: checking for a valid credit card, facial age estimation tools, government-issued ID, biometric data, account history behavior, and more.

As of December 2025, 25 US States require websites with mature content to verify age.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Age Verification Laws - Action Center |url=https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251228121257/https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |archive-date=2025-12-28 }}</ref>

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) reveals Meta Platforms spent $26.3 million on federal lobbying and funded a "grassroot" Digital Childhood Alliance group, with $0 to child safety<ref>{{Cite web |last=upper-up |date=2026-03-24 |title=Meta Platforms: Lobbying, Dark Money, and the App Store Accountability Act |url=https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260413033424/https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings |archive-date=2026-04-13 |access-date=2026-05-02 |website=[[Github]]}}</ref>.

==How it works==

=== Online Platform Age Verification ===
When accessing a platform or website that may contain content not suitable for all audiences may force you to register for the platform along with verifying your age by one of the methods mentioned previously. Sites that likely don't use any form of account system will probably have a popup instead requiring you to verify your age before even serving the content you were trying to access.

=== Operating System Age Verification ===
New legislation now mandates [[wikipedia:Operating_system|operating systems (OS)]] to block the user until they verify their age. This is done "for convenience" so that apps and websites don't individually prompt the user, instead those apps/websites can just query the platform (e.g. OS, web-browser, etc...) without the user noticing.

==Why is this a problem?==
The Online Safety Act is already exerting extraterritorial control through the age‑verification and validation changes it prompts, which are being implemented in the U.S. even though those companies customer bases are not at all subject to UK law, even Europeans that are also not under UK law are affected. This stems from the Act’s vague, overly broad language requiring companies to comply whenever users are located in the UK. Because the law effectively ignores national borders, non‑UK companies face only two options: geo‑block affected content for UK users or apply the same verification measures globally.

Geo‑blocking would severely disrupt services and business relationships that where already in place with UK customers before the Online Safety Act, so many companies choose to implement the changes for all users resulting in practical overreach beyond the UK. A reason for this is Ofcoms<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=What is Ofcom? |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/what-is-ofcom |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref> statutory powers to require platforms to use “accredited technology” to detect illegal content. As such systems would have to be implemented onto all the content this again would be an overreach of their precieved authorities. Companys that do not comply are already beeing fined for this.

Even if the UK Government has “paused” its demand for implementing “accredited technologys” there is no practical way to meet the vague requirement set out by Ofcom in the Online Safety Act. The proposal ignores that smaller companies would likely be forced to close under the financial burden of compliance, producing a sterilized market with reduced competition only firms with deep pockets can comply. That still does not prevent Ofcom from fining companies that fail to comply.

Examples:

Webpage 4chan<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into 4chan and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-4chan-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

AVS GROUP LIMITED<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=Investigation into AVS Group Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

The provider of Im.ge<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into the provider of Im.ge and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-the-provider-of-im.ge-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

Youngtek Solutions Ltd<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-11 |title=Investigation into Youngtek Solutions Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

===Customer Profiling===
Having companies easily able to identify you means they can track you more efficiently and sell that shared profile to other companies such as ad agencies that then start targeting you specifically. Age data stored in a computer's operating system is another data being used for device fingerprinting<ref>{{Cite web |last=Costa |first=C. da |date=2026-03-16 |title=Reddit User Uncovers Who Is Behind Meta’s $2B Lobbying for Invasive Age Verification Tech |url=https://www.gadgetreview.com/reddit-user-uncovers-who-is-behind-metas-2b-lobbying-for-invasive-age-verification-tech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260415225107/https://www.gadgetreview.com/reddit-user-uncovers-who-is-behind-metas-2b-lobbying-for-invasive-age-verification-tech |archive-date=2026-04-15 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=Gadget Review}}</ref>.

===Government overreach===
Governments can also more easily track online movements and find out who you are. Saying something that may go against their own agenda may end up with a police raid, heavy interrogation, and prison time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=John |date=2025-06-20 |title=China tightens internet controls with new centralized form of virtual ID |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20a%20state%2Dled,an%20infrastructure%20of%20digital%20totalitarianism.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2025-09-04 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620233250/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl |archive-date=2025-06-20 }}</ref>

===Censorship===
Certain topics, such as adult content, politics, and LGBT+ topics, will likely be unfairly censored by the governing body or company that has a say on what platform has the '''potential''' to be inappropriate for minors or other age groups.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-01 |title=Strict Age Verification Laws: Balancing Content Restriction and Educational Rights |url=https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/#:~:text=Impact%20on%20K12,affect%20these%20groups |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Think Academy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251018030711/https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/ |archive-date=2025-10-18 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |last2=Mackey |first2=Aaron |last3=Mullin |first3=Joe |date=2024-02-15 |title=Don’t Fall for the Latest Changes to the Dangerous Kids Online Safety Act |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215234054/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |archive-date=2024-02-15 }}</ref>

Platforms that host this type of content may also be more proactive in deleting/hiding posts that may get them in trouble or fined by laws or policies by local governments, leading to a more censored internet where opinions are streamlined to fit a set narrative or outlook.<ref name=":0" />

===Increased inequality and denial of service===
Some stores, such as grocery stores, prohibit young people from viewing their web sites or using [[loyalty cards]], which provide discounts and digital coupons. Age verification means that young people and families where the young person does the shopping pay more for essentials like food.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pell |first=Miranda |date=25 Oct 2024 |title=Tesco, Lidl and Sainsbury's shoppers issued warning over little-known 'age limit' rules |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |access-date=20 Sep 2025 |work=Manchester evening news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251021121644/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |archive-date=2025-10-21 }}</ref> Those who do not have ID, or do not chose to use it (for instance, those who fear domestic violence, or are members of a group subject to persecution) may also be locked out or have to pay more.

===Storage of private and biometric Information by age verification service providers===
A study commissioned by the Australian government found that age verification service providers accumulate a concerning amount of personal information, sometimes even biometric in nature, even when that was not necessary to provide the age verification service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastian |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Age Verification Providers are hoarding biometric Data] |url=https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903115436/https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |archive-date=2025-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastion |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Google Translate English Version] |url=https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251023063119/https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |archive-date=2025-10-23 }}</ref>

===Driving users towards smaller and completely unregulated offerings===
Big platforms can be regulated and forced to comply with applicable laws since they need to have infrastructure such as servers in all major markets. Only these will be affected by the age restriction requirement.

However, users who do not wish to compromise their privacy or who are not of age will then go looking towards smaller niche platforms, often in other regions not affected by the regulation or the [[wikipedia:Darknet|darknet]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kaleta |first=Miroslav |date=2025-08-20 |title=The Cost of Data Privacy Negligence (And How to Avoid It) |url=https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence#:~:text=2.%20Losing%20Customer,IBM%20Report. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251217003447/https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence |archive-date=17 Dec 2025|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Countly Blog}}</ref> With these offerings, there is little to no leverage with regards to removal of illegal content. Increased exposure to illegal content can then lead to both a strengthening of illegal content providers<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branley |first=Dawn |last2=Covey |first2=Judith |date=2016-06-06 |title=Is exposure to online content depicting risky behavior related to viewers' own risky behavior offline? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403233150/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=ScienceDirect}}</ref> and significantly increased danger to minors, who may not yet be able to differentiate between legal and illegal content as well as an adult.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Potential risks of content, features, and functions: The science of how social media affects youth |url=https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416042251/https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |archive-date=2024-04-16 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=American Psychological Association}}</ref> 

===Increased damage from data breaches===
Platforms which implement age checks that require sensitive information such as a government-issued ID will likely be more of a target for cyber criminals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-02 |title=Cybercriminals Target These Industries the Most – Here’s Why and How to Stay Safe |url=https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/#:~:text=The%20Most%20Vulnerable%20Industries%20to,information%20stored%20within%20their%20networks. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119030330/https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Brandefense}}</ref> As more platforms comply with the age checks, it becomes more likely that a data breach on at least one of these platforms can reveal extremely sensitive information. In the case of a data breach, it can be catastrophic if users' sensitive information were exposed, which can likely result in identity theft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Popov |first=Cristina |date=2023-03-22 |title=Why breaches can affect you long after they occur |url=https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur#:~:text=%232%3A%20Breaches%20can,for%20online%20accounts. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104220250/https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur |archive-date=4 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Bitdefender}}</ref>

Platforms already experience major losses and consumer distrust from data breaches that reveal information less sensitive than government-issued IDs or biometric data.<ref name=":1" /> A data breach involving information this sensitive will seriously damage a business, and the users even more so. As stated previously, users who foresee these privacy risks will turn away from platforms which implement the policy, and towards niche platforms.

===Inaccuracy===
Researches about age verification software that estimates age via face scans are inaccurate, identifying children as adults or vice versa. These inaccurate estimations might lead to have to use more privacy-invasive methods like submitting a picture of a personal ID. {{Citation needed}}

===Questioned effectiveness===
Recent studies evidenced practices done by the Online Safety Act legislation are poorly effective as many users managed to reach to VPNs and bypasses in order to protect their privacy online {{Citation needed}}. Children might use their parents' IDs or credit cards to circumvent the systems and have access to mature content. {{Citation needed}}

===Anti-ownership practices and limitation of control over the device===
Age verification methods that are done at the operating system level, such as how it is done on [[Apple introduces OS-level age verification|iOS]] in some regions, prevent the device owner, even if they're an adult, to freely use their device unless they send sensitive data online. This also prevent parents to configure their children devices to their liking or to create different profiles in case a device is used by multiple people.{{Citation needed}}

=== Threat to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) ===
Age verification, especially identity verification, are fundamentally incompatible with the four essential freedoms of free software<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-28 |title=What is Free Software? |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260426185514/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |archive-date=2026-04-26 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=GNU Operating System}}</ref>. Legislation that mandates nationwide operating system age verification could outlaw GNU/Linux, consolidating monopolistic power to proprietary operating systems<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trevino |first=Sam |date=2026-03-06 |title=Age Assurance Laws and the End of General Purpose Computing |url=https://samtrevino.substack.com/p/age-assurance-laws-and-the-end-of |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/age-assurance-laws-and-the-end-of-general-purpose-computing-report |archive-date=2026-03-11 |access-date=2026-05-01}}</ref>.

==Methods==
There are various methods used to verify and check the age of an user, but these are the most common:

*'''ID check''': The most privacy-invasive method and the riskiest of all. It consists of sending a picture of a government-issued ID, a passport or a drivers licence.
*'''Live selfie''': It consists of a live recording of the user's face. It has been questioned for its effectiveness and accuracy.
*'''Credit card check''': Less privacy-invasive than an ID check or a live selfie, but very problematic because of potential card theft if a data leak occurs.
*'''Behavior prediction''': Used by some social media to estimate the user's age by its behavior on the platform using algorithms.

==Examples==
*[[YouTube age verification|YouTube's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm.

*[[Spotify]]'s Age affirmation for MA rated songs and content.

*[[Discord's Mandatory Age Verification|Discord's age verification]] for accounts determining what eligible servers are available.

*[[Roblox#ID & face scan age verification|Roblox's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm for talking with users of similar age.

==External links==

*[https://agelesslinux.org/distros.html Ageless Linux — Distro Compliance Tracker]
*[https://github.com/BryanLunduke/DoesItAgeVerify GitHub BryanLunduke - List Tracking Operating Systems Not Implementing Age Verification]
*[https://www.eff.org/pages/age-verification-bills-are-unconstitutional EFF explains how OS-level age-verification is unconstitutional]
*[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8250/all-info All Information (Except Text) for H.R.8250 - Parents Decide Act]

==See also==

*[[Chat Control]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Age verification

2026-05-10T23:59:44Z

ClippyWantsToHelp:

{{Incomplete}}
{{See also|Forced identification|De-anonymization}}

'''[[wikipedia:Age_verification|Age Verification]]''' (AV), also referred to as '''Age Affirmation''' (AA) and '''Age gating''', is the process in where a business requires some form of identification to verify your age, a mass surveillance measure disguised as child safety to de-anonymize the internet. This is usually done for more explicit, mature content or social media. This practice has been widely spreading since the [[UK Online Safety Act|UK's Online Safety Act (OSA)]] has passed; requiring all individuals to verify themselves before accessing mature content. Ways of checking age include, but are not limited to: checking for a valid credit card, facial age estimation tools, government-issued ID, biometric data, account history behavior, and more.

As of December 2025, 25 US States require websites with mature content to verify age.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Age Verification Laws - Action Center |url=https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251228121257/https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |archive-date=2025-12-28 }}</ref>

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) reveals Meta Platforms spent $26.3 million on federal lobbying and funded a "grassroot" Digital Childhood Alliance group, with $0 to child safety<ref>{{Cite web |last=upper-up |date=2026-03-24 |title=Meta Platforms: Lobbying, Dark Money, and the App Store Accountability Act |url=https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260413033424/https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings |archive-date=2026-04-13 |access-date=2026-05-02 |website=[[Github]]}}</ref>.

==How it works==

=== Online Platform Age Verification ===
When accessing a platform or website that may contain content not suitable for all audiences may force you to register for the platform along with verifying your age by one of the methods mentioned previously. Sites that likely don't use any form of account system will probably have a popup instead requiring you to verify your age before even serving the content you were trying to access.

=== Operating System Age Verification ===
New legislation now mandates [[wikipedia:Operating_system|operating systems (OS)]] to block the user until they verify their age. This is done "for convenience" so that apps and websites don't individually prompt the user, instead those apps/websites can just query the platform (e.g. OS, web-browser, etc...) without the user noticing.

==Why is this a problem?==
The Online Safety Act is already exerting extraterritorial control through the age‑verification and validation changes it prompts, which are being implemented in the U.S. even though those companies customer bases are not at all subject to UK law, even Europeans that are also not under UK law are affected. This stems from the Act’s vague, overly broad language requiring companies to comply whenever users are located in the UK. Because the law effectively ignores national borders, non‑UK companies face only two options: geo‑block affected content for UK users or apply the same verification measures globally.

Geo‑blocking would severely disrupt services and business relationships that where already in place with UK customers before the Online Safety Act, so many companies choose to implement the changes for all users resulting in practical overreach beyond the UK. A reason for this is Ofcoms<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=What is Ofcom? |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/what-is-ofcom |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref> statutory powers to require platforms to use “accredited technology” to detect illegal content. As such systems would have to be implemented onto all the content this again would be an overreach of their precieved authorities. Companys that do not comply are already beeing fined for this.

Even if the UK Government has “paused” its demand for implementing “accredited technologys” there is no practical way to meet the vague requirement set out by Ofcom in the Online Safety Act. The proposal ignores that smaller companies would likely be forced to close under the financial burden of compliance, producing a sterilized market with reduced competition only firms with deep pockets can comply. That still does not prevent Ofcom from fining companies that fail to comply.

Examples:

Webpage 4chan<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into 4chan and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-4chan-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

AVS GROUP LIMITED<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=Investigation into AVS Group Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

The provider of Im.ge<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into the provider of Im.ge and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-the-provider-of-im.ge-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

Youngtek Solutions Ltd<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-11 |title=Investigation into Youngtek Solutions Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

===Customer Profiling===
Having companies easily able to identify you means they can track you more efficiently and sell that shared profile to other companies such as ad agencies that then start targeting you specifically. Age data stored in a computer's operating system is another data being used for device fingerprinting<ref>{{Cite web |last=Costa |first=C. da |date=2026-03-16 |title=Reddit User Uncovers Who Is Behind Meta’s $2B Lobbying for Invasive Age Verification Tech |url=https://www.gadgetreview.com/reddit-user-uncovers-who-is-behind-metas-2b-lobbying-for-invasive-age-verification-tech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260415225107/https://www.gadgetreview.com/reddit-user-uncovers-who-is-behind-metas-2b-lobbying-for-invasive-age-verification-tech |archive-date=2026-04-15 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=Gadget Review}}</ref>.

===Government overreach===
Governments can also more easily track online movements and find out who you are. Saying something that may go against their own agenda may end up with a police raid, heavy interrogation, and prison time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=John |date=2025-06-20 |title=China tightens internet controls with new centralized form of virtual ID |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20a%20state%2Dled,an%20infrastructure%20of%20digital%20totalitarianism.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2025-09-04 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620233250/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl |archive-date=2025-06-20 }}</ref>

===Censorship===
Certain topics, such as adult content, politics, and LGBT+ topics, will likely be unfairly censored by the governing body or company that has a say on what platform has the '''potential''' to be inappropriate for minors or other age groups.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-01 |title=Strict Age Verification Laws: Balancing Content Restriction and Educational Rights |url=https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/#:~:text=Impact%20on%20K12,affect%20these%20groups |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Think Academy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251018030711/https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/ |archive-date=2025-10-18 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |last2=Mackey |first2=Aaron |last3=Mullin |first3=Joe |date=2024-02-15 |title=Don’t Fall for the Latest Changes to the Dangerous Kids Online Safety Act |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215234054/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |archive-date=2024-02-15 }}</ref>

Platforms that host this type of content may also be more proactive in deleting/hiding posts that may get them in trouble or fined by laws or policies by local governments, leading to a more censored internet where opinions are streamlined to fit a set narrative or outlook.<ref name=":0" />

===Increased inequality and denial of service===
Some stores, such as grocery stores, prohibit young people from viewing their web sites or using [[loyalty cards]], which provide discounts and digital coupons. Age verification means that young people and families where the young person does the shopping pay more for essentials like food.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pell |first=Miranda |date=25 Oct 2024 |title=Tesco, Lidl and Sainsbury's shoppers issued warning over little-known 'age limit' rules |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |access-date=20 Sep 2025 |work=Manchester evening news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251021121644/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |archive-date=2025-10-21 }}</ref> Those who do not have ID, or do not chose to use it (for instance, those who fear domestic violence, or are members of a group subject to persecution) may also be locked out or have to pay more.

===Storage of private and biometric Information by age verification service providers===
A study commissioned by the Australian government found that age verification service providers accumulate a concerning amount of personal information, sometimes even biometric in nature, even when that was not necessary to provide the age verification service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastian |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Age Verification Providers are hoarding biometric Data] |url=https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903115436/https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |archive-date=2025-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastion |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Google Translate English Version] |url=https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251023063119/https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |archive-date=2025-10-23 }}</ref>

===Driving users towards smaller and completely unregulated offerings===
Big platforms can be regulated and forced to comply with applicable laws since they need to have infrastructure such as servers in all major markets. Only these will be affected by the age restriction requirement.

However, users who do not wish to compromise their privacy or who are not of age will then go looking towards smaller niche platforms, often in other regions not affected by the regulation or the [[wikipedia:Darknet|darknet]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kaleta |first=Miroslav |date=2025-08-20 |title=The Cost of Data Privacy Negligence (And How to Avoid It) |url=https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence#:~:text=2.%20Losing%20Customer,IBM%20Report. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251217003447/https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence |archive-date=17 Dec 2025|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Countly Blog}}</ref> With these offerings, there is little to no leverage with regards to removal of illegal content. Increased exposure to illegal content can then lead to both a strengthening of illegal content providers<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branley |first=Dawn |last2=Covey |first2=Judith |date=2016-06-06 |title=Is exposure to online content depicting risky behavior related to viewers' own risky behavior offline? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403233150/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=ScienceDirect}}</ref> and significantly increased danger to minors, who may not yet be able to differentiate between legal and illegal content as well as an adult.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Potential risks of content, features, and functions: The science of how social media affects youth |url=https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416042251/https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |archive-date=2024-04-16 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=American Psychological Association}}</ref> 

===Increased damage from data breaches===
Platforms which implement age checks that require sensitive information such as a government-issued ID will likely be more of a target for cyber criminals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-02 |title=Cybercriminals Target These Industries the Most – Here’s Why and How to Stay Safe |url=https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/#:~:text=The%20Most%20Vulnerable%20Industries%20to,information%20stored%20within%20their%20networks. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119030330/https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Brandefense}}</ref> As more platforms comply with the age checks, it becomes more likely that a data breach on at least one of these platforms can reveal extremely sensitive information. In the case of a data breach, it can be catastrophic if users' sensitive information were exposed, which can likely result in identity theft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Popov |first=Cristina |date=2023-03-22 |title=Why breaches can affect you long after they occur |url=https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur#:~:text=%232%3A%20Breaches%20can,for%20online%20accounts. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104220250/https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur |archive-date=4 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Bitdefender}}</ref>

Platforms already experience major losses and consumer distrust from data breaches that reveal information less sensitive than government-issued IDs or biometric data.<ref name=":1" /> A data breach involving information this sensitive will seriously damage a business, and the users even more so. As stated previously, users who foresee these privacy risks will turn away from platforms which implement the policy, and towards niche platforms.

===Inaccuracy===
Researches about age verification software that estimates age via face scans are inaccurate, identifying children as adults or vice versa. These inaccurate estimations might lead to have to use more privacy-invasive methods like submitting a picture of a personal ID. {{Citation needed}}

===Questioned effectiveness===
Recent studies evidenced practices done by the Online Safety Act legislation are poorly effective as many users managed to reach to VPNs and bypasses in order to protect their privacy online {{Citation needed}}. Children might use their parents' IDs or credit cards to circumvent the systems and have access to mature content. {{Citation needed}}

===Anti-ownership practices and limitation of control over the device===
Age verification methods that are done at the operating system level, such as how it is done on [[Apple introduces OS-level age verification|iOS]] in some regions, prevent the device owner, even if they're an adult, to freely use their device unless they send sensitive data online. This also prevent parents to configure their children devices to their liking or to create different profiles in case a device is used by multiple people.{{Citation needed}}

=== Threat to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) ===
Age verification, especially identity verification, are fundamentally incompatible with the four essential freedoms of free software<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-28 |title=What is Free Software? |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260426185514/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |archive-date=2026-04-26 |access-date=2026-05-01 |website=GNU Operating System}}</ref>. Legislation that mandates nationwide operating system age verification could outlaw GNU/Linux, consolidating monopolistic power to proprietary operating systems<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trevino |first=Sam |date=2026-03-06 |title=Age Assurance Laws and the End of General Purpose Computing |url=https://samtrevino.substack.com/p/age-assurance-laws-and-the-end-of |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/age-assurance-laws-and-the-end-of-general-purpose-computing-report |archive-date=2026-03-11 |access-date=2026-05-01}}</ref>.

==Methods==
There are various methods used to verify and check the age of an user, but these are the most common:

*'''ID check''': The most privacy-invasive method and the riskiest of all. It consists of sending a picture of a government-issued ID, a passport or a drivers licence.
*'''Live selfie''': It consists of a live recording of the user's face. It has been questioned for its effectiveness and accuracy.
'''*Credit card check''': Less privacy-invasive than an ID check or a live selfie, but very problematic because of potential card theft if a data leak occurs.
'''Behavior prediction''': Used by some social media to estimate the user's age by its behavior on the platform using algorithms.

==Examples==
*[[YouTube age verification|YouTube's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm.

*[[Spotify]]'s Age affirmation for MA rated songs and content.

*[[Discord's Mandatory Age Verification|Discord's age verification]] for accounts determining what eligible servers are available.

*[[Roblox#ID & face scan age verification|Roblox's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm for talking with users of similar age.

==External links==

*[https://agelesslinux.org/distros.html Ageless Linux — Distro Compliance Tracker]
*[https://github.com/BryanLunduke/DoesItAgeVerify GitHub BryanLunduke - List Tracking Operating Systems Not Implementing Age Verification]
*[https://www.eff.org/pages/age-verification-bills-are-unconstitutional EFF explains how OS-level age-verification is unconstitutional]
*[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8250/all-info All Information (Except Text) for H.R.8250 - Parents Decide Act]

==See also==

*[[Chat Control]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Anti-privacy legislation

2026-05-08T23:13:42Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* List of Legislation */ updates on the Chilean Safe Digital Environments bill

{{Incomplete|issue 1=needs general improvement of quality and quantity of information}}

[[Anti-privacy legislation]] simply put is legislation that may be created with malicious intent or not that invoke ones right to privacy. In the last decade, governments across the world have introduced various pieces of such legislation, which has caused damage to the privacy consumers have with their technology.

==How it works==
The US legislative process is as follows:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 Feb 2026 |title=The Legislative Process |url=https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119083226/https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |archive-date=19 Jan 2026 |access-date=23 Feb 2026 |website=[[United States House of Representatives]]}}</ref>

#A representative '''needs to sponsor a bill'''
#The bill is then '''assigned to a committee''' for study
#If the bill is '''released''' by said committee, the bill is '''put on a calendar to be voted on'''.
#If the '''majority''' of people vote for the bill(51 or more out of 100), then the bill is '''passed'''
#A conference committee made of House & Senate members then '''works out any differences''' '''between the House & Senate version of the bill'''
#Finally, the resulting bill heads back to the House & Senate for final '''approval''' by the '''President''', If the bill is signed, then it has officially become '''law'''.<ref name=":0" />

Now that such anti-privacy legislation has been approved, it can be enforced by federal agencies via penalties.

==Why it is a problem==

===Anti-privacy legislation is a direct infringement of the First and Fourth Amendments found in the Bill of Rights (U.S.A.)===
*The First amendment states:
<blockquote>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or '''prohibiting''' the free exercise thereof; or '''abridging''' the '''freedom of speech''', or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=U.S Constitution - First Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260307171826/https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |archive-date=2026-03-07 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Constitution Annotated}}</ref></blockquote>

If '''Anti-privacy legislation''' were to be implemented, that gives anyone with access to data on someone the ability to '''restrict freedom of speech''' or oppose those with unwanted views of the world, thus infringing the 1st amendment.{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*The Fourth amendment reads as follows:
<blockquote>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against '''unreasonable searches and seizures''', shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=U.S Constitution - Fourth Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224165919/https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |archive-date=2026-02-24 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Constitution Annotated}}</ref></blockquote>'''Anti-privacy legislation''' infringes on a citizen's right to avoid "'''unreasonable searches and seizures'''" since It may require/force citizens to show proof of age('''selfies, id's, credit cards''') without real probable cause and since It may also force said citizen to use less secure services that allow federal agencies to gain higher access to said services and retrieve to whatever data is "needed".{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*'''Anti-privacy legislation''' can also build the framework and foundation for other and more extreme anti-privacy measures, and such anti-privacy measures can lead to the slow development of a '''''surveillance state.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwinter |first=Daniel |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=Surveillance's Slippery Slope; Using Encryption to Recapture Privacy Rights |url=http://www.jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730145810/http://jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |archive-date=2024-07-30 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law}}</ref>

==List of Legislation==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+
!Bill/Law name
!Country/State
!Basic summary of Legislation
!Method of Eroding Privacy
!Status
|-
|[[UK Online Safety Act]]
|United Kingdom
|The UK Online Safety Act is a set of law's that pushes for [[Age verification]] in order to protect quote; "children and adults online". Said enforcement includes disapproving "Illegal Content", & forcing website and domain owners to utilize "highly effective age assurance" to prevent children from accessing potentially harmful content. This act also requires such platforms to " provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise."
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on Oct 26, 2023, Active since Jul 25 2025)
|-
|[https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/253 Florida HB 253]
|Florida, U.S
|Florida's 253 House Bill disallows ones ability to, in their own words, utilize "license plate obscuring devices" to prevent criminals from "escaping from or avoiding detection or arrest in connection with such crime", which could be interpreted as being punished for avoiding [[Flock license plate readers|ALPR]] detection.
|ALPR Jamming Circumvention
|Approved (Signed on May 19th 2025, Active since Oct 1 2025)
|-
|[[Texas Senate Bill 2420 (2025)]]
|Texas, U.S
|Texas Senate Bill 2420(also known as the "App Store Accountability Act") requires app store owners & maintainers to utilize "Commercially reasonable method('s)" In order to verify the ages their users. If someone is In a category that isn't explicitly labeled "adult", then the user is considered a minor and must ask a parent or legal guardian for permission in order to install new applications that may be considered inappropriate for their age group.
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1043 California Assembly Bill No. 1043]
|California, U.S
|The California Assembly Bill No. "1043" requires operating system owners, publishers/providers, & developers & maintainers to implement system level age verification via an "accessible interface at account setup", which then is used as an "age signal" for "applications available in a covered application store". Any person that violates this proposed bill(now law) will face a fine of 2,500$ per unintentional violation or 7,500$ per intentional violation.
|Age Indication
|Approved (Active Jan 1, 2027)
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-051 Colorado Senate Bill SB26-051]
|Colorado, U.S
|The Colorado Senate Bill "SB26-051" is a "copycat bill" of California's own "Assembly Bill No. 1043" which requires operating systems of any kind(open source or not), to utilize an interface on account setup to gain an age signal for developers to use in the main app store. Overview of said bill reads as follows; "The bill requires application developers to receive user age information and use it to comply with any applicable law."
|Device-Based Age Indication
|Approved (Active Jan 1, 2028)
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/737/text S.737 - Screen Act]
|U.S
|Senate bill S. 737(also known as the '''Screen Act''') is a bill that pushes for Age verification. The Technology Verification measures listed in section 4 state that a covered platform should adopt and utilize age verification measures, and that such measures must ensure that 1; '''users of the covered platform are not minors''' and 2; '''minors are prevented from accessing any content on the covered platform that is harmful to minors.'''
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1207 S.1207 - Earn It Act]
|U.S
|The Earn It Act quote "revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children" by limiting the "liability protections of interactive computer service providers(Encryption)", essentially making the Earn it Act an "anti-encryption", which is (for the most part) necessary to protect ones own important documents & maintain a level of privacy in the digital age.
|Anti-Encryption
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1748/text S.1748 - Kids Online Safety Act]
|U.S
|The Kids Online Safety Act is one that quote "requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users and visitors under the age of 17. ''Covered platforms'' are online platforms, video games, messaging applications, or video streaming services used or likely to be used by individuals under the age of 17, with specified exceptions."
|Censorship/Age-Gating
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146 S.146 - TAKE IT DOWN Act]
|U.S
|The Take It Down Act(stands for '''Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act''') is a law that prohibits the publication of "non-consensual" intimate visual depictions of individuals, both real or '''computer-generated''', and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence.", and such covered platforms are; public websites, online services, or applications that allows for user generated content on forums. Such a law could be & shouldn't be used as an excuse for censorship or otherwise prevention of free speech.
|Anti-Encryption/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|Real-life identity disclosure required to activate SIM cards.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Mar 2026 |title=SIM Card Registration |url=https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251208124027/https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration |archive-date=2025-12-08 |access-date=6 Mar 2026 |website=[[Privacy International]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bischoff |first=Paul |date=2025-04-23 |title=Which governments impose SIM-card registration laws to collect data on their citizens? |url=https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/sim-card-registration-laws/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/ShIek |archive-date=2026-01-17 |access-date=6 Mar 2026 |website=[[Comparitech]]}}</ref>
|Many countries.
|People are required to associate their real-life identity with their SIM cards, making "burner phones" impossible, and making it impossible to access the cellular Internet without being tracked by the government. Additionally, this can be used to exclude political dissidents from accessing the Internet.
|Identity disclosure
|Approved in many countries over time.
|-
|[https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/SB0073.html Utah S.B. 73]
|Utah, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed House committee
|-
|[https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/136/hb84 Ohio HB 84]
|Ohio, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb130 Wisconsin SB 130]
|Wisconsin, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed Senate
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB%201839&style=new&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 3015/1839]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF2606 Iowa HF 2606]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?year=2026&bill=HB1839&code=R%20&cal=1 Missouri HB 1839 & 901/1346/1412]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2026/HB0072 Wyoming HB 72]
|Wyoming, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/west-virginia-hb-4412/ West Virginia HB 4412]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed the House
|-
|[https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7746.pdf Rhode Island HB 7746]
|Rhode Island, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=3945&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=167424&SessionID=114 Illinois SB 3946]
|Illinois, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0908?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 908]
|Maryland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB2522&GA=114 Tennessee HB 2522/SB 2398]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0693?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 693]
|Mayland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF2159 Iowa SF 2159]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=628&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 628]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF864 Iowa HF 864]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first chamber
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=498&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 498]
|West virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S1826 New Jersey S 1826]
|New Jersey, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1878&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 1878]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=1271&inflect=1 New Hampshire SB 648]
|New Hampshire, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|New York [https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3591 S3591] / [https://www.nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=3946 A3946]
|New York, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2112&Year=2025&Chamber=House Washington HB 2112]
|Washington, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6333 Parents Over Platforms Act - HR 6333]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF443 Iowa SF 207/443]
|Iowa
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1626 Massachusetts H 1626]
|Massachusetts, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1513 Pennsylvania HB 1513]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Michigan [https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0284 SB284]/[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-4429 HB 4429]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb603 Pennsylvania SB 603]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0466&ga=114 Tennessee HB 222 / SB 466]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0191 Michigan SB 191]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF1875&ssn=0&y=2025 Minnesota HF 1875]
|Minnesota
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Minnesota [https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2105&ssn=0&y=2025 SF 2105]/[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?f=HF1434&y=2025&ssn=0&b=house HF 1434]
|Minnesota, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-8/chapter-19g/ Alabama HB 164]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Oct 1 2024)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alabama-hb-393/ Alabama HB 393]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/al-hb-441/ Alabama HB 441]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alaska-hb-254/ Alaska HB 254]
|Alaska, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/81805 Arizona HB 2112]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on May 13th 2025)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2586/ Arizona HB 2586]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2656/ Arizona HB 2656]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1125]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1298, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1298]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1125, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/82735 Arizona SB 1341]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-avs-bill-2023/ Arizona SB 1503]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arkansas-protection-of-minors-from-distribution-of-harmful-material-act-2023/ Arkansas SB 66]
|Arkansas, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since July 31 2023)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-sb-127-2023/ California AB 127]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-avs-bill-2023/ California AB 1501]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-age-appropriate-design-code-act/ California AB 2273 (2022)]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-ab-3080/ California AB 3080]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/case-it-act-2023/ CASE–IT Act (2023)]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-201 Colorado SB 25-201]
|Colorado, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/delaware-hb-265/ Delaware HB 265]
|Delaware, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-hb-3-sb-1792/ Florida HB 3]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jan 1 2025)
|-
|Florida [https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81550 HB 931]/[https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81947 SB 1438]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-sb-1620-2023/ Florida SB 1620]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-avs-bill-2023/ Florida SB 472]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1289498 Louisiana HB Bill/Act No. 440]
|Louisiana, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approve (Active since
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-hb-910/ Georgia HB 910]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Failed (Incorporated in SB 351)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-sb-351/ Georgia SB 351]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2025)
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-hb-448/ Idaho H 448]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-h-498/ Idaho H 498]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2024)
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8250/all-info Congress H.R.8250]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[[Safe Digital Environments Law]] (Ley de Entornos Digitales Seguros)
|Chile
|There are two bills published for the creation of this law, one focused on education towards internet risks and the other one proposing measurements similar to practices as the ones that have been taking effect in Europe and Australia for users under 16. The second bill might be incompatible with the current [[Net Neutrality Law]] established in 2010.
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Introduced
|}

==What you can do==
In order to oppose/dispute '''Anti-privacy legislation''' created by legislators, you can:

#'''Spread the word'''; not everyone knows about these bills or the mere existence of these types of bills and therefore wont even fight back{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Contact local legislators & representatives;''' If enough people oppose a proposed bill, local legislators may delay the bill or back off on their decision entirely. If enough citizens instead urge a representative to vote against a bill, said representatives could potentially follow up on the citizen's behalf.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Sign Petitions'''; Signing petitions is another way to the message across to both legislators & other people alike.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Support Pro Consumer/Privacy Bills'''; Supporting bills/would-be laws that protect consumer privacy & ownership helps circumvent future bills that aims for the opposite affect.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}

