Well the implementation is going to be that you prove your age to the id app that only saves the info that you’re over 18. Then the id app just tells that info to the website (or app or whatever I guess). So the site doesn’t know who is trying to prove their age or even what their age is, just that they’re over 18.
It would be nice to have that sort of quick and easy app for verifying your personal information too. I don’t think we have one where I live. We always use a bank for that and that’s more hassle than I’d like
And how would that app verify you’ve given your actual age? Now you need to deanonymize yourself to that app and while random sites might not know who you are the app does and the app also knows every site you visit (that requests your age).
So no, that’s no longer anonymous. In practice that’s just your government (as that’s the most likely source of authority to verify your age) tracking what you’re doing on the web. Is that really preferable to parents parenting their children?
You can use a driver’s license or your bank. Different methods to verify it to the app. After verification, the app won’t save the info, just the knowledge that you’re over 18.
the app also knows every site you visit (that requests your age)
Not much of a worry locally. Disabling history is probably included in this (sort of porn mode/incognito, same as your browser). The info isn’t much use locally anyway
In practice that’s just your government (as that’s the most likely source of authority to verify your age) tracking what you’re doing on the web.
Government knows you’ve verified the app but they don’t know what you’re using the app for, it doesn’t have phone home. Your app is giving the site a generated cryptographic key, the site compares that to see if it is a valid key and then accepts it. The key doesn’t carry your personal info with it, so the central db doesn’t know who is being asked about, just whether the key is valid (so someone is 18+)
I’d be more worried if the apps were closed source but the ones I’ve heard about that are making an actual implementation of the protocol are open source so you can see everything it is doing, who it is contacting etc
Well the implementation is going to be that you prove your age to the id app that only saves the info that you’re over 18. Then the id app just tells that info to the website (or app or whatever I guess). So the site doesn’t know who is trying to prove their age or even what their age is, just that they’re over 18.
It would be nice to have that sort of quick and easy app for verifying your personal information too. I don’t think we have one where I live. We always use a bank for that and that’s more hassle than I’d like
And how would that app verify you’ve given your actual age? Now you need to deanonymize yourself to that app and while random sites might not know who you are the app does and the app also knows every site you visit (that requests your age).
So no, that’s no longer anonymous. In practice that’s just your government (as that’s the most likely source of authority to verify your age) tracking what you’re doing on the web. Is that really preferable to parents parenting their children?
You can use a driver’s license or your bank. Different methods to verify it to the app. After verification, the app won’t save the info, just the knowledge that you’re over 18.
Not much of a worry locally. Disabling history is probably included in this (sort of porn mode/incognito, same as your browser). The info isn’t much use locally anyway
Government knows you’ve verified the app but they don’t know what you’re using the app for, it doesn’t have phone home. Your app is giving the site a generated cryptographic key, the site compares that to see if it is a valid key and then accepts it. The key doesn’t carry your personal info with it, so the central db doesn’t know who is being asked about, just whether the key is valid (so someone is 18+)
The app is from the government and open source at every endpoint. You can see for yourself that it doesn’t track activity.
the government would never do that
I’d be more worried if the apps were closed source but the ones I’ve heard about that are making an actual implementation of the protocol are open source so you can see everything it is doing, who it is contacting etc