/
Navigation
C
Chronicles
Browse all articles
C
E
Explore
Semantic exploration
E
R
Research
Entity momentum
R
N
Nexus
Correlations & relationships
N
~
Story Arc
Topic evolution
S
Drift Map
Semantic trajectory animation
D
P
Posts
Analysis & commentary
P
Browse
@
Entities
Companies, people, products, technologies
Domains
Browse by publication source
Handles
Browse by social media handle
Detection
?
Concept Search
Semantic similarity search
!
High Impact Stories
Top coverage by position
+
Sentiment Analysis
Positive/negative coverage
*
Anomaly Detection
Unusual coverage patterns
Analysis
vs
Rivalry Report
Compare two entities head-to-head
/\
Semantic Pivots
Narrative discontinuities
!!
Crisis Response
Event recovery patterns
Connected
Nav: C E R N
Search: /
Command: ⌘K
Embeddings: large
VOICE ARCHIVE

Mike Stabile

@mikestabile
35 posts
2026-02-26
Discord delays age-verification roll out after backlash, releases new policy saying it will NOT partner with any vendor that doesn't perform the verification entirely “on device” — meaning biometrics are not shared.  👏👏👏  —  Persona, which did not meet that standard, has been dumped.
2026-02-26 View on X
The Verge

Discord says it won't roll out age verification globally in March as previously planned, delaying the change until H2 2026 after it adds verification options

2026-02-25
Discord delays age-verification roll out after backlash, releases new policy saying it will NOT partner with any vendor that doesn't perform the verification entirely “on device” — meaning biometrics are not shared.  👏👏👏  —  Persona, which did not meet that standard, has been dumped.
2026-02-25 View on X
The Verge

Discord says it won't roll out age verification globally in March as previously planned, delaying the change until H2 2026 after it adds verification options

Now it will hold off on expansion until it adds more verification options, vendor transparency, and other changes.

2026-02-24
“Discord is attempting to distance itself from the age verification provider Persona following a steady stream of user backlash.  Discord confirms the company ‘ran a limited test of Persona in the UK where age assurance had previously launched and that test has since concluded.’”
2026-02-24 View on X
The Verge

Discord says it “ran a limited test of Persona in the UK” to verify user ages and “that test has since concluded”, distancing itself from Persona amid backlash

The messaging platform says its ‘limited test’ of Persona in the UK has come to an end.

Discord delays age-verification roll out after backlash, releases new policy saying it will NOT partner with any vendor that doesn't perform the verification entirely “on device” — meaning biometrics are not shared.  👏👏👏  —  Persona, which did not meet that standard, has been dumped.
2026-02-24 View on X
The Verge

Discord says it won't roll out age verification globally next month as previously announced, delaying the change until H2 after it adds verification options

Now it will hold off on expansion until it adds more verification options, vendor transparency, and other changes.

2026-01-08
Off of X, it's worse.  According to Wired, the Grok app is more privately generating “photorealistic people, very young, doing sexual activities.”  Full nudity, full videos with audio.  —  And it still has payment processing.  —  “It's disturbing to another level.”  [embedded post]
2026-01-08 View on X
Wired

Grok's website and app are being used to produce extremely graphic, sometimes violent, sexual imagery of adults that is far more explicit than images on X

A WIRED review of outputs hosted on Grok's official website shows it's being used to create violent sexual images and videos, as well as content that includes apparent minors.

2025-12-03
Porn was only ever the cover.  —  In half the country, these laws now effectively mandate facial scans to access any material deemed “harmful to minors” by the state attorney general or a conservative parent.  —  What they passed is much, much broader than people generally realized.
2025-12-03 View on X
404 Media

Half of US states now require users to upload their IDs or hand over their biometric data to view porn, after Missouri became the 25th state to enact such a law

As of this week, half of the states in the U.S. are under restrictive age verification laws that require adults to hand …

2025-08-13
Age-verification protocols are driving away half of all visitors to major adult websites in the UK, just as intended.  —  www.ft.com/content/618f...
2025-08-13 View on X
Financial Times

Similarweb: UK traffic fell 47% for Pornhub, 47% for XVideos, and 39% for xHamster from July 24, the day before age verification rules took effect, to August 8

www.ft.com/content/618f... Forums: r/technology : UK porn site traffic plunges as age verification rules take effect r/europe : UK porn site traffic plunges as age verification rul...

2025-08-06
Like I don't mean to be rude, but the Free State of Florida literally sued a website in Czechia this morning because it didn't think it was appropriate for minors in Florida.  —  Maybe we can get a bipartisan House panel to travel to Florida.
2025-08-06 View on X
404 Media

Florida sues some of the biggest porn platforms, several owned by companies outside the US, accusing them of not complying with the state's age verification law

8.5.2025—Florida Sues Czech-Owned Porn Sites—Gimenez, Miami Mayor—Much More... Ronil Thakkar / KnowTechie : Florida cracks down on porn sites over child protection law Stephany Mat...

