Internet privacy, security, age restrictions, VPNs and backups

[Clubber Lang]

I dare say there will likely be a lot of photographs of Keir Starmer submitted.

'I create fake IDs of your MP so you can get round Online Safety Act'

Metro speaks about the dangers of the Online Safety Act with Tim Knight, the creator of the Use-Their-ID website, which created fake MPs' IDs.

metro.co.uk

 

[Samson]

'I create fake IDs of your MP so you can get round Online Safety Act'

Metro speaks about the dangers of the Online Safety Act with Tim Knight, the creator of the Use-Their-ID website, which created fake MPs' IDs.

metro.co.uk

That is a particularly funny solution.

 

[Clubber Lang]

Propaganda will be force fed -

YouTube could be forced to promote British public service TV content

UK Media regulator Ofcom warns networks such as BBC and Channel 4 are ‘endangered’ as viewers move online

www.irishtimes.com

Digital platforms such as YouTube could be forced to make programmes from UK public service television channels “prominent” to protect “endangered” networks such as BBC and Channel 4, according to the British media watchdog.

 

[Samson]

Propaganda will be force fed -

YouTube could be forced to promote British public service TV content

UK Media regulator Ofcom warns networks such as BBC and Channel 4 are ‘endangered’ as viewers move online

www.irishtimes.com

I do not get this. They put barriers up to get at their stuff on their own web site, so they give there stuff to a megacorp so they get the clicks? Why not make it easier to get the stuff from them?

 

[Clubber Lang]

A license fee (tax) is paid to watch one of them as it is, they are not allowed to show commercial ads on thier channels because of it and Youtube is not going to want pay out of thier pockets...so then what? License fee added/extended to YT? Or something worse, online streaming license/fee/tax etc...

They (Brit politicians) keep on going on about algorithms, they clearly want control of them and have you directed to what they want you to watch/see whilst censoring everything else and making other stuff a flaming hoop to jump through with possible negative consequences.

 

[Samson]

This is a good description of what I believe to be an aim for this law:

The only websites with the financial capacity to work around the government’s new regulations are the ones causing the problems in the first place. And now Meta, which already has a monopoly on a number of near-essential online activities (from local sales to university group chats), is reaping the benefits. Thousands of hamster enthusiasts are likely flooding onto Instagram as we speak, ready to be redirected into black holes of miscellaneous “content” they never asked for in the first place. The exact nature of this content is of no corporate concern. The only service rendered is to advertisers, whose pleas are helpfully interspersed between posts and videos. The people running the platform do not care what you logged on for and whether you got it.

Compare this to the beleaguered Hamster Forum. No venture capital is involved – the website was run by passionate hobbyists. They clubbed together with the express purpose of disseminating rodent intel to the people who searched for it. If its users really do move over to Instagram, they’ll find their photos and advice trapped behind a login wall, where they will only benefit other net contributors to Zuckerberg’s growing empire. Their pets will make Meta richer – cute videos are an asset if you’re trying to suck consumers into an infinite behavioural loop that only benefits you. Perhaps most unfairly, the forum’s hamster owners will have to live on the terms of people who are totally indifferent to the value of their time and knowledge.

 

[Clubber Lang]

From above article -

The UK has managed to create a law so poorly designed that it simultaneously violates privacy, restricts freedom, harms small businesses, and completely fails at its stated goal of protecting children.

Imagine if they get thier act together or were actually smart, it would be even worse for the net!

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The Online Safety Act humiliates us all

For too many adults, age requirements amount to a ban.

www.newstatesman.com

Is the Online Safety Act law in name only?

This blog post was first published on IEA Insider. Subscribe at insider.iea.org.uk Last Friday, the Online Safety Act’s (OSA) age verification … Continue reading "Is the Online Safety Act law in name only?"

iea.org.uk

GTA Online will add age verification to comply with UK laws claims insider

Rockstar is said to be planning an age verification system for GTA Online, with GTA 6 rumoured to be following suit for its online mode.

metro.co.uk

About to hit 500,000 -

Petition: Repeal the Online Safety Act

We want the Government to repeal the Online Safety act.

petition.parliament.uk

 

[Clubber Lang]

'Respect Orders' -

The UK’s free-speech crisis is about to get so much worse

The Crime and Policing Bill could unleash terrifying new censorship powers.

www.spiked-online.com

The article by Andrew Tettenborn, a professor of commercial law, raises alarm over the UK’s Crime and Policing Bill, currently in the committee stage in the House of Commons, which introduces "respect orders" aimed at enhancing street safety but poses a grave threat to free speech.

These orders allow courts to impose wide-ranging restrictions on individuals deemed likely to cause harassment or distress, without prior notice, and can be indefinite, with breaches punishable by unlimited fines or two years in prison.

The author argues that this preemptive "precrime" approach, while targeting anti-social behavior, risks being misused to silence online critics, drawing parallels with past government crackdowns during the Covid-19 lockdown and the Southport riots, and expresses skepticism about the protective efficacy of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The bill’s controversial elements include its vague scope allowing courts to enforce "anything" based on a low threshold of potential distress, the preemptive nature bypassing due process, and severe penalties that could criminalize non-offenses.

It threatens free speech by enabling forced deletion of online content, bans from social media, and even password surrender, potentially targeting critics of officials or government policies.

The lowered legal bar for censorship, risk of abuse during crises, and doubts about existing legal safeguards further fuel concerns about this "draconian" legislation’s impact on expression.

