“Steam started blocking Australian users from viewing or buying 18+ rated games on September 9, 2026, unless they attach a valid credit card to their account. Valve’s rollout affects hundreds of mature-rated titles, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Doom Eternal, and it doesn’t matter whether the account is brand new or fifteen years old with a library full of paid-for adult games. Without a credit card on file, those store pages, search results, and even home-page recommendations simply disappear.”
Unlike America, it’s actually fair to say Australia is the best country in the world, but in this one particular area I feel the need to reiterate that I bloody hate this country.
The government is using age verification (and identity verification) requirements to do a job that really should be left to parental controls, while the thing that’s actually a concern (recommendation algorithms) is just left to an opt-outs.
And while American conspiracy theorists are completely off-base, Australia is a country where the government (and the people who elect the government) see it perfectly fine to thought police people.
Obviously at the next election I’m putting the Pirate Party first, but they have no chance of winning and there are no credible alternatives that are actually going to oppose this identity verification for adult content. One Nation, aside from being evil personified, would 100% not do that freedom of speech constitutional amendment they promise once they get a taste of real power.
The duopoly did wonders marketing against the greens, it’s almost like the greater unwashed cannot even see them.