So is there a way to apply pressure on the EU to think this through first? Surely they could have different ways that doesn't lock them in to google services.

Wouldnt it be enough to verify through IMEI to make sure the OS isnt emulated?

Yes and the PC app you connect the Android app to also works on Linux. It's even on flathub. Pretty nice, can't complain.

Edit: German eID works on any Android btw., flawless actually. I sure hope I can use that for verification

Same in Italy... I mean, I can pay taxes with that application but I cannot be verified for my age ? Seriously EU ?

EID and equivalents are great for a lot of things, but do you want your porn site to know who you are? The new app is supposed to verify your age but not give out your PII. Not sure eID can do that?

And the EU for their stupid fucking censorship

Why is the government so obsessed with parenting and nannying the citizens?

I think it's because people from outside the traditional political families are getting popular votes.

For the established politicians, blameing "the internet" and building a supressing censorship machine is easier than looking in the mirror and seeing where the discontent comes from.

This is just my speculation, so take it as you will. The EU has been pushing for digital ID cards for quite a while, and this is just another attempt. The last serious attempt was the Covid vaccination passport, but so many people still opted for paper certs, and the rest deleted the app when vaccination was no longer mandatory, that it failed again. So, now the authorities are becoming smart and trying to go through the vector that has a proven record of driving technological change: porn.

This has been discussed a while back, at least here in NL as far as I know it started because of legalising online gambling for which you need to be identified. Also, due to GDPR, businesses aren't allowed to make copies of ID's/passports/driving licences any more which is required for certain businesses (notaries, accountants, etc). In my office we currently use some kind of identification software, but it isn't anonyms because well we wouldn't be able to do our job.

Fascism is making a comeback, and everyone's dumb enough to believe it's an America problem, instead of a global oligarchy, class war, problem.

Been wondering myself. It's certainly part of the general right-ward trend. Societies are becoming more illiberal. It's not just the right that is moving to the right.

Obscenity laws have always been about enforcing the "correct" sexuality. Protecting minors meant preventing them from becoming "confused"; ie becoming LGBTQ.

You also have growing nationalism. In Europe, people are saying we should enforce "our laws" and "our values" against meddling foreigners (ie Big Tech). It often sounds a lot like the rants against the "globalists" that have been a staple among the US far right for decades. Age verification is part of that.

For example, Germany has long enforced age verification within its borders. It's part of the whole over-regulation thing that makes competitive tech companies almost impossible in Europe. For some reason, Europeans have trouble accepting that. You can see it here on Lemmy. The solution must be to enshittify everything to level the playing field.

Too many bots online :D I'd like to know if I'm talking to a real sockpuppet when I'm online :D...but just for that and only share data from my "wallet id" on a strict need to know basis.

Its not the populace, our politicians just like in the US have gone rogue. People are voting for the nutters due to anti immigration propaganda and so increasingly getting far right. Its happening across the entire western world and its bad news for everyone.

I just wanted the EU to fork lineageOS and provide it as an alternative in major chains.

Apparently this is illegal to implement as of right now, but it’s not helping the feeling of technological doomerism I get whenever I think about this whole identity verification situation.

Google Pain Services

'Cos it's been turning (far-)right as well in the last few years.

Just use a VPN then.