Privacy

1974 readers

249 users here now

Icon base by Lorc under CC BY 3.0 with modifications to add a gradient

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

Ategon@programming.dev

danielintempesta@programming.dev

Australia is quietly rolling out age checks for search engines like Google (www.abc.net.au)

submitted 1 week ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/privacy@programming.dev

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Australians will soon be subjected to mandatory age checks across the internet landscape, in what has been described as a huge and unprecedented change.

Search engines are next in line for the same controversial age-assurance technology behind the teen social media ban, and other parts of the internet are likely to follow suit.

At the end of June, Australia quietly introduced rules forcing companies such as Google and Microsoft to check the ages of logged-in users, in an effort to limit children's access to harmful content such as pornography.

But experts have warned the move could compromise Australians' privacy online and may not do much to protect young people.

top 10 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] SlartyBartFast@sh.itjust.works 8 points 6 days ago

Age verification can

[–] 01011@monero.town 4 points 6 days ago

Children will always look for ways around authoritarian measures. I know I did.

[–] Pappabosley@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

The great firewall of Australia. Albanese must be getting some good tips from Xi. Noted also that the tech companies basically wrote the legislation and it's just letting them hoover up more personal data

[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 27 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Kids are smart. They’ll figure out SearXNG or Qwant faster than you can watch the vertical video that taught them the tricks.

[–] FundMECFS@quokk.au 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Honestly it’s kind of cool because these sort of restrictions are exactly what might give us a more privacy and techy new generation.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 5 points 6 days ago

The problem is that not everyone will do so. For every techie there's 10 kool-aid drinkers.

[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 week ago

When you build walls, people learn to climb. Dig a moat, and they learn to swim.

[–] SpicyLizards@reddthat.com 23 points 1 week ago

It's literally another authoritarian step. They take what few inferred freedoms exist and slowly erode them - as they have since that bastard howard. It's already gone far too far.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 week ago

Did Rupert Murdoch move back and purchase the government? WTF is this shit?

[–] onlinepersona@programming.dev 15 points 1 week ago

Beyond concerns about the accuracy of age-assurance technology and the VPN workaround, the new search engine rules will still allow users to access adult content simply by not logging in.