logo
How zero-knowledge tools can help us verify age and protect privacy online

How zero-knowledge tools can help us verify age and protect privacy online

The Hill7 hours ago
In June, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that he'll ban social media for children under 15, stating, 'Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let's do it.'
We've all seen what that 'verification' actually looks like: 'I'm over 18.' One click, and you're in. This is how the internet currently 'protects' minors. It's laughable, until you realize that this system is failing millions of children and teens every day.
In the U.S., Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson also highlighted this profound inadequacy, calling simple date-of-birth entries 'little to no barrier' for underage access.
This admission from a top regulator underscores what many have long known: Current systems throughout the world are failing our children.
The other extreme can be even worse. Platforms requiring actual age verification often demand personal documents and store them in databases that have become high-value targets for bad actors. In December, Signzy, a major know-your-customer provider, suffered a malware attack exposing customer data, including scans of IDs and selfie biometrics.
Similarly, in January, a massive data breach at education technology provider PowerSchool compromised the sensitive information of 60 million students. Such events are clear indicators of systemic vulnerabilities.
Exposing personal identifiable data could lead bad actors right to the doorstep of children, youth and family members, the exact opposite of what age verification requirements are supposed to accomplish.
Today's age verification tools were not designed for the digital age. Applying financial-focused risk management procedures (like 'know-your-customer') to social platforms or gaming sites is invasive and dangerous.
When sensitive documents are uploaded and stored on third-party servers, data breaches aren't a matter of if, only when.
For kids and families, this is unacceptable. For developers and platforms, it creates massive legal and regulatory challenges. For society, we're missing an opportunity to implement real protection that respects privacy.
We're caught in a false choice: either no protection at all or too much vulnerable surveillance. But we no longer have to choose between these two failures. Zero-knowledge identity protocols remove this mutual exclusivity with enhanced security, privacy and user experience.
Zero-knowledge cryptographic technology allows someone to prove something is true without revealing the underlying information.
Think of it as showing you're old enough to enter a venue without showing your ID or revealing your name. The mathematical proof confirms that you meet the requirement.
This approach enables users to cryptographically prove their age without exposing other sensitive information. For instance, they can confirm they are over 18 without revealing their exact birthdate or other identifiable features beyond what's necessary.
The process generally involves a few key stages. Initially, a user interacts with their government-issued ID through a secure application, often on a smartphone. This interaction permits the extraction of necessary data directly from the document's secure elements.
Next, a cryptographic proof is generated. This proof is a mathematical assertion that the user meets a specific age criterion (e.g., over 18). Crucially, this proof contains no personally identifiable information itself; it only confirms the truth of the age claim.
This privacy-preserving proof can then be shared with an online service or platform.
The platform verifies the proof's authenticity and validity using cryptographic techniques, confirming the user's age qualification without ever accessing or storing the underlying personal data from the ID. The platform learns only if the user is old enough.
Major tech companies are already recognizing the potential. Google announced that it's integrating zero-knowledge proof technology into Google Wallet for age verification, with partners like Bumble already on board.
Developers can integrate zero-knowledge age verification into their applications through open-source libraries and verification contracts.
These systems check the cryptographic proof and confirm whether a user meets the defined minimum age threshold, all without storing or even seeing the user's full identity.
The programmability of these systems is crucial for global deployment. Zero-knowledge protocols can automatically adjust to local regulations (e.g., age 16, 18 or 21) while maintaining the same privacy guarantees.
Consider how this technology transforms real-world platforms.
Gaming sites verify users meet age requirements without collecting ID copies. Dating apps confirm users' real ages without accessing other personal information.
Content platforms gate mature content based on cryptographic proof rather than self-reported information or vulnerable document storage.
This is privacy-first protection, enforceable by code and leveraging proven cryptographic technologies. Users maintain full control over their information, choosing what to disclose in each online interaction.
We shouldn't accept that verifying a child's age online requires sacrificing privacy, or that doing nothing is acceptable either.
The regulatory landscape is already shifting.
New York's SAFE for Kids Act began requiring platforms to use age determination technology and restrict 'addictive' feeds to minors without parental consent.
Other legislation, like the federal Take It Down Act and state-level App Store accountability acts, also signals a move towards stricter online safety, though some raise privacy concerns about mass data collection.
Current age verification methods are also proving unreliable.
The United Kingdom's Office of Communications recently fined OnlyFans operator Fenix International approximately $1.4 million for providing inaccurate information about its age verification, highlighting how even 'advanced' biometric systems can fail.
As legislation aimed at protecting minors online continues to evolve, the technology industry should lead by example. We can protect vulnerable users without exposing their most sensitive information to bad actors.
We can continue with systems that either don't work or create massive privacy risks, or we can embrace cryptographic solutions that protect both children and privacy.
Platforms now have access to privacy-preserving tools that respect both user autonomy and legal responsibility. There's no excuse not to build better. Parents deserve peace of mind, kids deserve safety and we all deserve a more thoughtful internet.
With increasing regulatory scrutiny and growing public demand for better protections, the impetus to shift away from ineffective checkboxes and invasive data collection toward genuinely workable solutions is clear: It is time to move on from the checkbox era.
Rene Reinsberg is an entrepreneur who has co-founded multiple ventures including Celo, Self and Locu (acquired by GoDaddy). Jane Khodarkovsky is a former trial attorney and human trafficking finance specialist in the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Criminal Division, in the U.S. Department of Justice. She is currently a partner at Arktouros.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Candace Owens sued by French President Macron and wife over transgender claims
Candace Owens sued by French President Macron and wife over transgender claims

