Show Your ID to Download a Bible App? The Supreme Court Will Decide.

Imagine reaching for a prayer app on your phone. A free Bible app, the kind millions of people download without a second thought. And before it lets you in, it asks you to upload your government I.D.

That's the question now sitting in front of the U

That's the question now sitting in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. If you've ever downloaded an app — any app — this story is about you. A Texas law would require app stores to verify your age before you download almost anything. News apps, games, banking apps, prayer apps. A tech industry group called the C.C.I.A. asked the Supreme Court to block it on an emergency basis. So the justices have to answer one question — can a state make you prove who you are just to read something online?

Let me back up to June, because that's where this really starts. The Supreme Court ruled, six to three, to uphold a different Texas law. That one required age checks on pornography websites. The court said it only lightly touched adults' free speech rights. And that ruling changed everything. This article is part of a series — start with Workplace Biometric Consent Proportionality Test.

Here's why. The justices used a softer legal test — lawyers call it intermediate scrutiny. In plain terms, that means states don't have to clear the highest bar to defend these laws. They just have to clear a medium one. And once that door opened, states walked right through it.

In two thousand twenty-three and two thousand

In two thousand twenty-three and two thousand twenty-four, twenty-three states passed some form of age verification law. Three of them — Alabama, Louisiana, and Utah — went after app stores specifically. Texas is next in line. For you, that means the rules could be different in every state you travel through. Previously in this series: Age Verification Laws Supreme Court Id Internet Access.

Now the tech group's argument is simple. They say the law would force the public to document their age and identity just to reach lawful information. Justice Samuel Alito gave Texas until June twenty-second to respond. That deadline is the clock ticking on whether your I.D. becomes a gate for everyday internet access.

But Texas has a comeback, and it's a good one. Justice Thomas compared an online age check to a store clerk asking for I.D. when you buy alcohol. We've done that for decades. Nobody calls it censorship. So why should the internet be different? Up next: Your Boss Wants Your Fingerprint You Signed The Form It Stil.