2025-07-26
Stuns me every day that in a time of rapidly expanding authoritarianism, we are willing handing over to the government unprecedented tools for censorship and surveillance, and trusting that they won't abuse that power.  —  www.wired.com/story/the-ag...
2025-07-26 View on X
Wired

The UK starts enforcing new online child safety laws, requiring websites that host porn, self-harm, suicide, and eating disorder content to verify users' age

Starting today, UK adults will have to prove their age to access porn online.  Experts warn that a global wave of age-check laws threatens …

2025-07-15
Reddit is the latest to announce they will comply with the UK surveillance law.  —  Every Redditor / visitor will have to upload a photo and govt ID to access the site.  Reddit says this will not end anonymity online because the third-party verifier promises to delete the information after a week.
2025-07-15 View on X
Ars Technica

Reddit says it has started verifying UK users' ages before letting them “view certain mature content”, in order to comply with the country's Online Safety Act

Reddit announced today that it has started verifying UK users' ages before letting them “view certain mature content” …

2025-07-12
We tried to tell people it wouldn't stop with sex or porn or whatever bogeyman was going to be used to end online anonymity.  —  Australia has declared that Google will now have to verify all users for age/identity.  —  mashable.com/article/micr...
2025-07-12 View on X
ABC

At the end of June, Australia quietly introduced rules forcing search engine companies such as Google and Microsoft to check the ages of logged-in users

We're watching the death of an open, anonymous internet, and the gradual takeover of information online by the state — under the guise of protecting children. Andrew Starr / @ajsta...

Australia's decision to require age/identity verification, including facial scans, in order to do a Google search is dystopian.  —  We're watching the death of an open, anonymous internet, and the gradual takeover of information online by the state — under the guise of protecting children.
2025-07-12 View on X
ABC

At the end of June, Australia quietly introduced rules forcing search engine companies such as Google and Microsoft to check the ages of logged-in users

We're watching the death of an open, anonymous internet, and the gradual takeover of information online by the state — under the guise of protecting children. Andrew Starr / @ajsta...

2025-07-11
Starting July 25, Bluesky will require users in the UK to scan their face, upload an ID or verify their identity with a bankcard.  —  I realize that platforms feel they have no choice but to comply with the government surveillance schemes, but shocking nonetheless.
2025-07-11 View on X
The Verge

Bluesky rolls out age verification in the UK to comply with the Online Safety Act; users under 18 or opting out of age verification will have limited accounts

The Online Safety Act has unleashed an unregulated market in age verification.  —  That we have to do these intrusive checks with countless providers for different platforms is dan...

2025-05-21
Sweden has gone ahead and passed their draconian “Nordic Model” bill criminalizing online creator content.  —  As of July 1, consumers who purchase an OnlyFans clip, a cam show or other creator content will be subject to arrest and a year in prison  —  All in order to “protect” women from exploitation.
2025-05-21 View on X
Euractiv

Sweden passes a law criminalizing the purchase of live online sexual performances, including cam shows and sex chats; buying pre-recorded content remains legal

As with all “Nordic model” legislation, it actually takes away independence and agency and requires sex workers to work through third-parties. Mike Stabile / @mikestabile : Sweden ...

It's an absolutely bizarre bill only criminalizes porn if you purchase it from a creator themselves.  Studio content and pre-recorded content are exempted.  —  As with all “Nordic model” legislation, it actually takes away independence and agency and requires sex workers to work through third-parties.
2025-05-21 View on X
Euractiv

Sweden passes a law criminalizing the purchase of live online sexual performances, including cam shows and sex chats; buying pre-recorded content remains legal

As with all “Nordic model” legislation, it actually takes away independence and agency and requires sex workers to work through third-parties. Mike Stabile / @mikestabile : Sweden ...

2023-12-05
UK regulator Ofcom has just released its age-verification guidelines for adult sites: 1. AI-driven age-estimation 2. Digitized ID and facial recognition 3. Credit card / bank check https://techcrunch.com/... [image]
2023-12-05 View on X
The Verge

Ofcom starts a consultation on draft guidelines on how porn sites should lock out underage users, including having a bank or mobile network confirm a user's age

UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has laid out how porn sites could verify users' ages under the newly passed Online Safety Act.

There are potential issues with all of these, not the least of which are expense, but it's particularly notable that the UK is allowing credit cards as verification, which most of the US laws do not. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/...
2023-12-05 View on X
The Verge

Ofcom starts a consultation on draft guidelines on how porn sites should lock out underage users, including having a bank or mobile network confirm a user's age

UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has laid out how porn sites could verify users' ages under the newly passed Online Safety Act.

2023-09-01
“Given Texas's ongoing criminalization of homosexual intercourse, it is apparent that people who wish to view homosexual material will be profoundly chilled from doing so if they must first affirmatively identify themselves to the state,” the ruling says. https://www.theverge.com/...
2023-09-01 View on X
Ars Technica

A US district judge grants a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the enforcement of a Texas law that requires age verification to access porn sites

Two of the blocked laws would have required third party age verification to access pornographic websites (in Texas) and social media (in Arkansas). … X: Mike Stabile / @mikestabile...

“A party cannot speak freely when they must first verify the age of each audience member, and this has a particular chilling effect when the identity of audience members is potentially stored by third parties or the government.” — US District Judge Erza https://www.404media.co/...
2023-09-01 View on X
Ars Technica

A US district judge grants a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the enforcement of a Texas law that requires age verification to access porn sites

Two of the blocked laws would have required third party age verification to access pornographic websites (in Texas) and social media (in Arkansas). … X: Mike Stabile / @mikestabile...

2023-08-31
🚨Australia announces it has abandoned a plan to mandate age-verification of adult sites, citing concerns about privacy, security and implementation, after nearly two years of study. It will instead focus on parental education around device level filters. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
2023-08-31 View on X
The Guardian

Australia abandons its plans to mandate age verification tech for porn sites, citing privacy and security concerns, and will instead focus on educating parents

The eSafety commissioner is to work with industry on a new code to educate parents about how to access filtering software and limit children's access