===Tools & Resources===

*[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/ Age Verification Bills] is a sub-site of the the domain [https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/ Action Free Speech Coalition] that specifically lists all bills pushing for any form of "Age verification".
*[https://www.badinternetbills.com/ Bad Internet Bills] is a website listing quote "bad internet bills" in a easily accessible manner.
*[https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker US State Privacy Legislation Tracker] is a sub site of the domain [https://iapp.org/ Iapp] that tracks many but not all pro-privacy or consumer '''U.S''' bills that have passed or not. This includes bills that support consumer rights & bills that businesses are obligated to comply with. (Click [https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf here] to view the chart & [https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg here] to view the map in the '''U.S''')

==External Links==

*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/
*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/
*https://www.badinternetbills.com/
*https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker
*https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf
*https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg

==Further Reading==

*[[:Category:Common license terms]]
*[[:Category:Legislation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]
[[Category:Anti-privacy legislation]]

Google Chrome

2026-05-05T23:05:18Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Incidents */ Google Chrome silently downloading a language model on user's device

{{ProductCargo
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Software, Web Browsers
|Company=Google
|Description=
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=Google Chrome logo and wordmark (2015).png
|ProductLine=
|ReleaseYear=2008
|Website=https://www.google.com/chrome/
}}
'''[[wikipedia:Google_Chrome|Google Chrome]]''' is a web browser created by [[Google]] based on [[Chromium]]. Since its inception, it has become the most used browser on the internet by a large margin.
==Consumer impact summary==
===User freedom===
Chrome significantly impacts user freedom through its default settings, extension policies, and integration with Google's ecosystem. The browser's dominance allows Google to influence web standards, potentially creating a web environment that works best with Chrome.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Munir |first1=Shaoor |last2=Kollnig |first2=Konrad |last3=Shuba |first3=Anastasia |last4=Shafiq |first4=Zubair |title=Google's Chrome Antitrust Paradox |date=April 2024 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381517906_Google's_Chrome_Antitrust_Paradox |website=ResearchGate |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260109043254/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381517906_Google's_Chrome_Antitrust_Paradox |archive-date=9 Jan 2026}}</ref> Users face potential lock-in through seamless integration with Google services, making switching to alternative browsers more difficult. Additionally, Google's control over Chrome's extension ecosystem has raised concerns, particularly when the company has proposed changes that would limit the effectiveness of ad-blocking extensions, potentially prioritizing Google's advertising business over user choice.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Danco |first=Alex |date= June 1, 2019 |title=Google Chrome, the perfect antitrust villain? |url=https://alexdanco.com/2019/05/30/google-chrome-the-perfect-antitrust-villain/ |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104002015/https://alexdanco.com/2019/05/30/google-chrome-the-perfect-antitrust-villain/ |archive-date=4 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===User privacy===
Chrome's privacy practices have been a significant concern for consumer advocates. As a Google product, Chrome collects substantial user data including browsing history, search queries, and site visits to serve targeted advertisements and improve Google services.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=The Dark Side of Google: A Closer Look at Privacy Concerns |date=March 26, 2023 |url=https://campaignsoftheworld.com/news/the-dark-side-of-google/ |website=Campaignsoftheworld.com |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260207040950/https://campaignsoftheworld.com/news/the-dark-side-of-google/ |archive-date=7 Feb 2026}}</ref> The browser's implementation of privacy features like "Do Not Track" has been criticized for being ineffective, as Google noted that "many websites and web services, including Google's, don't change their behavior when they receive a Do Not Track request."<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Turn 'Do Not Track' on or off - Computer - Google Chrome Help|url=https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2790761 |website=Google |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128221210/https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2790761 |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref> Additionally, Chrome's privacy initiatives like the Privacy Sandbox have been viewed skeptically by privacy advocates who argue that these proposals often protect Google's business interests rather than user privacy.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=EFF |title=Don't Play in Google's Privacy Sandbox |date=July 10, 2020 |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/dont-play-googles-privacy-sandbox-1 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251231094829/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/dont-play-googles-privacy-sandbox-1 |archive-date=31 Dec 2025}}</ref>
===Business model===
Chrome's business model is deeply integrated with Google's broader advertising ecosystem. The browser serves as a critical data collection point for Google's advertising business, which generates the majority of the company's revenue.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=DOJ Pushes Google to Sell Chrome and Break Monopoly |date=November 20, 2024 |url=https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2024/11/google-faces-doj-antitrust-push-will-chrome-ai-and-android-be-broken-apart/ |website=CEOToday Magazine |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260112105718/https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2024/11/google-faces-doj-antitrust-push-will-chrome-ai-and-android-be-broken-apart/ |archive-date=12 Jan 2026}}</ref> Chrome's default settings direct users to Google Search, which in turn displays Google advertisements. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle where Chrome usage fuels Google's search dominance, which consequently enhances its advertising business. The connection between Chrome and Google's advertising business has also influenced browser design decisions, such as how Chrome handles [[Web cookie|cookies]] and tracking, which may prioritize advertising effectiveness over user privacy.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Rivero |first=
Nicolás |title=What if antitrust regulators forced Google to sell Chrome? |date=July 20, 2022 |url=https://qz.com/1930645/what-happens-to-google-if-regulators-force-it-to-sell-off-chrome |website=Quartz |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104192633/https://qz.com/1930645/what-happens-to-google-if-regulators-force-it-to-sell-off-chrome |archive-date=4 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===Market control===
Chrome's dominant market position gives Google significant control over web standards and browser technology. With approximately 65% global market share as of 2025, Chrome has become the de facto standard browser for many users and developers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Market share of leading internet browsers in the United States and worldwide as of August 2024 |date=June 21, 2024 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/276738/worldwide-and-us-market-share-of-leading-internet-browsers/ |website=Statista |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111194619/https://www.statista.com/statistics/276738/worldwide-and-us-market-share-of-leading-internet-browsers/ |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref> This market control allows Google to influence the direction of web technology development, often in ways that benefit its business interests. For example, Google's proposals for replacing third-party cookies through its [[wikipedia:Privacy Sandbox|Privacy Sandbox]] initiative have faced criticism for potentially strengthening Google's position while weakening competitors in the advertising ecosystem.{{Citation needed}} Chrome's market dominance has attracted significant antitrust scrutiny, with the U.S. Department of Justice pushing for Google to divest Chrome as part of remedies following an antitrust case that found Google had illegally maintained a monopoly in online search.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Elias |first=Jennifer |title=DOJ pushes for Google to break off Chrome browser after antitrust case CNBC |date=November 21, 2024 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/doj-pushes-for-google-to-break-off-chrome-browser-after-antitrust-case.html |website=CNBC |access-date=May 7, 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128080710/https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/20/doj-pushes-for-google-to-break-off-chrome-browser-after-antitrust-case.html |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Anti-Competitive Practices===
Google uses the market dominance of their unrelated products and services, such as web search or cloud storage services, to display intrusive messages such as popups aimed to annoy users to the point where they give up and change to Chrome.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-08-19 |title=How do I stop Google pop ups asking me to switch my browser to Chrome? |url=https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/175747071/how-do-i-stop-google-pop-ups-asking-me-to-switch-my-browser-to-chrome?hl=en |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Google Support Community |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260108065104/https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/175747071/how-do-i-stop-google-pop-ups-asking-me-to-switch-my-browser-to-chrome?hl=en |archive-date=8 Jan 2026}}</ref> Not because they want to, but to escape the deliberate obstructions Google creates for them when accessing Google services with competing browsers.

Moreover, Google has in the past deliberately degraded performance of their video platform [[YouTube]], as well as Google Docs, for users accessing the website using the competing Firefox browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=Jake |date=2023-11-21 |title=How to Stop Google From Artificially Slowing Down YouTube |url=https://lifehacker.com/tech/stop-google-slowing-down-youtube-firefox-edge |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=LifeHacker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251124185357/https://lifehacker.com/tech/stop-google-slowing-down-youtube-firefox-edge |archive-date=24 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pygWS1ihtF8 The Slow Death Of Firefox...What Happened?] - Logically Answered ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=pygWS1ihtF8 Archived])</ref>

===Discontinuation of Manifest V2 support (2024)===
Google, whose main business is online advertising, has discontinued support for browser extensions using the Manifest V2 standard.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manifest V2 support timeline |url=https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222183954/https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/migrate/mv2-deprecation-timeline |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref> This renders advertising/tracking blockers such as {{Wplink|uBlock Origin}} unusable and deactivates the corresponding plugins on update. Only versions with very limited blocking functionality remain usable.

Users who wish to continue to use the web without their every step being traced by Google and other advertising syndicates have no other option but to switch to a different browser such as [[Mozilla]] Firefox or Vivaldi, which have all pledged to retain full Manifest V2 compatibility in their browsers.

===Bloat monopoly===
Due to the dominant market share, other web browsers like Firefox are forced to comply with these standards set out by Google in order to be able to access some websites.

The total word count of the W3C specification catalogue was 114 million words as of 2020, making it impossible for anyone besides large resourceful companies to maintain a web browser able to comply with these standards, granting Google a bloat monopoly on web browsing.

In 2021, Google launched [https://lit.dev/ Lit], a web [[JavaScript]] [[wikipedia:Web_framework|framework]] that forces strict compliance with Google's web standards. It also promotes artificial obsolescence by making it impossible to render pages on older web browsers and older devices with operating systems that are unable to run the latest version of Chrome.

<ref>[https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/bloat_monopoly.html LRS Wiki: bloat_monopoly] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250901143501/https://www.tastyfish.cz/lrs/bloat_monopoly.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://www.nuegia.net/articles/open%20letter%20to%20webmasters.xhtml Open Letter To Webmasters] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250907030831/https://www.nuegia.net/articles/open%20letter%20to%20webmasters.xhtml Archived])</ref><ref>[https://drewdevault.com/2020/03/18/Reckless-limitless-scope.html The reckless, infinite scope of web browsers] - Drew DeVault ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260113055131/https://drewdevault.com/2020/03/18/Reckless-limitless-scope.html Archived])</ref><ref>[https://shadow.lifestyle/browsers.xhtml Browsers - Shadow Wiki] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251119174459/https://shadow.lifestyle/browsers.xhtml Archived])</ref>

===visibilitychange event===
Chrome was the first web browser to implement the "visibilitychange" JavaScript event. This can be used by websites to detect switching to a different tab and, for example, block background playback like the mobile website of YouTube does.<ref>[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/visibilitychange_event Document: visibilitychange event - Web APIs | MDN] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260112100508/https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/visibilitychange_event Archived])</ref> On Firefox, extensions can block this detection.<ref>[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-background-play-fix/ Video Background Play Fix – Get this Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-US)] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260118202048/https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video-background-play-fix/ Archived])</ref>

The visibilitychange event has some legitimate uses such as automatically saving draft posts on an online message board.<ref>[https://xenforo.com/community/threads/message-auto-save-drafts.27665/ Message Auto Save / Drafts | XenForo community]</ref>

===Google account requirement to download extensions===
Since around 2022, a Google [[Forced account|account is required]] to be able to install extensions from the Google Chrome Web Store.<ref>[https://superuser.com/questions/633706/how-to-install-extensions-in-chrome-without-a-google-account How to install extensions in Chrome without a Google Account? - Super User] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251216080808/https://superuser.com/questions/633706/how-to-install-extensions-in-chrome-without-a-google-account Archived])</ref>

===Mandatory pull-to-refresh===
In 2019 (Chrome version 75), Google made it impossible to turn off the pull-to-refresh gesture on the mobile version of Chrome, and refused to make it possible again after a high number of complaints.

Pull-to-refresh is known for causing accidental refreshes when the user intends to scroll up.

<ref>[https://chromestory.com/2019/07/disable-pull-to-refresh-on-chrome-for-android/ You Can No Longer Disable "Pull to Refresh" on Chrome for Android - Chrome Story] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260108132655/https://chromestory.com/2019/07/disable-pull-to-refresh-on-chrome-for-android/ Archived])</ref><ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/archive/8gSU2 No way to disable pull-to-refresh [391378124] - Chromium]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0111-2220-13/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8391096/wanting-to-know-how-to-disable-pull-to-refresh-as-it-s-no-longer-showing-up-in-flags?hl=en Wanting to know how to disable pull to refresh as it's no longer showing up in flags - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/2025-0701-0647-33/https://support.google.com:443/chrome/thread/8152831 Missing Android Chrome 75 flags disable-pull-to-refresh-effect How to disable it now? - Google Chrome Community]</ref><ref>[https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/malware-google.html Google's Software Is Malware - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260203060955/https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/malware-google.html Archived])</ref>

===Google Chrome silently downloading a language model on user's device (2026)===
Since March 2026, Google Chrome users found the Chrome web browser downloads a 4GB sized language model in Windows and OS X devices, corresponding to [[Google Gemini]] Nano, without the user's notice or consent. This model serves for built-in AI features as writing improvement tools or scam detection. It has brought concerns about privacy law violations and device energy usage. The model can be found as a file named as ''weighs.bin'', located inside a folder named ''OptGuideOnDeviceModel''. If the user attempts to delete it, the browser will download it again. This behavior can be disabled by accessing to ''chrome//:flags'' in the top navigation bar, by using third-party tools or by completely uninstalling the browser.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanff |first=Alexander |date=4 May 2026 |title=Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent. At a billion-device scale the climate costs are insane. |url=https://www.thatprivacyguy.com/blog/chrome-silent-nano-install/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260504192142/https://www.thatprivacyguy.com/blog/chrome-silent-nano-install/ |archive-date=2026-05-04 |access-date=5 May 2026 |website=That Privacy Guy}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Brave browser]]
*[[DuckDuckGo Browser]]
*[[Firefox]]
*[[Microsoft Edge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Anti-privacy legislation

2026-04-29T01:13:26Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* List of Legislation */ expanded description of the Safe Digital Environments Law

{{Incomplete|issue 1=needs general improvement of quality and quantity of information}}

[[Anti-privacy legislation]] simply put is legislation that may be created with malicious intent or not that invoke ones right to privacy. In the last decade, governments across the world have introduced various pieces of such legislation, which has caused damage to the privacy consumers have with their technology.

==How it works==
The US legislative process is as follows:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 Feb 2026 |title=The Legislative Process |url=https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119083226/https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |archive-date=19 Jan 2026 |access-date=23 Feb 2026 |website=[[United States House of Representatives]]}}</ref>

#A representative '''needs to sponsor a bill'''
#The bill is then '''assigned to a committee''' for study
#If the bill is '''released''' by said committee, the bill is '''put on a calendar to be voted on'''.
#If the '''majority''' of people vote for the bill(51 or more out of 100), then the bill is '''passed'''
#A conference committee made of House & Senate members then '''works out any differences''' '''between the House & Senate version of the bill'''
#Finally, the resulting bill heads back to the House & Senate for final '''approval''' by the '''President''', If the bill is signed, then it has officially become '''law'''.<ref name=":0" />

Now that such anti-privacy legislation has been approved, it can be enforced by federal agencies via penalties.

==Why it is a problem==

===Anti-privacy legislation is a direct infringement of the 1st & 4th amendments found in the bill of rights(U.S)===

*The 1st amendment states:
<blockquote>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or '''prohibiting''' the free exercise thereof; or '''abridging''' the '''freedom of speech''', or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=U.S Constitution - First Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260307171826/https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |archive-date=2026-03-07 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=[[Constitution Annotated]]}}</ref></blockquote>

If '''Anti-privacy legislation''' were to be implemented, that gives anyone with access to data on someone the ability to '''restrict freedom of speech''' or oppose those with unwanted views of the world, thus infringing the 1st amendment.{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*The 4th amendment reads as follows:

<blockquote>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against '''unreasonable searches and seizures''', shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=U.S Constitution - Fourth Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224165919/https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |archive-date=2026-02-24 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Constitution Annotated}}</ref></blockquote>'''Anti-privacy legislation''' infringes on a citizen's right to avoid "'''unreasonable searches and seizures'''" since It may require/force citizens to show proof of age('''selfies, id's, credit cards''') without real probable cause and since It may also force said citizen to use less secure services that allow federal agencies to gain higher access to said services and retrieve to whatever data is "needed".{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*'''Anti-privacy legislation''' can also build the framework and foundation for other & more extreme anti-privacy measures, & such anti-privacy measures can lead to the slow development of a '''''surveillance state.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwinter |first=Daniel |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=Surveillance's Slippery Slope; Using Encryption to Recapture Privacy Rights |url=http://www.jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730145810/http://jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |archive-date=2024-07-30 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law}}</ref>

==List of Legislation==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+
!Bill/Law name
!Country/State
!Basic summary of Legislation
!Method of Eroding Privacy
!Status
|-
|[[UK Online Safety Act]]
|United Kingdom
|The UK Online Safety Act is a set of law's that pushes for [[Age verification]] in order to protect quote; "children and adults online". Said enforcement includes disapproving "Illegal Content", & forcing website and domain owners to utilize "highly effective age assurance" to prevent children from accessing potentially harmful content. This act also requires such platforms to " provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise."
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on Oct 26, 2023, Active since Jul 25 2025)
|-
|[https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/253 Florida HB 253]
|Florida, U.S
|Florida's 253 House Bill disallows ones ability to, in their own words, utilize "license plate obscuring devices" to prevent criminals from "escaping from or avoiding detection or arrest in connection with such crime", which could be interpreted as being punished for avoiding [[Flock license plate readers|ALPR]] detection.
|ALPR Jamming Circumvention
|Approved (Signed on May 19th 2025, Active since Oct 1 2025)
|-
|[[Texas Senate Bill 2420 (2025)]]
|Texas, U.S
|Texas Senate Bill 2420(also known as the "App Store Accountability Act") requires app store owners & maintainers to utilize "Commercially reasonable method('s)" In order to verify the ages their users. If someone is In a category that isn't explicitly labeled "adult", then the user is considered a minor and must ask a parent or legal guardian for permission in order to install new applications that may be considered inappropriate for their age group.
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1043 California Assembly Bill No. 1043]
|California, U.S
|The California Assembly Bill No. "1043" requires operating system owners, publishers/providers, & developers & maintainers to implement system level age verification via an "accessible interface at account setup", which then is used as an "age signal" for "applications available in a covered application store". Any person that violates this proposed bill(now law) will face a fine of 2,500$ per unintentional violation or 7,500$ per intentional violation.
|Age Indication
|Approved (Active Jan 1, 2027)
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-051 Colorado Senate Bill SB26-051]
|Colorado, U.S
|The Colorado Senate Bill "SB26-051" is a "copycat bill" of California's own "Assembly Bill No. 1043" which requires operating systems of any kind(open source or not), to utilize an interface on account setup to gain an age signal for developers to use in the main app store. Overview of said bill reads as follows; "The bill requires application developers to receive user age information and use it to comply with any applicable law."
|Device-Based Age Indication
|Under Consideration
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/737/text S.737 - Screen Act]
|U.S
|Senate bill S. 737(also known as the '''Screen Act''') is a bill that pushes for Age verification. The Technology Verification measures listed in section 4 state that a covered platform should adopt and utilize age verification measures, and that such measures must ensure that 1; '''users of the covered platform are not minors''' and 2; '''minors are prevented from accessing any content on the covered platform that is harmful to minors.'''
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1207 S.1207 - Earn It Act]
|U.S
|The Earn It Act quote "revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children" by limiting the "liability protections of interactive computer service providers(Encryption)", essentially making the Earn it Act an "anti-encryption", which is (for the most part) necessary to protect ones own important documents & maintain a level of privacy in the digital age.
|Anti-Encryption
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1748/text S.1748 - Kids Online Safety Act]
|U.S
|The Kids Online Safety Act is one that quote "requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users and visitors under the age of 17. ''Covered platforms'' are online platforms, video games, messaging applications, or video streaming services used or likely to be used by individuals under the age of 17, with specified exceptions."
|Censorship/Age-Gating
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146 S.146 - TAKE IT DOWN Act]
|U.S
|The Take It Down Act(stands for '''Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act''') is a law that prohibits the publication of "non-consensual" intimate visual depictions of individuals, both real or '''computer-generated''', and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence.", and such covered platforms are; public websites, online services, or applications that allows for user generated content on forums. Such a law could be & shouldn't be used as an excuse for censorship or otherwise prevention of free speech.
|Anti-Encryption/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|Real-life identity disclosure required to activate SIM cards.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Mar 2026 |title=SIM Card Registration |url=https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251208124027/https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration |archive-date=2025-12-08 |access-date=6 Mar 2026 |website=[[Privacy International]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bischoff |first=Paul |date=2025-04-23 |title=Which governments impose SIM-card registration laws to collect data on their citizens? |url=https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/sim-card-registration-laws/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/ShIek |archive-date=2026-01-17 |access-date=6 Mar 2026 |website=[[Comparitech]]}}</ref>
|Many countries.
|People are required to associate their real-life identity with their SIM cards, making "burner phones" impossible, and making it impossible to access the cellular Internet without being tracked by the government. Additionally, this can be used to exclude political dissidents from accessing the Internet.
|Identity disclosure
|Approved in many countries over time.
|-
|[https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/SB0073.html Utah S.B. 73]
|Utah, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed House committee
|-
|[https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/136/hb84 Ohio HB 84]
|Ohio, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb130 Wisconsin SB 130]
|Wisconsin, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed Senate
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB%201839&style=new&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 3015/1839]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF2606 Iowa HF 2606]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?year=2026&bill=HB1839&code=R%20&cal=1 Missouri HB 1839 & 901/1346/1412]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2026/HB0072 Wyoming HB 72]
|Wyoming, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/west-virginia-hb-4412/ West Virginia HB 4412]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed the House
|-
|[https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7746.pdf Rhode Island HB 7746]
|Rhode Island, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=3945&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=167424&SessionID=114 Illinois SB 3946]
|Illinois, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0908?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 908]
|Maryland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB2522&GA=114 Tennessee HB 2522/SB 2398]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0693?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 693]
|Mayland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF2159 Iowa SF 2159]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=628&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 628]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF864 Iowa HF 864]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first chamber
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=498&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 498]
|West virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S1826 New Jersey S 1826]
|New Jersey, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1878&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 1878]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=1271&inflect=1 New Hampshire SB 648]
|New Hampshire, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|New York [https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3591 S3591] / [https://www.nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=3946 A3946]
|New York, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2112&Year=2025&Chamber=House Washington HB 2112]
|Washington, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6333 Parents Over Platforms Act - HR 6333]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF443 Iowa SF 207/443]
|Iowa
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1626 Massachusetts H 1626]
|Massachusetts, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1513 Pennsylvania HB 1513]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Michigan [https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0284 SB284]/[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-4429 HB 4429]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb603 Pennsylvania SB 603]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0466&ga=114 Tennessee HB 222 / SB 466]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0191 Michigan SB 191]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF1875&ssn=0&y=2025 Minnesota HF 1875]
|Minnesota
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Minnesota [https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2105&ssn=0&y=2025 SF 2105]/[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?f=HF1434&y=2025&ssn=0&b=house HF 1434]
|Minnesota, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-8/chapter-19g/ Alabama HB 164]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Oct 1 2024)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alabama-hb-393/ Alabama HB 393]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/al-hb-441/ Alabama HB 441]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alaska-hb-254/ Alaska HB 254]
|Alaska, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/81805 Arizona HB 2112]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on May 13th 2025)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2586/ Arizona HB 2586]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2656/ Arizona HB 2656]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1125]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1298, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1298]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1125, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/82735 Arizona SB 1341]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-avs-bill-2023/ Arizona SB 1503]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arkansas-protection-of-minors-from-distribution-of-harmful-material-act-2023/ Arkansas SB 66]
|Arkansas, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since July 31 2023)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-sb-127-2023/ California AB 127]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-avs-bill-2023/ California AB 1501]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-age-appropriate-design-code-act/ California AB 2273 (2022)]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-ab-3080/ California AB 3080]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/case-it-act-2023/ CASE–IT Act (2023)]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-201 Colorado SB 25-201]
|Colorado, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/delaware-hb-265/ Delaware HB 265]
|Delaware, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-hb-3-sb-1792/ Florida HB 3]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jan 1 2025)
|-
|Florida [https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81550 HB 931]/[https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81947 SB 1438]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-sb-1620-2023/ Florida SB 1620]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-avs-bill-2023/ Florida SB 472]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1289498 Louisiana HB Bill/Act No. 440]
|Louisiana, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approve (Active since
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-hb-910/ Georgia HB 910]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Failed (Incorporated in SB 351)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-sb-351/ Georgia SB 351]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2025)
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-hb-448/ Idaho H 448]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-h-498/ Idaho H 498]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2024)
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8250/all-info Congress H.R.8250]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[[Safe Digital Environments Law]] (Ley de Entornos Digitales Seguros)
|Chile
|Adds restrictions to social media for users under 16. There's no current bill published yet, but measurements might involve similar practices as the ones that have been taking effect in Europe and Australia. This bill might be incompatible with the current [[Net Neutrality Law]] established in 2010.
|Age Verification/Censorship
(Not confirmed)
|Introduced
|}

==What you can do==
In order to oppose/dispute '''Anti-privacy legislation''' created by legislators, you can:

#'''Spread the word'''; not everyone knows about these bills or the mere existence of these types of bills and therefore wont even fight back{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Contact local legislators & representatives;''' If enough people oppose a proposed bill, local legislators may delay the bill or back off on their decision entirely. If enough citizens instead urge a representative to vote against a bill, said representatives could potentially follow up on the citizen's behalf.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Sign Petitions'''; Signing petitions is another way to the message across to both legislators & other people alike.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Support Pro Consumer/Privacy Bills'''; Supporting bills/would-be laws that protect consumer privacy & ownership helps circumvent future bills that aims for the opposite affect.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}

===Tools & Resources===

*[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/ Age Verification Bills] is a sub-site of the the domain [https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/ Action Free Speech Coalition] that specifically lists all bills pushing for any form of "Age verification".
*[https://www.badinternetbills.com/ Bad Internet Bills] is a website listing quote "bad internet bills" in a easily accessible manner.
*[https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker US State Privacy Legislation Tracker] is a sub site of the domain [https://iapp.org/ Iapp] that tracks many but not all pro-privacy or consumer '''U.S''' bills that have passed or not. This includes bills that support consumer rights & bills that businesses are obligated to comply with. (Click [https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf here] to view the chart & [https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg here] to view the map in the '''U.S''')

==External Links==

*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/
*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/
*https://www.badinternetbills.com/
*https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker
*https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf
*https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg

==Further Reading==

*[[:Category:Common license terms]]
*[[:Category:Legislation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]
[[Category:Anti-privacy legislation]]

Anti-privacy legislation

2026-04-28T21:32:17Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* List of Legislation */ included in the list the Chilean law "Safe Digital Environments"

{{Incomplete|issue 1=needs general improvement of quality and quantity of information}}

[[Anti-privacy legislation]] simply put is legislation that may be created with malicious intent or not that invoke ones right to privacy. In the last decade, governments across the world have introduced various pieces of such legislation, which has caused damage to the privacy consumers have with their technology.

==How it works==
The US legislative process is as follows:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 Feb 2026 |title=The Legislative Process |url=https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119083226/https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process |archive-date=19 Jan 2026 |access-date=23 Feb 2026 |website=[[United States House of Representatives]]}}</ref>

#A representative '''needs to sponsor a bill'''
#The bill is then '''assigned to a committee''' for study
#If the bill is '''released''' by said committee, the bill is '''put on a calendar to be voted on'''.
#If the '''majority''' of people vote for the bill(51 or more out of 100), then the bill is '''passed'''
#A conference committee made of House & Senate members then '''works out any differences''' '''between the House & Senate version of the bill'''
#Finally, the resulting bill heads back to the House & Senate for final '''approval''' by the '''President''', If the bill is signed, then it has officially become '''law'''.<ref name=":0" />

Now that such anti-privacy legislation has been approved, it can be enforced by federal agencies via penalties.

==Why it is a problem==

===Anti-privacy legislation is a direct infringement of the 1st & 4th amendments found in the bill of rights(U.S)===

*The 1st amendment states:
<blockquote>Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or '''prohibiting''' the free exercise thereof; or '''abridging''' the '''freedom of speech''', or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=U.S Constitution - First Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260307171826/https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/ |archive-date=2026-03-07 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=[[Constitution Annotated]]}}</ref></blockquote>

If '''Anti-privacy legislation''' were to be implemented, that gives anyone with access to data on someone the ability to '''restrict freedom of speech''' or oppose those with unwanted views of the world, thus infringing the 1st amendment.{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*The 4th amendment reads as follows:

<blockquote>The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against '''unreasonable searches and seizures''', shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=U.S Constitution - Fourth Amendment |url=https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224165919/https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-4/ |archive-date=2026-02-24 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Constitution Annotated}}</ref></blockquote>'''Anti-privacy legislation''' infringes on a citizen's right to avoid "'''unreasonable searches and seizures'''" since It may require/force citizens to show proof of age('''selfies, id's, credit cards''') without real probable cause and since It may also force said citizen to use less secure services that allow federal agencies to gain higher access to said services and retrieve to whatever data is "needed".{{Citation needed|date=28 Feb 2026}}

*'''Anti-privacy legislation''' can also build the framework and foundation for other & more extreme anti-privacy measures, & such anti-privacy measures can lead to the slow development of a '''''surveillance state.'''''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwinter |first=Daniel |date=28 Feb 2026 |title=Surveillance's Slippery Slope; Using Encryption to Recapture Privacy Rights |url=http://www.jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730145810/http://jthtl.org/content/articles/V5I2/JTHTLv5i2_Sherwinter.PDF |archive-date=2024-07-30 |access-date=28 Feb 2026 |website=Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law}}</ref>

==List of Legislation==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+
!Bill/Law name
!Country/State
!Basic summary of Legislation
!Method of Eroding Privacy
!Status
|-
|[[UK Online Safety Act]]
|United Kingdom
|The UK Online Safety Act is a set of law's that pushes for [[Age verification]] in order to protect quote; "children and adults online". Said enforcement includes disapproving "Illegal Content", & forcing website and domain owners to utilize "highly effective age assurance" to prevent children from accessing potentially harmful content. This act also requires such platforms to " provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise."
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on Oct 26, 2023, Active since Jul 25 2025)
|-
|[https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/253 Florida HB 253]
|Florida, U.S
|Florida's 253 House Bill disallows ones ability to, in their own words, utilize "license plate obscuring devices" to prevent criminals from "escaping from or avoiding detection or arrest in connection with such crime", which could be interpreted as being punished for avoiding [[Flock license plate readers|ALPR]] detection.
|ALPR Jamming Circumvention
|Approved (Signed on May 19th 2025, Active since Oct 1 2025)
|-
|[[Texas Senate Bill 2420 (2025)]]
|Texas, U.S
|Texas Senate Bill 2420(also known as the "App Store Accountability Act") requires app store owners & maintainers to utilize "Commercially reasonable method('s)" In order to verify the ages their users. If someone is In a category that isn't explicitly labeled "adult", then the user is considered a minor and must ask a parent or legal guardian for permission in order to install new applications that may be considered inappropriate for their age group.
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1043 California Assembly Bill No. 1043]
|California, U.S
|The California Assembly Bill No. "1043" requires operating system owners, publishers/providers, & developers & maintainers to implement system level age verification via an "accessible interface at account setup", which then is used as an "age signal" for "applications available in a covered application store". Any person that violates this proposed bill(now law) will face a fine of 2,500$ per unintentional violation or 7,500$ per intentional violation.
|Age Indication
|Approved (Active Jan 1, 2027)
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/SB26-051 Colorado Senate Bill SB26-051]
|Colorado, U.S
|The Colorado Senate Bill "SB26-051" is a "copycat bill" of California's own "Assembly Bill No. 1043" which requires operating systems of any kind(open source or not), to utilize an interface on account setup to gain an age signal for developers to use in the main app store. Overview of said bill reads as follows; "The bill requires application developers to receive user age information and use it to comply with any applicable law."
|Device-Based Age Indication
|Under Consideration
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/737/text S.737 - Screen Act]
|U.S
|Senate bill S. 737(also known as the '''Screen Act''') is a bill that pushes for Age verification. The Technology Verification measures listed in section 4 state that a covered platform should adopt and utilize age verification measures, and that such measures must ensure that 1; '''users of the covered platform are not minors''' and 2; '''minors are prevented from accessing any content on the covered platform that is harmful to minors.'''
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1207 S.1207 - Earn It Act]
|U.S
|The Earn It Act quote "revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children" by limiting the "liability protections of interactive computer service providers(Encryption)", essentially making the Earn it Act an "anti-encryption", which is (for the most part) necessary to protect ones own important documents & maintain a level of privacy in the digital age.
|Anti-Encryption
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1748/text S.1748 - Kids Online Safety Act]
|U.S
|The Kids Online Safety Act is one that quote "requires covered online platforms, including social media platforms, to implement tools and safeguards to protect users and visitors under the age of 17. ''Covered platforms'' are online platforms, video games, messaging applications, or video streaming services used or likely to be used by individuals under the age of 17, with specified exceptions."
|Censorship/Age-Gating
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/146 S.146 - TAKE IT DOWN Act]
|U.S
|The Take It Down Act(stands for '''Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act''') is a law that prohibits the publication of "non-consensual" intimate visual depictions of individuals, both real or '''computer-generated''', and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence.", and such covered platforms are; public websites, online services, or applications that allows for user generated content on forums. Such a law could be & shouldn't be used as an excuse for censorship or otherwise prevention of free speech.
|Anti-Encryption/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|Real-life identity disclosure required to activate SIM cards.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 Mar 2026 |title=SIM Card Registration |url=https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251208124027/https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration |archive-date=2025-12-08 |access-date=6 Mar 2026 |website=[[Privacy International]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bischoff |first=Paul |date=2025-04-23 |title=Which governments impose SIM-card registration laws to collect data on their citizens? |url=https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/sim-card-registration-laws/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/ShIek |archive-date=2026-01-17 |access-date=6 Mar 2026 |website=[[Comparitech]]}}</ref>
|Many countries.
|People are required to associate their real-life identity with their SIM cards, making "burner phones" impossible, and making it impossible to access the cellular Internet without being tracked by the government. Additionally, this can be used to exclude political dissidents from accessing the Internet.
|Identity disclosure
|Approved in many countries over time.
|-
|[https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/SB0073.html Utah S.B. 73]
|Utah, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed House committee
|-
|[https://ohiohouse.gov/legislation/136/hb84 Ohio HB 84]
|Ohio, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb130 Wisconsin SB 130]
|Wisconsin, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed Senate
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB%201839&style=new&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 3015/1839]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF2606 Iowa HF 2606]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?year=2026&bill=HB1839&code=R%20&cal=1 Missouri HB 1839 & 901/1346/1412]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2026/HB0072 Wyoming HB 72]
|Wyoming, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/west-virginia-hb-4412/ West Virginia HB 4412]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed the House
|-
|[https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7746.pdf Rhode Island HB 7746]
|Rhode Island, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=3945&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=167424&SessionID=114 Illinois SB 3946]
|Illinois, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0908?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 908]
|Maryland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB2522&GA=114 Tennessee HB 2522/SB 2398]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0693?ys=2026rs Maryland HB 693]
|Mayland, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF2159 Iowa SF 2159]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=628&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 628]
|West Virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF864 Iowa HF 864]
|Iowa, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first chamber
|-
|[https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=498&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill West Virginia SB 498]
|West virginia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/S1826 New Jersey S 1826]
|New Jersey, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1878&year=2026&code=R Missouri HB 1878]
|Missouri, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/billinfo.aspx?id=1271&inflect=1 New Hampshire SB 648]
|New Hampshire, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|New York [https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S3591 S3591] / [https://www.nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=3946 A3946]
|New York, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2112&Year=2025&Chamber=House Washington HB 2112]
|Washington, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6333 Parents Over Platforms Act - HR 6333]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF443 Iowa SF 207/443]
|Iowa
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Passed first committee
|-
|[https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1626 Massachusetts H 1626]
|Massachusetts, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb1513 Pennsylvania HB 1513]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Michigan [https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0284 SB284]/[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-4429 HB 4429]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/sb603 Pennsylvania SB 603]
|Pennsylvania, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0466&ga=114 Tennessee HB 222 / SB 466]
|Tennessee, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-SB-0191 Michigan SB 191]
|Michigan, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF1875&ssn=0&y=2025 Minnesota HF 1875]
|Minnesota
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|Minnesota [https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2105&ssn=0&y=2025 SF 2105]/[https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?f=HF1434&y=2025&ssn=0&b=house HF 1434]
|Minnesota, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-8/chapter-19g/ Alabama HB 164]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Oct 1 2024)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alabama-hb-393/ Alabama HB 393]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/al-hb-441/ Alabama HB 441]
|Alabama, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/alaska-hb-254/ Alaska HB 254]
|Alaska, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/81805 Arizona HB 2112]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Signed on May 13th 2025)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2586/ Arizona HB 2586]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-hb-2656/ Arizona HB 2656]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1125]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1298, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/80575 Arizona SB 1298]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA] (Identical to SB 1125, Arizona)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/82735 Arizona SB 1341]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arizona-avs-bill-2023/ Arizona SB 1503]
|Arizona, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/arkansas-protection-of-minors-from-distribution-of-harmful-material-act-2023/ Arkansas SB 66]
|Arkansas, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since July 31 2023)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-sb-127-2023/ California AB 127]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-avs-bill-2023/ California AB 1501]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-age-appropriate-design-code-act/ California AB 2273 (2022)]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Approved
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/california-ab-3080/ California AB 3080]
|California, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/case-it-act-2023/ CASE–IT Act (2023)]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-201 Colorado SB 25-201]
|Colorado, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/delaware-hb-265/ Delaware HB 265]
|Delaware, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-hb-3-sb-1792/ Florida HB 3]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jan 1 2025)
|-
|Florida [https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81550 HB 931]/[https://flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=81947 SB 1438]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-sb-1620-2023/ Florida SB 1620]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification/Censorship
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/florida-avs-bill-2023/ Florida SB 472]
|Florida, U.S
|[TBA] (Copycat of Louisiana's AVS law)
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1289498 Louisiana HB Bill/Act No. 440]
|Louisiana, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approve (Active since
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-hb-910/ Georgia HB 910]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Failed (Incorporated in SB 351)
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/georgia-sb-351/ Georgia SB 351]
|Georgia, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2025)
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1198 Hawaii HB 1198]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1212 Hawaii HB 1212]
|Hawaii, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-hb-448/ Idaho H 448]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Rejected
|-
|[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/bill/idaho-h-498/ Idaho H 498]
|Idaho, U.S
|[TBA]
|Age Verification
|Approved (Active since Jul 1 2024)
|-
|[https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8250/all-info Congress H.R.8250]
|U.S
|[TBA]
|Device-Based Age Verification
|Introduced
|-
|[[Safe Digital Environments Law]] (Ley de Entornos Digitales Seguros)
|Chile
|Adds restrictions to social media for users under 16
|Age Verification
|Introduced
|}

