I know Discord is enshittifying and I’m all for switching to open source instead.
But everyone’s reason for leaving seems to be:
“Discord wants my ID for age verification and I don’t like that.”
And the new apps will be subject to the exact same laws.
Are users just not realizing that (and therefore in for a rude awakening), or am I missing something?
Many very small services will just not bother with compliance. And the risk of enforcement on them might be low.
If you use a federated alternative, you can switch to a server that doesn’t bother with compliance without losing your contacts.
Many of the laws don’t specify how the age check should be done. There are more privacy-friendly ways to comply, like running a server for your friends or family and already knowing they’re over 18.