FTC’s COPPA “age verification” loophole: A Trojan horse for mass data harvesting of children
The FTC’s new policy allows corporations to bypass COPPA’s parental consent requirement by collecting biometrics, IDs and behavioral data under the guise of verifying a child’s age—effectively legalizing mass surveillance of minors.
Once collected, this sensitive information (facial scans, browsing habits, etc.) becomes a monetizable asset for ad targeting, AI training and third-party brokers—despite unenforceable promises to delete it “promptly.”
The FTC admits it won’t actively police violations, relying on “enforcement discretion,” while platforms like Discord have already leaked tens of thousands of government IDs collected for “age verification.”
This move aligns with the push for mandatory digital identity systems, conditioning children to accept lifelong surveillance under the pretext of “safety,” paving the way for a Chinese-style social credit regime.
Opt out of biometric/ID submissions, support decentralized platforms, pressure lawmakers to block COPPA revisions and expose how “child protection” rhetoric masks corporate-state control.
Read Full Article: https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-03-07-trojan-horse-mass-data-harvesting-of-children.html
