EU citizens rise up against digital ID and age verification: “Stop Killing The Internet”

A petition has been filed in the EU by citizens demanding that digital ID and age verification systems remain voluntary and privacy-preserving – no one should be forced into a state-backed or big-tech-mediated wallet.

The European Commission registered a citizens’ initiative called “Stop Killing The Internet: No Digital ID & No Age Verification.”

Organizers call on the EU's highest executive body to propose legislation, ensuring that digital identity and age-assurance systems for accessing online services are voluntary, privacy-preserving, and non-discriminatory.

“Citizens must not be forced to identify themselves to access lawful online content or services unless strictly necessary, proportionate, and provided by law,” the organizers say.

According to them, rules should require that proof-of-age be anonymous or pseudonymous, minimize data collection, and use open, auditable systems for cross-tracking. Citizens should be required to identify themselves only when strictly necessary, proportionate, and required by law, and also have non-digital alternatives.

“Europe can protect minors without building a permanent online ID layer,” the petition organizers said.

“Digital identity must remain voluntary, privacy-preserving, decentralized, and usable without forcing citizens into one state-backed or big-tech-mediated wallet.”

Sharp wording was likely AI-assisted

The GPTZero tool is 92% confident that the new petition was entirely generated by AI. The initiative lists 9 organizers in total, one of whom is from the prior “Stop Destroying Videogames” petition.

Registering a citizens’ initiative in the EU is just a starting point – the petition must collect at least 1 million verified signatures across the EU within a year for the Commission to consider the proposal.

And even then, it doesn’t mean that the demands will lead to any changes – the Commission is only obliged to respond.

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Previously, the "Stop Destroying Videogames" petition, part of a broader “Stop Killing Games” movement, gathered a whopping 1.3 million signatures, but the Commission’s response amounted to no new legislation.

However, the new initiative to save the internet still gathered significant attention on Reddit. A post on the privacy subreddit has over 2,000 upvotes, and most users support the initiative.

“Everyone saying petitions do not work or do not matter, you are a part of the problem! No defeatism! Keep pushing back on Digital ID and Age Verification anyway you can and make others aware!” the most popular comment reads.

The petition is landing amid a broad overhaul of EU digital and privacy rules.

On July 9th 2026, the Chat Control 1.0 proposal, which would require platforms to scan private messages for illegal content, was reactivated in the European Parliament.

The Commission has also been rolling out its digital identity wallet framework and pushing states to use an age-verification tool that has been defeated by security researchers several times.

Privacy advocates fear that child safety is being used as a flag to justify measures for diminishing privacy, security, and encryption.