Among concerned users fighting to block AI age checks is the petition starter, an anonymous YouTuber who runs a monetized account exploring video game lore called “Gerfdas Gaming” (who, for simplicity’s sake, we’ll refer to as Gerfdas).
Gerfdas told Ars that YouTube’s appeal process “raises major privacy concerns,” leaving YouTubers wondering, “where is this sensitive data stored, and how secure is it?”
“If YouTube suffers a breach, people’s names, IDs, and faces could end up in the wrong hands,” Gerfdas suggested.
Gerfdas also takes issue with the AI age verification system itself, noting that any monetized account already shares personal information with YouTube, but it’s disturbing to think that the AI is scanning every user’s viewing habits in the background just to catch some kids improperly using the platform. Several commenters on the petition noted that the AI age checks seemed to be created mainly to appease parents who struggle to police their own kids’ viewing habits, repeatedly asking, “Isn’t this why they made YouTube Kids?”
“Even without requesting ID, why is an AI combing through every single video I watch?” Gerfdas posited. “As an adult, I should be able to watch what I want within the law—and if the viewer is a child, that responsibility belongs to their parents, not a corporation.”
YouTube did not respond to multiple requests to comment and so far has not acknowledged Gerfdas’ petition. But Gerfdas is hoping that enough backlash may force YouTube to rethink its AI age checks, telling Ars that “even if they don’t respond right away, we’ll keep making noise until they do.”
Adult YouTubers defend childish viewing habits
As Ars monitored, hundreds of self-described YouTubers joined Gerfdas’ petition hourly. Gerfdas told Ars the petition’s popularity suggested that “this isn’t just a YouTube issue.” As age checks become more commonplace across the Internet due to regulatory pressure globally, people motivated to defend digital freedom are balking and increasingly banding together, Gerfdas said.
