June 22, 2026
Face ID? More like Face NO
Never Give Them Your Face
The internet wants your ID and your face, and commenters are absolutely losing it
TLDR: Lawmakers in multiple places are pushing rules that could make people show ID or scan their face just to use parts of the internet. Commenters are torn between full panic over creeping surveillance, grim acceptance that it’s already happening, and arguments over whether any kinder version of the idea even exists.
The article’s message is basically: today it’s “protect the kids,” tomorrow it’s “show your face before you can even scroll.” And the comment section? Total alarm-bell symphony. The biggest mood was fury that so-called “age checks” are really a backdoor way to make everyone prove who they are online. One commenter called it “democracies building the tools of total autocracy,” which is about as subtle as throwing a chair through a window. Another said the horse has already bolted because our faces are already everywhere, pointing out that in some U.S. states adults already have to upload ID just to view porn. Casual! Totally normal! Definitely not dystopian at all!
But the thread wasn’t one-note panic. There was also a policy wonk subplot: some users argued California’s “age assurance” model is better than full-on ID checks, saying not every law is evil mastermind stuff, sometimes politicians just grabbed the least-bad option they could find. Others were not buying that softer framing for a second, insisting the language is just lipstick on a surveillance pig.
And then, because no internet debate can stay on one road, the comments swerved into a spicy side-fight over COVID vaccine card comparisons. One person mocked the analogy, another basically replied, “What does that have to do with grocery shopping?” So yes, the main story is face scans and online freedom, but the real spectacle is the community split between doom, pragmatism, and “why are we even talking about vaccines right now?”
Key Points
- •The article says online age-assurance laws and policies increasingly require government IDs or facial scans before users can access digital services.
- •It argues that systems justified as protecting minors effectively impose identity checks on all users, not only children.
- •The article states that many age-check systems collect personal data beyond a yes-or-no age result, including names, dates of birth, document numbers, and facial data.
- •It warns that biometric and identity-document databases create breach risks because facial data and official IDs cannot be reset like passwords.
- •The article says determined minors can bypass age gates using methods such as borrowed accounts, VPNs, checkboxes, or purchased verified accounts.