Digital ID: The Net Tightens, By Barbara Mavridis, Aligned Council of Australia

With Australia's Under-16 Social Media ban less than a month away, it's time to look honestly at what's happening, what's being built behind the scenes, and why this matters for our privacy, our children, and our freedom.

1. Which Platforms Will be Policed — and Which Won't
The e-Safety Commissioner has released the list of services that will soon require age verification.
Will require proof of age:
Facebook Instagram Kick Reddit Snapchat Threads TikTok X(Twitter) YouTube
Will not require proof of age:
Discord GitHub Google Classroom LEGO Play Messenger Roblox Steam +Steam Chat WhatsApp YouTube Kids


Many parents are asking why Roblox, one of the most-used children's platforms, is exempt and they're right to question it.
But the real story is bigger than any single app.

This is Step 1 — the Trojan Horse.
The Under-16 ban forces everyone to verify their age online.
And how do you do that? By proving your identity.
It's the soft launch of Digital ID under the guise of age identification — not introduced through debate or consent, but through the language of "safety."

2. The WHO's Global 'AI Thought Police' System
This week, the World Health Organization unveiled EIOS 2.0, a global AI-powered surveillance and censorship network.
It's being sold as a tool for "health security," but here's what it actually does:

Monitors social-media posts in real time

Uses a "Misinfo Classifier" to judge tone and sentiment

Flags people as "threats" for dissenting views

Tracks influencers and recommends actions to silence them

Combine this with mandatory age verification and you get:
Identity-linked speech, monitored globally by AI.
This is what Digital ID enables — control through connection.

3. Life Inside a Social-Credit World
We highly recommend watching this short, powerful video:
"Life Under China's Social Credit System: A Dystopian Reality"
It vividly shows what happens when your:

Identity
Behaviour
Speech
Finances
Movement
Social interactions
are all linked to a single, centralised digital profile.

This is the foundation of the Digital ID model — where mobile phones become your passport to participate in daily life, and every click, comment, or purchase feeds a system that decides what you can or can't do.

Even something as small as crossing the street on a red light can see you publicly shamed.

This isn't about "admin" or "convenience."
It's about control.

4. Even the Human Rights Commission Is Warning Us
The Australian Human Rights Commission (silent through most of the COVID years) has actively spoken out on the Under 16 Social Media Ban warning it violates core rights, including:

Freedom of expression

Freedom of association

Access to information

The right to education, culture and play

The right to health and wellbeing

And most critically, the right to privacy

To enforce this ban, Australians may soon have to verify their age on every platform, creating:

Mass data collection, Biometric verification, Centralised data storage, Government-corporate data sharing, and Long-term behaviour tracking.

There are far less intrusive ways to protect children.
Parental guidance, digital literacy, and platform accountability — not mass surveillance.

5.Connecting the Dots — What It All Means
Let's zoom out.

The Under-16 ban normalises ID checks for everyone.

e-Safety decides which platforms are "safe."

Age verification becomes standard for the internet.

The WHO rolls out a global AI censorship system.

Digital ID ties your identity to everything you say or do.

The Human Rights Commission sounds the alarm but the e-Safety Regulator and Government seem to ignore it.

And China already shows the end-game: social credit, enforced silence, behavioural control.

These aren't isolated policies.
They're one coordinated shift — from a free society to a permission-based society.
And permission always requires identity.

6. What You Can Do Right Now
Knowledge is power — and momentum starts with awareness.
You can help slow the net from tightening by taking these simple, practical steps:
Refuse to enrol in Digital ID systems wherever it's still optional
You don't have to comply.
Australia's Digital ID Act 2024 (Cth) makes it clear under Section 74:
"Creating and using a digital ID is voluntary."
That means:
No one — not a business, not a government department — can force you to use Digital ID to access a service.
But the trick: they won't tell you about the alternative - they'll only give you the Digital ID option: that's a plan, that's a ploy, that's the plot.
If they try, remind them of Section 74 and insist on and use the alternatives - note they won't be as convenient but they will retain your privacy.
They must provide an alternative.

Protect your devices and store documents locally
When everything is synced to the cloud, your data can be accessed, scanned, or shared without your consent. Keep what's private on your own devices — encrypted and offline. Remember: the cloud is just someone else's computer.

Ask your MP and local council to explain the new rules
Politicians often count on the public not asking questions. Write or call your local representatives — ask them to explain how age verification, Digital ID, and data sharing will affect ordinary Australians. - "Can you please clarify how my child's school or social media accounts will handle data under the new eSafety and Digital ID systems?"- Every inquiry creates accountability, and it reminds them that people are paying attention.

Educate others — share this newsletter (click on the "view online" button at the top of this email for easy sharing)
Most Australians still have no idea what's unfolding. A single conversation can make all the difference. Forward this newsletter to three friends. Talk to people who say, "I have nothing to hide" and gently explain they have everything to lose. Awareness spreads faster than fear when we start the conversation with love and facts.

Encourage discussion before these changes become permanent
The more public dialogue we create, the harder it is for these systems to be quietly embedded. Share, question, and engage —everywhere you can. When Australians speak openly, democracy breathes again.

ACA group member Stand Up Now Australia has two campaigns running at the moment which are both relevant to the Digital ID conversation;
1. Censored at 16, a campaign focussed on the Under 16 legislation. You can find information here, which includes an upcoming webinar, and a petition to the e-Safety Commissioner - https://www.standupnowaustralia.com.au/censored-at-16
2. A-CDC Highway to Hell-th. This campaign addresses the recently passed Australian Centre for Disease Control legislation, and the concerns we should all have about the United Nations now having data powers that override Australian law - https://www.standupnowaustralia.com.au/acdc


With love and determination,
Barbara Mavridis
Vice-CEO, Aligned Council of Australia