Members of Congress considered 19 online safety bills Tuesday that may soon have a major impact on the future of the internet as age-verification laws have spread to half of the US and around the world. Many of the proposed bills include a clause for ID or age verification, which forces people to upload an ID, allow a face scan, or otherwise authenticate that they are not a minor before viewing adult content. Fight for the Future says the policies will lead to increased censorship and surveillance. In addition to age verification, the bills raised concerns over issues of parental controls, consumer research of minors, AI, and data privacy. But it’s viewed on the Hill as very common-sense.”Missouri’s age-gate law took effect earlier this week, meaning 25 US states have passed a form of age verification.