EU age verification app to ban any Android system not licensed by Google

Access to services & digital exclusion

• Several commenters describe that many EU government and banking services already effectively require iOS/Android apps, leaving elderly and non‑smartphone users dependent on relatives or in‑person help.
• Some note browser+FIDO or national e‑ID alternatives exist in places like Austria, but in practice mobile‑only design is spreading.

Design of the EU age verification system

• The EU blueprint aims for a “privacy‑preserving over‑18 check” using attribute‑based credentials (e.g. “older than 18”) without disclosing full identity.
• Tokens are bound to a specific device via cryptographic keys; the app is supposed to store no PII, only age proofs.
• Critics argue that even with zero‑knowledge proofs and pseudonyms, long‑lived tokens can still link activity, and the spec is vague enough to expand beyond porn to broader “adult content.”

Google/Apple dependency and alternative OSes

• The controversial part: Android “device security checks” initially described as relying on Google Play Integrity (licensed OS, Play Store app, passing attestation).
• This would exclude aftermarket ROMs (Lineage, GrapheneOS, Sailfish, etc.) and reinforce the Google/Apple duopoly, contradicting EU rhetoric about tech sovereignty.
• Some point to GitHub issues showing the Play Integrity language being softened and emphasize this is a PoC, not yet mandated; others distrust that and see classic regulatory capture.

Anonymity, free speech, and surveillance

• One camp wants reduced anonymity, arguing real‑name or stable IDs are needed to curb lies, extremism, and harassment; they see online age checks as a natural extension of offline ID checks.
• The opposing camp views this as a stepping stone to mandatory e‑ID for all social media, VPN bans, and China‑style “real‑name internet,” enabling pervasive tracking and political repression.
• Long subthreads debate EU vs US free‑speech traditions, “hate speech” laws, and examples from Germany, the UK, and South Korea, with deep disagreement over whether these trends are protective or authoritarian.

Effectiveness and circumvention

• Many doubt the system will meaningfully block determined minors: kids can use VPNs, foreign sites, torrents, or borrow an adult’s device/ID.
• Others argue that even imperfect friction (like cashier ID checks) has value, and that current practices—uploading full ID scans to random sites or emailing them—are worse for privacy than a standardized wallet.

EU politics, Big Tech, and contradictions

• Commenters highlight the irony of the EU fining US Big Tech while simultaneously designing critical infrastructure that depends on Google/Apple attestation.
• Explanations offered include: fragmented EU politics, national economic dependence on US tech FDI, lack of European capital and platforms, and technocratic tunnel vision.
• Several threads zoom out to a broader worry: gradual erosion of the “free internet” under the recurring pretext of “think of the children” and safety, with little organized resistance left.