GoKawiilReddit researcher exposes Meta’s $2B campaign to force Apple and Google into building surveillance systems while exempting its own platforms
Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since I was small I have been pushing buttons – both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought “why not start a website focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets.
Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since I was small I have been pushing buttons – both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought “why not start a website focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets.
A Reddit researcher just exposed how Meta funneled over $2 billion through shadowy nonprofits to push age verification laws that would force Apple and Google to build surveillance infrastructure into every device—while conveniently exempting Meta’s own platforms from the same requirements.
Following the Money Trail Through Dark Networks
Meta’s lobbying operation spans 45 states using nonprofit shells to avoid transparency requirements.
The investigation by GitHub user “upper-up” traces funding through organizations like the Digital Childhood Alliance (DCA), which launched December 18, 2024, and testified for Utah’s SB-142 just days later. Bloomberg and Deseret News reported Meta’s backing of DCA, part of a $70 million fragmented super PAC strategy designed to evade FEC tracking. Traditional election spending disclosure requirements don’t apply to this fragmented approach.
What ‘Get Age Category API’ Really Means for Your Device
Proposed laws would embed persistent identity verification directly into operating systems.
The technical reality hits harder than policy abstractions. These bills mandate OS-level APIs that apps can query for age data—creating a permanent identity layer baked into your phone’s core functions. Meta’s Horizon OS for Quest VR already implements this infrastructure through Family Center controls. Now they want Apple and Google to build similar systems that every app can access, turning age verification into persistent device fingerprinting.
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