A newly registered European Citizens’ Initiative is challenging the European Union’s direction on digital identity and online age verification, arguing that future internet regulations should protect anonymity and leave identity verification as a matter of personal choice rather than a requirement for accessing lawful online services.
The initiative, “Stop Killing The Internet: No Digital ID & No Age Verification,” has been accepted for registration by the European Commission, allowing organisers to begin collecting signatures across the European Union. Registration does not mean the Commission supports the proposal; it only confirms that the initiative meets the legal requirements to start the signature-gathering process.
The campaign comes as the EU continues introducing its European Digital Identity Wallet framework and promotes age-verification tools intended to help online platforms comply with child protection requirements. Organisers argue that these efforts risk creating a system in which people must routinely prove their identity or age before accessing online content, potentially weakening privacy and anonymous internet use.
Instead of mandatory verification, the organisers are calling for legislation requiring digital identity and age-assurance systems to remain voluntary. They say users should only be required to identify themselves when such a requirement is clearly established by law and is both necessary and proportionate. The proposal also advocates privacy-preserving age verification methods, including anonymous or pseudonymous proof-of-age where technically possible, while encouraging technologies that minimise personal data collection and can be independently audited.
The initiative further argues that people should not be compelled to use a government-operated or commercial digital identity wallet in order to use online services. It also calls for non-digital alternatives so that individuals who choose not to use digital identity systems are not excluded from lawful online activities.
To move forward, the campaign must collect at least one million verified signatures from EU citizens within 12 months while also reaching minimum signature thresholds in a required number of member states. Even if those requirements are met, the European Commission is not obligated to propose new legislation. Instead, it must formally examine the initiative and explain whether it intends to take further action.
The proposal has attracted discussion within online privacy communities, where supporters argue that stronger protections are needed to prevent child safety measures from becoming broad identity requirements for internet users. Some have also noted that AI-detection tool GPTZero estimated the petition’s wording was likely generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence. That assessment has not been independently verified and has no bearing on the initiative’s legal status.
The campaign arrives as debates over privacy, online safety and digital regulation continue across the European Union. While policymakers seek ways to better protect minors online, privacy advocates maintain that such measures should avoid creating systems that require routine identity checks or expand the collection of personal data beyond what is strictly necessary