Pavel Durov warns against Spain’s plan to enforce online age verification and restrict social media for individuals under 16, citing increased censorship, privacy breaches, and mass surveillance. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announces adoption of online age verification policies to protect children on social media. Critics argue age verification is about control, not child protection, leading to backlash from privacy advocates and cypherpunks.

Critics like journalist Taylor Lorenz and others argue that online age verification laws are not about protecting children, but rather about control and censorship. CEO Boris Bohrer-Bilowitzki suggests blockchain technology as a more secure way to verify personhood without revealing identity details. Current age verification methods are deemed counterproductive, leading users to bypass controls using VPNs.

Pavel Durov and critics express concerns over Spain’s online age verification and social media restrictions, highlighting the potential for increased censorship and surveillance. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defends the measures as necessary to protect children from harmful content online. Critics argue that the focus should be on protecting privacy and freedom of speech.

Read more at Cointelegraph: Telegram’s Durov Sounds Alarm About Spain’s Online Age Verification law