TEXAS just passed a law that turns Big Tech giants Apple and Google into bouncers at the gates of the internet.
Under SB 2420, starting 2026, app stores must verify the age of every user. Want to download a weather app? You’ll need to show ID. And if you’re under 18, you can’t install anything without a parent’s permission.
This isn’t about “protecting children.” Porn apps are already banned in the app stores. This is about creating a mass surveillance system that erases anonymity, chills speech, and forces Texans to hand over their real identities to access digital life.
The state tells developers to “delete the data.” But delete when? And trust who? Developers? Apple? Google? You’re betting your privacy on a handshake.
Meanwhile, Apple and Google are forced to collect and store troves of sensitive info from every user, just to comply.
For Texans, from next year, everything you say on a social media app can be tied to your real-world identity.
And if you think this ends in Texas, think again. Utah passed a similar law. Congress is eyeing one, too. The war on online anonymity is here. 
