Online Age Verification

[TechExpert2021]

I know this has nothing to do with Dragon Ball in any way, but online age verification laws are spreading rapidly in many countries (with the UK starting all of this with the enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2023 beginning in July 2025), primarily those in the West. I'm posting this here because I feel like this needs more coverage and a lot of people aren't talking about this, even though it's not Dragon Ball related.

The people behind these online age verification laws claim that online age verification is to protect children, but it actually does not, because online age verification systems are a massive breach of privacy (because they require you to submit your government-issued ID, selfie, and/or credit or debit card to verify your age), have security vulnerabilities (which have the likely chance of leading to data breaches like Discord), and are simply an attempt to surveil everyone online and collect more data (and that data is open to abuse and being sold for profit). As of writing this post, YouTube, Spotify, Reddit, the aforementioned Discord, Roblox, and now X (formerly Twitter) have implemented some form of online age verification.

To the admins and moderators of Kanzenshuu, do you think you'll be forced to comply with these online age verification laws and implement some form of online age verification, or shut down Kanzenshuu for good? If online age verification becomes the norm worldwide, it'll mean the end of not just online privacy and a free Internet but also the end of small websites like this one.

[Kid Buu]

I can't even see my own avatar, as well as a bunch of other users avatars, because of this new policy.

[JulieYBM]

I can't even see my own avatar, as well as a bunch of other users avatars, because of this new policy.

This is insane to me. The UK and the US are such awful fucking countries. :/

[PowerPhantom245]

Big Brother is really watching you...

[The Dark Knight]

If online age verification becomes the norm worldwide, it'll mean the end of not just online privacy and a free Internet but also the end of small websites like this one.

This right here is exactly why online age verification is becoming a thing, it has absolutely nothing to do with protecting anyone. The lack of online privacy will result in less people using the internet, which results in less people criticizing the ruling class. The massive reduction in smaller sites will result in bigger ones having more power, which will result in better control of whatever narrative the ruling class puts out there.

[JulieYBM]

Age verification will also just make kids less safe online and in their local lives. Taking away kids' abilities to use the internet to learn both about themselves and the world will make them more succeptible to abuse from family and friends, who are statistically the ones most likely to harm kids.

These laws are all just fascistic pigs dressed up in formal wear.

[Peach]

I wouldn’t worry about it with smaller forums like these. The infrastructure behind age verification is only affordable with big tech.

For the record, I think age verification is absolutely bananas.
Attempting to gatekeep the internet or most of the internet behind using an ID is stupid as heck. Requiring an ID for basic rights and utilities is arguably discrimination. Not everyone can easily get an ID.

Also, IDs are being leaked, as in the case of that data leak from a discord partner. The practice isn’t secure. Safe technology use habits for youth should fall more to the responsibility of the parents or guardians than tech companies.

[PhantomSaiyan]

The world really is getting more and more dystopic as we go

[Metalwario64]

The world really is getting more and more dystopic as we go

Fucking true ..

[WittyUsername]

Big Brother is really watching you...

https://fortune.com/2025/09/28/larry-el ... ial-media/

That reminds me of this.

[LostTimeLord]

My understanding is that the UK's OSA is written under the assumption that all social media platforms have the kind of resources and manpower of something like Twitter, but uses a broad definition of 'social media' that includes hobbyist forums. The age verification rules are another issue (they've not even ruled out blocking parts of Wikipedia!), but I don't think that would apply to Kanzenshuu? Either way, I wouldn't be surprised if I have to start spoofing my location one of these days thanks to the OSA.

It could also cause problems for Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump website, if they're letting minors see 'adult content' according to the OSA's vague definition. If OFCOM made a legal threat, how do you think Viz/Shueisha would respond? I suspect the same way that Imgur did: by simply blocking the UK entirely. I think Crunchyroll would be fine, though, as AIUI these days you need an account with an associated payment method to actually watch anything. And presumably the manga would remain available from other e-book retailers.

For a sense of just how well thought-out the OSA is, consider that half the avatars in this thread are blocked while 4chan is completely unrestricted.

[Hellspawn28]

It was never about protecting kids. It's all about controlling people. These people don't care about kids whatsoever.

[PowerPhantom245]

It was never about protecting kids. It's all about controlling people. These people don't care about kids whatsoever.

Corporate mindset of kids in nutshell.

[Hellspawn28]

I doubt any kid is asking for adults to protect them from the Internet. When I was a kid, I hated when adults try to control me and make my own choices for me.

[Yellow Flower King]

I love this thread and it is a worthy topic but this has little to do with dragon ball. This is like "Lets discuss the economy in a Dragon Ball Forum."

[FinalForumPodcast]

"It's not related to Dragon Ball" until it is.

New immigration laws potentially classify Dragon Ball as pornography. In Texas, Dragon Ball has been removed from some stores (voluntarily) due to nudity.

If you think Age Verification is going to stop at literal adult sites and content, you're fooling yourself. Your privacy is under attack, and will be sold for profit and used against you whenever possible.

[Metalwario64]

Yeah, reminds me of a transformers fan site that banned political discussion, leading to everyone having to skirt around real issues affecting their hobby when the prices got hiked, and I highly disagree with that and stopped posting there. Things like this are super important and affect us all and our ability to engage online, ie, the purpose of this forum!

[Yellow Flower King]

"It's not related to Dragon Ball" until it is.

New immigration laws potentially classify Dragon Ball as pornography. In Texas, Dragon Ball has been removed from some stores (voluntarily) due to nudity.

If you think Age Verification is going to stop at literal adult sites and content, you're fooling yourself. Your privacy is under attack, and will be sold for profit and used against you whenever possible.

I am not fooling myself. This is absolutely relevant to Dragon Ball, but the OP did nothing to make it related to Dragon Ball. This is an absolutely drop dead important issue.

[TechExpert2021]

If you think Age Verification is going to stop at literal adult sites and content, you're fooling yourself. Your privacy is under attack, and will be sold for profit and used against you whenever possible.

I'm not fooling myself either.

I forgot to mention that these laws impose government censorship of anything on the Internet that governments deem as "harmful to minors".

[Yellow Flower King]

I think they meant me, because i objected to the topic, but it is relevant to Dragon Ball. Not to mention, a drop dead serious issue.

The first thing I remember about the internet was Dragon Ball Porn ironically. The first thing that came up.