Online age checks are proliferating, but so are concerns they curtail Internet freedom

In June, the Supreme Court upheld a Texas law aimed at preventing minors from watching pornography online, ruling that adults don't have a First Amendment right to access obscene speech without first proving their age. — AP

Online age checks are on the rise in the US and elsewhere, asking people for IDs or face scans to prove they are over 18 or 21 or even 13. To proponents, they're a tool to keep children away from adult websites and other material that might be harmful to them.

But opponents see a worrisome trend toward a less secure, less private and less free Internet, where people can be denied access not just to pornography but news, health information and the ability to speak openly and anonymously.