==What you can do==
In order to oppose/dispute '''Anti-privacy legislation''' created by legislators, you can:

#'''Spread the word'''; not everyone knows about these bills or the mere existence of these types of bills and therefore wont even fight back{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Contact local legislators & representatives;''' If enough people oppose a proposed bill, local legislators may delay the bill or back off on their decision entirely. If enough citizens instead urge a representative to vote against a bill, said representatives could potentially follow up on the citizen's behalf.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Sign Petitions'''; Signing petitions is another way to the message across to both legislators & other people alike.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}
#'''Support Pro Consumer/Privacy Bills'''; Supporting bills/would-be laws that protect consumer privacy & ownership helps circumvent future bills that aims for the opposite affect.{{Citation needed|date=1 Mar 2026}}

===Tools & Resources===

*[https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/ Age Verification Bills] is a sub-site of the the domain [https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/ Action Free Speech Coalition] that specifically lists all bills pushing for any form of "Age verification".
*[https://www.badinternetbills.com/ Bad Internet Bills] is a website listing quote "bad internet bills" in a easily accessible manner.
*[https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker US State Privacy Legislation Tracker] is a sub site of the domain [https://iapp.org/ Iapp] that tracks many but not all pro-privacy or consumer '''U.S''' bills that have passed or not. This includes bills that support consumer rights & bills that businesses are obligated to comply with. (Click [https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf here] to view the chart & [https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg here] to view the map in the '''U.S''')

==External Links==

*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-bills/
*https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/
*https://www.badinternetbills.com/
*https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker
*https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt76d030a1054f612a/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker.pdf
*https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltd4dd5b2d705252bc/blt8134a824fbb924de/us_state_privacy_legislation_tracker_map.jpg

==Further Reading==

*[[:Category:Common license terms]]
*[[:Category:Legislation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]
[[Category:Anti-privacy legislation]]

Claude

2026-04-22T20:41:27Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Tests for removing Claude Code features from Pro subscription tier (April 2026) */Typo

{{StubNotice}}{{ProductCargo
|Company=Anthropic
|ProductLine=
|ReleaseYear=2023
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Software, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Large Language Models
|Website=https://claude.ai/
|Description=American language model developed by Anthropic that will ask for identity verification for new accounts or accessing advanced features. Identity verifications are provided by Persona.
|Logo=Claude AI logo.svg
}}

'''Claude''' is a generative artificial intelligence, a large language model (LLM) developed and released by [[Anthropic]]. It was created with the objective of being a safe AI for the public. Claude family includes Haiku, a fast and cheaper model, Sonnet, a more complex model capable of completing more complex tasks, and Opus, their most advanced model.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}
====Business model====
Free tier users have a limited access to only one version of the LLM. The LLM token limit ends after generating some messages, but the platform doesn't specify how much tokens or credits are left. Some experimental or advanced features of Claude can be very limited for free users or is just paywalled. {{Citation needed}}

====Third-Party Usage====
Anthropic provides two ways of accessing their LLMs: subscriptions and direct API usage. API pricing is simple: you pay for what you use. By paying for a subscription you can get up to 13.5x worth of API usage - a "Max" subscription costs $200 per month but allows users to use up to $3,000 worth of actual API costs [[https://she-llac.com/claude-limits source]]. However paying for a subscription means user is locked into Anthropic's tools only - either their web app or desktop app (claude code). Several talented engineers managed to hijack the behavior of Anthropic's tools and hence use limits of their subscriptions in third-party tools. Anthropic responded by changing their policies and banning any suspicions of account subscriptions being used outside of their first-party applications [[https://x.com/robzolkos/status/2024125323755884919 source]]. Several users on twitter/X complained about being banned even without ever taking part in such activities, namely those, who have used multiple accounts with named subscription on the same computer. For a more detailed (and opinionated) view on Anthropic's lack of transparency and unusual business practices, follow [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-pkXr-qqII this video].

====DMCA====
Anthropic's most popular product Claude Code is closed-source, meaning the actual code used to make the application is not public. Additionally the distributed version of said application is obfuscated. Obfuscation is a common process used in order to make reading code more difficult, essentially impossible without the use of reverse-engineering tools. In 2025 Anthropic accidentally published "source maps" of the application, aiding in mapping the obfuscated code to its original form. Some developers posted said information online, to which Anthropic responded with DMCA claims[[https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/25/anthropic-sent-a-takedown-notice-to-a-dev-trying-to-reverse-engineer-its-coding-tool/ source]]. Github, a platform for sharing code, keeps a track of DMCA claims and makes them public [[https://github.com/search?q=repo%3Agithub%2Fdmca%20anthropic&type=code relevant claims]].

====Privacy====
In order to use the LLM, a person must sign in with an e-mail address or to log in with a Google account, as well as obligatorily verify a smartphone number.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=2026-03-24 |title=Verifying your phone number {{!}} Claude Help Center |url=https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8287232-verifying-your-phone-number |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260408203422/https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8287232-verifying-your-phone-number |archive-date=2026-04-08 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=Claude Help Center (Anthropic)}}</ref>{{Citation needed}}

Anthropic may use input and output data from their services to train their AI models. Users are able to opt-out if they want to. However, Anthropic may still collect inputs and outputs that belong to conversations that have been flagged for safety review or content that has been reported by the user.
<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 March 2023 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy |url-status=live |access-date=27 Jan 2026 |website=Anthropic |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211053754/https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Incidents==
===ID verification for newer accounts and access of advanced features (2026)===
In April 2026, Anthropic announced they will implement identity verification that are done by the third-party provider [[Persona]] "for a few use cases" to access to advanced features and to verify new accounts created. The reason given is to "prevent abuse, enforce our usage policies and comply with legal obligations" (at a moment there's no currently known legislation in the US or any country that enforces AI companies to ask for identity verification). The purpose for the ID verification is "to confirm who you are and not for any other purposes". <ref>https://nitter.net/Pirat_Nation/status/2044960285510053929#m</ref>

===Tests for removing Claude Code features from Pro subscription tier (April 2026)===
In April 2026, users reported on social media that the Claude pricing page shows that Claude Code is not supported in the Pro subscription tier. After the reports from users, Anthropic replied that this was caused by a modification done for testing purposes, affecting 2% of the users visiting the site. <ref>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/anthropic-tested-removing-claude-code-from-the-pro-plan/</ref>

==See also==
*[[OpenAI]]
*[[Artificial intelligence]]
*[[ChatGPT]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Claude]]

Claude

2026-04-22T20:41:02Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Incidents */Added testings for removing Claude Code from Pro tier subscription

{{StubNotice}}{{ProductCargo
|Company=Anthropic
|ProductLine=
|ReleaseYear=2023
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Software, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Large Language Models
|Website=https://claude.ai/
|Description=American language model developed by Anthropic that will ask for identity verification for new accounts or accessing advanced features. Identity verifications are provided by Persona.
|Logo=Claude AI logo.svg
}}

'''Claude''' is a generative artificial intelligence, a large language model (LLM) developed and released by [[Anthropic]]. It was created with the objective of being a safe AI for the public. Claude family includes Haiku, a fast and cheaper model, Sonnet, a more complex model capable of completing more complex tasks, and Opus, their most advanced model.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}
====Business model====
Free tier users have a limited access to only one version of the LLM. The LLM token limit ends after generating some messages, but the platform doesn't specify how much tokens or credits are left. Some experimental or advanced features of Claude can be very limited for free users or is just paywalled. {{Citation needed}}

====Third-Party Usage====
Anthropic provides two ways of accessing their LLMs: subscriptions and direct API usage. API pricing is simple: you pay for what you use. By paying for a subscription you can get up to 13.5x worth of API usage - a "Max" subscription costs $200 per month but allows users to use up to $3,000 worth of actual API costs [[https://she-llac.com/claude-limits source]]. However paying for a subscription means user is locked into Anthropic's tools only - either their web app or desktop app (claude code). Several talented engineers managed to hijack the behavior of Anthropic's tools and hence use limits of their subscriptions in third-party tools. Anthropic responded by changing their policies and banning any suspicions of account subscriptions being used outside of their first-party applications [[https://x.com/robzolkos/status/2024125323755884919 source]]. Several users on twitter/X complained about being banned even without ever taking part in such activities, namely those, who have used multiple accounts with named subscription on the same computer. For a more detailed (and opinionated) view on Anthropic's lack of transparency and unusual business practices, follow [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-pkXr-qqII this video].

====DMCA====
Anthropic's most popular product Claude Code is closed-source, meaning the actual code used to make the application is not public. Additionally the distributed version of said application is obfuscated. Obfuscation is a common process used in order to make reading code more difficult, essentially impossible without the use of reverse-engineering tools. In 2025 Anthropic accidentally published "source maps" of the application, aiding in mapping the obfuscated code to its original form. Some developers posted said information online, to which Anthropic responded with DMCA claims[[https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/25/anthropic-sent-a-takedown-notice-to-a-dev-trying-to-reverse-engineer-its-coding-tool/ source]]. Github, a platform for sharing code, keeps a track of DMCA claims and makes them public [[https://github.com/search?q=repo%3Agithub%2Fdmca%20anthropic&type=code relevant claims]].

====Privacy====
In order to use the LLM, a person must sign in with an e-mail address or to log in with a Google account, as well as obligatorily verify a smartphone number.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=2026-03-24 |title=Verifying your phone number {{!}} Claude Help Center |url=https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8287232-verifying-your-phone-number |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260408203422/https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8287232-verifying-your-phone-number |archive-date=2026-04-08 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=Claude Help Center (Anthropic)}}</ref>{{Citation needed}}

Anthropic may use input and output data from their services to train their AI models. Users are able to opt-out if they want to. However, Anthropic may still collect inputs and outputs that belong to conversations that have been flagged for safety review or content that has been reported by the user.
<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 March 2023 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy |url-status=live |access-date=27 Jan 2026 |website=Anthropic |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211053754/https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Incidents==
===ID verification for newer accounts and access of advanced features (2026)===
In April 2026, Anthropic announced they will implement identity verification that are done by the third-party provider [[Persona]] "for a few use cases" to access to advanced features and to verify new accounts created. The reason given is to "prevent abuse, enforce our usage policies and comply with legal obligations" (at a moment there's no currently known legislation in the US or any country that enforces AI companies to ask for identity verification). The purpose for the ID verification is "to confirm who you are and not for any other purposes". <ref>https://nitter.net/Pirat_Nation/status/2044960285510053929#m</ref>

===Tests for removing Claude Code features from Pro subscription tier (April 2026)==
In April 2026, users reported on social media that the Claude pricing page shows that Claude Code is not supported in the Pro subscription tier. After the reports from users, Anthropic replied that this was caused by a modification done for testing purposes, affecting 2% of the users visiting the site. <ref>https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/04/anthropic-tested-removing-claude-code-from-the-pro-plan/</ref>

==See also==
*[[OpenAI]]
*[[Artificial intelligence]]
*[[ChatGPT]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Claude]]

Age verification

2026-04-22T17:21:03Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Inaccuracy */

{{Incomplete}}
{{See also|Forced identification|De-anonymization}}

'''Age Verification''' (AV), also referred to as '''Age Affirmation''' (AA), is the process in where a business requires some form of identification to verify your age. This is usually done for more explicit or mature content. This practice has been widely spreading since the [[UK Online Safety Act|UK's Online Safety Act (OSA)]] has passed; requiring all individuals to verify themselves before accessing mature content. Ways of checking age include, but are not limited to: checking for a valid credit card, facial age estimation tools, government-issued ID, biometric data, account history behavior, and more.

As of December 2025, 25 US States require websites with mature content to verify age.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Age Verification Laws - Action Center |url=https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251228121257/https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |archive-date=2025-12-28 }}</ref>

==How it works==
When accessing a platform or website that may contain content not suitable for all audiences may force you to register for the platform along with verifying your age by one of the methods mentioned previously. Sites that likely don't use any form of account system will probably have a popup instead requiring you to verify your age before even serving the content you were trying to access.

==Why is this a problem?==
The Online Safety Act is already exerting extraterritorial control through the age‑verification and validation changes it prompts, which are being implemented in the U.S. even though those companies customer bases are not at all subject to UK law, even Europeans that are also not under UK law are affected. This stems from the Act’s vague, overly broad language requiring companies to comply whenever users are located in the UK. Because the law effectively ignores national borders, non‑UK companies face only two options: geo‑block affected content for UK users or apply the same verification measures globally.

Geo‑blocking would severely disrupt services and business relationships that where already in place with UK customers before the Online Safety Act, so many companies choose to implement the changes for all users resulting in practical overreach beyond the UK. A reason for this is Ofcoms<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=What is Ofcom? |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/what-is-ofcom |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref> statutory powers to require platforms to use “accredited technology” to detect illegal content. As such systems would have to be implemented onto all the content this again would be an overreach of their precieved authorities. Companys that do not comply are already beeing fined for this.

Even if the UK Government has “paused” its demand for implementing “accredited technologys” there is no practical way to meet the vague requirement set out by Ofcom in the Online Safety Act. The proposal ignores that smaller companies would likely be forced to close under the financial burden of compliance, producing a sterilized market with reduced competition only firms with deep pockets can comply. That still does not prevent Ofcom from fining companies that fail to comply.

Examples:

Webpage 4chan<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into 4chan and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-4chan-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

AVS GROUP LIMITED<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=Investigation into AVS Group Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

The provider of Im.ge<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into the provider of Im.ge and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-the-provider-of-im.ge-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

Youngtek Solutions Ltd<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-11 |title=Investigation into Youngtek Solutions Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

===Customer Profiling===
Having companies easily able to identify you means they can track you more efficiently and sell that shared profile to other companies such as ad agencies that then start targeting you specifically.

===Goverment overreach===
Governments can also more easily track online movements and find out who you are. Saying something that may go against their own agenda may end up with a police raid, heavy interrogation, and prison time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=John |date=2025-06-20 |title=China tightens internet controls with new centralized form of virtual ID |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20a%20state%2Dled,an%20infrastructure%20of%20digital%20totalitarianism.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2025-09-04 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620233250/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl |archive-date=2025-06-20 }}</ref>

===Censorship===
Certain topics, such as adult content, politics, and LGBT+ topics, will likely be unfairly censored by the governing body or company that has a say on what platform has the '''potential''' to be inappropriate for minors or other age groups.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-01 |title=Strict Age Verification Laws: Balancing Content Restriction and Educational Rights |url=https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/#:~:text=Impact%20on%20K12,affect%20these%20groups |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Think Academy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251018030711/https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/ |archive-date=2025-10-18 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |last2=Mackey |first2=Aaron |last3=Mullin |first3=Joe |date=2024-02-15 |title=Don’t Fall for the Latest Changes to the Dangerous Kids Online Safety Act |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215234054/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |archive-date=2024-02-15 }}</ref>

Platforms that host this type of content may also be more proactive in deleting/hiding posts that may get them in trouble or fined by laws or policies by local governments, leading to a more censored internet where opinions are streamlined to fit a set narrative or outlook.<ref name=":0" />

===Increased inequality and denial of service===
Some stores, such as grocery stores, prohibit young people from viewing their web sites or using [[loyalty cards]], which provide discounts and digital coupons. Age verification means that young people and families where the young person does the shopping pay more for essentials like food.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pell |first=Miranda |date=25 Oct 2024 |title=Tesco, Lidl and Sainsbury's shoppers issued warning over little-known 'age limit' rules |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |access-date=20 Sep 2025 |work=Manchester evening news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251021121644/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |archive-date=2025-10-21 }}</ref> Those who do not have ID, or do not chose to use it (for instance, those who fear domestic violence, or are members of a group subject to persecution) may also be locked out or have to pay more.

===Storage of private and biometric Information by age verification service providers===
A study commissioned by the Australian government found that age verification service providers accumulate a concerning amount of personal information, sometimes even biometric in nature, even when that was not necessary to provide the age verification service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastian |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Age Verification Providers are hoarding biometric Data] |url=https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903115436/https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |archive-date=2025-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastion |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Google Translate English Version] |url=https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251023063119/https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |archive-date=2025-10-23 }}</ref>

===Driving users towards smaller and completely unregulated offerings===
Big platforms can be regulated and forced to comply with applicable laws since they need to have infrastructure such as servers in all major markets. Only these will be affected by the age restriction requirement.

However, users who do not wish to compromise their privacy or who are not of age will then go looking towards smaller niche platforms, often in other regions not affected by the regulation or the [[wikipedia:Darknet|darknet]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kaleta |first=Miroslav |date=2025-08-20 |title=The Cost of Data Privacy Negligence (And How to Avoid It) |url=https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence#:~:text=2.%20Losing%20Customer,IBM%20Report. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251217003447/https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence |archive-date=17 Dec 2025|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Countly Blog}}</ref> With these offerings, there is little to no leverage with regards to removal of illegal content. Increased exposure to illegal content can then lead to both a strengthening of illegal content providers<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branley |first=Dawn |last2=Covey |first2=Judith |date=2016-06-06 |title=Is exposure to online content depicting risky behavior related to viewers' own risky behavior offline? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403233150/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=ScienceDirect}}</ref> and significantly increased danger to minors, who may not yet be able to differentiate between legal and illegal content as well as an adult.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Potential risks of content, features, and functions: The science of how social media affects youth |url=https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416042251/https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |archive-date=2024-04-16 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=American Psychological Association}}</ref> 

===Increased damage from data breaches===
Platforms which implement age checks that require sensitive information such as a government-issued ID will likely be more of a target for cyber criminals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-02 |title=Cybercriminals Target These Industries the Most – Here’s Why and How to Stay Safe |url=https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/#:~:text=The%20Most%20Vulnerable%20Industries%20to,information%20stored%20within%20their%20networks. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119030330/https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Brandefense}}</ref> As more platforms comply with the age checks, it becomes more likely that a data breach on at least one of these platforms can reveal extremely sensitive information. In the case of a data breach, it can be catastrophic if users' sensitive information were exposed, which can likely result in identity theft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Popov |first=Cristina |date=2023-03-22 |title=Why breaches can affect you long after they occur |url=https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur#:~:text=%232%3A%20Breaches%20can,for%20online%20accounts. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104220250/https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur |archive-date=4 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Bitdefender}}</ref>

Platforms already experience major losses and consumer distrust from data breaches that reveal information less sensitive than government-issued IDs or biometric data.<ref name=":1" /> A data breach involving information this sensitive will seriously damage a business, and the users even more so. As stated previously, users who foresee these privacy risks will turn away from platforms which implement the policy, and towards niche platforms.

===Inaccuracy===
Researches about age verification software that estimates age via face scans are inaccurate, identifying children as adults or vice versa. These inaccurate estimations might lead to have to use more privacy-invasive methods like submitting a picture of a personal ID. {{Citation needed}}

==Examples==
*[[YouTube age verification|YouTube's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm.

*[[Spotify]]'s Age affirmation for MA rated songs and content.

*[[Discord's Mandatory Age Verification|Discord's age verification]] for accounts determining what eligible servers are available.

*[[Roblox#ID & face scan age verification|Roblox's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm for talking with users of similar age.

==External links==

*[https://agelesslinux.org/distros.html Ageless Linux — Distro Compliance Tracker]
*[https://github.com/BryanLunduke/DoesItAgeVerify GitHub BryanLunduke - List Tracking Operating Systems Not Implementing Age Verification]
*[https://www.eff.org/pages/age-verification-bills-are-unconstitutional EFF explains how OS-level age-verification is unconstitutional]

==See also==

*[[Chat Control]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Age verification

2026-04-19T23:44:41Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Why is this a problem? */ Added "inaccuracy" section

{{Incomplete}}
{{See also|Forced identification|De-anonymization}}

'''Age Verification''' (AV), also referred to as '''Age Affirmation''' (AA), is the process in where a business requires some form of identification to verify your age. This is usually done for more explicit or mature content. This practice has been widely spreading since the [[UK Online Safety Act|UK's Online Safety Act (OSA)]] has passed; requiring all individuals to verify themselves before accessing mature content. Ways of checking age include, but are not limited to: checking for a valid credit card, facial age estimation tools, government-issued ID, biometric data, account history behavior, and more.

As of December 2025, 25 US States require websites with mature content to verify age.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Age Verification Laws - Action Center |url=https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251228121257/https://action.freespeechcoalition.com/age-verification-resources/state-avs-laws/ |archive-date=2025-12-28 }}</ref>

==How it works==
When accessing a platform or website that may contain content not suitable for all audiences may force you to register for the platform along with verifying your age by one of the methods mentioned previously. Sites that likely don't use any form of account system will probably have a popup instead requiring you to verify your age before even serving the content you were trying to access.

==Why is this a problem?==
The Online Safety Act is already exerting extraterritorial control through the age‑verification and validation changes it prompts, which are being implemented in the U.S. even though those companies customer bases are not at all subject to UK law, even Europeans that are also not under UK law are affected. This stems from the Act’s vague, overly broad language requiring companies to comply whenever users are located in the UK. Because the law effectively ignores national borders, non‑UK companies face only two options: geo‑block affected content for UK users or apply the same verification measures globally.

Geo‑blocking would severely disrupt services and business relationships that where already in place with UK customers before the Online Safety Act, so many companies choose to implement the changes for all users resulting in practical overreach beyond the UK. A reason for this is Ofcoms<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-31 |title=What is Ofcom? |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/what-we-do/what-is-ofcom |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref> statutory powers to require platforms to use “accredited technology” to detect illegal content. As such systems would have to be implemented onto all the content this again would be an overreach of their precieved authorities. Companys that do not comply are already beeing fined for this.

Even if the UK Government has “paused” its demand for implementing “accredited technologys” there is no practical way to meet the vague requirement set out by Ofcom in the Online Safety Act. The proposal ignores that smaller companies would likely be forced to close under the financial burden of compliance, producing a sterilized market with reduced competition only firms with deep pockets can comply. That still does not prevent Ofcom from fining companies that fail to comply.

Examples:

Webpage 4chan<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into 4chan and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-4chan-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

AVS GROUP LIMITED<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=Investigation into AVS Group Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

The provider of Im.ge<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-10 |title=Investigation into the provider of Im.ge and its compliance with duties to protect its users from illegal content |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-the-provider-of-im.ge-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

Youngtek Solutions Ltd<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-11 |title=Investigation into Youngtek Solutions Ltd’s compliance with the duty to prevent children from encountering pornographic content through the use of age assurance |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance |url-status=live |website=[[Ofcom]]}}</ref>

===Customer Profiling===
Having companies easily able to identify you means they can track you more efficiently and sell that shared profile to other companies such as ad agencies that then start targeting you specifically.

===Goverment overreach===
Governments can also more easily track online movements and find out who you are. Saying something that may go against their own agenda may end up with a police raid, heavy interrogation, and prison time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liu |first=John |date=2025-06-20 |title=China tightens internet controls with new centralized form of virtual ID |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20a%20state%2Dled,an%20infrastructure%20of%20digital%20totalitarianism.%E2%80%9D |access-date=2025-09-04 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620233250/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/china-censorship-internet-id-hnk-intl |archive-date=2025-06-20 }}</ref>

===Censorship===
Certain topics, such as adult content, politics, and LGBT+ topics, will likely be unfairly censored by the governing body or company that has a say on what platform has the '''potential''' to be inappropriate for minors or other age groups.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-01 |title=Strict Age Verification Laws: Balancing Content Restriction and Educational Rights |url=https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/#:~:text=Impact%20on%20K12,affect%20these%20groups |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Think Academy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251018030711/https://www.thinkacademy.ca/blog/strict-age-verification-laws-impact-k12-education/ |archive-date=2025-10-18 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |last2=Mackey |first2=Aaron |last3=Mullin |first3=Joe |date=2024-02-15 |title=Don’t Fall for the Latest Changes to the Dangerous Kids Online Safety Act |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215234054/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act |archive-date=2024-02-15 }}</ref>

Platforms that host this type of content may also be more proactive in deleting/hiding posts that may get them in trouble or fined by laws or policies by local governments, leading to a more censored internet where opinions are streamlined to fit a set narrative or outlook.<ref name=":0" />

===Increased inequality and denial of service===
Some stores, such as grocery stores, prohibit young people from viewing their web sites or using [[loyalty cards]], which provide discounts and digital coupons. Age verification means that young people and families where the young person does the shopping pay more for essentials like food.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pell |first=Miranda |date=25 Oct 2024 |title=Tesco, Lidl and Sainsbury's shoppers issued warning over little-known 'age limit' rules |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |access-date=20 Sep 2025 |work=Manchester evening news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251021121644/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-lidl-sainsburys-shoppers-issued-30233318 |archive-date=2025-10-21 }}</ref> Those who do not have ID, or do not chose to use it (for instance, those who fear domestic violence, or are members of a group subject to persecution) may also be locked out or have to pay more.

===Storage of private and biometric Information by age verification service providers===
A study commissioned by the Australian government found that age verification service providers accumulate a concerning amount of personal information, sometimes even biometric in nature, even when that was not necessary to provide the age verification service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastian |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Age Verification Providers are hoarding biometric Data] |url=https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903115436/https://netzpolitik.org/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/ |archive-date=2025-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Meineck |first=Sebastion |date=2025-09-03 |title=Anbieter von Alterskontrollen horten biometrische Daten [Google Translate English Version] |url=https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |access-date=2025-09-03 |website=Netzpolitik.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251023063119/https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/australisches-gutachten-anbieter-von-alterskontrollen-horten-biometrische-daten/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp |archive-date=2025-10-23 }}</ref>

===Driving users towards smaller and completely unregulated offerings===
Big platforms can be regulated and forced to comply with applicable laws since they need to have infrastructure such as servers in all major markets. Only these will be affected by the age restriction requirement.

However, users who do not wish to compromise their privacy or who are not of age will then go looking towards smaller niche platforms, often in other regions not affected by the regulation or the [[wikipedia:Darknet|darknet]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kaleta |first=Miroslav |date=2025-08-20 |title=The Cost of Data Privacy Negligence (And How to Avoid It) |url=https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence#:~:text=2.%20Losing%20Customer,IBM%20Report. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251217003447/https://countly.com/blog/data-privacy-negligence |archive-date=17 Dec 2025|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Countly Blog}}</ref> With these offerings, there is little to no leverage with regards to removal of illegal content. Increased exposure to illegal content can then lead to both a strengthening of illegal content providers<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branley |first=Dawn |last2=Covey |first2=Judith |date=2016-06-06 |title=Is exposure to online content depicting risky behavior related to viewers' own risky behavior offline? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403233150/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217303357 |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=ScienceDirect}}</ref> and significantly increased danger to minors, who may not yet be able to differentiate between legal and illegal content as well as an adult.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Potential risks of content, features, and functions: The science of how social media affects youth |url=https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416042251/https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024 |archive-date=2024-04-16 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=American Psychological Association}}</ref> 

===Increased damage from data breaches===
Platforms which implement age checks that require sensitive information such as a government-issued ID will likely be more of a target for cyber criminals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-02 |title=Cybercriminals Target These Industries the Most – Here’s Why and How to Stay Safe |url=https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/#:~:text=The%20Most%20Vulnerable%20Industries%20to,information%20stored%20within%20their%20networks. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119030330/https://brandefense.io/blog/cybercriminals-target-these-industries/ |archive-date=19 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Brandefense}}</ref> As more platforms comply with the age checks, it becomes more likely that a data breach on at least one of these platforms can reveal extremely sensitive information. In the case of a data breach, it can be catastrophic if users' sensitive information were exposed, which can likely result in identity theft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Popov |first=Cristina |date=2023-03-22 |title=Why breaches can affect you long after they occur |url=https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur#:~:text=%232%3A%20Breaches%20can,for%20online%20accounts. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104220250/https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/why-breaches-can-affect-you-long-after-they-occur |archive-date=4 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-09-04 |website=Bitdefender}}</ref>

Platforms already experience major losses and consumer distrust from data breaches that reveal information less sensitive than government-issued IDs or biometric data.<ref name=":1" /> A data breach involving information this sensitive will seriously damage a business, and the users even more so. As stated previously, users who foresee these privacy risks will turn away from platforms which implement the policy, and towards niche platforms.

===Inaccuracy===
Researches about age verification software that estimates afe via face scans are innacurate, identifying children as adults or vice versa.{{Citation needed}}

==Examples==
*[[YouTube age verification|YouTube's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm.

*[[Spotify]]'s Age affirmation for MA rated songs and content.

*[[Discord's Mandatory Age Verification|Discord's age verification]] for accounts determining what eligible servers are available.

*[[Roblox#ID & face scan age verification|Roblox's age verification]] and account estimation algorithm for talking with users of similar age.

==External links==

*[https://agelesslinux.org/distros.html Ageless Linux — Distro Compliance Tracker]
*[https://github.com/BryanLunduke/DoesItAgeVerify GitHub BryanLunduke - List Tracking Operating Systems Not Implementing Age Verification]
*[https://www.eff.org/pages/age-verification-bills-are-unconstitutional EFF explains how OS-level age-verification is unconstitutional]

==See also==

*[[Chat Control]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

Personal Data Protection Law

2026-04-17T23:33:44Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* National Penalties and Compliance Registry */ typo

{{OngoingEvent}}
The '''Personal Data Protection Law''', also known as "''Ley de Protección de Datos Personales''" in Spanish or Law N° 21,719) is a Chilean law created to increase protections for user's data. It is based on the [[General Data Protection Regulation|General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)]] from the EU. It was approved on August 19th 2024 and will come into force on December 1st, 2026<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Chilean Government |date=27 Aug 2024 |title=Se aprueba Ley de Protección de Datos Personales: Revisa de qué se trata |trans-title=Personal Data Protection Law is approved: Check what it is about |url=https://www.gob.cl/noticias/ley-proteccion-datos-personales-aprobacion-eleva-estandar-derechos/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Gob.cl}}</ref>.

==Summary==
The law introduces mofidications to the Law N° 19.628 to cover protections for personal data, responsibilities to the entities who gather and process the data, the rights of the people over their data, and the creation of a dedicated agency to manage, instruct and communicate about all related aspects to these legislations<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |publisher=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile |date=13 Dec 2024 |title=Ley 21719 |trans-title=Law 21719 |url=https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1209272 |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parada Barriga |first=Francisco Javier |date=Dec 2024 |title=Ley 21.719: Chile se pone serio con la protección de tus datos personales |trans-title=Law 21,719: Chile gets serious with the protection of your personal data |url=https://ciberseguridad.udec.cl/ley-21-719-chile-se-pone-serio-con-la-proteccion-de-tus-datos-personales/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Universidad de Concepción}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Carey |first=Guillermo |last2=Mercado |first2=José Ignacio |last3=García |first3=Gabriela |date=13 Dec 2024 |title=PUBLICAN LA LEY N° 21.719 QUE MODIFICA LA LEY N° 19.628 SOBRE PROTECCIÓN DE LA VIDA PRIVADA EN EL DIARIO OFICIAL |trans-title=PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL DIARY THE LAW N° 21,719 THAT MODIFIES THE LAW N° 19,628 ABOUT PRIVATE LIFE PROTECTION |url=https://www.carey.cl/publican-la-ley-n-21-719-que-modifica-la-ley-n-19-628-sobre-proteccion-de-la-vida-privada-en-el-diario-oficial |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Carey}}</ref>.
===Responsibility for companies===
Every company or third-party used by a company, whether they are national or international and operate in Chile that collects, process or stores personal data is mandated to comply with designated regulations in order to operate in the country.

First of all, any entity who collects users' data is prohibited to do so if the user hasn't done any explicit consent to allow this. If the user is under 16, companies may only process user's data if the parents or legal representatives have consented to do so.

Secondly, the responsible entities must be transparent, informing with details and transparency about how do they collect and manage users' data. They are prohibited to use the data for purposes that are not mentioned or informed. The entities also must provide an address for being contacted easily.

