How State Laws Meant to Protect Children Raise Other Risks
Anthony Hendricks
DEF CON 32 Creator Stage · Day 1 · Creator Stage
In his thought-provoking DEF CON 32 presentation, "Wu-Tang is for the Children: How State Laws Meant to Protect Children Raise Other Risks," Anthony Hendricks, a cybersecurity and data privacy attorney, dissects the complex and often counterproductive landscape of state-level children's online privacy and safety legislation. Drawing a clever parallel to the Wu-Tang Clan's infamous "for the children" claim despite their adult-oriented lyrics, Hendricks argues that many state laws, while ostensibly designed to safeguard minors, inadvertently create significant privacy risks and infringe upon fundamental rights. The core of his critique centers on the problematic implementation of age verification mandates, which often demand excessive personal data and introduce biased technologies.