Post by @_elena@mastodon.social

Does anyone have any insights / scoops about the upcoming #EUKidsAct, set to be introduced this Thursday to "age gate" access to social media platforms across the EU? (Thus forcing every citizen to upload their government ID to establish their age)

I'm super worried about the impact on the #OpenSocialWeb and the Fediverse in particular.

🔗 : https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-to-propose-new-legislation-on-minors-protection-on-thursday/

I wish they would share a clear description of the platforms affected by this legislation.

#privacy #AgeVerification #EUBigTech

POLITICO

EU to propose KIDS Act on social media safety

The proposal will propose a new enforcement structure similar to existing laws’.

#eukidsact #eubigtech #opensocialweb #ageverification #privacy

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四

@yon@sakurajima.moe 5 hr. ago

@_elena These politicians should be old enough to remember Stasi, so I can only assume that is their goal.

TRIX

@studybunny@mastodon.social 11 hr. ago

@_elena since Australia's crack-down, it didn't require me to prove my age for access to Mastodon, but SpaceHey was struck from the web. It seems they only care about the Big Guys (Meta, Google, Discord)

Elena Rossini 🌈

@_elena@mastodon.social 11 hr. ago

@studybunny thank you for letting me know! somewhat reassured by this 🥲

argv minus one

@argv_minus_one@mastodon.sdf.org 6 hr. ago

@_elena @studybunny

I'm not overly reassured. Australia is so far one of very few age-verifying countries that had the good sense to limit enforcement to large commercial platforms. Most other jurisdictions seem to be doing the opposite: establishing regulations that only large commercial platforms can afford to comply with.

xbezdick

@xbezdick@masto.ai 11 hr. ago

@_elena Wouldn't all the problems of modern world be solved by simply reversing this rule? Everyone above 15 should not be allowed on internet. Period.

Renaud Chaput

@renchap@oisaur.com 11 hr. ago

@_elena maybe @maximilianhenning has some info?

Maximilian Henning

@maximilianhenning@eupolicy.social 10 hr. ago

I have a bit, but my colleague Anupriya has more here: https://www.euractiv.com/news/exclusive-von-der-leyen-to-fine-tech-companies-under-kids-act-text/

Euractiv

EXCLUSIVE: Von der Leyen to fine tech companies under Kids Act text | Euractiv

Brussels is to hit tech players with barrage of digital enforcement in child safety law text

Zło To

@mattesilver@101010.pl 12 hr. ago

@_elena I thought #EU loves #OpenSource

I guess only as long it can be exploited as source of free-as-in-beer code.

Felichs

@felichsdakatze@mastodon.social 12 hr. ago

@_elena

They like corpo web being defacto gate keepers because t&cs allow them to collect nd share data govs cannot.

They will continue to attack and chip away at foss as much as possible to frustrate self hosting if nothing else.

Remy Whisker :transgender:

@remywhisker@mastodon.social 13 hr. ago

@_elena Won't help but hurt kids (especially lgbtq+ kids) . Absolute privacy nightmare. Yep completely on track with how things have been going. God forbid we actually penalize the companies that deliberately make addicting apps. Instead let's punish the users. 🤡

hankhill787

@hankhill787@mastodon.social 12 hr. ago

@remywhisker @_elena It's by design and it's high time everybody swallow that pill. Politicians and tech oligarchs are all part of the same fraternal orders and secret groups. Their enemy is not each other it's us.

Elena Rossini 🌈

@_elena@mastodon.social 12 hr. ago

@hankhill787 @remywhisker perfectly said

Gert V 🇵🇸

@gert@social.coop 13 hr. ago

@_elena Meta is an "expert" in crowd control. So what would their "expert" advice to the neoliberal politicians be?

Kierkethumbs up convincingly

@Kierkegaanks@beige.party 13 hr. ago

@_elena my loyalty to the establishment is flickering down

DataKnightmare

@DataKnightmare@mastodon.xyz 13 hr. ago

@_elena it is an idiocy nonetheless. Yesterday's Revolut incident tells all there is to know about the "safety if IDs onilne.

Elena Rossini 🌈

@_elena@mastodon.social 13 hr. ago

@DataKnightmare totally! I was amazed by Kevin Mitnick's book "Ghost in the Wires"... and even more amazed that social engineering techniques totally work today, too

Marc Haber

@Zugschlus@zug.network 13 hr. ago

@_elena Will the ever stop using kids as excuse for removing privacy from the Internet?

Elena Rossini 🌈

@_elena@mastodon.social 13 hr. ago

@Zugschlus < insert obligatory Trojan Horse meme >

😅

Elric

@elricofmelnibone@mastodon.social 13 hr. ago

@_elena Make Parents Responsible Again.

das-g

@das_g@chaos.social 14 hr. ago

@_elena «to be introduced this Thursday» surely in the sense of «to be presented» / «to be proposed», not (yet) in the sense of «to be put into effect». 😅

You could inquire through https://www.asktheeu.org (or file a request according to Regulation 1049/2001 by yourself), but I doubt that would be answered before Thursday.

das-g

@das_g@chaos.social 13 hr. ago

@_elena Ah, I've learned about AsktheEU.org through https://mastodon.social/@fantafanta/117268080420289611, which I now see you re-tooted, so maybe you already knew about that option. 🙃

Elena Rossini 🌈

@_elena@mastodon.social 13 hr. ago

@das_g yes, but as you also anticipated, they are extremely slow to respond... like 1-2 months

jon_bon

@jon_bon@toot.cat 14 hr. ago

@_elena

Reuters says "the draft seen by Reuters". So there are no details on any EU website yet detailing what social media (e.g. if the fediverse too?) will be included when they announce it on Thursday. Looks like we have to wait and see...
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/eu-is-set-propose-ban-social-media-ai-chatbots-under-15s-2026-09-14/

View

Elena Rossini 🌈

@_elena@mastodon.social 13 hr. ago

@jon_bon thank you!

lieven

@thisislieven@c.im 14 hr. ago

@_elena Supposedly VDL will also speak about it tomorrow (have your popcorn ready? - they sure are hyping the SOTEU).

According to the Europe Morning Post it will be discussed in the Commission today and Thursday presented by both VDL and Virkkunen. It will apply to socials, gaming and AI.

Unless something leaks my guess is we just have to wait. The ambiguity may also be strategic for a long time to come though.

Elena Rossini 🌈

@_elena@mastodon.social 13 hr. ago

@thisislieven yes, definitely. #WSocial has been hyping the SOTEU livestream: "watch it on W!" ... and then yesterday I found out it's being broadcast everywhere online... YouTube too 😂 🤡

lieven

@thisislieven@c.im 13 hr. ago

@_elena Both the Commission and Parliament have been hyping it everywhere for weeks now. Even Metsola just did a vid on past SOTEUs. It's absolutely insane.

I actually think it's a good thing to make this a collective European moment but the way it's set up is just disastrous for this. Let's start with the fact that it's 09:00 CET - which is just about the busiest moment for many people. Also, regardless of what you think of VDL she isn't exactly the most charismatic and rousing orator.

Really, W Social is hyping it too? It's the least accessible social media platform there is... I doubt W has a long life.