Age verification is fine for sites that require you to be 18 or over, but if you want 14-year-olds to use your site, I can't think of a good way to verify their age that doesn't have really disturbing implications.
How about a passport? Passports have uniquely identifying codes, and the date of birth of the owner is stored electronically on the passport database. Input your passport number on the site, and your name and address, and it's completely checkable.
Disturbing implications? None. The site is large, and if the passport data ever got sold or otherwise leaked, they'd be liable for billions of dollars in compensation. They'd police the data themselves, or be destroyed.
I'd be surprised if you're not willing to put your credit card details on a site such as Amazon, because you feel safe that they won't 'lose' your data. Why should you feel any different about a different piece of data (one which can't even lose you money if it's leaked) on another site which is similar in size?
Now I realise a large proportion of American citizens have never left the country and therefore don't have a passport. However... how many other countries can say that? Not many. If you really want to get onto a site and you don't have a passport, where's the problem in applying for one?
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Disturbing implications? None. The site is large, and if the passport data ever got sold or otherwise leaked, they'd be liable for billions of dollars in compensation. They'd police the data themselves, or be destroyed.
I'd be surprised if you're not willing to put your credit card details on a site such as Amazon, because you feel safe that they won't 'lose' your data. Why should you feel any different about a different piece of data (one which can't even lose you money if it's leaked) on another site which is similar in size?
Now I realise a large proportion of American citizens have never left the country and therefore don't have a passport. However... how many other countries can say that? Not many. If you really want to get onto a site and you don't have a passport, where's the problem in applying for one?