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Stop Killing The Internet: No Digital ID & No Age Verification Petition (citizens-initiative.europa.eu)

submitted 3 weeks ago by Sunshine@piefed.ca to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk

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[-] Humanius@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Thanks for the headsup. Signed it and passed it on to a few friends who also care about this stuff.

I'm not inherently against the EU providing a means to verify age and/or identity online, but the legal framework proposed by this Citizen's Initiative seems entirely reasonable, and even preferable, to me.

Edit: I do find it a bit funny that I signed a petition about online ID checks using my country's e-ID.

[-] baconmonsta@piefed.social 3 points 3 weeks ago

e-ID wasn't mandatory, was it? I was able to sign with just filling the form

[-] Humanius@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

e-ID isn't mandatory (it's not even available in every country), but the form should be filled in with correct personal information.
They will need to verify whether the people who filled in the form are actual people who are eligible to sign the citizens' initiative.

Using e-ID just makes the whole verification easier for everyone.

[-] Shayeta@feddit.org 2 points 3 weeks ago

Depends on the country of origin.

[-] pilaz@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago

Hopefully you'll one day reach your goal of having to send physical mail to sign online petitions.

[-] Humanius@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

I'll bite.. Why would that be my goal?

[-] orenishii@feddit.nl 9 points 3 weeks ago

Signed

[-] maam@feddit.uk 8 points 3 weeks ago

Look at chad finland at 6.36% threshold met. Not only do they defend Europe militarily but also digitally.

[-] ipp0@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 weeks ago

I hate uploading selfies and pictures of my ID to prove my age online. I would much prefer the age verification system that the EU is building.

[-] jdr@lemmy.ml -5 points 3 weeks ago

And then you have to give all your data to sign it?

[-] Humanius@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

That's just how these Citizen's Initiatives work.

Since there are requirements for the European Parliament to address the concerns, they need a way to verify that the signatures are actually real and match to EU citizens.

They need some way to prevent spam which would make this democratic tool meaningless.

[-] jdr@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago

[removed by mod]

[-] Humanius@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

As the Citizen's Initiative says:

Citizens must not be forced to identify themselves to access lawful online content or services unless strictly necessary, proportionate and provided by law.

I would argue in this case e-ID verification (or other verification of identity) is necessary and proportionate.

[-] jdr@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago

Is it really "strictly necessary"?

(I also wasn't given the opportunity to use my e-ID, only to fill out my address)

[-] Humanius@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Given that this is part of the legislative process, and there is legal requirements for European Parliament to adhere to if the Citizen's Initiative meets the threshold, I would argue that signing the petition has a similar weight to casting a ballot in an election.

Just like how you need to verify in an election that someone is legally allowed to vote in that election, this petition needs to verify whether someone is legally allowed to sign the petition.

If there was no verification of identity, hypothetically someone could fill the platform with junk petitions, which could all be signed by a bunch of Russian bots. It would completely undermine the democratic process.

So yes, I do believe identity verification is "strictly necessary" in this case

[-] orenishii@feddit.nl 6 points 3 weeks ago

Small price to pay. At least it’s not some random company.

[-] lyralycan@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 weeks ago

Right? I don't trust my country's sketchy ass government but I trust the EU one

this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2026

291 points (99.7% liked)

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