Adequate security measurements are also mandated and mentioned in the Article 14.5, with requirements that include aspects like data encryption, ability of data restoration in case of losses, and anonymization, this to prevent data breaches, misusage or deletion. The companies are allowed to retain users' data for a certain period of time, but they are mandated to delete or anonymize the data after it is processed.<ref name=":0" />

===Penalties===
Any company or third party that commits an infraction may be penalized for this.
According to the Articles 34 and 35, the penalties for law violations are divided in three categories: Mild, Severe and Very Severe.
*'''Mild penalties''' involve aspects such as lack of transparency on data management, lack of replying, vague replies or replying after the designated period to a user's request, lack of the mandated communications with the Agency or commiting minor violations to people's rights. The fine for commiting a mild penalty is up to '''5,000 UTM''' (approximately 393,300 dollars)
*'''Severe penalties''' involve aspects such as the treatment and processing of personal data without the user's consent, not allowing or difficulting an user to exercize their rights over their data and insufficient security measures to keep the data safe. The fine for commiting a mild penalty is up to '''10,000 UTM''' (approximately 786,600 dollars)
*'''Very severe penalties''' involve aspects such as the fraudulent treatment of personal data, the treatment of the data for malicious purposes, transference of data belonging to children and teenagers, not communicating security vulnerations that may affect data protection and integrity and not complying with the designated security evaluations to protect the data. The fine for commiting a mild penalty is up to '''20,000 UTM''' (approximately 1,573,200 dollars)

The Article 36 states that an entity that has commited repetitive penalties during a period of 30 months may receive a fine with a tripled value.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

===User's rights over their data===
The law dictates any piece of personal data belongs exclusively to the user<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Paiva |first=Alexis |date=7 Apr 2026 |title=Ley de Protección de Datos Personales: qué cambios implementará y cómo pueden adaptarse las empresas |trans-title=Personal Data Protection Law: what changes is going to implement and how companies can adapt |url=https://www.latercera.com/tendencias/noticia/ley-de-proteccion-de-datos-personales-que-cambios-implementara-y-como-pueden-adaptarse-las-empresas/ |url-status=live |access-date=10 Apr 2026 |website=La Tercera}}</ref>. Any individual has the intransferible and indispensable rights of '''access''', '''rectification''', '''supression''', '''opposition''', '''portability''' and '''block''' their personal data unless another law does not allow it. If the data owner passes away, their heirs may perform the rights of the law. However, heirs may not perform these rights if the owner has forbidden this or any law prevents it.<ref name=":0" />

'''Opposition''': The individual has the right to oppose to in the following cases:
*When the treatment objective is the legitimate fulfillment of interests of the company.
*If the data gathered is used for publicitary and profiling purposes.
*If the data has been gathered from public databases and there's no legal fundament for its usage.

The right cannot be performed if the data is used for statistic, historic, scientific purposes or any public function or activity.

'''Block''': The individual has the right to temporarily prevent companies to process their data when a supression, opposition or rectification request is done. This right does not affect the storage of data by the responsible company

'''Portability''': The individual has the right to request responsible companies about the data they gather and process, if it belongs to consented and automated processed data.

===Personal Data Protection Agency===
The law dictates the creation of the Personal Data Protection Agency (Agencia de Protección de Datos Personales) 6 months before the law enforcement. This is a national entity related with the Chilean government that is dedicated to instruct and supervise if entities managing the data are complying with the Chilean legislations and regulations. It also is dedicated to solve users' reports about companies not complying or committing infractions.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

====National Penalties and Compliance Registry====
The National Penalties and Compliance Registry (Registro Nacional de Sanciones y Cumplimiento) is a digital registry managed by the Personal Data Protection Agency of public and free access that publishes registrations of companies and entities that have been penalized for not complying with the national data protection normatives and regulations. Any registry is accesible up to five years since its publishing date.<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Legislation in Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in South America]]
[[Category:Chile]]
[[Category:Pro-consumer articles]]
[[Category:Legislation]]

Personal Data Protection Law

2026-04-17T23:32:35Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: cleanup

{{OngoingEvent}}
The '''Personal Data Protection Law''', also known as "''Ley de Protección de Datos Personales''" in Spanish or Law N° 21,719) is a Chilean law created to increase protections for user's data. It is based on the [[General Data Protection Regulation|General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)]] from the EU. It was approved on August 19th 2024 and will come into force on December 1st, 2026<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Chilean Government |date=27 Aug 2024 |title=Se aprueba Ley de Protección de Datos Personales: Revisa de qué se trata |trans-title=Personal Data Protection Law is approved: Check what it is about |url=https://www.gob.cl/noticias/ley-proteccion-datos-personales-aprobacion-eleva-estandar-derechos/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Gob.cl}}</ref>.

==Summary==
The law introduces mofidications to the Law N° 19.628 to cover protections for personal data, responsibilities to the entities who gather and process the data, the rights of the people over their data, and the creation of a dedicated agency to manage, instruct and communicate about all related aspects to these legislations<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |publisher=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile |date=13 Dec 2024 |title=Ley 21719 |trans-title=Law 21719 |url=https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1209272 |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parada Barriga |first=Francisco Javier |date=Dec 2024 |title=Ley 21.719: Chile se pone serio con la protección de tus datos personales |trans-title=Law 21,719: Chile gets serious with the protection of your personal data |url=https://ciberseguridad.udec.cl/ley-21-719-chile-se-pone-serio-con-la-proteccion-de-tus-datos-personales/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Universidad de Concepción}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Carey |first=Guillermo |last2=Mercado |first2=José Ignacio |last3=García |first3=Gabriela |date=13 Dec 2024 |title=PUBLICAN LA LEY N° 21.719 QUE MODIFICA LA LEY N° 19.628 SOBRE PROTECCIÓN DE LA VIDA PRIVADA EN EL DIARIO OFICIAL |trans-title=PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL DIARY THE LAW N° 21,719 THAT MODIFIES THE LAW N° 19,628 ABOUT PRIVATE LIFE PROTECTION |url=https://www.carey.cl/publican-la-ley-n-21-719-que-modifica-la-ley-n-19-628-sobre-proteccion-de-la-vida-privada-en-el-diario-oficial |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Carey}}</ref>.
===Responsibility for companies===
Every company or third-party used by a company, whether they are national or international and operate in Chile that collects, process or stores personal data is mandated to comply with designated regulations in order to operate in the country.

First of all, any entity who collects users' data is prohibited to do so if the user hasn't done any explicit consent to allow this. If the user is under 16, companies may only process user's data if the parents or legal representatives have consented to do so.

Secondly, the responsible entities must be transparent, informing with details and transparency about how do they collect and manage users' data. They are prohibited to use the data for purposes that are not mentioned or informed. The entities also must provide an address for being contacted easily.

Adequate security measurements are also mandated and mentioned in the Article 14.5, with requirements that include aspects like data encryption, ability of data restoration in case of losses, and anonymization, this to prevent data breaches, misusage or deletion. The companies are allowed to retain users' data for a certain period of time, but they are mandated to delete or anonymize the data after it is processed.<ref name=":0" />

===Penalties===
Any company or third party that commits an infraction may be penalized for this.
According to the Articles 34 and 35, the penalties for law violations are divided in three categories: Mild, Severe and Very Severe.
*'''Mild penalties''' involve aspects such as lack of transparency on data management, lack of replying, vague replies or replying after the designated period to a user's request, lack of the mandated communications with the Agency or commiting minor violations to people's rights. The fine for commiting a mild penalty is up to '''5,000 UTM''' (approximately 393,300 dollars)
*'''Severe penalties''' involve aspects such as the treatment and processing of personal data without the user's consent, not allowing or difficulting an user to exercize their rights over their data and insufficient security measures to keep the data safe. The fine for commiting a mild penalty is up to '''10,000 UTM''' (approximately 786,600 dollars)
*'''Very severe penalties''' involve aspects such as the fraudulent treatment of personal data, the treatment of the data for malicious purposes, transference of data belonging to children and teenagers, not communicating security vulnerations that may affect data protection and integrity and not complying with the designated security evaluations to protect the data. The fine for commiting a mild penalty is up to '''20,000 UTM''' (approximately 1,573,200 dollars)

The Article 36 states that an entity that has commited repetitive penalties during a period of 30 months may receive a fine with a tripled value.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

===User's rights over their data===
The law dictates any piece of personal data belongs exclusively to the user<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Paiva |first=Alexis |date=7 Apr 2026 |title=Ley de Protección de Datos Personales: qué cambios implementará y cómo pueden adaptarse las empresas |trans-title=Personal Data Protection Law: what changes is going to implement and how companies can adapt |url=https://www.latercera.com/tendencias/noticia/ley-de-proteccion-de-datos-personales-que-cambios-implementara-y-como-pueden-adaptarse-las-empresas/ |url-status=live |access-date=10 Apr 2026 |website=La Tercera}}</ref>. Any individual has the intransferible and indispensable rights of '''access''', '''rectification''', '''supression''', '''opposition''', '''portability''' and '''block''' their personal data unless another law does not allow it. If the data owner passes away, their heirs may perform the rights of the law. However, heirs may not perform these rights if the owner has forbidden this or any law prevents it.<ref name=":0" />

'''Opposition''': The individual has the right to oppose to in the following cases:
*When the treatment objective is the legitimate fulfillment of interests of the company.
*If the data gathered is used for publicitary and profiling purposes.
*If the data has been gathered from public databases and there's no legal fundament for its usage.

The right cannot be performed if the data is used for statistic, historic, scientific purposes or any public function or activity.

'''Block''': The individual has the right to temporarily prevent companies to process their data when a supression, opposition or rectification request is done. This right does not affect the storage of data by the responsible company

'''Portability''': The individual has the right to request responsible companies about the data they gather and process, if it belongs to consented and automated processed data.

===Personal Data Protection Agency===
The law dictates the creation of the Personal Data Protection Agency (Agencia de Protección de Datos Personales) 6 months before the law enforcement. This is a national entity related with the Chilean government that is dedicated to instruct and supervise if entities managing the data are complying with the Chilean legislations and regulations. It also is dedicated to solve users' reports about companies not complying or committing infractions.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

====National Penalties and Compliance Registry====
The National Penalties and Compliance Registry (Registro Nacional de Sanciones y Cumplimiento) is a digital registry managed by the Personal Data Protection Agency of pubblic and free access that publishes registrations of companies and entities that have been penalized for not complying with the national data protection normatives and regulations. Any registry is accesible up to five years since its publishing date.<ref name=":0" />
==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Legislation in Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in South America]]
[[Category:Chile]]
[[Category:Pro-consumer articles]]
[[Category:Legislation]]

Personal Data Protection Law

2026-04-17T21:46:24Z

ClippyWantsToHelp:

{{OngoingEvent}}
The '''Personal Data Protection Law''', also known as "''Ley de Protección de Datos Personales''" in Spanish or Law N° 21,719) is a Chilean law created to increase protections for user's data. It is based on the [[General Data Protection Regulation|General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)]] from the EU. It was approved on August 19th 2024 and will come into force on December 1st, 2026.

==Background==

==Summary==
The first article of the law mentions the modifications for another law (Law N° 19.628) to cover protections for personal data. It adds definitions about types of data gathered and people rights over data management.

====Responsibility for companies====
Responsible companies and third-parties that provide services for these companies, whether they are national or international and operate in Chile are mandated to be transparent with their data management and to have the right measures to keep the data safe. inform and be transparent with their users, explaining to them how they manage their data and how the consumers can contact them. They also are only able to collect user's data if the user has explicitly consented the company to do so. However, there are some exceptions in where the data may be collected without the user's consent that involve user's legal obligations, exercise or defense of a right in court, contract purposes or for legitimate interests of the companies that may only apply if the person's rights are not affected. Data that is considered as sensitive data has additional regulations and may only be processed with the explicit consent of the user, but in some cases it is allowed to collect and process them without the person's consent when the data has become public by the user or for non-profit entities that use the data for non-commercial purposes or to provide them to other entities, saving the person's life, or by the previous reasons mentioned before.

===Penalties===
According to the Article N°
It also explains that any company that is national or international or that operates in Chile (also affecting third-parties used by these companies, regardless they operate in the country or not) that manages personal data must be transparent about what kind of data is treated, disallowing the usage of the data for other purposes that are not mentioned and the amount of data gathered must be the minimum needed. Companies are allowed to retain data for a period of time, but they are forced to delete it after it is processed. Companies can ask for retain the data for longer time but they must have a legal permission or receive the user's consent first. The data must be protected in adequate standards to prevent any unauthorized usage, leakage or deletion. A user is allowed to ask for the data that a company has gathered about them and companies are forced to mantain the confidentiality of the data.

====User's rights over their data====
Any individual has the intransferible and indispensable rights of access, rectification, supression, opposition, portability and block their personal data unless another law does not allow it. If the data owner passes away, their heirs may perform the rights of the law. However, heirs may not perform these rights if the owner has forbidden this or any law prevents it.

Opposition: The data owner has the right to oppose to in the following cases:
* When the treatment objective is the legitimate fulfillment of interests of the company.
* If the data gathered is used for publicitary and profiling purposes.
* If the data has been gathered from public databases and there's no legal fundament for its usage.

The right cannot be performed if the data is used for statistic, historic, scientific purposes or any public function or activity.

Block: The owner has the right to temporarily prevent companies to process their data when a supression, opposition or rectification request is done. This right does not affect the storage of data by the responsible company

Portability: The owner has the right to request responsible companies about the data they gather and process, if it belongs to consented and automated processed data.

===Data Protection Agency===
The law dictates the creation of the Personal Data Protection Agency (Agencia de Protección de Datos Personales) 6 months before the law enforcement. This is a national entity related with the Chilean government that is dedicated to instruct and supervise if entities managing the data are complying with the Chilean legislations and regulations. It also is dedicated to solve users' reports about companies not complying or committing infractions.

===Registro Nacional de Sanciones y Cumplimiento===
Registro electrónico de acceso gratuito y público que mantiene registros de empresas y entidades que hayan sido sancionadas por incumplir las legislaciones de protección de datos. Los registros de una anotación serán accesibles hasta por cinco años desde la fecha en que se realizó la anotación.

===Second Article===
The second article
===Third Article===
<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile |date=13 Dec 2024 |title=Ley 21719 |trans-title=Law 21719 |url=https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1209272 |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Chilean Government |date=27 Aug 2024 |title=Se aprueba Ley de Protección de Datos Personales: Revisa de qué se trata |trans-title=Personal Data Protection Law is approved: Check what it is about |url=https://www.gob.cl/noticias/ley-proteccion-datos-personales-aprobacion-eleva-estandar-derechos/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Gob.cl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parada Barriga |first=Francisco Javier |date=Dec 2024 |title=Ley 21.719: Chile se pone serio con la protección de tus datos personales |trans-title=Law 21,719: Chile gets serious with the protection of your personal data |url=https://ciberseguridad.udec.cl/ley-21-719-chile-se-pone-serio-con-la-proteccion-de-tus-datos-personales/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Universidad de Concepción}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Carey |first=Guillermo |last2=Mercado |first2=José Ignacio |last3=García |first3=Gabriela |date=13 Dec 2024 |title=titulo |url=https://www.carey.cl/publican-la-ley-n-21-719-que-modifica-la-ley-n-19-628-sobre-proteccion-de-la-vida-privada-en-el-diario-oficial |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2026 |website=Carey}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Legislation in Chile]] [[Category:Legislation in South America]] [[Category:Chile]] [[Category:Pro-consumer articles]] [[Category:Legislation]]

Persona

2026-04-17T19:00:06Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* See also */

{{CompanyCargo
|Logo=Persona.png
|Type=Private
|Website=https://withpersona.com/
|Description=Identity Verification
|Industry=Software}}

Persona is an Identity Verification company, founded in 2018 by Rick Song and Charles Yeh. It is funded by Founders Fund<ref>{{Cite web |title=Persona |url=https://foundersfund.com/company/persona/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260228040423/https://foundersfund.com/company/persona/ |archive-date=2026-02-28 |website=Founders Fund}}</ref> which is an adventure capitalist firm co-founded by Peter Theil.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peter Thiel |url=https://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528193728/http://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ |archive-date=2016-05-28 |website=Founders Fund}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Redacto |date=2026-02-16 |title=Discord Tested Age Verification Vendor Persona: What Users Should Know |url=https://redact.dev/blog/discord-persona-age-verification-experiment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/PAWXp |archive-date=2026-02-26 |website=redact.dev}}</ref> 

From the 14th July 2025 they started working with [[Reddit]] to perform ID checks on it's UK site, as part of the UK's Online Safety Act.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-07-14 |title=Reddit starts verifying ages of users in the UK |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4ep1znk4zo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260225142635/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4ep1znk4zo |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-20 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

In February 2026 [[Discord]] announced they would be experimenting with Persona to perform ID checks worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bubbles |date=2026-02-24 |title=How to Complete Age Assurance on Discord |url=https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/30326565624343-How-to-Complete-Age-Assurance-on-Discord |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260212201755/https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/30326565624343-How-to-Complete-Age-Assurance-on-Discord |archive-date=2026-02-12 |website=Discord}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2026-02-09 |title=Discord is rolling out facial scanning and ID checks globally in March for users who don't want to be locked into a 'teen-appropriate experience' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/discord-is-rolling-out-facial-scanning-and-id-checks-in-march-for-everyone-who-doesnt-want-to-be-locked-into-a-teen-appropriate-experience/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-20 |work=PC Gamer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260214175605/https://www.pcgamer.com/games/discord-is-rolling-out-facial-scanning-and-id-checks-in-march-for-everyone-who-doesnt-want-to-be-locked-into-a-teen-appropriate-experience/ |archive-date=14 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Consumer-impact summary==
===User Freedom===
Products and services with the services provided by Persona usually block functionalities and content (generally content or functionalities flagged as "adult" content) until the verification is complete or bypassed. If the user is verified as an adult, they'll be able to have total or most access to the content of that product or service.

Their Privacy Policy contains [[forced arbitration]] that applies to users belonging to the United States:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author=Persona |date=18 Nov 2025 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224203606/https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy |archive-date=2026-02-24 |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=Persona}}</ref>
{{Quote| YOU (IF YOUR ARE A RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES) AND PERSONA IDENTITIES, INC., INCLUDING ITS PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, SUCCESSORS, AND ASSIGNS (“COMPANY”) AGREE THAT ANY PROCEEDINGS TO RESOLVE OR LITIGATE ANY DISPUTE WILL BE CONDUCTED SOLELY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, AND THAT NEITHER YOU NOR COMPANY WILL SEEK TO HAVE ANY DISPUTE HEARD AS A CLASS ACTION, A REPRESENTATIVE ACTION, A COLLECTIVE ACTION, A PRIVATE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ACTION, OR IN ANY PROCEEDING IN WHICH YOU OR COMPANY ACTS OR PROPOSES TO ACT IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY. YOU AND COMPANY FURTHER AGREE THAT NO PROCEEDING WILL BE JOINED, CONSOLIDATED, OR COMBINED WITH ANOTHER PROCEEDING WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF YOU, COMPANY, AND ALL PARTIES TO ANY SUCH PROCEEDING. THIS CLASS ACTION WAIVER COVERS ALL DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND COMPANY AND ALSO INCLUDES ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN YOU AND ANY OFFICER, DIRECTOR, BOARD MEMBER, AGENT, EMPLOYEE, VENDOR, AFFILIATE, OR CLIENT OF COMPANY, IF COMPANY COULD BE LIABLE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FOR SUCH DISPUTE.

THE TERM “DISPUTE” SHALL BE INTERPRETED AS BROADLY AS PERMITTED UNDER THE LAW AND SHALL APPLY TO ALL PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE LEGAL DISPUTES AND LEGAL CLAIMS BETWEEN YOU AND COMPANY THAT ARE NOW IN EXISTENCE OR THAT MAY ARISE IN THE FUTURE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO LEGAL DISPUTES OR LEGAL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THESE TERMS, THE COLLECTION OF FACIAL SCANS OR BIOMETRIC INFORMATION, THE PRIVACY POLICY OR COMPANY’S SERVICES; YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH COMPANY; YOUR USE OF ANY COMPANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE; COMPANY’S CONDUCT; AND ANY FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL STATUTE, LAW, RULE, REGULATION OR ORDINANCE APPLICABLE TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND COMPANY AS TO WHICH A COURT WOULD BE AUTHORIZED BY LAW TO GRANT RELIEF IF THE CLAIM WERE SUCCESSFUL (“DISPUTE” OR “DISPUTES”).}}
===User Privacy===
Information submitted by users can be retained up to three years. This data might be used to track the user's identity or to train AI models.
Examples of data collected are:
*Name and contact information
*Demographic data
*Uploaded files
*Government documents, barcodes and identifiers
*Audio, videos and images
===Business Model===
Persona provides their services to products and services like social media or video games.
===Market Control===

==Privacy Concerns==
Persona has raised privacy concerns due to the extensive amount of data they collect and process to verify an user's identity. According to their Privacy Policy, this is the type of data they collect<ref name=":0" />:
{{Quote| You may directly provide:

*Name and contact information, including name, email address, address, and phone number;

*Demographic data, including birthdate and age;

*Files you upload, such as tax forms and utility bills;

*Government documents, barcodes, and identifiers, such as driver's license and Social Security Number; and

*Audio, Video, and Photos of you, namely from the selfie or video you provide and from your government identification document.}}

The Privacy Policy also mentions additional data that might be collected by third-parties<ref name=":0" />:
{{Quote| Our Services may also collect the following from you, our Customer, or third parties:

*Current and previous name and contact information, including name, email address, address, and phone number;

*Demographic data, including birthdate and age, gender, marital status, and similar demographic details;

*Government documents, barcodes, and identifiers, such as drivers license and Social Security Numbers;

*Device information, including IP address, device type, your device’s operating system, browser, cookie and device identifiers, and other software including type, version, language, settings, and configuration;

*Account information, such as details about your account with our Customer or other third parties;

*Publicly available data, including data from governmental public records, the public internet and social media;

*Geolocation data as we may infer your general geographic location (such as city, state, and country) based on your IP address;

*Biometric Data, only with your express consent, including a scan of your facial geometry based on the photos or video you provide. For more information about Biometric Data, see the Facial Scan and Biometrics Information section below.}}

==Incidents==

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===AI-Powered Ages Verification leads to inaccurate age verification on Roblox ''(Jan 2026)''===
Children were being identified as adults and vice versa on [[Roblox]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=2026-01-13 |title=Roblox’s AI-Powered Age Verification Is a Complete Mess |url=https://www.wired.com/story/robloxs-ai-powered-age-verification-is-a-complete-mess/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260226005411/https://www.wired.com/story/robloxs-ai-powered-age-verification-is-a-complete-mess/ |archive-date=2026-02-26 |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=Wired}}</ref> The age verification restricted who the users could talk to. This implementation was criticised as not helping to address safety concerns, and harming the user experience.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-09 |title=Age Check to Chat Update & Fast Follow Roadmap |url=https://devforum.roblox.com/t/age-check-to-chat-update-fast-follow-roadmap/4238626/5 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203031742/https://devforum.roblox.com/t/age-check-to-chat-update-fast-follow-roadmap/4238626/5 |archive-date=3 Feb 2026 |access-date=2026-01-20 |website=devforum.roblox.com}}</ref>

===User tracking and ties with the US government===
On the 16th of February, 2026, a security researcher known as Celeste published an article showing that Persona was building profiles on users and sharing said profiles with the US government, even having a flagging system to flag users that seem suspicious. A code to track cypto-addresses has also been found.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Celeste |date=2026-02-16 |title=the watchers: how openai, the US government, and persona built an identity surveillance machine that files reports on you to the feds |url=https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221231714/https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona |archive-date=2026-02-21 |website=vmfunc.re}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Celeste |date=2026-02-24 |title=the watchers, pt. 2: the correspondence |url=https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260225233304/https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona-2 |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=vmfunc.re}}</ref> Alongside that, it was also discovered that 269 different checks were used for verification, which included things like phone carrier queries and death record matching. With their privacy policy hiding these checks under vague terms like "public government documents".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-04 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy-roblox |url-status=live |archive-url= |website=Persona}}</ref> 

==Products==
*Identity Verification (2021)
*Age Verification (2025)

==Clients==
Persona provides their service to these companies and products:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Customer Success Stories and Case Studies |url=https://withpersona.com/customers |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-28 |website=Persona}}</ref> 
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+
!'''Company/Product'''
!'''Used for'''
!Additional notes
|-
|[[Anthropic]] ([[Claude]])
|Identity Verification
|Since April 2026, Anthropic implemented identity verification to "prevent abuse, enforce our usage policies and comply with legal obligations" when there are no current legislations in any country that mandates AI companies to introduce ID verification. <ref>https://nitter.net/Pirat_Nation/status/2044960285510053929#m</ref>
|-
|Brex
|
|
|-
|Carahsoft
|
|
|-
|Coursera
|
|
|-
|[[Discord]]
|Age Verification
|Discord claimed they allegedly ceased partnership with Persona and that the usage of their service was for "experimental" purposes in the United Kingdom.
|-
|DoorDash
|
|
|-
|Eaze
|
|
|-
|[[Etsy]]
|
|
|-
|Fire & Flower Holdings
|
|
|-
|First Republic
|
|
|-
|Grailed
|
|
|-
|Mercury
|
|
|-
|[[LinkedIn]]
|Age Verification, User Verification
|
|-
|[[OpenAI]] ([[ChatGPT]])
|Age Verification
|Users verified as adults allow the models to generate explicit and sensitive content
|-
|[[Reddit]]
|Age Verifiaction
|Used by Reddit to comply with the UK Online Safety Act
|-
|[[Roblox]]
|Age Verification
|Verification sets players in a certain age brackets according to the estimations or provided data. Unverified players are unable to chat with others. Feature launched globally on Jan 7 2026
|-
|Serviap Global
|
|
|-
|Stifel Financial Corp
|
|
|-
|Swan Bitcoin
|
|
|-
|Wealthsimple
|
|
|-
|WeTravel
|
|
|}

==Third Parties==
These are third parties that can receive and use the data provided by Persona:<ref>{{Cite web |author=Unknown |date=16 Feb 2026 |title=I Verified My LinkedIn Identity. Here's What I Actually Handed Over. |url=https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/4IUtj |archive-date=2026-02-23 |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=The Local Stack}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+
!'''Company'''
!What is data used for
!Additional notes
|-
|[[Anthropic]]
|Data Extraction and Analysis
|Data used to train AI models
|-
|OpenAI
|Data Extraction and Analysis
|Data used to train AI models
|-
|Groqcloud
|Data Extraction and Analysis
|Data used to train AI models
|-
|AWS
|Infrastructure, Image Processing
|
|-
|Google Cloud Platform
|Infrastructure as Service
|
|-
|Resistant AI
|Document Analysis
|
|-
|FingerprintJS
|Device Analysis
|
|-
|MongoDB
|Database Services
|
|-
|Snowflake
|Database Services
|
|-
|Elasticsearch
|Search and Analytics Engine
|
|-
|Confluent
|ETL Services
|
|-
|DBT
|ETL Services
|
|-
|Sigma Computing
|Data Analytics
|
|-
|Tableau
|Data Analytics
|
|-
|Stripe
|Credit Card Processing
|
|-
|Twilio
|Communication APIs (Phone, SMS)
|
|-
|Persona Identities Canada
|Customer Support & Development
|
|}
==See also==
*[[Online Safety Act]]
*[[Age Verification]]
*[[Discord / 5CA Data Breach]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Persona

2026-04-17T18:52:56Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Clients */ Included Anthropic/Claude in the list

{{CompanyCargo
|Logo=Persona.png
|Type=Private
|Website=https://withpersona.com/
|Description=Identity Verification
|Industry=Software}}

Persona is an Identity Verification company, founded in 2018 by Rick Song and Charles Yeh. It is funded by Founders Fund<ref>{{Cite web |title=Persona |url=https://foundersfund.com/company/persona/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260228040423/https://foundersfund.com/company/persona/ |archive-date=2026-02-28 |website=Founders Fund}}</ref> which is an adventure capitalist firm co-founded by Peter Theil.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peter Thiel |url=https://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528193728/http://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ |archive-date=2016-05-28 |website=Founders Fund}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Redacto |date=2026-02-16 |title=Discord Tested Age Verification Vendor Persona: What Users Should Know |url=https://redact.dev/blog/discord-persona-age-verification-experiment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/PAWXp |archive-date=2026-02-26 |website=redact.dev}}</ref> 

From the 14th July 2025 they started working with [[Reddit]] to perform ID checks on it's UK site, as part of the UK's Online Safety Act.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-07-14 |title=Reddit starts verifying ages of users in the UK |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4ep1znk4zo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260225142635/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4ep1znk4zo |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-20 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

In February 2026 [[Discord]] announced they would be experimenting with Persona to perform ID checks worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bubbles |date=2026-02-24 |title=How to Complete Age Assurance on Discord |url=https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/30326565624343-How-to-Complete-Age-Assurance-on-Discord |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260212201755/https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/30326565624343-How-to-Complete-Age-Assurance-on-Discord |archive-date=2026-02-12 |website=Discord}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2026-02-09 |title=Discord is rolling out facial scanning and ID checks globally in March for users who don't want to be locked into a 'teen-appropriate experience' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/discord-is-rolling-out-facial-scanning-and-id-checks-in-march-for-everyone-who-doesnt-want-to-be-locked-into-a-teen-appropriate-experience/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-20 |work=PC Gamer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260214175605/https://www.pcgamer.com/games/discord-is-rolling-out-facial-scanning-and-id-checks-in-march-for-everyone-who-doesnt-want-to-be-locked-into-a-teen-appropriate-experience/ |archive-date=14 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Consumer-impact summary==
===User Freedom===
Products and services with the services provided by Persona usually block functionalities and content (generally content or functionalities flagged as "adult" content) until the verification is complete or bypassed. If the user is verified as an adult, they'll be able to have total or most access to the content of that product or service.

Their Privacy Policy contains [[forced arbitration]] that applies to users belonging to the United States:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |author=Persona |date=18 Nov 2025 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224203606/https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy |archive-date=2026-02-24 |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=Persona}}</ref>
{{Quote| YOU (IF YOUR ARE A RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES) AND PERSONA IDENTITIES, INC., INCLUDING ITS PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, SUCCESSORS, AND ASSIGNS (“COMPANY”) AGREE THAT ANY PROCEEDINGS TO RESOLVE OR LITIGATE ANY DISPUTE WILL BE CONDUCTED SOLELY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, AND THAT NEITHER YOU NOR COMPANY WILL SEEK TO HAVE ANY DISPUTE HEARD AS A CLASS ACTION, A REPRESENTATIVE ACTION, A COLLECTIVE ACTION, A PRIVATE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ACTION, OR IN ANY PROCEEDING IN WHICH YOU OR COMPANY ACTS OR PROPOSES TO ACT IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY. YOU AND COMPANY FURTHER AGREE THAT NO PROCEEDING WILL BE JOINED, CONSOLIDATED, OR COMBINED WITH ANOTHER PROCEEDING WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF YOU, COMPANY, AND ALL PARTIES TO ANY SUCH PROCEEDING. THIS CLASS ACTION WAIVER COVERS ALL DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND COMPANY AND ALSO INCLUDES ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN YOU AND ANY OFFICER, DIRECTOR, BOARD MEMBER, AGENT, EMPLOYEE, VENDOR, AFFILIATE, OR CLIENT OF COMPANY, IF COMPANY COULD BE LIABLE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FOR SUCH DISPUTE.

