SIGNS OF THE TIMES

The Trojan Horse Of Age Verification: From Safety To Surveillance & Control

The idea sounds innocent enough–protect children online. Who could possibly argue with that? Age verification tools, after all, promise to keep kids from stumbling across explicit or violent content. And on the surface, that’s something every Christian parent can agree with. Our children deserve protection from a culture that too often normalizes filth, confusion, and corruption.

But as with so many things government touches, the story doesn’t end with good intentions. History teaches us that every time a new control mechanism is introduced for “safety,” it’s only a matter of time before it’s repurposed for control. Once the gate is built, those in power can–and will–decide who gets to walk through it.

The Good That Masks the Danger

Age verification sounds moral and wise. It promises to block pornography, violent imagery, and harmful influences from young eyes. Parents breathe easier, lawmakers look virtuous, and technology companies earn praise for their “responsibility.”

And for a brief moment, it works. Fewer children are exposed to adult content. The measure seems effective. But beneath the surface, a more dangerous reality is taking root.

When governments and corporations begin tying online access to verified identity–driver’s licenses, passports, even facial scans–the internet ceases to be a place of freedom. It becomes a database of monitored activity, where every search, post, and video watched can be linked to a verified human name.

That’s not parental guidance. That’s a digital leash.

The Pattern We’ve Seen Before

Throughout history, nations have often used crises–whether of morality, safety, or security–to justify surveillance and control. It’s rarely done in one giant leap. It happens gradually, step by step, with noble-sounding explanations along the way.

“We must protect children.” So governments introduce age checks.

“We must prevent dangerous misinformation.” Suddenly, political or religious opinions are restricted.

“We must ensure social harmony.” Now, unpopular beliefs are branded as “anti-social” or “extremist.”

By then, it’s too late to object–because every citizen’s identity is already wired into the system.

This isn’t science fiction. We’ve already seen how easily large institutions cooperate with government pressure to silence Christians and conservatives. Entire YouTube ministries have vanished. Facebook pages have been throttled without explanation. Search results for pro-life or faith-based content have disappeared overnight–something officials later admitted was done under government influence.

Now imagine that same power tied to your verified identity–your digital ID, your phone, your account. Imagine being told you cannot even access certain platforms unless you verify who you are.

Suddenly, your beliefs aren’t just unpopular. They’re restricted content.

GOG AND MAGOG UPDATE

Magog / the King of the North says The Eagle Wings have to abandon the Women with the 12 Stars around her Head

Iran: No talks until US cuts all ties to Israel

Iran’s supreme leader demands the US end its support for Israel and withdraw all military forces from the Middle East as preconditions to negotiations.

Iran’s supreme leader issued a series of demands to the United States this week, conditioning future talks between the two countries on several major foreign policy shifts by the US.

Speaking to a group of Iranian students in Tehran on Monday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran would only consider engaging with the United States after Washington ends its support for the State of Israel, withdraws all American military forces from the Middle East, and evacuates its bases in the region.

“Only if the United States completely cuts its backing for the Zionist regime, removes its military bases from the region, and ceases interfering in its affairs, their request for cooperation with Iran — not in the near future but much later — may be examined,” Khamenei said.

Monday’s event marked the 46th anniversary of the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. Americans taken captive at the embassy were held hostage for 444 days, cementing US opposition to the new Iranian regime.

But Khamenei said that the nearly half a century of tensions between Iran and the US were inevitable, and not merely a product of the 1979 hostage crisis.

“The differences between the Islamic Republic and America are not tactical but essential.”

“Some distort history and imagine that the slogan ‘Death to America’ caused this conflict – this is naïve.”

America, Khamenei continued, has long been “imperialist and intolerant of independence.”

“Every American president has demanded Iran’s surrender, even if they did not say it aloud. The current president said it openly — he revealed the true face of America. What does the surrender of a nation like Iran even mean?”