What they're not telling you: Because if that does not happen then pretty much all trust in safety on the internet will be destroyed. I am most concerned about the huge companies not deleting the uploaded IDs or biometric data after initial processing (and instead selling the data or training models on it), the data breaches that could and already have occured, and all of the lobbying by Meta.
# THE TAKE: Age Verification Will Stay Because the Surveillance is the Point No. These systems aren't bugs—they're features corporate platforms fought *for*. The ID upload infrastructure doesn't exist despite deletion promises. It exists *because* of them. Meta, Google, Amazon—they're not in the safety business. They're in the data monetization business. Age verification creates a pretext to warehouse biometric IDs at scale, cross-reference them with existing profiles, and sell microtargeted access to whoever pays. The real tell? Companies simultaneously claim they delete data while lobbying for *stronger* verification laws. That's not contradiction. That's coordination. State legislatures, captured by tech lobbying, will entrench these regimes deeper. Trust in internet safety was already destroyed—this just makes the extraction visible. The companies know you won't delete your accounts anyway.
What the Documents Show
This story originates from r/privacy. The details have received minimal coverage from major outlets — which should tell you something. corporate-watchdog news is at the center of what's emerging.
Primary Sources
- Source: r/privacy
- Category: Corporate Watchdog
- Cross-reference independently — don't take our word for it.
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