 

[EnglishEdward]

It is a slide on the slippery Orwellian slope of thought crime.

To prevent future crimes, we will preemptively arrest anyone who might commit a crime in future.

As anyone might commit a crime, that really means arresting everyone.

 

[Clubber Lang]

Sounds like the Brit govt want's to set up a 'Minority Report' unit.

 

[r16]

'Respect Orders' -

The UK’s free-speech crisis is about to get so much worse

The Crime and Policing Bill could unleash terrifying new censorship powers.

www.spiked-online.com

logged in only to ask if you have the Sheriff Bradywhatever telling people to move on in a gif format . Like , the Brits are like lucky , they are watching it happen . In my country the Rich write the laws snd they pass without anyone noting . This comment necessary to escape the British AI , considering they were among the check thd web for empty talkers .

 

[Manfred Belheim]

About to hit 500,000 -

Petition: Repeal the Online Safety Act

We want the Government to repeal the Online Safety act.

petition.parliament.uk

One of the best tricks the government has played on the populace is convince them that this sop of a mechanism has any value at all. No matter the numbers, all they have to do to show the system is "working" is give it ten minutes' lip service in parliament, do nothing, and move on. As always. You might as well scream into the void as sign one of these petitions.

 

[Samson]

One of the best tricks the government has played on the populace is convince them that this sop of a mechanism has any value at all. No matter the numbers, all they have to do to show the system is "working" is give it ten minutes' lip service in parliament, do nothing, and move on. As always. You might as well scream into the void as sign one of these petitions.

It is a way to be heard. It is not forcing the governments hand, but getting the petition to such high numbers so quickly sends a strong message about how strongly people feel about this. It is not nothing.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I respectfully disagree. It's a mechanism to efficiently and quietly soak up ire and allow it to be dealt with and dismissed as quickly as possible. Any impetus anyone might have to write directly to their MP, taking up their valuable time, or going on troublesome protests or any of that nonsense, is redirected to a simple "I agree with this petition" button, which causes a lot less hassle and admin for the government/parliament to deal with, and allows them an easy "we had a debate and we've decided no" reply mechanism. All online. They just have to have a single debate, done and dusted in an hour or so, with no direct contact with any of the plebs other than the statement issued at the end. Nothing achieved.

 

[EnglishEdward]

This is a good description of what I believe to be an aim for this law:

The only websites with the financial capacity to work around the government’s new regulations are the ones causing the problems in the first place.

We saw something similar to this with banking regulation.

The large players were quite happy to bend the creation of regulations to those
they could live with, but would de facto preclude competition from new entrants.

 

[Clubber Lang]

''Please kind sirs and dames, honourable members of Parliament and esteemed Lords, repeal the act and give us back our rights, privacy, freedom etc...''.

''The Government has no plans to repeal the Online Safety Act, and is working closely with Ofcom to implement the Act as quickly and effectively as possible''

 

[Samson]

I respectfully disagree. It's a mechanism to efficiently and quietly soak up ire and allow it to be dealt with and dismissed as quickly as possible. Any impetus anyone might have to write directly to their MP, taking up their valuable time, or going on troublesome protests or any of that nonsense, is redirected to a simple "I agree with this petition" button, which causes a lot less hassle and admin for the government/parliament to deal with, and allows them an easy "we had a debate and we've decided no" reply mechanism. All online. They just have to have a single debate, done and dusted in an hour or so, with no direct contact with any of the plebs other than the statement issued at the end. Nothing achieved.

It is certainly possible that some people will sign one of those instead of doing something. It is also possible people will do more when they see how many other people are willing to tell the government that they are on the same side.

It just seems to me that this is such a bad idea, and it is so obvious to so many people that it is a bad idea, that this sort of thing could make a difference.

Though of course the big thing that will make a difference right now is to choose technical solutions. Using a VPN is another way of demonstrating ones opposition to these rules. Yesterday my supermarket for the first time blocked my login via VPN. We may see that more commonly, any company with whom the government have enough clout will start blocking them to make it more difficult for people to effectively keep their IP address secret.

The more I read the more I think Oblivious DNS over HTTPS could be a solution. I am not sure I understand it enough to actually make it work better than a VPN though.

 

[Clubber Lang]

We may see that more commonly, any company with whom the government have enough clout will start blocking them to make it more difficult for people to effectively keep their IP address secret.

They have already said they will target the 'money', websites allowing VPN hits?
They will contact thier pals over at 'Mastercard' etc...who will do the enforcing.

Adult Games Are Only The Beginning, Grand Theft Auto And Saints Row Reportedly "At Risk" Of Being Delisted By Payment Processors

ZOOM Platform has confirmed worries that the delisting campaign could extend even further, hitting hugely popular games like GTA.

www.thegamer.com

 

[Clubber Lang]

Modding to be hit with the ban hammer -

The Law and Adult Content

We wanted to give you all a heads-up that over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be making some changes to how things work on Nexus Mods in regards to Adult content, child safety online and our ong...

www.nexusmods.com

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They have turned the Safety Act volume up to full...

 

[Samson]

The government is saying that loads of people are uploading their data to the internet

> The UK government has reported that an additional five million age checks are being made daily

I hope they are wrong, and this is just AI crawlers trying their luck. If there are millions of people uploading their data then there are at least hundreds of thousands of people uploading their data to scammers.