OS Age Gates Centralize Surveillance

Requiring operating systems to perform age verification shifts enormous amounts of identity and behavioral data to a small set of device‑level vendors and their subcontractors, creating a single chokepoint for breaches, misuse, and extrajudicial content control. That concentration increases risks for journalists, activists, domestic‑abuse victims, and anyone who relies on VPNs or anonymity to stay safe online. — If enforced, OS‑level age gates would transform device makers into quasi‑regulators of speech and privacy, changing the balance between child protection and civil liberties.