> To me it seems like Cory Doctorow is demanding perfection, and saying that because we can't achieve perfection in age verification, we can't do age verification at all.
Not we can't, but we shouldn't. All the current solutions are terrible, and are either trivial to fool or mass surveillance machines. We shouldn't be stupid enough to go for either option because it'll either cost a fortune while giving us nothing, or cause immeasurable harm when the National Porn Viewing Database inevitably gets used to blackmail everyone.
We're trying to (poorly) use technology to solve a social problem. If we can't figure out a way to do so using technology without significant downsides, then perhaps we shouldn't be using technology to solve the problem at all.
> Not we can't, but we shouldn't. All the current solutions are terrible, and are either trivial to fool or mass surveillance machines. We shouldn't be stupid enough to go for either option because it'll either cost a fortune while giving us nothing, or cause immeasurable harm when the National Porn Viewing Database inevitably gets used to blackmail everyone.
It seems like we could get "good enough" solutions that would reduce the amount of explicit material we show to kids, as well as push back the age where children are first exposed. I don't think a good technical implementation will require a "National Porn Viewing Database", but that's what we will end up if engineers and technologists dig in their heels and say "no". It is already happening in places like France and Texas.
> We're trying to (poorly) use technology to solve a social problem. If we can't figure out a way to do so using technology without significant downsides, then perhaps we shouldn't be using technology to solve the problem at all.
Technology created this social problem; its given us unprecedented access to explicit material. These aren't playboy's under the bed. Technology can help remediate.
Not we can't, but we shouldn't. All the current solutions are terrible, and are either trivial to fool or mass surveillance machines. We shouldn't be stupid enough to go for either option because it'll either cost a fortune while giving us nothing, or cause immeasurable harm when the National Porn Viewing Database inevitably gets used to blackmail everyone.
We're trying to (poorly) use technology to solve a social problem. If we can't figure out a way to do so using technology without significant downsides, then perhaps we shouldn't be using technology to solve the problem at all.