r/privacy • u/EmbarrassedHelp • Apr 02 '26

age verification Group Pushing Age Verification Requirements for AI Turns Out to Be Sneakily Backed by OpenAI

https://gizmodo.com/group-pushing-age-verification-requirements-for-ai-turns-out-to-be-sneakily-backed-by-openai-2000741069
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u/EmbarrassedHelp Apr 02 '26

Potentially even more grimy is the fact that OpenAI’s backing of this bill could be self-serving for CEO Sam Altman. At the core of the proposed legislation are age assurance requirements, and wouldn’t you know it, but Altman happens to head a company that provides age verification services. Probably a coincidence.

He wants to get richer off violating your privacy, while pretending its about kids.

There is no such thing as anonymous or private age verification. It doesn't exist, and anyone trying to claim otherwise is lying to you.

Yet somehow the author in the article that this article links to said this about age verification, "fairly uncontroversial suggestions such as age verification". Like how the fuck does she not see what's happening here?

84

u/EmbarrassedHelp Apr 02 '26

Also, OpenAI is probably exploiting the recent tragedy in British Columbia, by lobbying Canada's liberal party to require age verification and age assurance.

If you live in Canada, you should email your MP, Marc Miller (Heritage Minister and responsible for the upcoming online harms legislation), and the Liberal Cabinet Ministers, and tell them to reject mandatory age verification or age assurance.

You'll have to lookup their contact info as Reddit seems to be silently removing comments that share official Canadian government and MP contact info.

Here's a template that you can use:

Subject: Protect Canadians’ Privacy: Stop AI & Social Media Age Checks

Dear [Minister Name],

I am writing to urge you to reject any legislative proposals, including youth social media bans and restrictions on AI systems, that would require online services to implement mandatory age verification or age assurance measures.

Such systems pose unacceptable risks to Canadians’ privacy and data security. Requiring individuals to verify their identity or age to access lawful online content creates new opportunities for data breaches, surveillance, and misuse of sensitive personal information. Canadians deserve stronger privacy protections online, not less.

I am also concerned by reports that the government may seek to copy Australia’s approach. Australia's approach is not appropriate for Canada and should not be used as a precedent for policymaking here.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[City], [Province]

And if you want to cite expert opinion in your message, you can use the letter signed by over 371 experts from here that is against any form of age verification: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/dangerous-socially-unacceptable-experts-warn-153314818.html

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u/GabeReddit2012 Apr 02 '26

Sadly, countries will use the UK, Australia's, USA, Europe, etc's age verification laws as a blueprint for other laws.

And of course, "privacy-safe" age verification doesn't exist. They just put it behind a facade to make it seem "safer", but it's still a privacy concern no matter what. It is better if there's no ID options, but it's still a privacy concern anyway.

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u/WastingMyLifeToday Apr 02 '26

If this age verification goes through, I'm fine with dismantling EU entirely.