Cue the puzzled and increasingly irritated preacher, lamenting: “Oh. Who are these people? Why are they interjecting? Why are they even here? … How dare you interrupt my flock.”
[3/x]

Others linger nearby, puzzled at first, then emboldened … “Great. I love your idea, man. Can I add …,” says one. “Have you considered the wider implications for the community?” offers another, unwisely.
[2/x]

Sorry. *'Bush town' of course

The road to somewhere ... Country NSW, AU

Here in Australia, large amounts of private data are constantly being handed over—almost on a daily basis—to foreign and some local companies for various forms of verification. That is of great concern, yet nobody seems to be particularly worried about it?

What about zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs)

I guess there could be much better ways. What about privacy-preserving verification systems, such as zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), which let users prove facts (e.g., being over 16, having a valid driver's licence, etc) without disclosing the actual data. Government, maybe something to work on?

I somehow expected that a more sophisticated plausibility algorithm would be applied to existing accounts, identifying those clearly above 16 and leaving detailed image or ID verification for inconclusive cases and new accounts?

Of course, it’s not only for children under 16. Age verification on Bluesky is carried out by KWS (Kids Web Services) using either a face scan, a credit-card check, or an ID scan.

I had to verify my age, I thought they knew that I was over 16 ... Who else had to go through this?

Well, how many more cases are there ?
bsky.app/profile/tmss...

Forget even the expectation of results part: it cannot be cranked up overnight, period. Scientists of that caliber are hard to train and attract and if (once) they leave, it will take years to rebuild that capacity. This is damaging Australia in the short-, mid- and long-term, utterly irresponsible.

Working long and unpaid - coming in early and leaving late - seems to be the indisputable norm and is considered the ‘right thing to do,’ deeply ingrained in the Australian psyche and work ethos, and widely and systematically exploited by industry.