Legal

Social media users to verify age using official docs from June 1

2026-05-22 Per Henrikson

Papua New Guinea (PNG) announces drafting Verifiable Credentials Bill

2026-05-22 Per Henrikson

New York eyeing biometrics to stop underage betting

2026-05-11 Ian Fleming

Utah’s New Law Targeting VPNs Goes Into Effect Next Week

2026-04-30 Per Henrikson

For the last couple of years, we’ve watched the same predictable cycle play out across the globe: a state (or country) passes a clunky age-verification mandate, and, without fail, Virtual Private Network (VPN) usage surges as residents scramble to maintain their privacy and anonymity.

Europe Gliding Toward Mandatory Online Age Verification

2026-04-30 Per Henrikson

The European Union all but mandated the use of age verification technologies by large social platforms by provisionally finding that Meta broke digital rules by

Türkiye to enforce age verification, tighten online safety under 15

2026-04-27 Ian Fleming

Türkiye will introduce a new system requiring age verification through its national e-Government platform and bar children under 15 from accessing social media.

House Republicans Introduce Secure Data Act

2026-04-27 Per Henrikson

A group of House Republicans introduced the SECURE Data Act and the GUARD Financial Data Act on April 22, aiming to establish a national data privacy framework that would override existing state privacy regulations.

Refinitiv to delete politicians’ [PEP] grandchildren from its World-Check database

2026-04-26 Ian Fleming

An unusual case was due to be heard in the High Court in April 2026. It was unusual because, while there have been several data protection claims against know-your-client (KYC) databases, none had previously made it anywhere near trial.

Following Australia, Norway will ban social media for under-16s

2026-04-24 Per Henrikson

Norway’s Labour government will propose banning social media for under-16s and making platforms responsible for age verification.

Refinitiv Settles Children's World-Check Privacy Claim

2026-04-23 Ian Fleming

A court approved a settlement Monday between Refinitiv and two grandchildren of Serbian politicians over a claim that they were unlawfully identified as relatives of politically exposed people, before what would have been the first trial to consider data protection law and a know-your-client database.

US bill would mandate operating system-level age verification

2026-04-17 Ian Fleming

Companies would be required to create a system through which app developers can access the information necessary to verify a user’s age. Parents Decide Act shifts age checks from apps to OS providers, with FTC oversight and parental controls for minors.

438 Experts Said Age Verification Is Dangerous. Legislators Are Moving Forward With It Anyway.

2026-04-14 Per Henrikson

In early March, 438 security and privacy researchers from 32 countries signed a massive open letter warning that age verification mandates for the internet are technically impossible to get right, easy to circumvent, a serious threat to privacy and security, and likely to cause more harm than good. While many folks (including us at Techdirt)…