Got a license for that computer there?

This 4-panel comic meme satirizes mandatory online ID verification policies. In the first panel, a person asks the personified Online ID Verification -- which wears a mask labeled "PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE" -- why it always wears that mask. A hand then pulls off the mask to reveal that the actual identity underneath is labeled "PROFILING ADULTS ONLINE". The person who originally asked the question then puts the "Protecting Children Online" mask back into place, saying "LET'S KEEP THIS ON." The comic exposes that the public justification of protecting children is just a cover for the actual hidden agenda of mass surveillance and profiling of all adult internet users.

Dialogue

HEY ONLINE ID VERIFICATION, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS WEAR THAT MASK?
LET'S KEEP THIS ON.

Text content

PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE; PROFILING ADULTS ONLINE

Overview

This 4-panel comic meme satirizes mandatory online ID verification policies. In the first panel, a person asks the personified Online ID Verification -- which wears a mask labeled "PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE" -- why it always wears that mask. A hand then pulls off the mask to reveal that the actual identity underneath is labeled "PROFILING ADULTS ONLINE". The person who originally asked the question then puts the "Protecting Children Online" mask back into place, saying "LET'S KEEP THIS ON." The comic exposes that the public justification of protecting children is just a cover for the actual hidden agenda of mass surveillance and profiling of all adult internet users.

Origin notes

This meme originates from Reddit as a social commentary meme, per the provided source information. It was created to criticize internet policies that mandate online ID verification, calling out the disingenuous framing of the policy as only for child protection.

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