THE TERM “DISPUTE” SHALL BE INTERPRETED AS BROADLY AS PERMITTED UNDER THE LAW AND SHALL APPLY TO ALL PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE LEGAL DISPUTES AND LEGAL CLAIMS BETWEEN YOU AND COMPANY THAT ARE NOW IN EXISTENCE OR THAT MAY ARISE IN THE FUTURE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO LEGAL DISPUTES OR LEGAL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THESE TERMS, THE COLLECTION OF FACIAL SCANS OR BIOMETRIC INFORMATION, THE PRIVACY POLICY OR COMPANY’S SERVICES; YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH COMPANY; YOUR USE OF ANY COMPANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE; COMPANY’S CONDUCT; AND ANY FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL STATUTE, LAW, RULE, REGULATION OR ORDINANCE APPLICABLE TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND COMPANY AS TO WHICH A COURT WOULD BE AUTHORIZED BY LAW TO GRANT RELIEF IF THE CLAIM WERE SUCCESSFUL (“DISPUTE” OR “DISPUTES”).}}
===User Privacy===
Information submitted by users can be retained up to three years. This data might be used to track the user's identity or to train AI models.
Examples of data collected are:
*Name and contact information
*Demographic data
*Uploaded files
*Government documents, barcodes and identifiers
*Audio, videos and images
===Business Model===
Persona provides their services to products and services like social media or video games.
===Market Control===

==Privacy Concerns==
Persona has raised privacy concerns due to the extensive amount of data they collect and process to verify an user's identity. According to their Privacy Policy, this is the type of data they collect<ref name=":0" />:
{{Quote| You may directly provide:

*Name and contact information, including name, email address, address, and phone number;

*Demographic data, including birthdate and age;

*Files you upload, such as tax forms and utility bills;

*Government documents, barcodes, and identifiers, such as driver's license and Social Security Number; and

*Audio, Video, and Photos of you, namely from the selfie or video you provide and from your government identification document.}}

The Privacy Policy also mentions additional data that might be collected by third-parties<ref name=":0" />:
{{Quote| Our Services may also collect the following from you, our Customer, or third parties:

*Current and previous name and contact information, including name, email address, address, and phone number;

*Demographic data, including birthdate and age, gender, marital status, and similar demographic details;

*Government documents, barcodes, and identifiers, such as drivers license and Social Security Numbers;

*Device information, including IP address, device type, your device’s operating system, browser, cookie and device identifiers, and other software including type, version, language, settings, and configuration;

*Account information, such as details about your account with our Customer or other third parties;

*Publicly available data, including data from governmental public records, the public internet and social media;

*Geolocation data as we may infer your general geographic location (such as city, state, and country) based on your IP address;

*Biometric Data, only with your express consent, including a scan of your facial geometry based on the photos or video you provide. For more information about Biometric Data, see the Facial Scan and Biometrics Information section below.}}

==Incidents==

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===AI-Powered Ages Verification leads to inaccurate age verification on Roblox ''(Jan 2026)''===
Children were being identified as adults and vice versa on [[Roblox]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=2026-01-13 |title=Roblox’s AI-Powered Age Verification Is a Complete Mess |url=https://www.wired.com/story/robloxs-ai-powered-age-verification-is-a-complete-mess/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260226005411/https://www.wired.com/story/robloxs-ai-powered-age-verification-is-a-complete-mess/ |archive-date=2026-02-26 |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=Wired}}</ref> The age verification restricted who the users could talk to. This implementation was criticised as not helping to address safety concerns, and harming the user experience.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-09 |title=Age Check to Chat Update & Fast Follow Roadmap |url=https://devforum.roblox.com/t/age-check-to-chat-update-fast-follow-roadmap/4238626/5 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203031742/https://devforum.roblox.com/t/age-check-to-chat-update-fast-follow-roadmap/4238626/5 |archive-date=3 Feb 2026 |access-date=2026-01-20 |website=devforum.roblox.com}}</ref>

===User tracking and ties with the US government===
On the 16th of February, 2026, a security researcher known as Celeste published an article showing that Persona was building profiles on users and sharing said profiles with the US government, even having a flagging system to flag users that seem suspicious. A code to track cypto-addresses has also been found.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Celeste |date=2026-02-16 |title=the watchers: how openai, the US government, and persona built an identity surveillance machine that files reports on you to the feds |url=https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221231714/https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona |archive-date=2026-02-21 |website=vmfunc.re}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Celeste |date=2026-02-24 |title=the watchers, pt. 2: the correspondence |url=https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260225233304/https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona-2 |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=vmfunc.re}}</ref> Alongside that, it was also discovered that 269 different checks were used for verification, which included things like phone carrier queries and death record matching. With their privacy policy hiding these checks under vague terms like "public government documents".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-04 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://withpersona.com/legal/privacy-policy-roblox |url-status=live |archive-url= |website=Persona}}</ref> 

==Products==
*Identity Verification (2021)
*Age Verification (2025)

==Clients==
Persona provides their service to these companies and products:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Customer Success Stories and Case Studies |url=https://withpersona.com/customers |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-28 |website=Persona}}</ref> 
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+
!'''Company/Product'''
!'''Used for'''
!Additional notes
|-
|[[Anthropic]] ([[Claude]])
|Identity Verification
|Since April 2026, Anthropic implemented identity verification to "prevent abuse, enforce our usage policies and comply with legal obligations" when there are no current legislations in any country that mandates AI companies to introduce ID verification. <ref>https://nitter.net/Pirat_Nation/status/2044960285510053929#m</ref>
|-
|Brex
|
|
|-
|Carahsoft
|
|
|-
|Coursera
|
|
|-
|[[Discord]]
|Age Verification
|Discord claimed they allegedly ceased partnership with Persona and that the usage of their service was for "experimental" purposes in the United Kingdom.
|-
|DoorDash
|
|
|-
|Eaze
|
|
|-
|[[Etsy]]
|
|
|-
|Fire & Flower Holdings
|
|
|-
|First Republic
|
|
|-
|Grailed
|
|
|-
|Mercury
|
|
|-
|[[LinkedIn]]
|Age Verification, User Verification
|
|-
|[[OpenAI]] ([[ChatGPT]])
|Age Verification
|Users verified as adults allow the models to generate explicit and sensitive content
|-
|[[Reddit]]
|Age Verifiaction
|Used by Reddit to comply with the UK Online Safety Act
|-
|[[Roblox]]
|Age Verification
|Verification sets players in a certain age brackets according to the estimations or provided data. Unverified players are unable to chat with others. Feature launched globally on Jan 7 2026
|-
|Serviap Global
|
|
|-
|Stifel Financial Corp
|
|
|-
|Swan Bitcoin
|
|
|-
|Wealthsimple
|
|
|-
|WeTravel
|
|
|}

==Third Parties==
These are third parties that can receive and use the data provided by Persona:<ref>{{Cite web |author=Unknown |date=16 Feb 2026 |title=I Verified My LinkedIn Identity. Here's What I Actually Handed Over. |url=https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/4IUtj |archive-date=2026-02-23 |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=The Local Stack}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+
!'''Company'''
!What is data used for
!Additional notes
|-
|[[Anthropic]]
|Data Extraction and Analysis
|Data used to train AI models
|-
|OpenAI
|Data Extraction and Analysis
|Data used to train AI models
|-
|Groqcloud
|Data Extraction and Analysis
|Data used to train AI models
|-
|AWS
|Infrastructure, Image Processing
|
|-
|Google Cloud Platform
|Infrastructure as Service
|
|-
|Resistant AI
|Document Analysis
|
|-
|FingerprintJS
|Device Analysis
|
|-
|MongoDB
|Database Services
|
|-
|Snowflake
|Database Services
|
|-
|Elasticsearch
|Search and Analytics Engine
|
|-
|Confluent
|ETL Services
|
|-
|DBT
|ETL Services
|
|-
|Sigma Computing
|Data Analytics
|
|-
|Tableau
|Data Analytics
|
|-
|Stripe
|Credit Card Processing
|
|-
|Twilio
|Communication APIs (Phone, SMS)
|
|-
|Persona Identities Canada
|Customer Support & Development
|
|}
==See also==
*[[Online Safety Act]]
*[[Age Verification]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Claude

2026-04-17T18:48:25Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Incidents */ ID verification

{{StubNotice}}{{ProductCargo
|Company=Anthropic
|ProductLine=
|ReleaseYear=2023
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Software, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Large Language Models
|Website=https://claude.ai/
|Description=American language model developed by Anthropic that will ask for identity verification for new accounts or accessing advanced features. Identity verifications are provided by Persona.
|Logo=Claude AI logo.svg
}}

'''Claude''' is a generative artificial intelligence, a large language model (LLM) developed and released by [[Anthropic]]. It was created with the objective of being a safe AI for the public. Claude family includes Haiku, a fast and cheaper model, Sonnet, a more complex model capable of completing more complex tasks, and Opus, their most advanced model.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}
====Business model====
Free tier users have a limited access to only one version of the LLM. The LLM token limit ends after generating some messages, but the platform doesn't specify how much tokens or credits are left. Some experimental or advanced features of Claude can be very limited for free users or is just paywalled. {{Citation needed}}

====Third-Party Usage====
Anthropic provides two ways of accessing their LLMs: subscriptions and direct API usage. API pricing is simple: you pay for what you use. By paying for a subscription you can get up to 13.5x worth of API usage - a "Max" subscription costs $200 per month but allows users to use up to $3,000 worth of actual API costs [[https://she-llac.com/claude-limits source]]. However paying for a subscription means user is locked into Anthropic's tools only - either their web app or desktop app (claude code). Several talented engineers managed to hijack the behavior of Anthropic's tools and hence use limits of their subscriptions in third-party tools. Anthropic responded by changing their policies and banning any suspicions of account subscriptions being used outside of their first-party applications [[https://x.com/robzolkos/status/2024125323755884919 source]]. Several users on twitter/X complained about being banned even without ever taking part in such activities, namely those, who have used multiple accounts with named subscription on the same computer. For a more detailed (and opinionated) view on Anthropic's lack of transparency and unusual business practices, follow [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-pkXr-qqII this video].

====DMCA====
Anthropic's most popular product Claude Code is closed-source, meaning the actual code used to make the application is not public. Additionally the distributed version of said application is obfuscated. Obfuscation is a common process used in order to make reading code more difficult, essentially impossible without the use of reverse-engineering tools. In 2025 Anthropic accidentally published "source maps" of the application, aiding in mapping the obfuscated code to its original form. Some developers posted said information online, to which Anthropic responded with DMCA claims[[https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/25/anthropic-sent-a-takedown-notice-to-a-dev-trying-to-reverse-engineer-its-coding-tool/ source]]. Github, a platform for sharing code, keeps a track of DMCA claims and makes them public [[https://github.com/search?q=repo%3Agithub%2Fdmca%20anthropic&type=code relevant claims]].

====Privacy====
In order to use the LLM, a person must sign in with an e-mail address or to log in with a Google account, as well as obligatorily verify a smartphone number.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=2026-03-24 |title=Verifying your phone number {{!}} Claude Help Center |url=https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8287232-verifying-your-phone-number |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260408203422/https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8287232-verifying-your-phone-number |archive-date=2026-04-08 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=Claude Help Center (Anthropic)}}</ref>{{Citation needed}}

Anthropic may use input and output data from their services to train their AI models. Users are able to opt-out if they want to. However, Anthropic may still collect inputs and outputs that belong to conversations that have been flagged for safety review or content that has been reported by the user.
<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 March 2023 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy |url-status=live |access-date=27 Jan 2026 |website=Anthropic |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211053754/https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Incidents==
===ID verification for newer accounts and access of advanced features (2026)===
In April 2026, Anthropic announced they will implement identity verification that are done by the third-party provider [[Persona]] "for a few use cases" to access to advanced features and to verify new accounts created. The reason given is to "prevent abuse, enforce our usage policies and comply with legal obligations" (at a moment there's no currently known legislation in the US or any country that enforces AI companies to ask for identity verification). The purpose for the ID verification is "to confirm who you are and not for any other purposes". <ref>https://nitter.net/Pirat_Nation/status/2044960285510053929#m</ref>

==See also==
*[[OpenAI]]
*[[Artificial intelligence]]
*[[ChatGPT]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Claude]]

Claude

2026-04-17T18:31:14Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: Added description

{{StubNotice}}{{ProductCargo
|Company=Anthropic
|ProductLine=
|ReleaseYear=2023
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Software, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Large Language Models
|Website=https://claude.ai/
|Description=American language model developed by Anthropic that will ask for identity verification for new accounts or accessing advanced features. Identity verifications are provided by Persona.
|Logo=Claude AI logo.svg
}}

'''Claude''' is a generative artificial intelligence, a large language model (LLM) developed and released by [[Anthropic]]. It was created with the objective of being a safe AI for the public. Claude family includes Haiku, a fast and cheaper model, Sonnet, a more complex model capable of completing more complex tasks, and Opus, their most advanced model.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}
====Business model====
Free tier users have a limited access to only one version of the LLM. The LLM token limit ends after generating some messages, but the platform doesn't specify how much tokens or credits are left. Some experimental or advanced features of Claude can be very limited for free users or is just paywalled. {{Citation needed}}

====Third-Party Usage====
Anthropic provides two ways of accessing their LLMs: subscriptions and direct API usage. API pricing is simple: you pay for what you use. By paying for a subscription you can get up to 13.5x worth of API usage - a "Max" subscription costs $200 per month but allows users to use up to $3,000 worth of actual API costs [[https://she-llac.com/claude-limits source]]. However paying for a subscription means user is locked into Anthropic's tools only - either their web app or desktop app (claude code). Several talented engineers managed to hijack the behavior of Anthropic's tools and hence use limits of their subscriptions in third-party tools. Anthropic responded by changing their policies and banning any suspicions of account subscriptions being used outside of their first-party applications [[https://x.com/robzolkos/status/2024125323755884919 source]]. Several users on twitter/X complained about being banned even without ever taking part in such activities, namely those, who have used multiple accounts with named subscription on the same computer. For a more detailed (and opinionated) view on Anthropic's lack of transparency and unusual business practices, follow [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-pkXr-qqII this video].

====DMCA====
Anthropic's most popular product Claude Code is closed-source, meaning the actual code used to make the application is not public. Additionally the distributed version of said application is obfuscated. Obfuscation is a common process used in order to make reading code more difficult, essentially impossible without the use of reverse-engineering tools. In 2025 Anthropic accidentally published "source maps" of the application, aiding in mapping the obfuscated code to its original form. Some developers posted said information online, to which Anthropic responded with DMCA claims[[https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/25/anthropic-sent-a-takedown-notice-to-a-dev-trying-to-reverse-engineer-its-coding-tool/ source]]. Github, a platform for sharing code, keeps a track of DMCA claims and makes them public [[https://github.com/search?q=repo%3Agithub%2Fdmca%20anthropic&type=code relevant claims]].

====Privacy====
In order to use the LLM, a person must sign in with an e-mail address or to log in with a Google account, as well as obligatorily verify a smartphone number.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=2026-03-24 |title=Verifying your phone number {{!}} Claude Help Center |url=https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8287232-verifying-your-phone-number |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260408203422/https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8287232-verifying-your-phone-number |archive-date=2026-04-08 |access-date=2026-03-24 |website=Claude Help Center (Anthropic)}}</ref>{{Citation needed}}

Anthropic may use input and output data from their services to train their AI models. Users are able to opt-out if they want to. However, Anthropic may still collect inputs and outputs that belong to conversations that have been flagged for safety review or content that has been reported by the user.
<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 March 2023 |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy |url-status=live |access-date=27 Jan 2026 |website=Anthropic |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211053754/https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy |archive-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}

==See also==
*[[OpenAI]]
*[[Artificial intelligence]]
*[[ChatGPT]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Claude]]

Personal Data Protection Law

2026-04-12T23:52:35Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: saving the current progress; will continue editing and improving the article later

Personal Data Protection Law

2026-04-10T00:29:40Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: introduced in pro-consumer articles and legislation categories

Personal Data Protection Law

2026-04-10T00:19:06Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: ongoing event banner and included info about approval day and day the law will come in force

Ley de Protección de Datos Personales

2026-04-10T00:13:45Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: Redirected page to Personal Data Protection Law

#REDIRECT [[Personal Data Protection Law]]

Personal Data Protection Law

2026-04-10T00:12:21Z

ClippyWantsToHelp:

The '''Personal Data Protection Law''', also known as "''Ley de Protección de Datos Personales''" in Spanish or Law N° 21,719) is a Chilean law created to increase protections for user's data. It is based on the [[General Data Protection Regulation|General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)]] from the EU.

==Background==

==Summary==

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Legislation in Chile]] [[Category:Legislation in South America]] [[Category:Chile]]

Personal Data Protection Law

2026-04-10T00:03:27Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: Created page with " Category:Legislation in Chile Category:Legislation in South America Category:Chile"

[[Category:Legislation in Chile]] [[Category:Legislation in South America]] [[Category:Chile]]

Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos

2026-04-10T00:01:46Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: Redirected page to Phone Number Prefix Normative

#REDIRECT [[Phone Number Prefix Normative]]

Projects:Laws

2026-04-09T19:52:55Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Proposed laws */ included in the list the Chilean bill to modify the law n° 17,336 to add more piracy restrictions and penalties

Despite being called the Consumer Rights Wiki, we have surprisingly few pages on consumer rights laws... Let's change that!

The purpose of this project page is to organise the creation of articles about consumer-relevant laws from around the world. It's been started off with a few red links as well as the articles and countries we already have, but please do go ahead an add in more. Laws discussed by the wiki do not have to be explicitly consumer-rights focused, so things like laws focusing on how consumer products can be prepared (e.g. food standards laws) can be included.

There are two types of pages that we want to create here. The first are pages about existing laws that are in force, and the second are laws which are either current proposals, or past proposals that failed to become law and have since been dropped.
==Guidance for page creation==
The kinds of details which would be useful to have on a page about a law include (but are not limited to):
* The date the law was enacted
* The date from which enforcement began (if different from the enactment date)
* What the law aims to achieve
* A summary of the key provisions and requirements
* The debate and controversy surrounding its enactment
* Any notable amendments since the original enactment
* Retrospective assessments of how effective the law has been in practice (cited)
* Relevant enforcement bodies or agencies responsible for the law
* Notable enforcement actions or court cases related to the law

To help keep things sane for readers, any page about a proposed or failed law should include some term like 'draft' or 'proposed' in the page name to make it clear to readers that the law described within is not active.

At the moment, we do not have a specific page template or any metadata collection for pages about laws. The only real rules are that they need to follow all the standard wiki guidelines, as well as be included in the relevant category (e.g. laws of the United Kingdom) so that readers can find them. One of the big things here is that article writers should not attempt to interpret the laws themselves, and instead should rely on citations to back up any statements about what the laws mean in practice. If you find or create a format you really like and you think could be generally applicable to pages about laws, feel free to propose that it be made into the default.

If you spot any articles about laws already on the wiki but which haven't been included on this page, please add them in!

==Active laws==
{| class="wikitable"
! Country/Region !! State/Province !! Law
|-
| rowspan="5" | United States
| rowspan="3" | —
| [[Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act]]
|-
| [[Uniform Commercial Code]]
|-
| [[Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act]]
|-
| Colorado
| [[Colorado law 'Consumer Right To Repair Powered Wheelchairs']]
|-
| Texas
| [[Texas Data Privacy and Security Act]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | United Kingdom
| rowspan="2" | —
| [[UK Online Safety Act]]
|-
| [[Consumer Rights Act 2015]]
|-
| Brazil
| —
| [[Consumer_Defense_Code]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | EU
| rowspan="2" | —
| [[General Data Protection Regulation]]
|-
| [[Digital Markets Act]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | Chile
| rowspan="2" | —
| [[Phone Number Prefix Normative]]
|-
| [[Personal Data Protection Law]]
|-
| Malaysia
| —
| [[Malaysia_Online_Safety_Act_2025_(ONSA)]]
|-
| South Korea
| —
| [[Personal Information Protection Act]]
|-
| Australia
| —
| [[Australia Competition and Consumer Act 2010]]
|-
| New Zealand
| —
| [[Aotearoa/New Zealand consumer law]]
|}

==Proposed laws==
{| class="wikitable"
! Country/Region !! State/Province !! Law
|-
| rowspan="8" | United States
| —
| [[Unlocking Technology Act of 2013]]
|-
| California
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|AB-2047 - Firearms: 3-dimensional printing blocking technology.]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | Colorado
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|HB26-1144 - Prohibit Three-Dimensional Printing Firearms & Components Type]]
|-
| [[Colorado SB26-090 critical infrastructure exemption]]
|-
| New York State
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|Assembly Bill A2228 - Relates to criminal history background checks for the purchase of three-dimensional printers capable of creating firearms.]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | Washington
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|HB 2320 - 2025-26 Concerning the regulation of firearm manufacturing.]]
|-
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|HB 2321 - 2025-26 Requiring three-dimensional printers be equipped with certain blocking technologies.]]
|-
| Texas
| [[Texas Senate Bill 2420 (2025)]]
|-
| United Kingdom
| —
|
|-
| Brazil
| —
|
|-
|-
| Chile
| —
| [[Law N° 17,336]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | EU
| rowspan="2" | —
| [[Chat_Control]]
|-
| [[Digital Fairness Act]]
|-
| Canada
| —
| [[Canadian Bill S-209]]
|}
[[Category:Projects]]

Projects:Laws

2026-04-09T19:46:57Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Active laws */ Included in the list the Chilean Personal Data Protection Law, an approved law that will take effect in December 2026

Despite being called the Consumer Rights Wiki, we have surprisingly few pages on consumer rights laws... Let's change that!

The purpose of this project page is to organise the creation of articles about consumer-relevant laws from around the world. It's been started off with a few red links as well as the articles and countries we already have, but please do go ahead an add in more. Laws discussed by the wiki do not have to be explicitly consumer-rights focused, so things like laws focusing on how consumer products can be prepared (e.g. food standards laws) can be included.

There are two types of pages that we want to create here. The first are pages about existing laws that are in force, and the second are laws which are either current proposals, or past proposals that failed to become law and have since been dropped.
==Guidance for page creation==
The kinds of details which would be useful to have on a page about a law include (but are not limited to):
* The date the law was enacted
* The date from which enforcement began (if different from the enactment date)
* What the law aims to achieve
* A summary of the key provisions and requirements
* The debate and controversy surrounding its enactment
* Any notable amendments since the original enactment
* Retrospective assessments of how effective the law has been in practice (cited)
* Relevant enforcement bodies or agencies responsible for the law
* Notable enforcement actions or court cases related to the law

To help keep things sane for readers, any page about a proposed or failed law should include some term like 'draft' or 'proposed' in the page name to make it clear to readers that the law described within is not active.

At the moment, we do not have a specific page template or any metadata collection for pages about laws. The only real rules are that they need to follow all the standard wiki guidelines, as well as be included in the relevant category (e.g. laws of the United Kingdom) so that readers can find them. One of the big things here is that article writers should not attempt to interpret the laws themselves, and instead should rely on citations to back up any statements about what the laws mean in practice. If you find or create a format you really like and you think could be generally applicable to pages about laws, feel free to propose that it be made into the default.

If you spot any articles about laws already on the wiki but which haven't been included on this page, please add them in!

==Active laws==
{| class="wikitable"
! Country/Region !! State/Province !! Law
|-
| rowspan="5" | United States
| rowspan="3" | —
| [[Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act]]
|-
| [[Uniform Commercial Code]]
|-
| [[Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act]]
|-
| Colorado
| [[Colorado law 'Consumer Right To Repair Powered Wheelchairs']]
|-
| Texas
| [[Texas Data Privacy and Security Act]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | United Kingdom
| rowspan="2" | —
| [[UK Online Safety Act]]
|-
| [[Consumer Rights Act 2015]]
|-
| Brazil
| —
| [[Consumer_Defense_Code]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | EU
| rowspan="2" | —
| [[General Data Protection Regulation]]
|-
| [[Digital Markets Act]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | Chile
| rowspan="2" | —
| [[Phone Number Prefix Normative]]
|-
| [[Personal Data Protection Law]]
|-
| Malaysia
| —
| [[Malaysia_Online_Safety_Act_2025_(ONSA)]]
|-
| South Korea
| —
| [[Personal Information Protection Act]]
|-
| Australia
| —
| [[Australia Competition and Consumer Act 2010]]
|-
| New Zealand
| —
| [[Aotearoa/New Zealand consumer law]]
|}

==Proposed laws==
{| class="wikitable"
! Country/Region !! State/Province !! Law
|-
| rowspan="8" | United States
| —
| [[Unlocking Technology Act of 2013]]
|-
| California
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|AB-2047 - Firearms: 3-dimensional printing blocking technology.]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | Colorado
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|HB26-1144 - Prohibit Three-Dimensional Printing Firearms & Components Type]]
|-
| [[Colorado SB26-090 critical infrastructure exemption]]
|-
| New York State
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|Assembly Bill A2228 - Relates to criminal history background checks for the purchase of three-dimensional printers capable of creating firearms.]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | Washington
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|HB 2320 - 2025-26 Concerning the regulation of firearm manufacturing.]]
|-
| [[3D Printing Restrictions and Bans|HB 2321 - 2025-26 Requiring three-dimensional printers be equipped with certain blocking technologies.]]
|-
| Texas
| [[Texas Senate Bill 2420 (2025)]]
|-
| United Kingdom
| —
|
|-
| Brazil
| —
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | EU
| rowspan="2" | —
| [[Chat_Control]]
|-
| [[Digital Fairness Act]]
|-
| Canada
| —
| [[Canadian Bill S-209]]
|}
[[Category:Projects]]

Netflix

2026-04-08T13:52:42Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Refunds for Italian consumers due to unjustified price hikes (2026) */Typo

{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American media streaming and media publisher originally known for disc rentals.
|Founded=1997
|Industry=Entertainment, Streaming
|Logo=Netflix 2015 logo.svg
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Public
|Website=https://www.netflix.com/
}}
[[wikipedia:Netflix|Netflix, Inc.]] is a media streaming service and publisher, founded in 1997 by ''Reed Hastings'' and ''Marc Randolph'' formerly for remote video rentals, it eventually became the pioneer of the video streaming industry in 2007, eventually turning to more anti-consumer practices in the mid-2010s and later.

==Consumer-impact summary==

*User Freedom: Extensive history of restricting access to content, including paywalling higher quality content,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=And_You_Like_It_Too |date=Dec 16, 2023 |title=How much licensed content does Netflix display in premium formats (4K, HDR/Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos) in the 4K tier? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/18k554z/how_much_licensed_content_does_netflix_display_in/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reddit |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250711211159/https://old.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/18k554z/how_much_licensed_content_does_netflix_display_in/ |archive-date=11 Jul 2025}}</ref> increasing costs of service, combatting password sharing, and more.
*User Privacy: Extensive history of collecting and selling user data.
*Business Model: Streaming service content, [[advertising overload]]
*Market Competition: Extensive, including free platforms like [[Roku]] TV and Pluto TV, and premium platforms such as [[Disney+]], Hulu, and [[HBO Max]].

==Controversies==

===Stream-quality controversy===
{{Main|Netflix stream-quality controversy}}
Discovered as early as December 2023,<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rikki1256 |date=Dec 2, 2023 |title=Netflix requirements to watch 4k that you paid for |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/189odn6/netflix_requirements_to_watch_4k_that_you_paid_for/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reddit |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250212081853/https://old.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/189odn6/netflix_requirements_to_watch_4k_that_you_paid_for/ |archive-date=12 Feb 2025}}</ref> ''Netflix'' has not clearly defined<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Netflix Support |title=Netflix supported browsers and system requirements |url=https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081 |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=help.netflix.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260123055327/https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081 |archive-date=23 Jan 2026}}</ref> every restriction for how users are capable of accessing higher quality streaming content, despite 4k content being a specified tier consumers pay for.

===Advertising overload===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}
Netflix was among one of the first<ref name=":8">[https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831 Ads on Netflix] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260211165421/https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831 Archived])</ref> premium streaming services to integrate advertisements on top of having to pay for the service. Since then, the platform has sought progressively more avenues to integrate advertisements, including further ads.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Share of adults who think there were too many ads on video streaming services in the United States as of September 2021, by generation |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307619/video-streaming-advertising-frequency-by-generation-us/ |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Statista]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114022848/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307619/video-streaming-advertising-frequency-by-generation-us/ |archive-date=14 Nov 2025}}</ref> These advertisements have also increased the amount of data that Netflix can collect, and by extension, sell.

Due to the amount of data that Netflix has been able to sell due to advertisement integration, it has also encouraged the company to raise the costs of ad-free tiers, so subscribers are forced either paying more to not see ads, or witness an increasing barrage of advertisements.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Roettgers |first=Janko |date=23 Sep 2023 |title=Why every streaming service wants you to watch ads now |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90956587/why-every-streaming-service-wants-you-to-watch-ads-now |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Fast Company]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251127234258/https://www.fastcompany.com/90956587/why-every-streaming-service-wants-you-to-watch-ads-now |archive-date=27 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Additionally, starting from 2025, Netflix will be using generative AI to "serve the right ad to the right member at the right time" to subscribers of the lowest paying tier.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=May 18, 2025 |title=Netflix puts AI ads in paid tier: pirate EVERYTHING at this point... 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhvDXmFEeUI |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QhvDXmFEeUI |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Netflix |date=May 14, 2025 |title=Netflix Upfront 2025: The Center of Attention |url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-upfront-2025-the-center-of-attention |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Netflix About |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260219040735/https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-upfront-2025-the-center-of-attention |archive-date=19 Feb 2026}}</ref> The nature of generative AI raises concerns about the quality of these advertisements. Said advertisements may also encourage further user tracking in order to "tailor" the content. Consumers were especially provoked by certain phrases used by Netflix' President of Advertising, Amy Reinhard at the Upfront 2025. Reinhard claimed that "When you compare us to our competitors, attention starts much higher and ends ''much'' higher. And even more impressive, members pay as much attention to mid-roll ads as they do to the shows and the movies themselves"<ref name=":4" />, which further raised concerns about user privacy.

===DRM Restrictions===
Netflix has historically halted access for certain consumer devices merely due to the fact that these devices cannot support PlayReady DRM.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whitnam |first=Ryan |date=Nov 12, 2019 |title=Netflix Is Killing Support for Some TVs and Roku Boxes Because of DRM |url=https://www.extremetech.com/internet/301842-netflix-is-killing-support-for-some-tvs-and-roku-boxes-because-of-drm |access-date=May 19, 2025 |work=Extreme Tech |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251210033700/https://www.extremetech.com/internet/301842-netflix-is-killing-support-for-some-tvs-and-roku-boxes-because-of-drm |archive-date=10 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Torbet |first=Georgina |date=Nov 12, 2019 |title=Netflix explains why its apps won't work on older TVs and set-top boxes |url=https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-12-netflix-older-hardware-drm.html |access-date=May 18, 2025 |work=Engadget |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251019203319/https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-12-netflix-older-hardware-drm.html |archive-date=19 Oct 2025}}</ref> The usage of [[Digital rights management|DRM]] has also brought forth criticism from organizations such as Defective by Design and the Free Software Foundation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rogoff |first=Zak |date=Jul 12, 2013 |title=Cancel Netflix if you value freedom |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/cancel-netflix-if-you-value-freedom |access-date=May 18, 2025 |work=Free Software Foundation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218121127/https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/cancel-netflix-if-you-value-freedom |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farough |first=Greg |date=Dec 16, 2020 |title=IDAD 2020 sent Netflix and DRM a message |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/idad-2020-sent-netflix-and-drm-a-message |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Free Software Foundation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209053635/https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/idad-2020-sent-netflix-and-drm-a-message |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref>

Previously until October 2014, Linux couldn't support Netflix for streaming strictly due to a lack of DRM support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wallen |first=Jack |date=Aug 14, 2010 |title=The Netflix Linux conjecture: How Netflix snubs the Linux community |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/the-netflix-linux-conjecture-how-netflix-snubs-the-linux-community/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020232704/https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/the-netflix-linux-conjecture-how-netflix-snubs-the-linux-community/ |archive-date=Oct 20, 2015 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=TechRepublic}}</ref>

===Selling identifiable user data===
From 2006 through 2010, ''Netflix'' held competitions to improve its recommendation system via '''The Netflix Prize''<nowiki/>'.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Netflix |title=The Netflix Prize |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924184639/http://www.netflixprize.com/community/viewtopic.php?id=1537 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://www.netflixprize.com//community/viewtopic.php?id=1537 |archive-date=Sep 24, 2009 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Netflix}}</ref> These competitions had prizes that were valued at $50k or higher.<ref name=":3" /> This has brought several privacy concerns from its userbase, and led to at least 2 lawsuits<ref>{{Cite news |last=Demerjian |first=Dave |date=Mar 15, 2007 |title=Rise of the Netflix Hackers |url=https://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72963 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928235912/http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72963 |archive-date=Sep 28, 2015 |access-date=May 15, 2025 |work=WIRED}}</ref> concerning these competitions<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singel |first=Ryan |date=Dec 17, 2009 |title=Netflix Spilled Your Brokeback Mountain Secret, Lawsuit Claims |url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/netflix-privacy-lawsuit/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227060413/http://www.wired.com/2009/12/netflix-privacy-lawsuit/ |archive-date=Feb 27, 2016 |access-date=May 19, 2015 |work=WIRED}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 6, 2023 |title=DOE et al v. NETFLIX, INC. et al, No. 1:2022cv01281 - Document 155 (S.D. Ind. 2023) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/indiana/insdce/1:2022cv01281/201228/155/ |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Justia |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174450/https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/indiana/insdce/1:2022cv01281/201228/155/ |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref> which were found to be capable of leaking identifiable information, and especially could have been worsened had their sequel series successfully launched, as data such as renters' ages, gender, ZIP codes, genre ratings and previously chosen movies were provided to these research teams.

===Illegal retention of user data===
In 2011, Netflix settled a lawsuit regarding the retention of user data that was at least 2 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stangel |first=Luke |date=Mar 25, 2013 |title=Netflix settles $9 million privacy lawsuit |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/03/25/netflix-settles-9-million-privacy.html |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Silicon Valley Business Journal |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209150923/https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/03/25/netflix-settles-9-million-privacy.html |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref>{{Citation needed}}

===GDPR violation===
On November 26, 2024, the Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed an administrative fine of €4.75 million to Netflix for not properly informing customers about processing their data between the years 2018 and 2020. The lack of transparency and unclear information given by Netflix was in direct violation of several articles of the [[GDPR]].<ref>Dutch Data Protection Authority. (2024). Decision to impose an administrative fine for violation of the GDPR (Dutch DPA). Dutch Data Protection Authority. https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/system/files?file=2024-12/Decision%20fine%20Netflix.pdf ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174443/https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/system/files?file=2024-12/Decision%20fine%20Netflix.pdf Archived])</ref>

===Netflix delisting 23 game titles===
On July 15 2025<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=2025-08-17 |title=Netflix is letting go of some of its best indie games |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=theverge.com |publication-date=2025-06-24 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218114342/https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref>, some games provided by the "Netflix Games" service were pulled, and of those games that were already downloaded became unplayable too which has caused users to lose access to their saved games with no way to transfer or even play them as most were exclusive to Netflix Games.

{{Main|Netflix delisting 23 game titles}}

===Dark Patterns===

====Autoplay====
Netflix, like other streaming services, automatically plays another unsolicited video (trailer or episode) by default in order. In a scientific study, this has shown to significantly increase viewing hours since it deprives people of the time to actively decide if they want to continue watching or not.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redenbaugh |first=Miranda |date=2025-03-04 |title=Scientists study the hidden cost of Netflix's autoplay |url=https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-hidden-netflix-autoplay.html |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=TechXplore |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112142954/https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-hidden-netflix-autoplay.html |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref>

The feature can also be considered disrespectful to the filmmakers who worked on the productions as their names are no longer shown at the end because end credits are cut off by the feature.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=2025-11-12 |title=My petty gripe: autoplay trailers – give me more than 10 seconds before trying to make me watch The Diplomat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/12/my-petty-gripe-autoplay-trailers-give-me-more-than-10-seconds-before-trying-to-make-me-watch-the-diplomat |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

Users have also complained that they are subjected to the same trailers over and over again with no way to decline:<ref name=":5" /><blockquote>''Netflix wants me to watch The Diplomat so badly, I can’t even have 10 seconds for a little cry after finishing Adolescence without being forced to dive for the remote to stop Netflix autoplaying the trailer for The Diplomat. […]

It’s not just Adolescence. It actually doesn’t seem to matter what I choose to watch; Netflix offers The Diplomat. Robert Eggers’ The Northman? Try The Diplomat, Netflix tells me 10 seconds into the credits. Dune: Part Two? You’ll love The Diplomat. The Brutalist? KPop Demon Hun– just kidding.''</blockquote>The feature is on by default, but [https://help.netflix.com/en/node/121518 can be disabled in Netflix Settings].

==Positive incidents==
===Refunds for Italian consumers due to unjustified price hikes (2026)===
On April 1st, 2026, a court in Rome, Italy, stated that Netflix's price hikes from 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 were unlawful and not justified with valid reasons. The lawsuit was brought by a consumer-advocate movement named ''Movimento Consumatori'', claiming the price modifications were violating the [[Consumer Code]], an Italian legislation aimed to protect Italian consumer rights.

The Rome court mandated Netflix to inform their Italian consumers about the right to get a refund in the next 90 days.
Consumers subscribed to the premium tier have the right to get a refund of approximately 500 euros, and standard tier subscribers have the right to get a refund of approximately 250 euros. Basic tier subscribers also have the right to get a refund.

Along with this, Netflix was also mandated to modify their subscription prices in Italy, with the order to modify premium tier price from €19.99 to €11.99 and the standard tier price from €13.99 to €9.99.

A Netflix spokeperson appealed, claiming they "take consumer rights very seriously" and they believe their terms and conditions "have always been in line with Italian law and practice".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=3 Apr 2026 |title=Netflix must refund customers for years of price hikes, Italian court rules |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260403174600/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/ |archive-date=2026-04-03 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[HBO Max]]
*[[Hulu]]
*[[Crunchyroll]]
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Netflix]]

Netflix

2026-04-08T13:50:50Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Refunds for Italian consumers due to unjustified price hikes (2026) */

{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American media streaming and media publisher originally known for disc rentals.
|Founded=1997
|Industry=Entertainment, Streaming
|Logo=Netflix 2015 logo.svg
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Public
|Website=https://www.netflix.com/
}}
[[wikipedia:Netflix|Netflix, Inc.]] is a media streaming service and publisher, founded in 1997 by ''Reed Hastings'' and ''Marc Randolph'' formerly for remote video rentals, it eventually became the pioneer of the video streaming industry in 2007, eventually turning to more anti-consumer practices in the mid-2010s and later.

==Consumer-impact summary==

*User Freedom: Extensive history of restricting access to content, including paywalling higher quality content,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=And_You_Like_It_Too |date=Dec 16, 2023 |title=How much licensed content does Netflix display in premium formats (4K, HDR/Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos) in the 4K tier? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/18k554z/how_much_licensed_content_does_netflix_display_in/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reddit |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250711211159/https://old.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/18k554z/how_much_licensed_content_does_netflix_display_in/ |archive-date=11 Jul 2025}}</ref> increasing costs of service, combatting password sharing, and more.
*User Privacy: Extensive history of collecting and selling user data.
*Business Model: Streaming service content, [[advertising overload]]
*Market Competition: Extensive, including free platforms like [[Roku]] TV and Pluto TV, and premium platforms such as [[Disney+]], Hulu, and [[HBO Max]].

==Controversies==

===Stream-quality controversy===
{{Main|Netflix stream-quality controversy}}
Discovered as early as December 2023,<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rikki1256 |date=Dec 2, 2023 |title=Netflix requirements to watch 4k that you paid for |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/189odn6/netflix_requirements_to_watch_4k_that_you_paid_for/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reddit |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250212081853/https://old.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/189odn6/netflix_requirements_to_watch_4k_that_you_paid_for/ |archive-date=12 Feb 2025}}</ref> ''Netflix'' has not clearly defined<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Netflix Support |title=Netflix supported browsers and system requirements |url=https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081 |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=help.netflix.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260123055327/https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081 |archive-date=23 Jan 2026}}</ref> every restriction for how users are capable of accessing higher quality streaming content, despite 4k content being a specified tier consumers pay for.

