Internet regulation is entering its hall pass era

Big changes are coming to the web in the days ahead. On July 25, the U.K.’s Online Safety Act will take effect, bringing sweeping changes to how users experience the internet. Within the next week, websites like Reddit and Bluesky will begin asking users to verify their age—either by providing official ID, bank details that prove their age, or a selfie analyzed by age-estimation software.

The act mandates that platforms implement “highly effective” age verification measures to prevent underage users from accessing inappropriate content—whether that’s pornography, violent material, or other age-inappropriate content.

This follows a Supreme Court decision in June requiring users in Texas to provide personal information to access pornographic websites. There are growing concerns that what began with adult sites could soon expand to more general platforms. “We can expect trickle-down verification creep,” warns social media expert Matt Navarra. “First porn, then gambling, then AI content tools, and eventually even comment sections.”

Some observers argue that a new era of internet regulation is beginning. They’re calling it the “hall pass era”: To go anywhere or do anything online, users will have to hand over personal information to a range of providers. “This shift towards a more ID-locked web is one of the biggest, messiest evolutions we’ve seen online in years,” says Navarra.

“The era of the anonymous internet died a long time ago, but pseudonymity remains, and we are watching the death flows of the free internet,” says Myles Jackman, a U.K. obscenity lawyer opposed to the upcoming changes.

Carolina Are, a fellow at Northumbria University’s Center for Digital Citizens, acknowledges the intent behind age checks but warns that ID-based systems could backfire. She argues they risk exposing users—especially marginalized groups—to privacy violations, given how much data platforms already collect. “Just look at people being refused entry into the U.S. due to social media posts,” she says.

David Greene, civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, agrees that the motivations—stopping bots and protecting kids—are understandable. But he calls the proposed age restrictions overly broad and rights-infringing. He notes they could harm adults who depend on anonymity, such as whistleblowers, sex workers, or domestic abuse survivors.

Navarra expresses frustration at how open platforms are being forced to bend to a conservative worldview. “Bluesky requiring official ID is the ultimate irony,” he says. “This platform literally was born out of Twitter’s decentralization dream [of] open, federated, anti-censorship ideals—and now you need a passport to post.”

According to Greene, the issue reflects “not a lot of deep thinking about the nature of the problem.” Are agrees, suggesting the shift favors corporate interests over the public good. “While [ID tech] has potential, it’s being adopted like every other technology: creating a gold rush climate for ID check—private—companies that will expand like tech start ups and with a ‘move fast and break things’ approach rather than a public sector, do no harm approach,” she says.