EFFecting Change is EFF's livestream series that takes you on a deep dive into the privacy and free speech issues shaping the future of technology. In EFFecting Change's 2025 season, we invited panelists from all over the globe to answer your questions about the new administration, the future of social media, and artificial intelligence. Check out the 2026 EFFecting Change lineup to join new conversations with the experts!
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EFFecting Change in 2026
The Human Cost of Online Age Verification
January 15 at 12:00 PM PT
Age verification mandates are spreading fast, and they’re ushering in a new age of online surveillance, censorship, and exclusion for everyone—not just young people. Age-gating laws generally require websites and apps to collect sensitive data from every user, often through invasive tools like ID checks, biometric scans, or other dubious “estimation” methods, before granting them access to certain content or services. Lawmakers tout these laws as the silver-bullet solution to “kids’ online safety,” but in reality, age-verification mandates wall off large swaths of the web, build sweeping new surveillance infrastructure, increase the risk of data breaches and real-life privacy harms, and threaten the anonymity that has long allowed people to seek support, explore new ideas, and organize and build community online.
Join our panel for a conversation about what we stand to lose as more and more governments push to age-gate the web. We’ll break down how these laws work, who they exclude, and how these mandates threaten privacy and free expression for people of all ages.
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