A new investigation by nonprofit group AI Forensics has revealed that AgeGO, a company tasked with verifying users’ ages before accessing adult content, may be exposing sensitive personal information and browsing data. Instead of complying with France’s “double anonymity” standard—which requires that age verification providers remain blind to which sites users visit—AgeGO’s system reportedly transmits URLs, video titles, and site names, along with facial scans, IP addresses, browser details, and email addresses. The data is then sent to Amazon Web Services, raising serious concerns about mass surveillance disguised as child protection. Operators of adult sites in France say they were pressured by media regulator Arcom to deploy AgeGO under unrealistic deadlines despite warning about privacy risks.

The revelations come as France, and now other nations, roll out stricter digital ID and age verification requirements for online content. Privacy advocates warn that these systems are not only vulnerable to abuse but may also pave the way for broader surveillance of internet activity. France’s data protection authority and Arcom are reviewing AI Forensics’ findings, but critics say the damage highlights the dangers of rushing such policies without robust safeguards. In the U.S., where no federal privacy law exists, the Age Verification Providers Association is lobbying for unified rules to address growing distrust. Meanwhile, some users are resorting to VPNs and alternative DNS services to bypass intrusive verification systems—underscoring how the debate over digital identity is increasingly tied to the fight over online freedom and privacy.

SOURCE: Reclaim the Net