George Billinge says that many age assurance technologies delete their personal data after age has been confirmed, while some providers of virtual private networks (VPNs) sell their data to brokers (Everything the right – and the left – are getting wrong about the Online Safety Act, 1 August). But there is a key difference: we can choose which VPN to use, but the choice of which age assurance technology to use is with the platform. When a platform I use to talk to my friends insisted I verify my age, I wasn’t given a choice about which age verification service would get my driving licence. I was expected to trust that the platform had made a good decision with my best interests at heart. That’s a pretty big ask.
Instead, I elected to sign up for a VPN. I then paid for it with a payment processor of my choice, one with a proven security record. I spent several days considering and comparing the numerous options before selecting one that doesn’t keep any data – with audits and court successes to prove it. At every step of the process, I was able to choose who I was trusting with my personal data.
