Apple iOS now requires age verification to access websites it deems 18+. Not even using another browser like Firefox works, it’s blocked at the OS level.

I was putting off switching to Graphene or e/os until prices improve, but looks like my hand is forced.

Edit: VPN doesn’t even work because Apple knows your GPS location. I haven’t tried location spoofing yet because that’s a bit more annoying to setup.

  • smiletolerantly@awful.systemsEnglish
    313·
    1 day ago

    I’m a bit confused. “Decive-level parental controls” have been touted on Lemmy whenever anything age-gating-related has come up on the service side.

    Now here they are. And you don’t need to scan your face, it seems. “You’ve had this account for a long time” or “you have a credit card” seem to be pretty sane unlock methods, using data Apple already has from you.

    • Zarobi@aussie.zoneOPEnglish
      18·
      1 day ago

      When I clicked to confirm my identity out of curiosity, it asked to scan my government ID (drivers licence). I could also use a credit card if I had one. My concern is this phrasing:

      Apple and its trusted service providers use the image of your ID to confirm you are an adult and prevent fraud. The image of your ID is kept for a short time to complete this process, after which it is deleted.

      Trusted service providers. That means it’s being shared with a 3rd party age verification service, which have already been “hacked” very recently, and were keeping photos longer than they said they would. No thanks.

      • redballooon@lemmy.worldEnglish
        13·
        1 day ago

        Ah so you answered my question in this sub thread.

        But that procedure doesn’t strike me as insensible. I honestly have more problems with a stance that expects companies breaking their contracts by default. I’m all for better controls where appropriate, but as a default stance this disallows you to do anything in our world. It’s just not possible to do anything if you say no to every contract that requires your identity.

        • Zarobi@aussie.zoneOPEnglish
          4·
          1 day ago

          It’s already happened where identity providers had a data leak, and it has been exposed the extensive surveillance they participate in. You can’t trust these companies with your data.

          Age verification vendor Persona left frontend exposed

          researchers found details about the extensive surveillance Persona software can perform. Beyond checking their age, the software can perform 269 distinct verification checks, run facial recognition against watchlists and politically exposed persons, screen “adverse media” across 14 categories (including terrorism and espionage), and assign risk and similarity scores.

          Persona collects—and can retain for up to three years—IP addresses, browser and device fingerprints, government ID numbers, phone numbers, names, faces, plus a battery of “selfie” analytics like suspicious-entity detection, pose repeat detection, and age inconsistency checks.

          Never upload your government ID and selfie; it’s an extreme risk to your online privacy. In recent years, and depending where you live, it could be a risk to your physical safety as well. First thing that came to my mind is detecting whether the user “looks [gender] enough” to detect transitions.

    • TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      81·
      1 day ago

      Some people think the only problem with censorship is implementation, for some reason. Others like me think it’s fundamentally a bad idea that will hurt marginalised and queer youth.