RAVE - Responsible Age Verification for Entry
Why We Need RAVE
Every day, Illinois parents, teachers, and community leaders are asking the same question: How do we keep kids safe online without giving up our own privacy?
Right now, the answer from tech companies and third-party vendors is the same: hand over your personal data. That means uploading IDs, giving away birthdates, providing a credit card number, or trusting an out-of-state company to hold sensitive records. This isn’t safe. It isn’t private. And it isn’t necessary.
The Heart of the Issue: Who Do You Trust?
When it comes to protecting our children online, who do you trust with something as private as your identity and age?
A government agency that already has your information securely stored?
Or a for-profit website, an app company, or a shadowy third-party verifier that makes money by collecting and selling your personal data?
What is RAVE?
RAVE (Responsible Age Verification for Entry) is a proposed Illinois law that lets residents use a simple, private code called an Age Verification Number (AVN) to prove their age online.
No names.
No addresses.
No photos.
No private data shared with websites or outside companies.
The only response websites ever see:
✅ Green Light – Yes, old enough.
❌ Red Light – Not old enough or cannot be verified.
How It Works
The Illinois Secretary of State already has every adult in its secure database. With RAVE, the system would simply generate a new field: an exclusive Age Verification Number. Illinois residents request it once, store it safely, and use it when age checks are required online.
Why Legislators Must Act Now
Protect Kids the Right Way: We all agree kids shouldn’t have easy access to adult content, gambling, or other harmful material.
Protect Privacy for Everyone: Big Tech and private vendors want to hold more of your data. RAVE keeps it where it belongs — in government’s hands, protected by law.
Protect Freedom: When done wrong, age verification can turn into surveillance or censorship. RAVE is designed to answer only one question: “Is this person old enough?” Nothing more.
Tell Springfield: Do It Right
The choice is simple:
Either let unaccountable corporations collect sensitive IDs and data from Illinoisans,
Or let the State of Illinois provide a safe, simple, no-data solution.
Illinois families deserve better than rushed, corporate-driven age checks. It’s time for our legislators to stand up and build a system that truly balances safety and privacy.
Government age verification through RAVE means putting trust where it belongs: under public accountability, not private exploitation. Illinois has already led the way with automatic voter registration. Now it can lead again—by showing the nation how to make age verification both safe and privacy-first.
📢 Contact Your Legislator – Tell them you support RAVE.
📰 Learn More – Read how RAVE protects privacy while protecting kids.
✍️ Join the Effort – Sign up to stay updated.
RAVE is the safest, simplest, and most trustworthy way to protect children online without sacrificing the privacy of Illinois residents.
(Disclaimer: RAVE is currently only a proposal. No bill has yet been introduced.)