When No ID Means No Internet: Age Verification and the Right to Access Information

Executive Summary

This post was co-authored by Sheila B. Lalwani , a doctorate student and recent COMPASS Fellow hosted by EFF. Age verification proposals are often presented as a simple tradeoff: sacrifice a little privacy to better safeguard children online. But that framing overlooks a more fundamental question. What happens to people who cannot verify their age at all? This is particularly a problem when users are required to prove their age with identity documents.

Open Silicon & Gate-Level Hardware Inspection

From a silicon and hardware engineering viewpoint: - **Interface Neutrality:** Mitigates dependency on proprietary BSPs, empowering open toolchains to address hardware directly. - **Supply Chain Verification:** Schematics and open pinouts allow deterministic audits against silicon errata. - **Lifecycle Decoupling:** Decouples physical hardware utility from commercial vendor end-of-life obsolescence.

Impact on the Open Ecosystem

Ensures that computational autonomy remains in the hands of the architect rather than closed silicon vendors.