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Reddit User Uncovers Who Is Behind Meta’s $2B Lobbying for Invasive Age Verification Tech

A GitHub sleuth claims Meta used dark-money-style nonprofits to push app-store age checks that shift liability onto Apple/Google.

State Politics

Sources

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/reddit-user-uncovers-behind-meta-154717384.html

Summary

A Yahoo-distributed write-up amplifies an open GitHub investigation alleging Meta indirectly funded and coordinated nationwide advocacy for “app store accountability”/age-verification bills—especially Utah’s SB 142—designed to make Apple and Google verify users’ ages at the OS/app-store layer while leaving social media platforms largely outside the legal burden. The piece mixes some verifiable context (Utah’s law and the industry fight) with high-confidence rhetoric and some technically/financially overstated claims that require independent documentation.

Reality Check

Utah enacted SB 142, which shifts age verification to app stores (Apple/Google) rather than individual apps—an approach that has sparked an open political fight among Big Tech firms. The Yahoo/GadgetReview piece is best read as amplification of an ongoing, partially documented open-source investigation alleging Meta-backed “astroturf” advocacy, not as a fully proven $2B funneling case. ([cnbc.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/26/utah-adopts-child-safety-law-requiring-apple-google-to-verify-user-ages.html))

Detail

Yahoo article (attributed to GadgetReview) cites a GitHub user (“upper-up”) tracking Meta-aligned advocacy across ~45 states. ([yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/reddit-user-uncovers-behind-meta-154717384.html)) The GitHub repo frames the target policy as the “App Store Accountability Act (ASAA)” model: app stores verify age before download; platforms not directly regulated by the same requirement. ([github.com](https://github.com/upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings)) Utah SB 142 (App Store Accountability Act) is real and places age-verification responsibility on app stores rather than apps/platforms. ([cnbc.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/26/utah-adopts-child-safety-law-requiring-apple-google-to-verify-user-ages.html)) The article’s headline-level claim of “over $2B” being funneled for this effort is not substantiated in the Yahoo piece itself beyond assertion; the underlying GitHub work should be treated as an allegation pending sourcing/FOIA/audit-grade documentation. ([yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/reddit-user-uncovers-behind-meta-154717384.html)) The article claims DCA (Digital Childhood Alliance) launched Dec 18, 2024 and rapidly testified for Utah SB 142; this specific timing needs direct primary-source confirmation (state hearing records/corporate filings) beyond secondary mentions. ([yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/reddit-user-uncovers-behind-meta-154717384.html)) Independent reporting has described the broader fight: Google publicly criticized Meta’s support for Utah’s app-store-focused approach. ([msn.com](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/google-slams-meta-for-backing-utahs-app-store-age-verification-bill/ar-AA1ARC42)) Technical framing in the article (“OS-level persistent identity layer” / “every Linux distro must implement”) is speculative and not clearly supported by the text of cited bills within the piece; the real compliance mechanisms vary by statute and enforcement design. ([yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/reddit-user-uncovers-behind-meta-154717384.html)) The EU eIDAS 2.0 / EU Digital Identity Wallet comparison is presented as a privacy-preserving alternative, but the article doesn’t provide direct citations or technical references; readers should treat it as commentary rather than established equivalence. ([yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/reddit-user-uncovers-behind-meta-154717384.html))