Daily Beast Publishes Op-Ed by Cybersecurity Expert Questioning Age Verification Laws

Daily Beast Publishes Op-Ed by Cybersecurity Expert Questioning Age Verification Laws

LOS ANGELES — The Daily Beast yesterday published an opinion piece by a cybersecurity expert arguing that the current state-by-state legislative campaign to mandate age verification requirements for social media threatens online privacy and free speech.

The op-ed, titled “Social Media Age Requirements Are Anti-Free Speech,” is penned by Jeff Kosseff, associate professor of cybersecurity law in the United States Naval Academy's Cyber Science Department. In it, Kosseff explains that while age verification requirements have been promoted with the supposed goal of protecting children online, they actually “endanger the ability of Americans to operate anonymously online, as the laws require the collection of information from everyone regardless of age.”

Moreover, Kosseff points out, the various state laws being enacted across the country — under the leadership of religious conservatives, but often with bipartisan support — fail to specify what type of age verification is required.

“Indeed, their vagueness on that point suggests that nobody quite knows how to meet the requirements without creating massive privacy problems,” Kosseff notes, citing as examples the Utah law requiring parental consent for children under 18 to use social media, a copycat Arkansas law and the proposed federal “Protecting Kids on Social Media Act.”

As no company can currently guarantee the safety of personal information given the available technology, legislators wantonly display a “lack of concern for anonymity,” Kosseff contends.

“Debates about online harms often fuel calls for real-name requirements or other abrogations of anonymity,” he writes. “Although these proposals often are well intentioned, they ignore the prospect of silencing marginalized groups that do not have the luxury of speaking and receiving information under their real names.” 

Kosseff — author of the standard history of Section 230, “The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet” (2019) as well as the forthcoming “Liar in a Crowded Theater: Freedom of Speech in a World of Misinformation” — acknowledges legitimate concerns about the potential harms of social media for teenagers. However, he doubts that age verification requirements “are effective enough to survive a constitutional challenge.”

“If there is any possibility of dodging an identification requirement, there is a good chance that determined teenagers will figure out how to do so,” he concludes. “Yet millions of other social media users who play by the rules will have no choice but to turn over their personal information.”

To read “Social Media Age Requirements Are Anti-Free Speech,” visit TheDaily Beast.com.

Main Image: Jeff Kosseff (Photo: JeffKosseff.com)

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Age Verification Watch: Patching the Holes

This roundup provides an update on the latest news and developments on the age verification front as it impacts the adult industry.

Pineapple Support to Host Autism Spectrum Support Group

Pineapple Support is hosting a free online support group for performers and creators who are, or suspect they may be, on the autism spectrum.

ImLive Launches Revamped Member Loyalty Program

Cam platform ImLive has revamped its member loyalty program.

GoFundMe Set Up for Danny Ferretti's Medical Expenses

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Fangear founder Danny Ferretti, who requires extensive lung surgery.

Byborg Acquires Cuties AI

Byborg Enterprises has acquired adult artificial intelligence startup Cuties AI.

Irish Government Releases Report on Sex Work Decriminalization Legislation

The Irish government has released a report reviewing a 2017 law that decriminalized sex work across the country.

Texas Bill Would Require Age Verification for Online Sex Toy Sales

A new bill in the Texas state legislature would require online retailers to implement age verification of purchasers before selling “obscene devices” to anyone in that state.

New York Assemblyman Proposes Banning the Term 'Sex Work'

Republican New York Assembly Member Brian Maher has introduced a bill to prohibit the use of the term "sex work" in government documents.

Age Verification Watch: Michigan Joins the AV Club, Some Laws Just Make No Sense

This roundup provides an update on the latest news and developments on the age verification front as it impacts the adult industry.

Free Speech Groups Back SCOTUS Appeal of Georgia Strip Club Tax

Two civil liberties organizations filed an amicus brief Tuesday supporting a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal in a case involving whether a tax specifically aimed at adult entertainment establishments violates the First Amendment.

Show More