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Candace Owens sued by French President Macron and wife over transgender claims

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, are suing right-wing podcaster Candace Owens over claims she made that the first lady was born a man. The defamation lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Delaware Superior Court, is seeking an unspecified amount of damages from Owens, who alleged in an eight-part series called 'Becoming Brigitte' that France's first lady stole another person's identity before transitioning to a woman. Owens claimed Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her older brother. She spread the allegations in podcasts, YouTube videos and social media posts, and also sold merchandise promoting the claim. The Macrons have asked Owens multiple times for retractions since December, but she has continued to repeat the 'outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions,' the lawsuit says. 'These lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons ... (subjecting them) to a campaign of global humiliation, turning their lives into fodder for profit-driven lies,' the suit states. 'Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family and their personal history — twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade. The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale.' The complaint includes 22-counts against Owens and her business entities. The Macrons claim she published her defamatory statements with 'actual malice,' meaning she recklessly and knowingly released false information. In response to the lawsuit, Owens indicated she has no plans to retract her statements or stop spreading her allegations. 'This is a foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist,' a spokesperson for Owens said, according to CBS News. 'Candace repeatedly requested an interview with Brigitte Macron. Instead of offering a comment, Brigitte is resorting to trying to bully a reporter into submission. In France, politicians can bully journalists, but this is not France. It's America.' Owens also posted about the lawsuit on her Instagram Story, captioning a photo of the Macrons with 'I will be coming for this wig today. Stay tuned.' The Macrons sued two French women for spreading similar claims in 2022. The women were acquitted and the case is now headed to a higher court on appeal. _____

Emanuel, Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens for claiming French first lady was born a man who groomed her allegedly gay husband
Emanuel, Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens for claiming French first lady was born a man who groomed her allegedly gay husband

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Emanuel, Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens for claiming French first lady was born a man who groomed her allegedly gay husband

Conspiracy-spewing podcaster Candace Owens was slapped with a defamation lawsuit Wednesday by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, for claiming that the first lady was born a male who groomed her allegedly gay husband. The Paris power couple accused Owens of pushing a conspiracy theory that Mrs. Macron 'was born a man, stole another person's identity, and transitioned to become Brigitte,' according to the 200-page complaint filed in Delaware. Owens' claims are similar to those made in France by two women whom Brigitte Macron sued in 2021. That case was initially ruled in the French first lady's favor but has been overturned on appeal. She has now taken the case to France's highest appeals court. Brigitte Macron, 72, was a 39-year-old school teacher when she became the future French leader's educator — when he was 15 — in 1993. The pair have been married for nearly two decades after getting hitched in 2007. In January, Owens — who has stirred controversy for spouting antisemitic conspiracy theories — ran an eight-part podcast series that obsessed over their May-December romance, according to the complaint. 'I believe that Emmanuel Macron is a homosexual man that was groomed from his youth,' Owens said in one of the episodes. 'I believe the individual who groomed him is now his wife. I believe that his wife was born Jean‑Michel Trogneux and transitioned in his early 30s, and I believe that the entire state is colluding to protect that secret.' 'And like I said, I would stake my entire professional career on all of those points.' The lawsuit also cited statements made by Owens on her podcast that claimed 'Mrs. Macron and President Macron are blood relatives committing incest' and that 'President Macron was chosen to be the president of France as part of the CIA‑operated MKUltra program or a similar mind‑control program.' MKUltra was a covert, illegal CIA program that conducted extensive human experiments to research mind control, interrogation methods and psychological manipulation. The agency closed down the program in 1973. Another statement cited in the lawsuit quotes Owens as saying that the Macrons 'are committing forgery, fraud, and abuses of power to conceal these secrets.' Owens also used social media to accuse President Macron of violating the law. She posted on X: 'Emmanuel Macron married a man. Which was illegal at the time that he did it.' She separately posted: 'Because his marriage was an illegal act. Emmanuel Macron broke the law when he married his groomer.' A spokesperson for Owens told The Post that the podcaster would address the lawsuit during her upcoming broadcast at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. The Post has sought comment from the Macrons' lawyers. In 2021, the French first lady sued two women for libel in France after they spread claims on social media and YouTube that she was born a man. A lower French court found the two women liable for defamation and awarded damages to Brigitte Macron and her brother in 2023. Earlier this month, the Paris Appeals Court overturned the decision, accepting a 'good faith' defense and ruling the statements not actionable, which nullified the damages award. Brigitte Macron and her brother have appealed to the Court of Cassation, France's highest appellate court, where the case remains pending. Owens is no stranger to controversy. She has repeatedly courted outrage with antisemitic remarks minimizing Hitler's ambitions as well as defending Kanye West's tweets. She has also amplified a grab bag of conspiracy theories such as questioning the moon landing and promoting COVID‑19 vaccine misinformation. Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store