Hi John -

YouTube is now carding people in the U.S. to access the Internet.

The company announced it will start testing on-site age verification, using AI to estimate users’ age, and then implement certain rules for younger users and place limits on what content they can access.¹

If folks are incorrectly flagged as under-age, the only option YouTube will give people to fix it is by uploading a credit card or government ID.

This is a massive expansion of surveillance and censorship, does little to protect kids and teens, and threatens the safety of all YouTube users.

Demand YouTube remove its ID check requirement and sunset the pilot for good!

Take Action

We’ve seen misguided age verification bills spreading in the U.S. and around the world. Just last month the U.K. Online Safety Act went into effect, forcing platforms to verify users ages and gate off content deemed “inappropriate” for younger users.² And in the U.S., states including Louisiana, Indiana and Virginia require people to verify their age to access certain content online, and federal bills are popping up that would require this across the board.³

YouTube’s decision to rollout age verification is a form of “pre-compliance” and sets a dangerous precedent for the entire Internet. It smooths the path for these censorship bills to pass, paving the way for the government to control what we do and say online.

And the threat of the misuse of this information is not hypothetical—ICE and other federal agencies are already criminalizing student protesters over their surveilled social media activity.⁴ Age verification would give companies and the government more unfettered access and surveillance of our digital lives, which further endangers communities and movements already vulnerable to political attack and censorship.

Tell YouTube: ID checks makes kids and adults less safe!

Content creators that use YouTube are getting caught up in all of this as well, and will see shrinking audience sizes and pressure to self-censor in order to keep their content from being labeled as “inappropriate” or “adult” based on the platform's vague guidelines.

Right now we have the opportunity to stop this, before it becomes the norm across the Internet. If we can create enough public pressure to force YouTube to rollback this dangerous feature, it will send a resounding message to YouTube, other platforms, and lawmakers that are considering instituting online age and ID checks.

Sign the petition now to demand YouTube stop its age verification trials, and we’ll also send a message to your lawmakers demanding they oppose any bills that would require online ID checks.

Together,

Reem at Fight For the Future

Footnotes:

Fight for the Future, PO Box 55071 #95005, Boston, MA 02205
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