Hey guys, I try to avoid bringing politics into such a forefront position here on OutSized, but this topic affects the future of OutSized / my safety and ability to keep providing the site.

The Problem:

It has recently come to my attention that the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act) is working its way through the US Congress. If you remember the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), this is basically that with even more vague and unhelpful language tacked on, and it's currently being fast tracked through the chambers of Congress. The KIDS Act and KOSA are pushing for identity verification, not age verification, which allows your real life identity to be attached to web activity.

Any form of "age verification" that requires you to present identifying information on an official government ID (Including but not limited to: the ID photo, the ID serial number, any barcodes found on the ID) enables the entity doing the verification (or any government with subpoena power over that entity) to compile a list of who visited what website when. That is a massive breach of your right to privacy that makes things such as violating your freedom of association, targeting marginalized communities, compiling watch lists of people, or allowing for the blackmail of users of adult communities, possible. There are some companies working on providing privacy ensuring methods of doing actual age verification where no entity in the loop has the ability to figure out what sites asked you to prove your age, should such a solution become available, I'd be more than happy to implement it, but as it stands, the only ways to verify the age of visitors right now requires invasive ID scans that violate your privacy.

The safety and privacy of members of this community is of paramount importance to me. Privacy is a human right that every person is entitled to, but also a right that is relentlessly under assault on the modern web.

What can we do?

• If you live in the United States, call or email your members of Congress in both the House and the Senate and tell them you are opposed to the KIDS Act and KOSA and that you don't want your privacy violated while browsing the internet.

• Should you come across an underage user here on OutSized, please report them using the button on their profile or the report feature in the chat so the admins can handle them.

• If you're an underage person reading this blog post: Please, leave the site and come back when you're 18+. Your presence here endangers members of this community that may interact with you unknowingly, and depending on the type of material you exchange with other users, could actually endanger your future as well.

• Take other steps to protect your privacy and security while browsing the internet. I recommend using a VPN, Password Manager, and other privacy tools especially when dealing with Adult only websites, but increasingly when browsing the internet at all.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings on this topic everyone, I'm more than happy to answer any questions anyone has to the best of my understanding down in the comments.

- GGC

Read more from the EFF about KIDS and KOSA.

Cover Photo by FlyD on Unsplash