Depending on what state or country you live in, logging into Instagram, Reddit, or (dare we say) Corn Hub might prompt you to submit a government ID to proceed. This fresh privacy nightmare is thanks to a variety of "online safety" laws going into effect, or being upheld by courts. They are aimed at protecting minors from accessing harmful content online -- a laudable goal. But requiring all users to submit their face and address to tech companies comes with a host of privacy issues and pressures on free speech.

To explain what's going on, who might be affected, and what happens next, Matt sits down with Laura Riposo VanDruff, a partner at the law firm Kelley Drye & Warren who has spent much of her career focused on tech, privacy, cybersecurity, and AI litigation, and a decade of work at the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, which is often the de facto government body that regulates these kinds of digital issues.

Connect with Laura and her work:

https://www.kelleydrye.com/people/laura-riposo-vandruff

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-riposo-vandruff-1598b921/

Shout out to our Producer Tier Patreon supporters!

BowieBarks

Dominick Kerr

Evan

Jolene Jula

Robert Tortorelli

Sam

William

News items discussed in this episode:

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/14/nx-s1-5482925/scotus-netchoice

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/08/no-uks-online-safety-act-doesnt-make-children-safer-online

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