Opinion

Age verification is the surveillance nobody voted for

KOSA and Chat Control both retreated on their most-criticized measures this week, but both kept mandatory age verification, the quiet mechanism that turns anonymous browsing into identified browsing for all of us, argues Billions CEO Evin McMullen.

Melinda 2 hours ago 2 minutes read

Opinion

Age verification is the surveillance nobody voted for

KOSA and Chat Control both retreated on their most-criticized measures this week, but both kept mandatory age verification, the quiet mechanism that turns anonymous browsing into identified browsing for all of us, argues Billions CEO Evin McMullen.

By Evin McMullen|Edited by Cheyenne Ligon

Jul 9, 2026, 1:00 p.m.

5 min read

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Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.

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Age verification is the surveillance nobody voted for

KOSA and Chat Control both retreated on their most-criticized measures this week, but both kept mandatory age verification, the quiet mechanism that turns anonymous browsing into identified browsing for all of us, argues Billions CEO Evin McMullen.

SpaceX IPO Drives Tokenized Equity Volumes to Record as Stablecoin Market Cap Falls

SpaceX IPO Drives Tokenized Equity Volumes to Record as Stablecoin Market Cap Falls

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Europe led on crypto regulation. Now implementation must match ambition

Europe is closing the door on offshore crypto, but it’s leaving the riskiest window open

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Collateral, not yield, will decide which stablecoins win

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