Image by Jonas Allert, from Unsplash
Age-Verification Laws Push Users To Unregulated Online Sites
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The new age verification rules have pushed users to visit noncompliant websites that put their privacy at risk.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Sites ignoring the law see doubled or tripled user visits.
- U.S. has 25 states with similar age-verification laws.
- Compliance costs can reach millions per day for adult websites.
The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act , which became effective last month, resulted in complete website traffic failure for all adult content sites that followed the new regulations.
The websites that did not follow the law recorded a massive increase in website traffic. A Washington Post analysis reports that some of these websites that defied these rules doubled or tripled their audiences compared to last year.
The shift illustrates a paradox. The law “suppresses traffic to compliant platforms while driving users to sites without age verification,” said John Scott-Railton, a researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, as reported by the Post. “The more the government squeezes, the more they reward the very sites that scoff at their rules,” he added.
Supporters argue the rules are vital to protect children. “Clicking a box that says ‘Yes, I am 18’ is not gonna prevent a 15-year-old boy from going on that website,” said Ohio state Rep. Steve Demetriou, as reported by the Post.
But critics say the system creates privacy risks since users must give commercial platforms access to their personal documents and facial data.
The Post notes that since 2022, the United States has witnessed at least 25 states implementing these types of regulations. The Supreme Court maintained Texas’s age-check requirement after Justice Clarence Thomas stated that the law’s impact on free speech is “incidental.”
The costs of compliance are also high. Pornhub could face fines of $13 million a day, one judge said, as reported by the Post. The burden of moderation falls heavily on smaller sites, including community message boards, according to their statements, although some platforms have chosen to shut down access completely.
The platforms must deal with legal penalties while defending themselves in court, and users are increasingly using VPNs to bypass restrictions. As Scott-Railton said to the Post, the result so far is “a textbook illustration of the law of unintended consequences.”
Image by Wesson Wang, from Unsplash
Hackers Are Targeting MacOS Systems Despite Built-In Protections
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Even though macOS security remains robust, hackers continue to find methods to evade Keychain, SIP, and Gatekeeper protection.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Built-in protections include Keychain, SIP, TCC, Gatekeeper, and XProtect.
- Attackers use tools like Chainbreaker to extract Keychain passwords.
- SIP and TCC can be bypassed with admin rights or clickjacking.
According to security researchers at Kaspersky , macOS comes with multiple built-in layers of protection. These include Keychain (a password manager), Transparency, Consent and Control (TCC), System Integrity Protection (SIP), File Quarantine, Gatekeeper, and the XProtect anti-malware system.
Together, they aim to provide what Kaspersky describes as “pretty much end-to-end security for the end user.”
Kaspersky explains how, even though the Keychain application provides secure storage of user credentials through AES-256 encryption, hackers are still able to bypass security measures of this native macOS tool and gain control of the system, extracting files and passwords.
SIP, first introduced in OS X El Capitan, was developed to stop unauthorized modifications to essential system files. However, when hackers gain administrator rights, they can disable SIP through Recovery Mode, and in turn make the system vulnerable to their attacks.
Similarly, Kaspersky notes how TCC system, which defends against unauthorized access to sensitive permissions, such as camera and microphone, can be infiltrated by attackers employing clickjacking techniques to deceive users into giving malware complete access.
Other features, such as File Quarantine and Gatekeeper, try to stop users from running malicious files. But these, too, can be bypassed with technical workarounds or simple social engineering instructions that persuade users to override warnings.
Kaspersky concludes that “the built-in macOS protection mechanisms are highly resilient and provide excellent security. That said, as with any mature operating system, attackers continue to adapt and search for ways to bypass even the most reliable protective barriers.”
Apple provides security recommendations that users should use their built-in protections, in combination with third-party security software for complete protection.