===Advertising overload===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}
Netflix was among one of the first<ref name=":8">[https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831 Ads on Netflix] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260211165421/https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831 Archived])</ref> premium streaming services to integrate advertisements on top of having to pay for the service. Since then, the platform has sought progressively more avenues to integrate advertisements, including further ads.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Share of adults who think there were too many ads on video streaming services in the United States as of September 2021, by generation |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307619/video-streaming-advertising-frequency-by-generation-us/ |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Statista]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114022848/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307619/video-streaming-advertising-frequency-by-generation-us/ |archive-date=14 Nov 2025}}</ref> These advertisements have also increased the amount of data that Netflix can collect, and by extension, sell.

Due to the amount of data that Netflix has been able to sell due to advertisement integration, it has also encouraged the company to raise the costs of ad-free tiers, so subscribers are forced either paying more to not see ads, or witness an increasing barrage of advertisements.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Roettgers |first=Janko |date=23 Sep 2023 |title=Why every streaming service wants you to watch ads now |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90956587/why-every-streaming-service-wants-you-to-watch-ads-now |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Fast Company]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251127234258/https://www.fastcompany.com/90956587/why-every-streaming-service-wants-you-to-watch-ads-now |archive-date=27 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Additionally, starting from 2025, Netflix will be using generative AI to "serve the right ad to the right member at the right time" to subscribers of the lowest paying tier.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=May 18, 2025 |title=Netflix puts AI ads in paid tier: pirate EVERYTHING at this point... 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhvDXmFEeUI |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QhvDXmFEeUI |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Netflix |date=May 14, 2025 |title=Netflix Upfront 2025: The Center of Attention |url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-upfront-2025-the-center-of-attention |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Netflix About |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260219040735/https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-upfront-2025-the-center-of-attention |archive-date=19 Feb 2026}}</ref> The nature of generative AI raises concerns about the quality of these advertisements. Said advertisements may also encourage further user tracking in order to "tailor" the content. Consumers were especially provoked by certain phrases used by Netflix' President of Advertising, Amy Reinhard at the Upfront 2025. Reinhard claimed that "When you compare us to our competitors, attention starts much higher and ends ''much'' higher. And even more impressive, members pay as much attention to mid-roll ads as they do to the shows and the movies themselves"<ref name=":4" />, which further raised concerns about user privacy.

===DRM Restrictions===
Netflix has historically halted access for certain consumer devices merely due to the fact that these devices cannot support PlayReady DRM.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whitnam |first=Ryan |date=Nov 12, 2019 |title=Netflix Is Killing Support for Some TVs and Roku Boxes Because of DRM |url=https://www.extremetech.com/internet/301842-netflix-is-killing-support-for-some-tvs-and-roku-boxes-because-of-drm |access-date=May 19, 2025 |work=Extreme Tech |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251210033700/https://www.extremetech.com/internet/301842-netflix-is-killing-support-for-some-tvs-and-roku-boxes-because-of-drm |archive-date=10 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Torbet |first=Georgina |date=Nov 12, 2019 |title=Netflix explains why its apps won't work on older TVs and set-top boxes |url=https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-12-netflix-older-hardware-drm.html |access-date=May 18, 2025 |work=Engadget |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251019203319/https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-12-netflix-older-hardware-drm.html |archive-date=19 Oct 2025}}</ref> The usage of [[Digital rights management|DRM]] has also brought forth criticism from organizations such as Defective by Design and the Free Software Foundation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rogoff |first=Zak |date=Jul 12, 2013 |title=Cancel Netflix if you value freedom |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/cancel-netflix-if-you-value-freedom |access-date=May 18, 2025 |work=Free Software Foundation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218121127/https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/cancel-netflix-if-you-value-freedom |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farough |first=Greg |date=Dec 16, 2020 |title=IDAD 2020 sent Netflix and DRM a message |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/idad-2020-sent-netflix-and-drm-a-message |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Free Software Foundation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209053635/https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/idad-2020-sent-netflix-and-drm-a-message |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref>

Previously until October 2014, Linux couldn't support Netflix for streaming strictly due to a lack of DRM support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wallen |first=Jack |date=Aug 14, 2010 |title=The Netflix Linux conjecture: How Netflix snubs the Linux community |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/the-netflix-linux-conjecture-how-netflix-snubs-the-linux-community/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020232704/https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/the-netflix-linux-conjecture-how-netflix-snubs-the-linux-community/ |archive-date=Oct 20, 2015 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=TechRepublic}}</ref>

===Selling identifiable user data===
From 2006 through 2010, ''Netflix'' held competitions to improve its recommendation system via '''The Netflix Prize''<nowiki/>'.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Netflix |title=The Netflix Prize |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924184639/http://www.netflixprize.com/community/viewtopic.php?id=1537 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://www.netflixprize.com//community/viewtopic.php?id=1537 |archive-date=Sep 24, 2009 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Netflix}}</ref> These competitions had prizes that were valued at $50k or higher.<ref name=":3" /> This has brought several privacy concerns from its userbase, and led to at least 2 lawsuits<ref>{{Cite news |last=Demerjian |first=Dave |date=Mar 15, 2007 |title=Rise of the Netflix Hackers |url=https://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72963 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928235912/http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72963 |archive-date=Sep 28, 2015 |access-date=May 15, 2025 |work=WIRED}}</ref> concerning these competitions<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singel |first=Ryan |date=Dec 17, 2009 |title=Netflix Spilled Your Brokeback Mountain Secret, Lawsuit Claims |url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/netflix-privacy-lawsuit/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227060413/http://www.wired.com/2009/12/netflix-privacy-lawsuit/ |archive-date=Feb 27, 2016 |access-date=May 19, 2015 |work=WIRED}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 6, 2023 |title=DOE et al v. NETFLIX, INC. et al, No. 1:2022cv01281 - Document 155 (S.D. Ind. 2023) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/indiana/insdce/1:2022cv01281/201228/155/ |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Justia |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174450/https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/indiana/insdce/1:2022cv01281/201228/155/ |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref> which were found to be capable of leaking identifiable information, and especially could have been worsened had their sequel series successfully launched, as data such as renters' ages, gender, ZIP codes, genre ratings and previously chosen movies were provided to these research teams.

===Illegal retention of user data===
In 2011, Netflix settled a lawsuit regarding the retention of user data that was at least 2 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stangel |first=Luke |date=Mar 25, 2013 |title=Netflix settles $9 million privacy lawsuit |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/03/25/netflix-settles-9-million-privacy.html |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Silicon Valley Business Journal |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209150923/https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/03/25/netflix-settles-9-million-privacy.html |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref>{{Citation needed}}

===GDPR violation===
On November 26, 2024, the Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed an administrative fine of €4.75 million to Netflix for not properly informing customers about processing their data between the years 2018 and 2020. The lack of transparency and unclear information given by Netflix was in direct violation of several articles of the [[GDPR]].<ref>Dutch Data Protection Authority. (2024). Decision to impose an administrative fine for violation of the GDPR (Dutch DPA). Dutch Data Protection Authority. https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/system/files?file=2024-12/Decision%20fine%20Netflix.pdf ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174443/https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/system/files?file=2024-12/Decision%20fine%20Netflix.pdf Archived])</ref>

===Netflix delisting 23 game titles===
On July 15 2025<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=2025-08-17 |title=Netflix is letting go of some of its best indie games |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=theverge.com |publication-date=2025-06-24 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218114342/https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref>, some games provided by the "Netflix Games" service were pulled, and of those games that were already downloaded became unplayable too which has caused users to lose access to their saved games with no way to transfer or even play them as most were exclusive to Netflix Games.

{{Main|Netflix delisting 23 game titles}}

===Dark Patterns===

====Autoplay====
Netflix, like other streaming services, automatically plays another unsolicited video (trailer or episode) by default in order. In a scientific study, this has shown to significantly increase viewing hours since it deprives people of the time to actively decide if they want to continue watching or not.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redenbaugh |first=Miranda |date=2025-03-04 |title=Scientists study the hidden cost of Netflix's autoplay |url=https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-hidden-netflix-autoplay.html |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=TechXplore |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112142954/https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-hidden-netflix-autoplay.html |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref>

The feature can also be considered disrespectful to the filmmakers who worked on the productions as their names are no longer shown at the end because end credits are cut off by the feature.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=2025-11-12 |title=My petty gripe: autoplay trailers – give me more than 10 seconds before trying to make me watch The Diplomat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/12/my-petty-gripe-autoplay-trailers-give-me-more-than-10-seconds-before-trying-to-make-me-watch-the-diplomat |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

Users have also complained that they are subjected to the same trailers over and over again with no way to decline:<ref name=":5" /><blockquote>''Netflix wants me to watch The Diplomat so badly, I can’t even have 10 seconds for a little cry after finishing Adolescence without being forced to dive for the remote to stop Netflix autoplaying the trailer for The Diplomat. […]

It’s not just Adolescence. It actually doesn’t seem to matter what I choose to watch; Netflix offers The Diplomat. Robert Eggers’ The Northman? Try The Diplomat, Netflix tells me 10 seconds into the credits. Dune: Part Two? You’ll love The Diplomat. The Brutalist? KPop Demon Hun– just kidding.''</blockquote>The feature is on by default, but [https://help.netflix.com/en/node/121518 can be disabled in Netflix Settings].

==Positive incidents==
===Refunds for Italian consumers due to unjustified price hikes (2026)===
On April 1st, 2026, a court in Rome, Italy, stated that Netflix's price hikes from 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 were unlawful and not justified with valid reasons. The lawsuit was brought by a consumer-advocate movement named ''Movimento Consumatori'', claiming the price modifications were violating the [[Consumer Code]], an Italian legislation aimed to protect Italian consumer rights.

The Rome court mandated Netflix to inform their Italian consumers about the right to get a refund in the next 90 days.
Consumers subscribed to the premium tier have the right to get a refund of approximately 500 euros, and standard tier subscribed have the right to get a refund of approximately 250 euros. Basic tier subscribers also have the right to get a refund.

Along with this, Netflix was also mandated to modify their subscription prices in Italy, with the order to modify premium tier price from €19.99 to €11.99 and the standard tier price from €13.99 to €9.99.

A Netflix spokeperson appealed, claiming they "take consumer rights very seriously" and they believe their terms and conditions "have always been in line with Italian law and practice".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=3 Apr 2026 |title=Netflix must refund customers for years of price hikes, Italian court rules |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260403174600/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/ |archive-date=2026-04-03 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[HBO Max]]
*[[Hulu]]
*[[Crunchyroll]]
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Netflix]]

Phone Number Prefix Normative

2026-04-07T23:12:38Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Exceptions */

The '''Phone Number Prefix Normative''' (in Spanish: Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos), also known as the "''anti-spam law''" is a modification of the Chilean Telecommunications Subsecretary (Subtel) Exempt N° 1319, a group of legislations and normatives that involve phone number structuration and management.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile |date=17 Jun 2025 |title=Resolución 900 EXENTA MODIFICA RESOLUCIÓN N° 1.319 EXENTA, DE 2004, DE LA SUBSECRETARÍA DE TELECOMUNICACIONES |trans-title= EXEMPT Resolution 900 MODIFIES EXEMPT RESOLUTION N° 1,319, OF 2004, BY THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SUBSECRETARY |url=https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1214299&idParte=10552211 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260407200737/https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1214299&idParte=10552211 |archive-date=2026-04-07 |access-date=7 Apr 2026}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |publisher=Subtel |date=24 Jul 2025 |title=Prefijos Únicos – Comunicaciones Seguras |trans-title=Unique Prefixes - Safe Communications |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/prefijos-unicos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260211002043/https://www.subtel.gob.cl/prefijos-unicos/ |archive-date=2026-02-11 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref> The number prefix normative was announced by the Chilean government in March 2025<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Subtel |date=20 March 2025 |title=Gobierno anuncia implementación de numeración especial para la identificación de llamadas comerciales |trans-title=Government announces the implementation of special numeration for identifying commercial calls |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/gobierno-anuncia-implementacion-de-numeracion-especial-para-la-identificacion-de-llamadas-comerciales/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref> and has been taking effect since August 13, 2025. The purpose of this law is to mandate commercial phone numbers to add fixed number prefixes to be easily identified by Chilean consumers and prevent scams and malicious phone calls disguised as commercial calls. <ref name=":1">{{Cite web |publisher=Defensa y Justicia |date=14 Aug 2025 |title=Chile estrena prefijos 600 y 809: así cambian las llamadas comerciales (y cómo evitar estafas) |trans-title=Chile releases 600 and 809 prefixes: this is how commercial calls change (and how to avoid scams) |url=https://defensayjusticia.cl/ley-antispam-600-809-chile-2025/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Defensa y Justicia Abogados}}</ref>

==Background==
Researches done in the country have reported the average monthly amount of undesired publicitary phone calls ("spam calls") received by a Chilean have been increased during the last years. Along with this, the amount of reports to police about fraudulent calls have also increased.

Researches and reports by [[wikipedia:Hiya_(company)|Hiya]] done in 2024 stated that in Chile, a person receives an average of 28 spam calls per month, with Brazil also sharing this amount. This was the highest number of average monthly spam calls registered in Latin America during that year. Hiya's research also stated 25% of these calls were meant to be fraudulent phone calls. The same research done in 2023 showed the average quantity of monthly spam was lower, with 20 calls per month. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Vega |first=Fernando |date=7 Apr 2025 |title=Llamadas Spam: estudio muestra cuántas recibe cada chileno al mes |trans-title=Spam Calls: research shows how many receives every Chilean per month |url=https://www.latercera.com/pulso/noticia/llamadas-spam-estudio-muestra-cuantas-recibe-cada-chileno-al-mes/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=La Tercera}}</ref>

According to a research of the Chilean Investigation Police (PDI) done in 2024, the total amount of reports of fraudulent phone calls was of 4,533. This quantity was 19% higher than the amounts of reports that were done in 2023. <ref>{{Cite web |author=Subtel |date=12 Aug 2025 |title=Desde este miércoles las llamadas comerciales y masivas deberán llevar los prefijos 600 y 809 para su identificación |trans-title=Starting this wednesday, commercial and massive calls must have 600 and 809 prefixes in order to be identified |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/desde-este-miercoles-las-llamadas-comerciales-y-masivas-deberan-llevar-los-prefijos-600-y-809-para-su-identificacion/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=CNN Chile |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=Estafas telefónicas van al alza: Denuncias aumentaron un 19% durante 2024 |trans-title=Phone scams are in rise: Reports were increased by 19% during 2024 |url=https://www.cnnchile.com/pais/estafas-telefonicas-van-al-alza-denuncias-aumentaron-un-19-durante-2024_20250205/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=CNN Chile}}</ref>

==Exempt modification and effects==
[[File:Prefixescl.png|thumb|An official image from the Chilean Government and Subtel, showing a brief explanation of the exempt modification]]
All phone numbers that belong to telecommunications companies that do commercial or massive phone calls, SMS or MMS messages to users or subscribers, with publicitary or informative purposes about a product, service, scheduling or activity confirmation, are mandated to add fixed number prefixes to their phone numbers in order to be recognizable for the consumers. Any company that does not comply will have to pay a fine between 5 and 5,000 UTM (approximately between $406 and $405,784). Consumers are able to report to Subtel if they find a company that is not complying with the norm.<ref name=":1" />

===Prefix number 600===
The prefix '''600''' is a prefix number that indicates a phone number is dedicated to do consented or requested calls or messages to an user or subscriber.

===Prefix number 809===
The prefix '''809''' is a prefix number that indicates a phone number is dedicated to do unrequested or unconsented publicitary calls or messages to an user or subscriber. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Estrella Oporto |first=Sandar |date=9 Aug 2025 |title=El nuevo prefijo para identificar las llamadas de spam o no deseadas |trans-title=The new prefix for identifying spam or undesired calls |url=https://www.latercera.com/servicios/noticia/el-nuevo-prefijo-para-identificar-las-llamadas-de-spam-o-no-deseadas/ |url-status=live |website=La Tercera |access-date=25 Feb 2026}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=WOM Chile |date=2025 |title=¿En qué consiste la Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos? |trans-title=What does the Number Prefix Normative consist of? |url=https://www.wom.cl/centro-de-ayuda/en-que-consiste-la-norma-de-prefijos-telefonicos/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WOM Chile}}</ref>

===Exceptions===
The law does not mandate phones that send messages via [[WhatsApp]] or similar applications to modify their prefixes.<ref name=":0" />

In March 2026, the Chilean Supreme Court stated the law will no longer affect phone numbers belonging to retailers, due to their claim the prefixes modification affected their ability to contact with in-debt customers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vergara |first=Mario |date=7 Mar 2026|title=Ya no están obligados a usar el prefijo 600 ni 809 por la ley anti-spam: esta llamada no se identificará en tu teléfono |trans-title=They will be no longer forced to use 600 nor 809 prefixes from the anti-spam law: this call will be not identified in your phone |url=https://www.adnradio.cl/2026/03/07/ya-no-estan-obligados-a-usar-el-prefijo-600-ni-809-por-la-ley-anti-spam-esta-llamada-no-se-identificara-en-tu-telefono/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260309080232/https://www.adnradio.cl/2026/03/07/ya-no-estan-obligados-a-usar-el-prefijo-600-ni-809-por-la-ley-anti-spam-esta-llamada-no-se-identificara-en-tu-telefono/ |archive-date=2026-03-09 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=ADN Radio}}</ref>

==Consequences==
According to a survey of CADEM, a national research company, 80% of Chileans can recognize commercial calls from the number prefixes and 79% of them do not answer these calls after the implementation of the law. <ref>{{Cite web |author=CHH |date=20 Jan 2026 |title=Cadem 5C: 79% de los chilenos no contesta llamadas con prefijos 600 y 809 |trans-title=Cadem 5C: 79% of Chileans do not answer phone calls with 600 and 809 prefixes |url=https://www.chicureohoy.cl/actualidad/cadem-5c-79-de-los-chilenos-no-contesta-llamadas-con-prefijos-600-y-809/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Chicureo Hoy}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in South America]]

File:Prefixescl.png

2026-04-07T23:08:12Z

ClippyWantsToHelp:

==Summary==
An official image by the Chilean government and Telephone Subsecretary (Subtel), showing a brief explanation of the implemented phone prefix law in 2025.

==Licensing==
{{Fairuse}}

[[Category:Files]]

Phone Number Prefix Normative

2026-04-07T23:07:09Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: fixed an article link and citation links edits

The '''Phone Number Prefix Normative''' (in Spanish: Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos), also known as the "''anti-spam law''" is a modification of the Chilean Telecommunications Subsecretary (Subtel) Exempt N° 1319, a group of legislations and normatives that involve phone number structuration and management.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile |date=17 Jun 2025 |title=Resolución 900 EXENTA MODIFICA RESOLUCIÓN N° 1.319 EXENTA, DE 2004, DE LA SUBSECRETARÍA DE TELECOMUNICACIONES |trans-title= EXEMPT Resolution 900 MODIFIES EXEMPT RESOLUTION N° 1,319, OF 2004, BY THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SUBSECRETARY |url=https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1214299&idParte=10552211 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260407200737/https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1214299&idParte=10552211 |archive-date=2026-04-07 |access-date=7 Apr 2026}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |publisher=Subtel |date=24 Jul 2025 |title=Prefijos Únicos – Comunicaciones Seguras |trans-title=Unique Prefixes - Safe Communications |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/prefijos-unicos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260211002043/https://www.subtel.gob.cl/prefijos-unicos/ |archive-date=2026-02-11 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref> The number prefix normative was announced by the Chilean government in March 2025<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Subtel |date=20 March 2025 |title=Gobierno anuncia implementación de numeración especial para la identificación de llamadas comerciales |trans-title=Government announces the implementation of special numeration for identifying commercial calls |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/gobierno-anuncia-implementacion-de-numeracion-especial-para-la-identificacion-de-llamadas-comerciales/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref> and has been taking effect since August 13, 2025. The purpose of this law is to mandate commercial phone numbers to add fixed number prefixes to be easily identified by Chilean consumers and prevent scams and malicious phone calls disguised as commercial calls. <ref name=":1">{{Cite web |publisher=Defensa y Justicia |date=14 Aug 2025 |title=Chile estrena prefijos 600 y 809: así cambian las llamadas comerciales (y cómo evitar estafas) |trans-title=Chile releases 600 and 809 prefixes: this is how commercial calls change (and how to avoid scams) |url=https://defensayjusticia.cl/ley-antispam-600-809-chile-2025/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Defensa y Justicia Abogados}}</ref>

==Background==
Researches done in the country have reported the average monthly amount of undesired publicitary phone calls ("spam calls") received by a Chilean have been increased during the last years. Along with this, the amount of reports to police about fraudulent calls have also increased.

Researches and reports by [[wikipedia:Hiya_(company)|Hiya]] done in 2024 stated that in Chile, a person receives an average of 28 spam calls per month, with Brazil also sharing this amount. This was the highest number of average monthly spam calls registered in Latin America during that year. Hiya's research also stated 25% of these calls were meant to be fraudulent phone calls. The same research done in 2023 showed the average quantity of monthly spam was lower, with 20 calls per month. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Vega |first=Fernando |date=7 Apr 2025 |title=Llamadas Spam: estudio muestra cuántas recibe cada chileno al mes |trans-title=Spam Calls: research shows how many receives every Chilean per month |url=https://www.latercera.com/pulso/noticia/llamadas-spam-estudio-muestra-cuantas-recibe-cada-chileno-al-mes/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=La Tercera}}</ref>

According to a research of the Chilean Investigation Police (PDI) done in 2024, the total amount of reports of fraudulent phone calls was of 4,533. This quantity was 19% higher than the amounts of reports that were done in 2023. <ref>{{Cite web |author=Subtel |date=12 Aug 2025 |title=Desde este miércoles las llamadas comerciales y masivas deberán llevar los prefijos 600 y 809 para su identificación |trans-title=Starting this wednesday, commercial and massive calls must have 600 and 809 prefixes in order to be identified |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/desde-este-miercoles-las-llamadas-comerciales-y-masivas-deberan-llevar-los-prefijos-600-y-809-para-su-identificacion/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=CNN Chile |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=Estafas telefónicas van al alza: Denuncias aumentaron un 19% durante 2024 |trans-title=Phone scams are in rise: Reports were increased by 19% during 2024 |url=https://www.cnnchile.com/pais/estafas-telefonicas-van-al-alza-denuncias-aumentaron-un-19-durante-2024_20250205/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=CNN Chile}}</ref>

==Exempt modification and effects==
[[File:Prefixescl.png|thumb|An official image from the Chilean Government and Subtel, showing a brief explanation of the exempt modification]]
All phone numbers that belong to telecommunications companies that do commercial or massive phone calls, SMS or MMS messages to users or subscribers, with publicitary or informative purposes about a product, service, scheduling or activity confirmation, are mandated to add fixed number prefixes to their phone numbers in order to be recognizable for the consumers. Any company that does not comply will have to pay a fine between 5 and 5,000 UTM (approximately between $406 and $405,784). Consumers are able to report to Subtel if they find a company that is not complying with the norm.<ref name=":1" />

===Prefix number 600===
The prefix '''600''' is a prefix number that indicates a phone number is dedicated to do consented or requested calls or messages to an user or subscriber.

===Prefix number 809===
The prefix '''809''' is a prefix number that indicates a phone number is dedicated to do unrequested or unconsented publicitary calls or messages to an user or subscriber. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Estrella Oporto |first=Sandar |date=9 Aug 2025 |title=El nuevo prefijo para identificar las llamadas de spam o no deseadas |trans-title=The new prefix for identifying spam or undesired calls |url=https://www.latercera.com/servicios/noticia/el-nuevo-prefijo-para-identificar-las-llamadas-de-spam-o-no-deseadas/ |url-status=live |website=La Tercera |access-date=25 Feb 2026}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=WOM Chile |date=2025 |title=¿En qué consiste la Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos? |trans-title=What does the Number Prefix Normative consist of? |url=https://www.wom.cl/centro-de-ayuda/en-que-consiste-la-norma-de-prefijos-telefonicos/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WOM Chile}}</ref>

===Exceptions===
The law does not mandate phones that send messages via [[WhatsApp]] or similar applications to modify their prefixes.<ref name=":0" />

Since March 2026, the Chilean Supreme Court stated the law will no longer affect phone numbers belonging to retailers, due to their claim the prefixes modification affected their ability to contact with in-debt customers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vergara |first=Mario |date=7 Mar 2026|title=Ya no están obligados a usar el prefijo 600 ni 809 por la ley anti-spam: esta llamada no se identificará en tu teléfono |trans-title=They will be no longer forced to use 600 nor 809 prefixes from the anti-spam law: this call will be not identified in your phone |url=https://www.adnradio.cl/2026/03/07/ya-no-estan-obligados-a-usar-el-prefijo-600-ni-809-por-la-ley-anti-spam-esta-llamada-no-se-identificara-en-tu-telefono/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260309080232/https://www.adnradio.cl/2026/03/07/ya-no-estan-obligados-a-usar-el-prefijo-600-ni-809-por-la-ley-anti-spam-esta-llamada-no-se-identificara-en-tu-telefono/ |archive-date=2026-03-09 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=ADN Radio}}</ref>

==Consequences==
According to a survey of CADEM, a national research company, 80% of Chileans can recognize commercial calls from the number prefixes and 79% of them do not answer these calls after the implementation of the law. <ref>{{Cite web |author=CHH |date=20 Jan 2026 |title=Cadem 5C: 79% de los chilenos no contesta llamadas con prefijos 600 y 809 |trans-title=Cadem 5C: 79% of Chileans do not answer phone calls with 600 and 809 prefixes |url=https://www.chicureohoy.cl/actualidad/cadem-5c-79-de-los-chilenos-no-contesta-llamadas-con-prefijos-600-y-809/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Chicureo Hoy}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in South America]]

Phone Number Prefix Normative

2026-04-07T23:03:16Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: sources and archived links

The '''Phone Number Prefix Normative''' (in Spanish: Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos), also known as the "''anti-spam law''" is a modification of the Chilean Telecommunications Subsecretary (Subtel) Exempt N° 1319, a group of legislations and normatives that involve phone number structuration and management.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile |date=17 Jun 2025 |title=Resolución 900 EXENTA MODIFICA RESOLUCIÓN N° 1.319 EXENTA, DE 2004, DE LA SUBSECRETARÍA DE TELECOMUNICACIONES |trans-title= EXEMPT Resolution 900 MODIFIES EXEMPT RESOLUTION N° 1,319, OF 2004, BY THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SUBSECRETARY |url=https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1214299&idParte=10552211 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260407200737/https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=1214299&idParte=10552211 |archive-date=2026-04-07 |access-date=7 Apr 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Subtel |date=24 Jul 2025 |title=Prefijos Únicos – Comunicaciones Seguras |trans-title=Unique Prefixes - Safe Communications |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/prefijos-unicos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260211002043/https://www.subtel.gob.cl/prefijos-unicos/ |archive-date=2026-02-11 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref> The number prefix normative was announced by the Chilean government in March 2025<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Subtel |date=20 March 2025 |title=Gobierno anuncia implementación de numeración especial para la identificación de llamadas comerciales |trans-title=Government announces the implementation of special numeration for identifying commercial calls |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/gobierno-anuncia-implementacion-de-numeracion-especial-para-la-identificacion-de-llamadas-comerciales/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref> and has been taking effect since August 13, 2025. The purpose of this law is to mandate commercial phone numbers to add fixed number prefixes to be easily identified by Chilean consumers and prevent scams and malicious phone calls disguised as commercial calls. <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Defensa y Justicia |date=14 Aug 2025 |title=Chile estrena prefijos 600 y 809: así cambian las llamadas comerciales (y cómo evitar estafas) |trans-title=Chile releases 600 and 809 prefixes: this is how commercial calls change (and how to avoid scams) |url=https://defensayjusticia.cl/ley-antispam-600-809-chile-2025/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Defensa y Justicia Abogados}}</ref>

==Background==
Researches done in the country have reported the average monthly amount of undesired publicitary phone calls ("spam calls") received by a Chilean have been increased during the last years. Along with this, the amount of reports to police about fraudulent calls have also increased.

Researches and reports by [[wikipedia:Hiya_(company)|Hiya]] done in 2024 stated that in Chile, a person receives an average of 28 spam calls per month, with Brazil also sharing this amount. This was the highest number of average monthly spam calls registered in Latin America during that year. Hiya's research also stated 25% of these calls were meant to be fraudulent phone calls. The same research done in 2023 showed the average quantity of monthly spam was lower, with 20 calls per month. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Vega |first=Fernando |date=7 Apr 2025 |title=Llamadas Spam: estudio muestra cuántas recibe cada chileno al mes |trans-title=Spam Calls: research shows how many receives every Chilean per month |url=https://www.latercera.com/pulso/noticia/llamadas-spam-estudio-muestra-cuantas-recibe-cada-chileno-al-mes/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=La Tercera}}</ref>

According to a research of the Chilean Investigation Police (PDI) done in 2024, the total amount of reports of fraudulent phone calls was of 4,533. This quantity was 19% higher than the amounts of reports that were done in 2023. <ref>{{Cite web |author=Subtel |date=12 Aug 2025 |title=Desde este miércoles las llamadas comerciales y masivas deberán llevar los prefijos 600 y 809 para su identificación |trans-title=Starting this wednesday, commercial and massive calls must have 600 and 809 prefixes in order to be identified |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/desde-este-miercoles-las-llamadas-comerciales-y-masivas-deberan-llevar-los-prefijos-600-y-809-para-su-identificacion/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=CNN Chile |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=Estafas telefónicas van al alza: Denuncias aumentaron un 19% durante 2024 |trans-title=Phone scams are in rise: Reports were increased by 19% during 2024 |url=https://www.cnnchile.com/pais/estafas-telefonicas-van-al-alza-denuncias-aumentaron-un-19-durante-2024_20250205/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=CNN Chile}}</ref>

==Exempt modification and effects==
[[File:Prefixescl.png|thumb|An official image from the Chilean Government and Subtel, showing a brief explanation of the exempt modification]]
All phone numbers that belong to telecommunications companies that do commercial or massive phone calls, SMS or MMS messages to users or subscribers, with publicitary or informative purposes about a product, service, scheduling or activity confirmation, are mandated to add fixed number prefixes to their phone numbers in order to be recognizable for the consumers. Any company that does not comply will have to pay a fine between 5 and 5,000 UTM (approximately between $406 and $405,784). Consumers are able to report to Subtel if they find a company that is not complying with the norm.

===Prefix number 600===
The prefix '''600''' is a prefix number that indicates a phone number is dedicated to do consented or requested calls or messages to an user or subscriber.

===Prefix number 809===
The prefix '''809''' is a prefix number that indicates a phone number is dedicated to do unrequested or unconsented publicitary calls or messages to an user or subscriber. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Estrella Oporto |first=Sandar |date=9 Aug 2025 |title=El nuevo prefijo para identificar las llamadas de spam o no deseadas |trans-title=The new prefix for identifying spam or undesired calls |url=https://www.latercera.com/servicios/noticia/el-nuevo-prefijo-para-identificar-las-llamadas-de-spam-o-no-deseadas/ |url-status=live |website=La Tercera |access-date=25 Feb 2026}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=WOM Chile |date=2025 |title=¿En qué consiste la Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos? |trans-title=What does the Number Prefix Normative consist of? |url=https://www.wom.cl/centro-de-ayuda/en-que-consiste-la-norma-de-prefijos-telefonicos/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WOM Chile}}</ref>

===Exceptions===
The law does not mandate phones that send messages via [[Whatsapp]] or similar applications to modify their prefixes.

Since March 2026, the Chilean Supreme Court stated the law will no longer affect phone numbers belonging to retailers, due to their claim the prefixes modification affected their ability to contact with in-debt customers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vergara |first=Mario |date=7 Mar 2026|title=Ya no están obligados a usar el prefijo 600 ni 809 por la ley anti-spam: esta llamada no se identificará en tu teléfono |trans-title=They will be no longer forced to use 600 nor 809 prefixes from the anti-spam law: this call will be not identified in your phone |url=https://www.adnradio.cl/2026/03/07/ya-no-estan-obligados-a-usar-el-prefijo-600-ni-809-por-la-ley-anti-spam-esta-llamada-no-se-identificara-en-tu-telefono/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260309080232/https://www.adnradio.cl/2026/03/07/ya-no-estan-obligados-a-usar-el-prefijo-600-ni-809-por-la-ley-anti-spam-esta-llamada-no-se-identificara-en-tu-telefono/ |archive-date=2026-03-09 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=ADN Radio}}</ref>

==Consequences==
According to a survey of CADEM, a national research company, 80% of Chileans can recognize commercial calls from the number prefixes and 79% of them do not answer these calls after the implementation of the law. <ref>{{Cite web |author=CHH |date=20 Jan 2026 |title=Cadem 5C: 79% de los chilenos no contesta llamadas con prefijos 600 y 809 |trans-title=Cadem 5C: 79% of Chileans do not answer phone calls with 600 and 809 prefixes |url=https://www.chicureohoy.cl/actualidad/cadem-5c-79-de-los-chilenos-no-contesta-llamadas-con-prefijos-600-y-809/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Chicureo Hoy}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in South America]]

Phone Number Prefix Normative

2026-04-07T22:45:55Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: Revisions of grammar and expanded the article; will add sources on the next edit

The '''Phone Number Prefix Normative''' (in Spanish: Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos), also known as the "''anti-spam law''" is a modification of the Chilean Telecommunications Subsecretary (Subtel) Exempt N° 1319, a group of legislations and normatives that involve phone number structuration and management. The number prefix normative was announced by the Chilean government in March 2025<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=SUBTEL |date=20 March 2025 |title=Gobierno anuncia implementación de numeración especial para la identificación de llamadas comerciales |trans-title=Government announces the implementation of special numeration for identifying commercial calls |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/gobierno-anuncia-implementacion-de-numeracion-especial-para-la-identificacion-de-llamadas-comerciales/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref> and has been taking effect since August 13, 2025. The purpose of this law is to mandate commercial phone numbers to add fixed number prefixes to be easily identified by Chilean consumers and prevent scams and malicious phone calls disguised as commercial calls. <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Defensa y Justicia |date=14 Aug 2025 |title=Chile estrena prefijos 600 y 809: así cambian las llamadas comerciales (y cómo evitar estafas) |trans-title=Chile releases 600 and 809 prefixes: this is how commercial calls change (and how to avoid scams) |url=https://defensayjusticia.cl/ley-antispam-600-809-chile-2025/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Defensa y Justicia Abogados}}</ref>

==Background==
Researches done in the country have reported the average monthly amount of undesired publicitary phone calls ("spam calls") received by a Chilean have been increased during the last years. Along with this, the amount of reports to police about fraudulent calls have also increased.

