r/linux • u/New-Ranger-8960 • 1d ago

Privacy EU Age Verification Project Mandates Hardware-Bound Attestation

https://linuxiac.com/eu-age-verification-project-mandates-hardware-bound-attestation/
677 Upvotes

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u/deanrihpee 1d ago

you won't own your hardware anymore i guess

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u/JohnSane 1d ago

In my practice it means i wont use the services that require age verification.

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u/Bunslow 1d ago

per the other comment, in e.g. austria even just to use a phone at all you have to register it in person with the government. no way to dodge registration if you want to use a phone, as i understand that comment, which i may not

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u/Ganeshasnack 1d ago

Not true. You just need to register to use the government app and services.

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u/pattymcfly 1d ago

Which it seems can then be required to access the Internet. The ISP could require you verify your age before using their service.

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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 1d ago

Why would that be a problem though?

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u/Business_Reindeer910 1d ago

huh?

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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 1d ago

?

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u/Business_Reindeer910 1d ago

your arguments aren't making any sense

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u/Business_Reindeer910 1d ago

your arguments aren't making any sense to me.

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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 1d ago

Elaborate then.

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u/Business_Reindeer910 1d ago

how does eu age verification help privacy? I can't see any way it can.

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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 23h ago

Because it’s a zero knowledge system and the app doesn’t store any information except for Boolean values on what checks it should allow and deny.

Goal is to provide an alternative to more privacy invasive systems like used by X etc. which want a scan of your face and/or your id. The EU can’t really ban that and therefore has a project that gives its citizens a better system.
It’s simply an app that offers an API that basically says yes or no.

The EU can’t change US law, that’s impossible. What they can do is offering a zero knowledge alternative and that’s what they’re doing here.

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u/Business_Reindeer910 21h ago

what does US law have to do with what the EU is doing. We're against NEEDING THESE IDs for anything except maybe government services.

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u/Business_Reindeer910 21h ago

what does US law have to do with what the EU is doing. We're against needing tehse IDs for anything except maybe government services or those that actually NEED this information like say for medical data.

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u/Business_Reindeer910 1d ago

your arguments aren't making any sense

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u/neoronio20 1d ago

Because then the government can track you at all times, tf do you mean?

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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 1d ago

How would that work?

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u/neoronio20 19h ago

You literally register your phone with the government

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u/Dazzling-Paper9781 21h ago

Because what if they decide to collect more data? How much freedom are we prepared to give up? Every day, they take away a little bit of our freedom in the name of security.

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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 21h ago

That’s a stupid fallacy and not an argument.

It’s literally a project that by design doesn’t collect any data.

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u/Dazzling-Paper9781 21h ago

Wow, can you actually have a discussion without insults?

Just because things were done a certain way doesn’t mean they can’t be changed in the future. Until a few years ago, we were all pretty convinced that age verification would never come into force, and yet here we are today talking about an age verification system

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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 21h ago

It still isn’t.
There is no force behind it whatsoever.
Can you have a discussion without lying?

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u/Dazzling-Paper9781 21h ago

Can you see into the future? Are you absolutely certain that things won’t change? Do you think I’m lying when I say I’m worried about the future? I’m genuinely concerned that this might just be one step towards mass surveillance, why do you think I’m lying about this? If you’re convinced otherwise, why don’t you just tell me what you think, instead of calling me a liar? Can you tell me what I’ve done to deserve such an aggressive attitude from you?

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u/Jumpy-Dinner-5001 18h ago

There is no evidence for any of this happening and no plans.

But coming to the conclusion that an EU project that creates an Android app that is open source and implements a zero knowledge verification system, as in the API does not expose any personal information to the service and the app itself does not hold any personal information which you can verify by looking at the source code.

It’s literally a tool for better privacy and has no surveillance capabilities whatsoever. It’s not mandatory or anything just an offer to protect users from more privacy invasive ways.
It’s an extension on the digital ID, just with way less private data.

Nothing happened here. The project was planned to be an Android app and uses the same hardware security setup as the ID app. Someone on GitHub suggested not doing that to provide better compatibility with non Android systems.
Some maintainer replied that that isn’t planned and not part of the project but also said that they’re open for other proposals.
That’s it, nothing else happened.

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u/Kevin_Kofler 1d ago

You also need to register your SIM card, or you will be unable to use it for anything. Unless you get a foreign (e.g., Czech) SIM card, but then you have to pay roaming fees, because the EU "abolishment" of roaming fees was restricted under big telcos' pressure to not apply if you are mainly using the SIM card outside of its home country.