EU Registers 'Stop Killing The Internet' Initiative on Digital ID and Age Checks

The European Commission registered the European Citizens' Initiative 'Stop Killing The Internet: No Digital ID & No Age Verification' on 22 July 2026 under the number ECI(2026)000011. The initiative asks the Commission to propose legislation ensuring that digital identity and age-assurance systems used to access online services in the Union remain voluntary, privacy-preserving and non-discriminatory.

What the initiative asks for

The organisers want anonymous or pseudonymous age verification based on privacy-preserving cryptography, data minimisation and selective disclosure by default, mandatory open standards and publicly auditable cryptographic protocols, and independent security and fundamental-rights audits.

Their list also includes a prohibition on cross-service tracking by relying parties, parliamentary scrutiny of the implementing acts that define technical specifications, and guaranteed equivalent non-digital alternatives for people who do not use a digital wallet. The text points to Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, on private life and personal data protection, and argues that Europe can protect minors without building a permanent online ID layer.

Organisers and the Commission's decision

According to the European Citizens' Initiative portal, the registration request was submitted on 17 June 2026 and the Commission concluded its eligibility check on 22 July. The initiative is represented by Paul Diegel, a senior policy adviser to Pirate Party MEP Markéta Gregorová on the Cybersecurity Act II, with Daniel Mönch, federal political director of Germany's Pirate Party, as substitute.

The registration decision does not prejudge the substance of the initiative, and no action follows from it automatically. On the same day, the Commission declined to register another initiative, the 'Save Europe Act', on the grounds that it was manifestly contrary to the values of the EU Treaties and the Charter.

Signature collection and next steps

Organisers now have six months to open the signature collection, which may run for up to 12 months. The initiative needs one million valid statements of support, with minimum thresholds reached in at least seven member states. If it succeeds, the Commission must respond formally and the European Parliament holds a public hearing; the Commission is not obliged to submit a legislative proposal.

The campaign comes as the EU expands its digital identity infrastructure. Member states are expected to have European Digital Identity Wallets ready by the end of 2026, and the Commission has recommended that privacy-preserving age-verification tools be made available by 31 December 2026. The European Parliament has called for a minimum age of 16 for independent access to social media, video-sharing platforms and AI companions.