Researches and reports by [[wikipedia:Hiya_(company)|Hiya]] done in 2024 stated that in Chile, a person receives an average of 28 spam calls per month, with Brazil also sharing this amount. This was the highest number of average monthly spam calls registered in Latin America during that year. Hiya's research also stated 25% of these calls were meant to be fraudulent phone calls. The same research done in 2023 showed the average quantity of monthly spam was lower, with 20 calls per month. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Vega |first=Fernando |date=7 Apr 2025 |title=Llamadas Spam: estudio muestra cuántas recibe cada chileno al mes |trans-title=Spam Calls: research shows how many receives every Chilean per month |url=https://www.latercera.com/pulso/noticia/llamadas-spam-estudio-muestra-cuantas-recibe-cada-chileno-al-mes/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=La Tercera}}</ref>

According to a research of the Chilean Investigation Police (PDI) done in 2024, the total amount of reports of fraudulent phone calls was of 4,533. This quantity was 19% higher than the amounts of reports that were done in 2023. <ref>{{Cite web |author=Subtel |date=12 Aug 2025 |title=Desde este miércoles las llamadas comerciales y masivas deberán llevar los prefijos 600 y 809 para su identificación |trans-title=Starting this wednesday, commercial and massive calls must have 600 and 809 prefixes in order to be identified |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/desde-este-miercoles-las-llamadas-comerciales-y-masivas-deberan-llevar-los-prefijos-600-y-809-para-su-identificacion/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=CNN Chile |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=Estafas telefónicas van al alza: Denuncias aumentaron un 19% durante 2024 |trans-title=Phone scams are in rise: Reports were increased by 19% during 2024 |url=https://www.cnnchile.com/pais/estafas-telefonicas-van-al-alza-denuncias-aumentaron-un-19-durante-2024_20250205/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=CNN Chile}}</ref>

==Exempt modification and effects==
[[File:Prefixescl.png|thumb|An official image from the Chilean Government and Subtel, showing a brief explanation of the exempt modification]]
All phone numbers that belong to telecommunications companies that do commercial or massive phone calls, SMS or MMS messages with publicitary or informative purposes about a product, service, scheduling or activity confirmation, are mandated to add fixed number prefixes to their phone numbers in order to be recognizable for the consumers. Any company that does not comply will have to pay a fine between 5 and 5,000 UTM (approximately between $406 and $405,784). Consumers are able to report to Subtel if they find a company that is not complying with the norm.

===Prefix number 600===
The prefix '''600''' is a prefix number that indicates a phone number is dedicated to do consented or requested calls or messages to an user or subscriber.

===Prefix number 809===
The prefix '''809''' is a prefix number that indicates a phone number is dedicated to do unrequested or unconsented publicitary calls or messages to an user or subscriber. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Estrella Oporto |first=Sandar |date=9 Aug 2025 |title=El nuevo prefijo para identificar las llamadas de spam o no deseadas |trans-title=The new prefix for identifying spam or undesired calls |url=https://www.latercera.com/servicios/noticia/el-nuevo-prefijo-para-identificar-las-llamadas-de-spam-o-no-deseadas/ |url-status=live |website=La Tercera |access-date=25 Feb 2026}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=WOM Chile |date=2025 |title=¿En qué consiste la Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos? |trans-title=What does the Number Prefix Normative consist of? |url=https://www.wom.cl/centro-de-ayuda/en-que-consiste-la-norma-de-prefijos-telefonicos/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WOM Chile}}</ref>

===Exceptions===
The law does not mandate phones that send messages via [[Whatsapp]] or similar applications to modify their prefixes.

Since March 2026, the Chilean Supreme Court stated the law will no longer affect phone numbers belonging to retailers, due to their claim the prefixes modification affected their ability to contact with in-debt customers.

==Consequences==
According to a survey of CADEM, a national research company, 80% of Chileans can recognize commercial calls from the number prefixes and 79% of them do not answer these calls after the implementation of the law. <ref>{{Cite web |author=CHH |date=20 Jan 2026 |title=Cadem 5C: 79% de los chilenos no contesta llamadas con prefijos 600 y 809 |trans-title=Cadem 5C: 79% of Chileans do not answer phone calls with 600 and 809 prefixes |url=https://www.chicureohoy.cl/actualidad/cadem-5c-79-de-los-chilenos-no-contesta-llamadas-con-prefijos-600-y-809/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Chicureo Hoy}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in South America]]

Phone Number Prefix Normative

2026-04-07T21:56:46Z

ClippyWantsToHelp:

The '''Phone Number Prefix Normative''' (in Spanish: Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos), also known as the "''anti-spam law''" is a modification of the Chilean Telecommunications Subsecretary Exempt N° 1319. The modification was announced by the Chilean government in March 2025<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=SUBTEL |date=20 March 2025 |title=Gobierno anuncia implementación de numeración especial para la identificación de llamadas comerciales |trans-title=Government announces the implementation of special numeration for identifying commercial calls |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/gobierno-anuncia-implementacion-de-numeracion-especial-para-la-identificacion-de-llamadas-comerciales/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Subtel}}</ref> and has been taking effect since August 13, 2025. The purpose of this law is to mandate commercial phone numbers to add fixed number prefixes to be easily identified by Chilean consumers and to prevent scams and malicious phone calls disguised as commercial calls. <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Defensa y Justicia |date=14 Aug 2025 |title=Chile estrena prefijos 600 y 809: así cambian las llamadas comerciales (y cómo evitar estafas) |trans-title=Chile releases 600 and 809 prefixes: this is how commercial calls change (and how to avoid scams) |url=https://defensayjusticia.cl/ley-antispam-600-809-chile-2025/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Defensa y Justicia Abogados}}</ref>

==Background==
Researches done in the country have reported the amount of average spam calls a person receives per month has increased the last years. The quantity of reports of fraudulent calls to the police also have increased.

According to a research of the national Investigation Police (PDI), during 2024, the total amount of reports of fraudulent was 4,533. This quantity was 19% higher than the amunts of reports that were done in 2023. <ref>{{Cite web |author=SUBTEL |date=12 Aug 2025 |title=Desde este miércoles las llamadas comerciales y masivas deberán llevar los prefijos 600 y 809 para su identificación |trans-title=Starting this wednesday, commercial and massive calls must have 600 and 809 prefixes in order to be identified |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/desde-este-miercoles-las-llamadas-comerciales-y-masivas-deberan-llevar-los-prefijos-600-y-809-para-su-identificacion/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=SUBTEL}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=CNN Chile |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=Estafas telefónicas van al alza: Denuncias aumentaron un 19% durante 2024 |trans-title=Phone scams are in rise: Reports were increased by 19% during 2024 |url=https://www.cnnchile.com/pais/estafas-telefonicas-van-al-alza-denuncias-aumentaron-un-19-durante-2024_20250205/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=CNN Chile}}</ref>

Also, researches and reports by [[wikipedia:Hiya_(company)|Hiya]] done in 2024 stated that in Chile, a person receives an average of 28 spam calls per month, being a number that shares with Brazil, also being the highest number in Latin America. The research also stated a 25% of these calls belonged to fraudulent phone calls. The same research done in 2023 showed the average quantity of spam calls per month was 20. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Vega |first=Fernando |date=7 Apr 2025 |title=Llamadas Spam: estudio muestra cuántas recibe cada chileno al mes |trans-title=Spam Calls: research shows how many receives every Chilean per month |url=https://www.latercera.com/pulso/noticia/llamadas-spam-estudio-muestra-cuantas-recibe-cada-chileno-al-mes/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=La Tercera}}</ref>

==Exempt modification and effects==
[[File:Prefixescl.png|thumb|An official Image from the Chilean Government and Subtel, showing a brief explanation of the norm]]
All phone numbers that belong to telecommunications companies that do commercial or massive phone calls are forced to add a prefix to their numbers in order to be recognizable:

*The prefix '''600''' in a number is used to identify numbers that belong to entities that do phone calls with publicitary purposes that are desired, requested, expected by the user or accepted by service contracts.
*The prefix '''809''' in a number is used to identify numbers that belong to entities that do phone calls with publicitary purposes that are undesired by the user. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Estrella Oporto |first=Sandar |date=9 Aug 2025 |title=El nuevo prefijo para identificar las llamadas de spam o no deseadas |trans-title=The new prefix for identifying spam or undesired calls |url=https://www.latercera.com/servicios/noticia/el-nuevo-prefijo-para-identificar-las-llamadas-de-spam-o-no-deseadas/ |url-status=live |website=La Tercera |access-date=25 Feb 2026}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=WOM Chile |date=2025 |title=¿En qué consiste la Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos? |trans-title=What does the Telephone Prefix Norm consist of? |url=https://www.wom.cl/centro-de-ayuda/en-que-consiste-la-norma-de-prefijos-telefonicos/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WOM Chile}}</ref>

This law also allows to identify better what publicitary calls are scams, by identifying if the number that called has or doesn't have these prefixes.

Companies that do not comply or that use a different prefix are fined with an approximate amount that can vary between $406 and $405,784. Consumers are able to report to the Telephonic Subsecretary (SUBTEL) if they find a company that is not complying with the norm.

==Consequences==
According to a survey of CADEM, a national research company, 80% of Chileans can recognize commercial cals from the number prefixes, and 79% of them do not answer these calls after the implementation of the law. <ref>{{Cite web |author=CHH |date=20 Jan 2026 |title=Cadem 5C: 79% de los chilenos no contesta llamadas con prefijos 600 y 809 |trans-title=Cadem 5C: 79% of Chileans do not answer phone calls with the 600 and 809 prefixes |url=https://www.chicureohoy.cl/actualidad/cadem-5c-79-de-los-chilenos-no-contesta-llamadas-con-prefijos-600-y-809/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Chicureo Hoy}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in South America]]

Telephone Prefix Norm (Chile)

2026-04-07T19:32:43Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: ClippyWantsToHelp moved page Telephone Prefix Norm (Chile) to Phone Number Prefix Normative: modified to fit better with Wiki's title format

#REDIRECT [[Phone Number Prefix Normative]]

Phone Number Prefix Normative

2026-04-07T19:32:43Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: ClippyWantsToHelp moved page Telephone Prefix Norm (Chile) to Phone Number Prefix Normative: modified to fit better with Wiki's title format

The '''Telephone Prefix Norm''' (in Spanish: Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos) is a law of Chile that was announced by the Chilean government in March 2025<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=SUBTEL |date=20 March 2025 |title=Gobierno anuncia implementación de numeración especial para la identificación de llamadas comerciales |trans-title=Government announces the implementation of special numeration for identifying commercial calls |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/gobierno-anuncia-implementacion-de-numeracion-especial-para-la-identificacion-de-llamadas-comerciales/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=SUBTEL}}</ref>, and came into force on August 13 2025. The purpose of this law is to make easy to identify phone numbers that belong to commercial numbers. <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Defensa y Justicia |date=14 Aug 2025 |title=Chile estrena prefijos 600 y 809: así cambian las llamadas comerciales (y cómo evitar estafas) |trans-title=Chile releases 600 and 809 prefixes: this is how commercial calls change (and how to avoid scams) |url=https://defensayjusticia.cl/ley-antispam-600-809-chile-2025/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Defensa y Justicia Abogados}}</ref>

==Background==
Researches done in the country have reported the amount of average spam calls a person receives per month has increased the last years. The quantity of reports of fraudulent calls to the police also have increased.

According to a research of the national Investigation Police (PDI), during 2024, the total amount of reports of fraudulent was 4,533. This quantity was 19% higher than the amunts of reports that were done in 2023. <ref>{{Cite web |author=SUBTEL |date=12 Aug 2025 |title=Desde este miércoles las llamadas comerciales y masivas deberán llevar los prefijos 600 y 809 para su identificación |trans-title=Starting this wednesday, commercial and massive calls must have 600 and 809 prefixes in order to be identified |url=https://www.subtel.gob.cl/desde-este-miercoles-las-llamadas-comerciales-y-masivas-deberan-llevar-los-prefijos-600-y-809-para-su-identificacion/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=SUBTEL}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=CNN Chile |date=5 Feb 2025 |title=Estafas telefónicas van al alza: Denuncias aumentaron un 19% durante 2024 |trans-title=Phone scams are in rise: Reports were increased by 19% during 2024 |url=https://www.cnnchile.com/pais/estafas-telefonicas-van-al-alza-denuncias-aumentaron-un-19-durante-2024_20250205/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=CNN Chile}}</ref>

Also, researches and reports by [[wikipedia:Hiya_(company)|Hiya]] done in 2024 stated that in Chile, a person receives an average of 28 spam calls per month, being a number that shares with Brazil, also being the highest number in Latin America. The research also stated a 25% of these calls belonged to fraudulent phone calls. The same research done in 2023 showed the average quantity of spam calls per month was 20. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Vega |first=Fernando |date=7 Apr 2025 |title=Llamadas Spam: estudio muestra cuántas recibe cada chileno al mes |trans-title=Spam Calls: research shows how many receives every Chilean per month |url=https://www.latercera.com/pulso/noticia/llamadas-spam-estudio-muestra-cuantas-recibe-cada-chileno-al-mes/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 Feb 2026 |website=La Tercera}}</ref>

==What does this law do==
[[File:Prefixescl.png|thumb|An official Image from the Chilean Government and Subtel, showing a brief explanation of the norm]]
All phone numbers that belong to telecommunications companies that do commercial or massive phone calls are forced to add a prefix to their numbers in order to be recognizable:

*The prefix '''600''' in a number is used to identify numbers that belong to entities that do phone calls with publicitary purposes that are desired, requested, expected by the user or accepted by service contracts.
*The prefix '''809''' in a number is used to identify numbers that belong to entities that do phone calls with publicitary purposes that are undesired by the user. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Estrella Oporto |first=Sandar |date=9 Aug 2025 |title=El nuevo prefijo para identificar las llamadas de spam o no deseadas |trans-title=The new prefix for identifying spam or undesired calls |url=https://www.latercera.com/servicios/noticia/el-nuevo-prefijo-para-identificar-las-llamadas-de-spam-o-no-deseadas/ |url-status=live |website=La Tercera |access-date=25 Feb 2026}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |publisher=WOM Chile |date=2025 |title=¿En qué consiste la Norma de Prefijos Telefónicos? |trans-title=What does the Telephone Prefix Norm consist of? |url=https://www.wom.cl/centro-de-ayuda/en-que-consiste-la-norma-de-prefijos-telefonicos/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=WOM Chile}}</ref>

This law also allows to identify better what publicitary calls are scams, by identifying if the number that called has or doesn't have these prefixes.

Companies that do not comply or that use a different prefix are fined with an approximate amount that can vary between $406 and $405,784. Consumers are able to report to the Telephonic Subsecretary (SUBTEL) if they find a company that is not complying with the norm.

==Consequences==
According to a survey of CADEM, a national research company, 80% of Chileans can recognize commercial cals from the number prefixes, and 79% of them do not answer these calls after the implementation of the law. <ref>{{Cite web |author=CHH |date=20 Jan 2026 |title=Cadem 5C: 79% de los chilenos no contesta llamadas con prefijos 600 y 809 |trans-title=Cadem 5C: 79% of Chileans do not answer phone calls with the 600 and 809 prefixes |url=https://www.chicureohoy.cl/actualidad/cadem-5c-79-de-los-chilenos-no-contesta-llamadas-con-prefijos-600-y-809/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Feb 2026 |website=Chicureo Hoy}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in Chile]]
[[Category:Legislation in South America]]

Netflix

2026-04-07T01:23:25Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Refunds for Italian consumers due to unjustified price hikes (2026) */

{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American media streaming and media publisher originally known for disc rentals.
|Founded=1997
|Industry=Entertainment, Streaming
|Logo=Netflix 2015 logo.svg
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Public
|Website=https://www.netflix.com/
}}
[[wikipedia:Netflix|Netflix, Inc.]] is a media streaming service and publisher, founded in 1997 by ''Reed Hastings'' and ''Marc Randolph'' formerly for remote video rentals, it eventually became the pioneer of the video streaming industry in 2007, eventually turning to more anti-consumer practices in the mid-2010s and later.

==Consumer-impact summary==

*User Freedom: Extensive history of restricting access to content, including paywalling higher quality content,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=And_You_Like_It_Too |date=Dec 16, 2023 |title=How much licensed content does Netflix display in premium formats (4K, HDR/Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos) in the 4K tier? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/18k554z/how_much_licensed_content_does_netflix_display_in/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reddit |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250711211159/https://old.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/18k554z/how_much_licensed_content_does_netflix_display_in/ |archive-date=11 Jul 2025}}</ref> increasing costs of service, combatting password sharing, and more.
*User Privacy: Extensive history of collecting and selling user data.
*Business Model: Streaming service content, [[advertising overload]]
*Market Competition: Extensive, including free platforms like [[Roku]] TV and Pluto TV, and premium platforms such as [[Disney+]], Hulu, and [[HBO Max]].

==Controversies==

===Stream-quality controversy===
{{Main|Netflix stream-quality controversy}}
Discovered as early as December 2023,<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rikki1256 |date=Dec 2, 2023 |title=Netflix requirements to watch 4k that you paid for |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/189odn6/netflix_requirements_to_watch_4k_that_you_paid_for/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reddit |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250212081853/https://old.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/189odn6/netflix_requirements_to_watch_4k_that_you_paid_for/ |archive-date=12 Feb 2025}}</ref> ''Netflix'' has not clearly defined<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Netflix Support |title=Netflix supported browsers and system requirements |url=https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081 |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=help.netflix.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260123055327/https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081 |archive-date=23 Jan 2026}}</ref> every restriction for how users are capable of accessing higher quality streaming content, despite 4k content being a specified tier consumers pay for.

===Advertising overload===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}
Netflix was among one of the first<ref name=":8">[https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831 Ads on Netflix] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260211165421/https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831 Archived])</ref> premium streaming services to integrate advertisements on top of having to pay for the service. Since then, the platform has sought progressively more avenues to integrate advertisements, including further ads.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Share of adults who think there were too many ads on video streaming services in the United States as of September 2021, by generation |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307619/video-streaming-advertising-frequency-by-generation-us/ |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Statista]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114022848/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307619/video-streaming-advertising-frequency-by-generation-us/ |archive-date=14 Nov 2025}}</ref> These advertisements have also increased the amount of data that Netflix can collect, and by extension, sell.

Due to the amount of data that Netflix has been able to sell due to advertisement integration, it has also encouraged the company to raise the costs of ad-free tiers, so subscribers are forced either paying more to not see ads, or witness an increasing barrage of advertisements.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Roettgers |first=Janko |date=23 Sep 2023 |title=Why every streaming service wants you to watch ads now |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90956587/why-every-streaming-service-wants-you-to-watch-ads-now |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Fast Company]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251127234258/https://www.fastcompany.com/90956587/why-every-streaming-service-wants-you-to-watch-ads-now |archive-date=27 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Additionally, starting from 2025, Netflix will be using generative AI to "serve the right ad to the right member at the right time" to subscribers of the lowest paying tier.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=May 18, 2025 |title=Netflix puts AI ads in paid tier: pirate EVERYTHING at this point... 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhvDXmFEeUI |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QhvDXmFEeUI |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Netflix |date=May 14, 2025 |title=Netflix Upfront 2025: The Center of Attention |url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-upfront-2025-the-center-of-attention |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Netflix About |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260219040735/https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-upfront-2025-the-center-of-attention |archive-date=19 Feb 2026}}</ref> The nature of generative AI raises concerns about the quality of these advertisements. Said advertisements may also encourage further user tracking in order to "tailor" the content. Consumers were especially provoked by certain phrases used by Netflix' President of Advertising, Amy Reinhard at the Upfront 2025. Reinhard claimed that "When you compare us to our competitors, attention starts much higher and ends ''much'' higher. And even more impressive, members pay as much attention to mid-roll ads as they do to the shows and the movies themselves"<ref name=":4" />, which further raised concerns about user privacy.

===DRM Restrictions===
Netflix has historically halted access for certain consumer devices merely due to the fact that these devices cannot support PlayReady DRM.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whitnam |first=Ryan |date=Nov 12, 2019 |title=Netflix Is Killing Support for Some TVs and Roku Boxes Because of DRM |url=https://www.extremetech.com/internet/301842-netflix-is-killing-support-for-some-tvs-and-roku-boxes-because-of-drm |access-date=May 19, 2025 |work=Extreme Tech |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251210033700/https://www.extremetech.com/internet/301842-netflix-is-killing-support-for-some-tvs-and-roku-boxes-because-of-drm |archive-date=10 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Torbet |first=Georgina |date=Nov 12, 2019 |title=Netflix explains why its apps won't work on older TVs and set-top boxes |url=https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-12-netflix-older-hardware-drm.html |access-date=May 18, 2025 |work=Engadget |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251019203319/https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-12-netflix-older-hardware-drm.html |archive-date=19 Oct 2025}}</ref> The usage of [[Digital rights management|DRM]] has also brought forth criticism from organizations such as Defective by Design and the Free Software Foundation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rogoff |first=Zak |date=Jul 12, 2013 |title=Cancel Netflix if you value freedom |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/cancel-netflix-if-you-value-freedom |access-date=May 18, 2025 |work=Free Software Foundation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218121127/https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/cancel-netflix-if-you-value-freedom |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farough |first=Greg |date=Dec 16, 2020 |title=IDAD 2020 sent Netflix and DRM a message |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/idad-2020-sent-netflix-and-drm-a-message |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Free Software Foundation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209053635/https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/idad-2020-sent-netflix-and-drm-a-message |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref>

Previously until October 2014, Linux couldn't support Netflix for streaming strictly due to a lack of DRM support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wallen |first=Jack |date=Aug 14, 2010 |title=The Netflix Linux conjecture: How Netflix snubs the Linux community |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/the-netflix-linux-conjecture-how-netflix-snubs-the-linux-community/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020232704/https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/the-netflix-linux-conjecture-how-netflix-snubs-the-linux-community/ |archive-date=Oct 20, 2015 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=TechRepublic}}</ref>

===Selling identifiable user data===
From 2006 through 2010, ''Netflix'' held competitions to improve its recommendation system via '''The Netflix Prize''<nowiki/>'.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Netflix |title=The Netflix Prize |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924184639/http://www.netflixprize.com/community/viewtopic.php?id=1537 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://www.netflixprize.com//community/viewtopic.php?id=1537 |archive-date=Sep 24, 2009 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Netflix}}</ref> These competitions had prizes that were valued at $50k or higher.<ref name=":3" /> This has brought several privacy concerns from its userbase, and led to at least 2 lawsuits<ref>{{Cite news |last=Demerjian |first=Dave |date=Mar 15, 2007 |title=Rise of the Netflix Hackers |url=https://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72963 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928235912/http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72963 |archive-date=Sep 28, 2015 |access-date=May 15, 2025 |work=WIRED}}</ref> concerning these competitions<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singel |first=Ryan |date=Dec 17, 2009 |title=Netflix Spilled Your Brokeback Mountain Secret, Lawsuit Claims |url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/netflix-privacy-lawsuit/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227060413/http://www.wired.com/2009/12/netflix-privacy-lawsuit/ |archive-date=Feb 27, 2016 |access-date=May 19, 2015 |work=WIRED}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 6, 2023 |title=DOE et al v. NETFLIX, INC. et al, No. 1:2022cv01281 - Document 155 (S.D. Ind. 2023) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/indiana/insdce/1:2022cv01281/201228/155/ |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Justia |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174450/https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/indiana/insdce/1:2022cv01281/201228/155/ |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref> which were found to be capable of leaking identifiable information, and especially could have been worsened had their sequel series successfully launched, as data such as renters' ages, gender, ZIP codes, genre ratings and previously chosen movies were provided to these research teams.

===Illegal retention of user data===
In 2011, Netflix settled a lawsuit regarding the retention of user data that was at least 2 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stangel |first=Luke |date=Mar 25, 2013 |title=Netflix settles $9 million privacy lawsuit |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/03/25/netflix-settles-9-million-privacy.html |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Silicon Valley Business Journal |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209150923/https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/03/25/netflix-settles-9-million-privacy.html |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref>{{Citation needed}}

===GDPR violation===
On November 26, 2024, the Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed an administrative fine of €4.75 million to Netflix for not properly informing customers about processing their data between the years 2018 and 2020. The lack of transparency and unclear information given by Netflix was in direct violation of several articles of the [[GDPR]].<ref>Dutch Data Protection Authority. (2024). Decision to impose an administrative fine for violation of the GDPR (Dutch DPA). Dutch Data Protection Authority. https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/system/files?file=2024-12/Decision%20fine%20Netflix.pdf ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174443/https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/system/files?file=2024-12/Decision%20fine%20Netflix.pdf Archived])</ref>

===Netflix delisting 23 game titles===
On July 15 2025<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=2025-08-17 |title=Netflix is letting go of some of its best indie games |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=theverge.com |publication-date=2025-06-24 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218114342/https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref>, some games provided by the "Netflix Games" service were pulled, and of those games that were already downloaded became unplayable too which has caused users to lose access to their saved games with no way to transfer or even play them as most were exclusive to Netflix Games.

{{Main|Netflix delisting 23 game titles}}

===Dark Patterns===

====Autoplay====
Netflix, like other streaming services, automatically plays another unsolicited video (trailer or episode) by default in order. In a scientific study, this has shown to significantly increase viewing hours since it deprives people of the time to actively decide if they want to continue watching or not.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redenbaugh |first=Miranda |date=2025-03-04 |title=Scientists study the hidden cost of Netflix's autoplay |url=https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-hidden-netflix-autoplay.html |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=TechXplore |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112142954/https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-hidden-netflix-autoplay.html |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref>

The feature can also be considered disrespectful to the filmmakers who worked on the productions as their names are no longer shown at the end because end credits are cut off by the feature.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=2025-11-12 |title=My petty gripe: autoplay trailers – give me more than 10 seconds before trying to make me watch The Diplomat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/12/my-petty-gripe-autoplay-trailers-give-me-more-than-10-seconds-before-trying-to-make-me-watch-the-diplomat |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

Users have also complained that they are subjected to the same trailers over and over again with no way to decline:<ref name=":5" /><blockquote>''Netflix wants me to watch The Diplomat so badly, I can’t even have 10 seconds for a little cry after finishing Adolescence without being forced to dive for the remote to stop Netflix autoplaying the trailer for The Diplomat. […]

It’s not just Adolescence. It actually doesn’t seem to matter what I choose to watch; Netflix offers The Diplomat. Robert Eggers’ The Northman? Try The Diplomat, Netflix tells me 10 seconds into the credits. Dune: Part Two? You’ll love The Diplomat. The Brutalist? KPop Demon Hun– just kidding.''</blockquote>The feature is on by default, but [https://help.netflix.com/en/node/121518 can be disabled in Netflix Settings].

==Positive incidents==
===Refunds for Italian consumers due to unjustified price hikes (2026)===
On April 1st, 2026, a court in Rome, Italy, stated that Netflix's price hikes from 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 were unlawful and not justified with valid reasons. The lawsuit was brought by a consumer-advocate movement named ''Movimento Consumatori'', claiming the price modifications were violating the [[Consumer Code]], an Italian legislation aimed to protect Italian consumer rights.

The Rome court mandated Netflix to inform in the next 90 days to inform their Italian consumers about the right of get a refund.
Consumers subscribed to the premium tier have the right to get a refund of approximately 500 euros, and standard tier subscribed have the right to get a refund of approximately 250 euros. Basic tier subscribers also have the right to get a refund.

Along with this, Netflix was also mandated to modify their subscription prices in Italy, with the order to modify premium tier price from €19.99 to €11.99 and the standard tier price from €13.99 to €9.99.

A Netflix spokeperson appealed, claiming they "take consumer rights very seriously" and they believe their terms and conditions "have always been in line with Italian law and practice".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=3 Apr 2026 |title=Netflix must refund customers for years of price hikes, Italian court rules |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260403174600/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/ |archive-date=2026-04-03 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[HBO Max]]
*[[Hulu]]
*[[Crunchyroll]]
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Netflix]]

Netflix

2026-04-07T01:21:18Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: Positive incidents & See also

{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American media streaming and media publisher originally known for disc rentals.
|Founded=1997
|Industry=Entertainment, Streaming
|Logo=Netflix 2015 logo.svg
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Public
|Website=https://www.netflix.com/
}}
[[wikipedia:Netflix|Netflix, Inc.]] is a media streaming service and publisher, founded in 1997 by ''Reed Hastings'' and ''Marc Randolph'' formerly for remote video rentals, it eventually became the pioneer of the video streaming industry in 2007, eventually turning to more anti-consumer practices in the mid-2010s and later.

==Consumer-impact summary==

*User Freedom: Extensive history of restricting access to content, including paywalling higher quality content,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=And_You_Like_It_Too |date=Dec 16, 2023 |title=How much licensed content does Netflix display in premium formats (4K, HDR/Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos) in the 4K tier? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/18k554z/how_much_licensed_content_does_netflix_display_in/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reddit |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250711211159/https://old.reddit.com/r/netflix/comments/18k554z/how_much_licensed_content_does_netflix_display_in/ |archive-date=11 Jul 2025}}</ref> increasing costs of service, combatting password sharing, and more.
*User Privacy: Extensive history of collecting and selling user data.
*Business Model: Streaming service content, [[advertising overload]]
*Market Competition: Extensive, including free platforms like [[Roku]] TV and Pluto TV, and premium platforms such as [[Disney+]], Hulu, and [[HBO Max]].

==Controversies==

===Stream-quality controversy===
{{Main|Netflix stream-quality controversy}}
Discovered as early as December 2023,<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rikki1256 |date=Dec 2, 2023 |title=Netflix requirements to watch 4k that you paid for |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/189odn6/netflix_requirements_to_watch_4k_that_you_paid_for/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reddit |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250212081853/https://old.reddit.com/r/Piracy/comments/189odn6/netflix_requirements_to_watch_4k_that_you_paid_for/ |archive-date=12 Feb 2025}}</ref> ''Netflix'' has not clearly defined<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Netflix Support |title=Netflix supported browsers and system requirements |url=https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081 |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=help.netflix.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260123055327/https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081 |archive-date=23 Jan 2026}}</ref> every restriction for how users are capable of accessing higher quality streaming content, despite 4k content being a specified tier consumers pay for.

===Advertising overload===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}
Netflix was among one of the first<ref name=":8">[https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831 Ads on Netflix] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260211165421/https://help.netflix.com/en/node/126831 Archived])</ref> premium streaming services to integrate advertisements on top of having to pay for the service. Since then, the platform has sought progressively more avenues to integrate advertisements, including further ads.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=11 Sep 2021 |title=Share of adults who think there were too many ads on video streaming services in the United States as of September 2021, by generation |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307619/video-streaming-advertising-frequency-by-generation-us/ |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Statista]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114022848/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1307619/video-streaming-advertising-frequency-by-generation-us/ |archive-date=14 Nov 2025}}</ref> These advertisements have also increased the amount of data that Netflix can collect, and by extension, sell.

Due to the amount of data that Netflix has been able to sell due to advertisement integration, it has also encouraged the company to raise the costs of ad-free tiers, so subscribers are forced either paying more to not see ads, or witness an increasing barrage of advertisements.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Roettgers |first=Janko |date=23 Sep 2023 |title=Why every streaming service wants you to watch ads now |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90956587/why-every-streaming-service-wants-you-to-watch-ads-now |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Fast Company]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251127234258/https://www.fastcompany.com/90956587/why-every-streaming-service-wants-you-to-watch-ads-now |archive-date=27 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Additionally, starting from 2025, Netflix will be using generative AI to "serve the right ad to the right member at the right time" to subscribers of the lowest paying tier.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=May 18, 2025 |title=Netflix puts AI ads in paid tier: pirate EVERYTHING at this point... 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhvDXmFEeUI |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=QhvDXmFEeUI |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Netflix |date=May 14, 2025 |title=Netflix Upfront 2025: The Center of Attention |url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-upfront-2025-the-center-of-attention |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Netflix About |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260219040735/https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-upfront-2025-the-center-of-attention |archive-date=19 Feb 2026}}</ref> The nature of generative AI raises concerns about the quality of these advertisements. Said advertisements may also encourage further user tracking in order to "tailor" the content. Consumers were especially provoked by certain phrases used by Netflix' President of Advertising, Amy Reinhard at the Upfront 2025. Reinhard claimed that "When you compare us to our competitors, attention starts much higher and ends ''much'' higher. And even more impressive, members pay as much attention to mid-roll ads as they do to the shows and the movies themselves"<ref name=":4" />, which further raised concerns about user privacy.

===DRM Restrictions===
Netflix has historically halted access for certain consumer devices merely due to the fact that these devices cannot support PlayReady DRM.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whitnam |first=Ryan |date=Nov 12, 2019 |title=Netflix Is Killing Support for Some TVs and Roku Boxes Because of DRM |url=https://www.extremetech.com/internet/301842-netflix-is-killing-support-for-some-tvs-and-roku-boxes-because-of-drm |access-date=May 19, 2025 |work=Extreme Tech |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251210033700/https://www.extremetech.com/internet/301842-netflix-is-killing-support-for-some-tvs-and-roku-boxes-because-of-drm |archive-date=10 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Torbet |first=Georgina |date=Nov 12, 2019 |title=Netflix explains why its apps won't work on older TVs and set-top boxes |url=https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-12-netflix-older-hardware-drm.html |access-date=May 18, 2025 |work=Engadget |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251019203319/https://www.engadget.com/2019-11-12-netflix-older-hardware-drm.html |archive-date=19 Oct 2025}}</ref> The usage of [[Digital rights management|DRM]] has also brought forth criticism from organizations such as Defective by Design and the Free Software Foundation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rogoff |first=Zak |date=Jul 12, 2013 |title=Cancel Netflix if you value freedom |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/cancel-netflix-if-you-value-freedom |access-date=May 18, 2025 |work=Free Software Foundation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218121127/https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/cancel-netflix-if-you-value-freedom |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farough |first=Greg |date=Dec 16, 2020 |title=IDAD 2020 sent Netflix and DRM a message |url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/idad-2020-sent-netflix-and-drm-a-message |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Free Software Foundation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209053635/https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/idad-2020-sent-netflix-and-drm-a-message |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref>

Previously until October 2014, Linux couldn't support Netflix for streaming strictly due to a lack of DRM support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wallen |first=Jack |date=Aug 14, 2010 |title=The Netflix Linux conjecture: How Netflix snubs the Linux community |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/the-netflix-linux-conjecture-how-netflix-snubs-the-linux-community/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020232704/https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/the-netflix-linux-conjecture-how-netflix-snubs-the-linux-community/ |archive-date=Oct 20, 2015 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=TechRepublic}}</ref>

===Selling identifiable user data===
From 2006 through 2010, ''Netflix'' held competitions to improve its recommendation system via '''The Netflix Prize''<nowiki/>'.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Netflix |title=The Netflix Prize |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924184639/http://www.netflixprize.com/community/viewtopic.php?id=1537 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://www.netflixprize.com//community/viewtopic.php?id=1537 |archive-date=Sep 24, 2009 |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Netflix}}</ref> These competitions had prizes that were valued at $50k or higher.<ref name=":3" /> This has brought several privacy concerns from its userbase, and led to at least 2 lawsuits<ref>{{Cite news |last=Demerjian |first=Dave |date=Mar 15, 2007 |title=Rise of the Netflix Hackers |url=https://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72963 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928235912/http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/72963 |archive-date=Sep 28, 2015 |access-date=May 15, 2025 |work=WIRED}}</ref> concerning these competitions<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singel |first=Ryan |date=Dec 17, 2009 |title=Netflix Spilled Your Brokeback Mountain Secret, Lawsuit Claims |url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/netflix-privacy-lawsuit/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227060413/http://www.wired.com/2009/12/netflix-privacy-lawsuit/ |archive-date=Feb 27, 2016 |access-date=May 19, 2015 |work=WIRED}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 6, 2023 |title=DOE et al v. NETFLIX, INC. et al, No. 1:2022cv01281 - Document 155 (S.D. Ind. 2023) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/indiana/insdce/1:2022cv01281/201228/155/ |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Justia |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174450/https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/indiana/insdce/1:2022cv01281/201228/155/ |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref> which were found to be capable of leaking identifiable information, and especially could have been worsened had their sequel series successfully launched, as data such as renters' ages, gender, ZIP codes, genre ratings and previously chosen movies were provided to these research teams.

===Illegal retention of user data===
In 2011, Netflix settled a lawsuit regarding the retention of user data that was at least 2 years old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stangel |first=Luke |date=Mar 25, 2013 |title=Netflix settles $9 million privacy lawsuit |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/03/25/netflix-settles-9-million-privacy.html |access-date=May 19, 2025 |website=Silicon Valley Business Journal |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251209150923/https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/03/25/netflix-settles-9-million-privacy.html |archive-date=9 Dec 2025}}</ref>{{Citation needed}}

===GDPR violation===
On November 26, 2024, the Dutch Data Protection Authority imposed an administrative fine of €4.75 million to Netflix for not properly informing customers about processing their data between the years 2018 and 2020. The lack of transparency and unclear information given by Netflix was in direct violation of several articles of the [[GDPR]].<ref>Dutch Data Protection Authority. (2024). Decision to impose an administrative fine for violation of the GDPR (Dutch DPA). Dutch Data Protection Authority. https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/system/files?file=2024-12/Decision%20fine%20Netflix.pdf ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250708174443/https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/system/files?file=2024-12/Decision%20fine%20Netflix.pdf Archived])</ref>

===Netflix delisting 23 game titles===
On July 15 2025<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=2025-08-17 |title=Netflix is letting go of some of its best indie games |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=theverge.com |publication-date=2025-06-24 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251218114342/https://www.theverge.com/news/692227/netflix-games-delisting-hades-braid-gaming-strategy |archive-date=18 Dec 2025}}</ref>, some games provided by the "Netflix Games" service were pulled, and of those games that were already downloaded became unplayable too which has caused users to lose access to their saved games with no way to transfer or even play them as most were exclusive to Netflix Games.

{{Main|Netflix delisting 23 game titles}}

===Dark Patterns===

====Autoplay====
Netflix, like other streaming services, automatically plays another unsolicited video (trailer or episode) by default in order. In a scientific study, this has shown to significantly increase viewing hours since it deprives people of the time to actively decide if they want to continue watching or not.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redenbaugh |first=Miranda |date=2025-03-04 |title=Scientists study the hidden cost of Netflix's autoplay |url=https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-hidden-netflix-autoplay.html |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=TechXplore |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112142954/https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-hidden-netflix-autoplay.html |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref>

The feature can also be considered disrespectful to the filmmakers who worked on the productions as their names are no longer shown at the end because end credits are cut off by the feature.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=2025-11-12 |title=My petty gripe: autoplay trailers – give me more than 10 seconds before trying to make me watch The Diplomat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/12/my-petty-gripe-autoplay-trailers-give-me-more-than-10-seconds-before-trying-to-make-me-watch-the-diplomat |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=The Guardian}}</ref>

Users have also complained that they are subjected to the same trailers over and over again with no way to decline:<ref name=":5" /><blockquote>''Netflix wants me to watch The Diplomat so badly, I can’t even have 10 seconds for a little cry after finishing Adolescence without being forced to dive for the remote to stop Netflix autoplaying the trailer for The Diplomat. […]

It’s not just Adolescence. It actually doesn’t seem to matter what I choose to watch; Netflix offers The Diplomat. Robert Eggers’ The Northman? Try The Diplomat, Netflix tells me 10 seconds into the credits. Dune: Part Two? You’ll love The Diplomat. The Brutalist? KPop Demon Hun– just kidding.''</blockquote>The feature is on by default, but [https://help.netflix.com/en/node/121518 can be disabled in Netflix Settings].

==Positive incidents==
===Refunds for Italian consumers due to unjustified price hikes (2026)===
On April 1st, 2026, a court in Rome, Italy, stated that Netflix's price hikes from 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 were unlawful and not justified with valid reasons. The lawsuit was brought by a consumer-advocate movement named ''Movimento Consumatori'', claiming the price modifications were violating the [[Consumer Code]], an Italian legislation aimed to protect Italian consumer rights.

The Rome court mandated Netflix to inform in the next 90 days to inform their Italian consumers about the right of get a refund.
Consumers subscribed to the premium tier have the right to get a refund of approximately 500 euros, and standard tier subscribed have the right to get a refund of approximately 250 euros. Basic tier subscribers also have the right to get a refund.

Along with this, Netflix was also mandated to modify their subscription prices in Italy, with the premium tier modified from €19.99 to €11.99 and the standard tier from €13.99 to €9.99.

A Netflix spokeperson appealed, claiming they "take consumer rights very seriously" and they believe their terms and conditions "have always been in line with Italian law and practice".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=3 Apr 2026 |title=Netflix must refund customers for years of price hikes, Italian court rules |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260403174600/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/04/netflix-ordered-to-refund-subscribers-up-to-e500-for-unlawful-price-hikes/ |archive-date=2026-04-03 |access-date=7 Apr 2026 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[HBO Max]]
*[[Hulu]]
*[[Crunchyroll]]
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Netflix]]

Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business

2026-04-07T00:49:40Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Impact */

{{StubNotice}}
{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Micron
|StartDate=2025-12-03
|EndDate=
|Status=Active
|ProductLine=Crucial components
|Product= DRAM, SSDs
|ArticleType=Incident
|Type=
|Description=Micron announces the exit of Crucial from consumer business to focus in AI and datacenters}}
On December 3, 2025 [[Micron|Micron Technology]] announced that Crucial will exit from the consumer business to focus in the AI business.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=2025-12-03 |title=After nearly 30 years, Crucial will stop selling RAM to consumers |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/after-nearly-30-years-crucial-will-stop-selling-ram-to-consumers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216094824/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/after-nearly-30-years-crucial-will-stop-selling-ram-to-consumers/ |archive-date=2026-02-16 |access-date=2026-03-14}}</ref>

Micron no longer does Crucial product shipments, this since February 2026. Micron will "provide continued warranty service and support for Crucial products" and "continue to support the sale of Micron-branded enterprise products to commercial channel customers globally"
<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=3 Dec 2025 |title=Micron Announces Exit from Crucial Consumer Business |url=https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124004930/https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |archive-date=24 Jan 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Background==
The high interest towards artificial intelligence and their lucrative capacity has caused many tech companies to invest on it to increase their revenue. {{Citation needed}} Micron decided to partner with the AI companies, such as [[OpenAI]], to supply AI datacenters with [[wikipedia:Dynamic_random-access_memory|dynamic random-access memory (DRAM)]], as they require great amounts of memory to work properly.

For the consumer market, there are only 3 major companies that make DRAM known as "The Big Three": [[Samsung]], Micron, and [[SK Hynix]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3057590/report-desperate-pc-manufacturers-turn-to-china-for-ram.html|title=Report: Desperate PC manufacturers are turning to China for RAM|date=2026-02-10|work=PC World|first=Michael|last=Crider |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260212071148/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3057590/report-desperate-pc-manufacturers-turn-to-china-for-ram.html |archive-date=12 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Incident==

Micron announced they quit from consumer business with a justification to supply the AI industry<ref name=":0" />:
{{Quote|''The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments''}}

===Affected products===
All Crucial components (DRAM, SSDs)

==Impact==
The retirement of Crucial products have been affected the [[RAM Shortage |overall price of RAMs]] and other computer components, such as solid-state disks (SSDs).

This also has caused Micron's competitors, Samsung and SK Hynix to increase their component prices as there's less competition, slowed consumer production and less available units for regular consumers. {{Citation needed}}

==Micron's response==
In January 2026, WCCFetch released an interview with Christopher Moore, Micron's VP of Marketing, Mobile and Client Business Unit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zuhair |first=Muhammad |date=11 Jan 2026 |title=Micron Exclusive: Why Consumers Have Gotten the Memory Shortage Narrative All Wrong |url=https://wccftech.com/micron-exclusive-why-consumers-have-gotten-the-memory-shortage-narrative-all-wrong/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260304214014/https://wccftech.com/micron-exclusive-why-consumers-have-gotten-the-memory-shortage-narrative-all-wrong/ |archive-date=2026-03-04}}</ref> When asked whether memory suppliers are inclined towards catering to the AI sectors and leaving consumers behind. Moore replied using [[dark patterns]] in an attempt to convince users that they're "helping consumers around the world":
{{Quote|''Well, first I would want to try to help everybody understand that the perception may not be exactly correct, at least from our point of view. So I would never want to tell someone what to think or that they're wrong, but our viewpoint is that we are trying to help consumers around the world. We're just doing it through different channels. We still have a very sizable business in the client and mobile markets. We are also, of course, servicing our data center customers.

And what's going on right now is that the TAM and data center is growing just absolutely tremendously. And we want to make sure that, as a company, we help fulfill that TAM as well.''}}

==Consumer response==
Micron's decision to supply AI businesses and Moore's response caused outrage by consumers. {{Citation needed}}

With the shortage produced by the partnership of RAM manufacturers to supply AI datacenters, several consumers have gone to view different alternatives that include acquiring Chinese RAMs<ref name=":1" /> or looking for older memories such as DDR4 or even DDR3.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business

2026-04-06T19:48:57Z

ClippyWantsToHelp:

{{StubNotice}}
{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Micron
|StartDate=2025-12-03
|EndDate=
|Status=Active
|ProductLine=Crucial components
|Product= DRAM, SSDs
|ArticleType=Incident
|Type=
|Description=Micron announces the exit of Crucial from consumer business to focus in AI and datacenters}}
On December 3, 2025 [[Micron|Micron Technology]] announced that Crucial will exit from the consumer business to focus in the AI business.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=2025-12-03 |title=After nearly 30 years, Crucial will stop selling RAM to consumers |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/after-nearly-30-years-crucial-will-stop-selling-ram-to-consumers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216094824/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/after-nearly-30-years-crucial-will-stop-selling-ram-to-consumers/ |archive-date=2026-02-16 |access-date=2026-03-14}}</ref>

Micron no longer does Crucial product shipments, this since February 2026. Micron will "provide continued warranty service and support for Crucial products" and "continue to support the sale of Micron-branded enterprise products to commercial channel customers globally"
<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=3 Dec 2025 |title=Micron Announces Exit from Crucial Consumer Business |url=https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124004930/https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |archive-date=24 Jan 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Background==
The high interest towards artificial intelligence and their lucrative capacity has caused many tech companies to invest on it to increase their revenue. {{Citation needed}} Micron decided to partner with the AI companies, such as [[OpenAI]], to supply AI datacenters with [[wikipedia:Dynamic_random-access_memory|dynamic random-access memory (DRAM)]], as they require great amounts of memory to work properly.

For the consumer market, there are only 3 major companies that make DRAM known as "The Big Three": [[Samsung]], Micron, and [[SK Hynix]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3057590/report-desperate-pc-manufacturers-turn-to-china-for-ram.html|title=Report: Desperate PC manufacturers are turning to China for RAM|date=2026-02-10|work=PC World|first=Michael|last=Crider |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260212071148/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3057590/report-desperate-pc-manufacturers-turn-to-china-for-ram.html |archive-date=12 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Incident==

Micron announced they quit from consumer business with a justification to supply the AI industry<ref name=":0" />:
{{Quote|''The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments''}}

===Affected products===
All Crucial components (DRAM, SSDs)

==Impact==
The retirement of Crucial products have been affected the overall price of [[RAM Shortage |RAMs]] and other computer components, such as solid-state disks (SSDs).

This also has caused Micron's competitors, Samsung and SK Hynix to increase their component prices as there's less competition, slowed consumer production and less available units for regular consumers. {{Citation needed}}

==Micron's response==
In January 2026, WCCFetch released an interview with Christopher Moore, Micron's VP of Marketing, Mobile and Client Business Unit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zuhair |first=Muhammad |date=11 Jan 2026 |title=Micron Exclusive: Why Consumers Have Gotten the Memory Shortage Narrative All Wrong |url=https://wccftech.com/micron-exclusive-why-consumers-have-gotten-the-memory-shortage-narrative-all-wrong/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260304214014/https://wccftech.com/micron-exclusive-why-consumers-have-gotten-the-memory-shortage-narrative-all-wrong/ |archive-date=2026-03-04}}</ref> When asked whether memory suppliers are inclined towards catering to the AI sectors and leaving consumers behind. Moore replied using [[dark patterns]] in an attempt to convince users that they're "helping consumers around the world":
{{Quote|''Well, first I would want to try to help everybody understand that the perception may not be exactly correct, at least from our point of view. So I would never want to tell someone what to think or that they're wrong, but our viewpoint is that we are trying to help consumers around the world. We're just doing it through different channels. We still have a very sizable business in the client and mobile markets. We are also, of course, servicing our data center customers.

And what's going on right now is that the TAM and data center is growing just absolutely tremendously. And we want to make sure that, as a company, we help fulfill that TAM as well.''}}

==Consumer response==
Micron's decision to supply AI businesses and Moore's response caused outrage by consumers. {{Citation needed}}

With the shortage produced by the partnership of RAM manufacturers to supply AI datacenters, several consumers have gone to view different alternatives that include acquiring Chinese RAMs<ref name=":1" /> or looking for older memories such as DDR4 or even DDR3.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

RAM Shortage

2026-04-06T19:21:26Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Corporate response */

{{Stub}}
{{IncidentCargo
|Company=OpenAI, Samsung, Micron
|StartDate=2025-10-01
|Status=Active
|ArticleType=Product
|Type=Price Fixing, Supply Shortage
|Description=OpenAI has made large RAM purchasing deals with major manufacturers for its Stargate project, leading to a consumer shortage of RAM globally.
}}

The '''RAM shortage''' or '''RAM crisis''' started around the end of 2025 as a consequence of AI companies making deals with hardware manufacturers to produce and supply the AI companies with [[wikipedia:Dynamic_random-access_memory|dynamic random-access memory (DRAM)]]. This caused a significant supply shortage and corresponding price increase of DRAM in the consumer market.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ehrhardt |first=Michelle |date=2025-12-10 |title=Why RAM Prices Are Going Way, Way Up (and Why You Should Care) |url=https://lifehacker.com/tech/ram-prices-going-up#:~:text=But%20the%20largest%20RAM%20price,doubled%20profits%20over%20last%20year. |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Lifehacker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260107025034/https://lifehacker.com/tech/ram-prices-going-up |archive-date=7 Jan 2026}}</ref> Prices of other computer components, such as [[wikipedia:Solid-state_drive|solid-state drives (SSDs)]] and [[wikipedia:Graphics_processing_unit|graphics processing units (GPUs)]] have also increased, although at a lesser scale.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garreffa |first=Anthony |date=2025-12-27 |title=AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards will be more expensive in early 2026 because of DRAM crisis |url=https://www.tweaktown.com/news/109484/amd-and-nvidia-graphics-cards-will-be-more-expensive-in-early-2026-because-of-dram-crisis/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=TweakTown |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260111210901/https://www.tweaktown.com/news/109484/amd-and-nvidia-graphics-cards-will-be-more-expensive-in-early-2026-because-of-dram-crisis/index.html |archive-date=11 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Munnawer |first=Amna |date=2026-02-12 |title=Why SSDs Are Getting More Expensive In 2026? |url=https://directmacro.com/blog/post/why-ssds-are-getting-expensive |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Direct Macro |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260220191816/https://directmacro.com/blog/post/why-ssds-are-getting-expensive |archive-date=20 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nasir |first=Hassam |date=2026-02-17 |title=New report shows RAM prices are continuing to fall in Germany, US trends less certain — SSDs and HDDs are more expensive than ever in the States |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/new-report-shows-ram-prices-are-continuing-to-fall-in-germany-u-s-trends-less-certain-ssds-and-hdds-are-more-expensive-than-ever |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Tom's Hardware |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260218163201/https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/new-report-shows-ram-prices-are-continuing-to-fall-in-germany-u-s-trends-less-certain-ssds-and-hdds-are-more-expensive-than-ever |archive-date=18 Feb 2026}}</ref> [[File:CrucialProOverclocking32GB(2x16GB)DDR5-6000CL36MemoryPriceIncreasePCPartPicker.png|thumb|A screenshot of a graph from [https://pcpartpicker.com/ PcPartPicker] taken on 02-06-2026 showing the price increase of the product ''Crucial Pro Overclocking 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory'']]

==Background==
With the release of [[ChatGPT]], [[OpenAI]] became the leading pioneer of artificial intelligence. Seeing this, more companies wanted to develop their own AI models and build infrastructure to compete in the AI market. [[Samsung]], [[Micron]], and [[SK Hynix]] are the main RAM producers for consumers and corporations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crider |first=Michael |date=2026-02-10 |title=Report: Desperate PC manufacturers are turning to China for RAM |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3057590/report-desperate-pc-manufacturers-turn-to-china-for-ram.html |access-date=2026-02-11 |work=PC World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260224121921/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3057590/report-desperate-pc-manufacturers-turn-to-china-for-ram.html |archive-date=24 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Causes of the shortage==
On October 1st 2025, OpenAI signed deals with major memory manufacturers to secure 40% of global RAM production.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shilov |first=Anton |date=2025-10-01 |title=OpenAI's Stargate project to consume up to 40% of global DRAM output — inks deal with Samsung and SK hynix to the tune of up to 900,000 wafers per month |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/dram/openais-stargate-project-to-consume-up-to-40-percent-of-global-dram-output-inks-deal-with-samsung-and-sk-hynix-to-the-tune-of-up-to-900-000-wafers-per-month |access-date=2026-02-11 |website=Tom's Hardware |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260115053840/https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/dram/openais-stargate-project-to-consume-up-to-40-percent-of-global-dram-output-inks-deal-with-samsung-and-sk-hynix-to-the-tune-of-up-to-900-000-wafers-per-month |archive-date=15 Jan 2026}}</ref> As of February 2026, RAM prices have tripled compared to October 2025. By late 2026, AI datacenters are expected to take 70% of all RAM usage. It is expected the RAM shortage could last until 2028.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Darragh |date=2026-01-14 |title='DRAM shortages could persist for quite some time now': Micron on RAM crisis lasting until 2028 with high AI demand, 'we are still servicing the consumer market' |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/theres-just-not-enough-supply-to-go-around-micron-believes-ram-shortage-wont-improve-until-2028-at-least-until-the-ai-demand-starts-to-fade-away |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Tom's Guide |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222085320/https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/theres-just-not-enough-supply-to-go-around-micron-believes-ram-shortage-wont-improve-until-2028-at-least-until-the-ai-demand-starts-to-fade-away |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Corporate response==

===Micron===
{{Main|Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business}}
In December 2025, Micron announced and retired their consumer-targeted brand, Crucial, from the consumer market. This affected RAM memories and solid state disks (SSDs). Micron took this iniciative to supply AI data centers. After February 2026, shipments of Crucial products are no longer done. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Kumar |first=Satya |last2=Plungy |first2=Mark |date=2025-12-03 |title=Micron Announces Exit from Crucial Consumer Business |url=https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |access-date=2026-02-11 |website=Micron |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260220192654/https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |archive-date=20 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Samsung===
Samsung has promised to continue selling SSDs despite rumors that it had plans to leave the consumer market.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Batt |first=Simon |date=2025-12-15 |title=No, we're not backing out of the consumer SSD market, says Samsung |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/not-backing-out-of-consumer-ssd-market-samsung/#:~:text=We%27ll%20keep%20selling%20SSDs%20to%20the%20consumer%2C%20says%20Samsung&text=Right%20now%2C%20we%27re%20seeing,supplying%20us%20with%20its%20hardware. |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=XDA Developers |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260109215923/https://www.xda-developers.com/not-backing-out-of-consumer-ssd-market-samsung/ |archive-date=9 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Consequences==
The shortage of DRAM has already affected personal computing, with consequences like:
*Samsung and SK Hynix have increased RAM prices due to slowed production and less competition from Micron.
*The DRAM price increase has also increased the price to purchase a whole new computer, making computers a less accessible product for a regular consumer.
*Some manufacturers selling their computers without DRAM included. One notable example is Maingear, who has started their own BYO (bring your own) RAM program.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bring your own RAM, we’ll build you a complete PC. |url=https://maingear.com/blogs/promotions/maingear-byo-ram-program |access-date=2026-02-11 |website=Maingear |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260208065852/https://maingear.com/blogs/promotions/maingear-byo-ram-program |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref>
*Consumers resorting to buying DDR4 <ref>{{Cite web |last=Murtaza |first=Fawad |date=2026-01-22 |title=AMD Zen 3 AM4 CPU prices surge as customers flock to desktop processors with DDR4 support |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Zen-3-AM4-CPU-prices-surge-as-customers-flock-to-desktop-processors-with-DDR4-support.1209042.0.html |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=NotebookCheck |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260224121950/https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Zen-3-AM4-CPU-prices-surge-as-customers-flock-to-desktop-processors-with-DDR4-support.1209042.0.html |archive-date=24 Feb 2026}}</ref>, and even DDR3, to avoid higher prices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yee |first=Alainia |date=2026-01-23 |title=Surprise! DDR3 isn’t dead—and it might be the budget PC gaming answer you need |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3040452/surprise-ddr3-isnt-dead-and-it-might-be-the-budget-pc-gaming-answer-you-need.html |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=PC Gamer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124075610/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3040452/surprise-ddr3-isnt-dead-and-it-might-be-the-budget-pc-gaming-answer-you-need.html |archive-date=24 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kinghorn |first=Jess |date=2026-01-14 |title=Seeing the absolute state of memory pricing, Chinese DIY community opts for DDR3 motherboards instead |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/memory/seeing-the-absolute-state-of-memory-pricing-chinese-diy-community-opts-for-ddr3-motherboards-instead/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=PC Gamer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260117162610/https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/memory/seeing-the-absolute-state-of-memory-pricing-chinese-diy-community-opts-for-ddr3-motherboards-instead/ |archive-date=17 Jan 2026}}</ref><br />
==Consumer response==
The RAM shortage has caused outrage amongst consumers, talking about how manufacturers are prioritizing the profits of the AI market and ignoring regular consumers. Lots of content on social media has been posted talking about the topic and its negative impact on personal computing, for example by highlighting the potential fulfillment of Jeff Bezos' desire for consumers to rent computing power from the cloud; taking away ownership<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corden |first=Jez |date=2026-01-13 |title=Jeff Bezos said the quiet part out loud — hopes that you'll give up your PC to rent one from the cloud |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/artificial-intelligence/jeff-bezos-says-the-quiet-part-out-loud-bezos-envisions-that-youll-give-up-your-pc-for-an-ai-cloud-version |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Windows Central |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221193537/https://www.windowscentral.com/artificial-intelligence/jeff-bezos-says-the-quiet-part-out-loud-bezos-envisions-that-youll-give-up-your-pc-for-an-ai-cloud-version |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>, and increasingly by making several YouTube videos stating how this will impact the future of home computing. <ref>{{Cite web |last=MonkeyExplains |first= |date=2026-01-18 |title=RAM Prices Are Worse Then You Think |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfOREULEqRU |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Youtube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=IfOREULEqRU |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gamers Nexus |date=2025-12-05 |title=WTF Just Happened? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A-eeJP0J7c&t=633s |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=Youtube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=9A-eeJP0J7c |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><br />

==References==
{{reflist}}

Micron

2026-04-06T19:09:36Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* See also */ RAM shortage link

{{StubNotice}}{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=1978-10
|Industry=Semiconductors, Computer hardware
|Logo=Micron Technology logo 2024.svg
|Type=Public
|Website=https://www.micron.com/
|Description=American producer of computer components, such as DRAM, flash memory and SSDs. Their headquarters are located in Boise, Idaho.
}}

'''{{Wplink|Micron_Technology|Micron Technology, Inc}}''', also known simply as '''Micron''', is an American technology company that designs and sells computer components such as dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), flash memory and solid state disks (SSDs). It was founded in 1978 in Boise, Idaho, by Ward Parkinson, Joe Parkinson, Dennis Wilson and Doug Pitman. [[Crucial]], their consumer-targeted brand, was pretty known for their products amongst PC gamers.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==

===Crucial exits from consumer global business (''December 2025'')===
{{Main|Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business}}
On December 3, 2025, Micron announced that they will no longer be producing and selling Crucial components for consumers, to focus exclusively in the AI and data centers market. They also announced they will continue their consumer product shipments until the end of fiscal Q2 occurs (February 2026).
<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 Dec 2025 |title=Micron Announces Exit from Crucial Consumer Business |url=https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124004930/https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |archive-date=24 Jan 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Products==
* Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)
* Solid State Disks (SSDs)
* Flash Memory

==See also==
*[[Artificial intelligence]]
*[[RAM Shortage]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Micron

2026-04-06T19:08:23Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Incidents */ main article link name modification

{{StubNotice}}{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=1978-10
|Industry=Semiconductors, Computer hardware
|Logo=Micron Technology logo 2024.svg
|Type=Public
|Website=https://www.micron.com/
|Description=American producer of computer components, such as DRAM, flash memory and SSDs. Their headquarters are located in Boise, Idaho.
}}

'''{{Wplink|Micron_Technology|Micron Technology, Inc}}''', also known simply as '''Micron''', is an American technology company that designs and sells computer components such as dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), flash memory and solid state disks (SSDs). It was founded in 1978 in Boise, Idaho, by Ward Parkinson, Joe Parkinson, Dennis Wilson and Doug Pitman. [[Crucial]], their consumer-targeted brand, was pretty known for their products amongst PC gamers.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==

===Crucial exits from consumer global business (''December 2025'')===
{{Main|Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business}}
On December 3, 2025, Micron announced that they will no longer be producing and selling Crucial components for consumers, to focus exclusively in the AI and data centers market. They also announced they will continue their consumer product shipments until the end of fiscal Q2 occurs (February 2026).
<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 Dec 2025 |title=Micron Announces Exit from Crucial Consumer Business |url=https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124004930/https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |archive-date=24 Jan 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Products==
* Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)
* Solid State Disks (SSDs)
* Flash Memory

==See also==
*[[Artificial intelligence]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Exit of Crucial from consumer business

2026-04-06T19:07:01Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: ClippyWantsToHelp moved page Exit of Crucial from consumer business to Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business: renamed to match better title formats

#REDIRECT [[Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business]]

Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business

2026-04-06T19:07:01Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: ClippyWantsToHelp moved page Exit of Crucial from consumer business to Micron retires Crucial products from consumer business: renamed to match better title formats

{{StubNotice}}
{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Micron
|StartDate=2025-12-03
|EndDate=
|Status=Active
|ProductLine=Crucial components
|Product= DRAM, SSDs
|ArticleType=Incident
|Type=
|Description=Micron announces the exit of Crucial from consumer business to focus in AI and datacenters}}
On December 3, 2025 [[Micron|Micron Technology]] announced that Crucial will exit from the consumer business to focus in the AI business.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=2025-12-03 |title=After nearly 30 years, Crucial will stop selling RAM to consumers |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/after-nearly-30-years-crucial-will-stop-selling-ram-to-consumers/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260216094824/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/12/after-nearly-30-years-crucial-will-stop-selling-ram-to-consumers/ |archive-date=2026-02-16 |access-date=2026-03-14}}</ref>

Micron will do Crucial product shipments until February 2026. Micron will "provide continued warranty service and support for Crucial products" and "continue to support the sale of Micron-branded enterprise products to commercial channel customers globally"
<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=3 Dec 2025 |title=Micron Announces Exit from Crucial Consumer Business |url=https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124004930/https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-exit-crucial-consumer-business |archive-date=24 Jan 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Background==

The high interest towards artificial intelligence and their lucrative capacity has caused many tech companies to invest on it to increase their revenue. {{Citation needed}} For the consumer market, there are only 3 major companies that make DRAM known as "The Big Three": Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3057590/report-desperate-pc-manufacturers-turn-to-china-for-ram.html|title=Report: Desperate PC manufacturers are turning to China for RAM|date=2026-02-10|work=PC World|first=Michael|last=Crider |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260212071148/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3057590/report-desperate-pc-manufacturers-turn-to-china-for-ram.html |archive-date=12 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Incident==

Micron announced they quit from consumer business with a justification to supply the AI industry<ref name=":0" />:
{{Quote|''The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments''}}

===Affected products===
All Crucial components (DRAM, SSDs)

==Micron's response==
In January 2026, WCCFetch released an interview with Christopher Moore, Micron's VP of Marketing, Mobile and Client Business Unit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zuhair |first=Muhammad |date=11 Jan 2026 |title=Micron Exclusive: Why Consumers Have Gotten the Memory Shortage Narrative All Wrong |url=https://wccftech.com/micron-exclusive-why-consumers-have-gotten-the-memory-shortage-narrative-all-wrong/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260304214014/https://wccftech.com/micron-exclusive-why-consumers-have-gotten-the-memory-shortage-narrative-all-wrong/ |archive-date=2026-03-04}}</ref> When asked whether memory suppliers are inclined towards catering to the AI sectors and leaving consumers behind. Moore replied using [[dark patterns]] in an attempt to convince users that they're "helping consumers around the world":
{{Quote|''Well, first I would want to try to help everybody understand that the perception may not be exactly correct, at least from our point of view. So I would never want to tell someone what to think or that they're wrong, but our viewpoint is that we are trying to help consumers around the world. We're just doing it through different channels. We still have a very sizable business in the client and mobile markets. We are also, of course, servicing our data center customers.

And what's going on right now is that the TAM and data center is growing just absolutely tremendously. And we want to make sure that, as a company, we help fulfill that TAM as well.''}}

==Consumer response==
Micron's decision to supply AI businesses and Moore's response caused outrage by consumers. {{Citation needed}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}

Anthropic

2026-04-05T17:35:29Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Price crackdown against third-party tool usage (2026) */ typo

{{StubNotice}}{{CompanyCargo
|Founded = 2021
|Industry = Artificial Intelligence
|Description = American AI startup founded in 2021 commonly known for their family of LLMs named Claude.
|Website = https://anthropic.com
|Logo = Anthropic logo.png
|Type=Private
}}

Anthropic PBC is a private for-profit American [[artificial intelligence]] (AI) startup founded in 2021. Anthropic is mainly known for their family of large language models (LLMs) known as [[Claude]].

==Consumer impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
===Price crackdown against third-party tool usage (2026)===
During April 3rd, 2026, Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, posted on [[X]] announcing Claude subscriptions will "no longer support third-party tools", such as OpenClaw because it puts an "outsized strain" on Anthropic's systems. The changes took effect on April 4th, and now to use third-party tools the user must pay a separate fee from subscription or use a separate [[Claude]] API key through Anthropic's developer platform. It is rumored this action was done to prevent Claude users from using tools from competitors, as OpenClaw is supported by [[OpenAI]]. <ref>https://x.com/bcherny/status/2040206441756471399 - [https://x.com/bcherny/status/2040206441756471399| Archived]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Lloyd |date=3 Apr 2026 |title=Anthropic says Claude subscriptions will no longer support OpenClaw because it puts an 'outsized strain' on systems |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-cuts-off-openclaw-support-claude-subscriptions-2026-4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260404024034/https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-cuts-off-openclaw-support-claude-subscriptions-2026-4 |archive-date=2026-04-04 |access-date=5 Apr 2026 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ha |first=Anthony |date=4 Apr 2026|title=Anthropic says Claude Code subscribers will need to pay extra for OpenClaw usage |url=https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/04/anthropic-says-claude-code-subscribers-will-need-to-pay-extra-for-openclaw-support/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260404163645/https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/04/anthropic-says-claude-code-subscribers-will-need-to-pay-extra-for-openclaw-support/ |archive-date=2026-04-04 |access-date=5 Apr 2026 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>

==Products==
*[[Claude]]
*Claude Code
*Cowork

==See also==
*[[OpenAI]]
*[[CursorAI "unlimited" plan rug pull]]
*[[ChatGPT]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Anthropic

2026-04-05T06:14:00Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Price crackdown against third-party tool usage (2026) */

{{StubNotice}}{{CompanyCargo
|Founded = 2021
|Industry = Artificial Intelligence
|Description = American AI startup founded in 2021 commonly known for their family of LLMs named Claude.
|Website = https://anthropic.com
|Logo = Anthropic logo.png
|Type=Private
}}

Anthropic PBC is a private for-profit American [[artificial intelligence]] (AI) startup founded in 2021. Anthropic is mainly known for their family of large language models (LLMs) known as [[Claude]].

==Consumer impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
===Price crackdown against third-party tool usage (2026)===
During April 3rd, 2026, Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, posted on [[X]] announcing Claude subscriptions will "no longer support third-party tools", such as OpenClaw because it puts an "outsized strain" on Anthropic's systems. The changes took effect on April 4th, and now to use third-party tools the user must pay a separate fee from subscription or use a separate [[Claude]] API key thoughs Anthropic's developer platform. It is rumored this action was done to prevent Claude users from using tools from competitors, as OpenClaw is supported by [[OpenAI]]. <ref>https://x.com/bcherny/status/2040206441756471399 - [https://x.com/bcherny/status/2040206441756471399| Archived]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Lloyd |date=3 Apr 2026 |title=Anthropic says Claude subscriptions will no longer support OpenClaw because it puts an 'outsized strain' on systems |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-cuts-off-openclaw-support-claude-subscriptions-2026-4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260404024034/https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-cuts-off-openclaw-support-claude-subscriptions-2026-4 |archive-date=2026-04-04 |access-date=5 Apr 2026 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ha |first=Anthony |date=4 Apr 2026|title=Anthropic says Claude Code subscribers will need to pay extra for OpenClaw usage |url=https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/04/anthropic-says-claude-code-subscribers-will-need-to-pay-extra-for-openclaw-support/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260404163645/https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/04/anthropic-says-claude-code-subscribers-will-need-to-pay-extra-for-openclaw-support/ |archive-date=2026-04-04 |access-date=5 Apr 2026 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>

==Products==
*[[Claude]]
*Claude Code
*Cowork

==See also==
*[[OpenAI]]
*[[CursorAI "unlimited" plan rug pull]]
*[[ChatGPT]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Anthropic

2026-04-05T06:09:50Z

ClippyWantsToHelp: /* Incidents */ Claude Code price crackdown against third-party tools such as OpenClaq

{{StubNotice}}{{CompanyCargo
|Founded = 2021
|Industry = Artificial Intelligence
|Description = American AI startup founded in 2021 commonly known for their family of LLMs named Claude.
|Website = https://anthropic.com
|Logo = Anthropic logo.png
|Type=Private
}}

Anthropic PBC is a private for-profit American [[artificial intelligence]] (AI) startup founded in 2021. Anthropic is mainly known for their family of large language models (LLMs) known as [[Claude]].

==Consumer impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
===Price crackdown against third-party tool usage (2026)===
During April 3rd, 2026, Boris Cherny, head of Claude Code, posted on [[X]] announcing Claude subscriptions will "no longer support third-party tools", such as OpenClaw because it puts an "outsized strain" on Anthropic's systems. The changes took effect on April 4th, and now to use third-party tools the user must pay a separate fee from subscription or use a separate [[Claude]] API key thoughs Anthropic's developer platform. It rumored this action was done to prevent Claude users from using tools from competitors, as OpenClaw is supported by [[OpenAI]]. <ref>https://x.com/bcherny/status/2040206441756471399 - [https://x.com/bcherny/status/2040206441756471399| Archived]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Lloyd |date=3 Apr 2026 |title=Anthropic says Claude subscriptions will no longer support OpenClaw because it puts an 'outsized strain' on systems |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-cuts-off-openclaw-support-claude-subscriptions-2026-4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260404024034/https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-cuts-off-openclaw-support-claude-subscriptions-2026-4 |archive-date=2026-04-04 |access-date=5 Apr 2026 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ha |first=Anthony |date=4 Apr 2026|title=Anthropic says Claude Code subscribers will need to pay extra for OpenClaw usage |url=https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/04/anthropic-says-claude-code-subscribers-will-need-to-pay-extra-for-openclaw-support/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260404163645/https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/04/anthropic-says-claude-code-subscribers-will-need-to-pay-extra-for-openclaw-support/ |archive-date=2026-04-04 |access-date=5 Apr 2026 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>

==Products==
*[[Claude]]
*Claude Code
*Cowork

==See also==
*[[OpenAI]]
*[[CursorAI "unlimited" plan rug pull]]
*[[ChatGPT]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]