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VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

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Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#491
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The UK is becoming increasingly authoritarian in ways that feel increasingly antagonistic to the majority of the population, regardless of political party. Taxes are rising (with tax take falling), crimes are going unchecked, just mentioning increased immigration gets a lot of people's backs up, but as GDP per capita continues to stall and even fall, the pressure it puts on services is a factor for many. And we're se…

> Taxes are rising (with tax take falling) > just mentioning increased immigration One of these seems like the solution to the other. > as long as those people leaving are straight, white males, or their families, they're being told "good riddance" regardless of the brain drain and loss of tax income Having UK work experience and having talked to thousands of british folks over a decade, I find this hard to believe.…

That’s absolutely spot on!

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#492
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The UK is becoming increasingly authoritarian in ways that feel increasingly antagonistic to the majority of the population, regardless of political party. Taxes are rising (with tax take falling), crimes are going unchecked, just mentioning increased immigration gets a lot of people's backs up, but as GDP per capita continues to stall and even fall, the pressure it puts on services is a factor for many. And we're se…

> The UK is becoming increasingly authoritarian in ways that feel increasingly antagonistic to the majority of the population, regardless of political party. Taxes are rising (with tax take falling), crimes are going unchecked, just mentioning increased immigration gets a lot of people's backs up, but as GDP per capita continues to stall and even fall, the pressure it puts on services is a factor for many. And we're…

The one that just agreed to pay 3000 dollars per capita to the USA to prevent a trade war?

The one that is also working on a digital age verification system?

The one that created an AI regulation that stopped all innovation, and a data protection innovation who's single result is billions of people having to spend 3 seconds before visiting every website clicking a button that doesn't actually do anything (in 80% of cases)?

Yeah, great.

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#493
post #483

I need to prove my age to buy a lottery ticket or purchase alcohol. The merchant typically doesn't save my id info. What if I could purchase a unique QR code, good for maybe a month, that I could use online to prove my age? There'd still be problems in the US with 1st amendment issues, but I'd at least remain anonymous.

I don't think anyone has a problem with verifying their age.

What many people do have a problem with is requiring disclosure of unmodifiable biometric data and government documents that once "hacked"/sold into the data collection pipeline becomes forever tainted and easily stolen.

You can't "reset my password" with biometric data once a malicious actor has it

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#494

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The UK is becoming increasingly authoritarian in ways that feel increasingly antagonistic to the majority of the population, regardless of political party. Taxes are rising (with tax take falling), crimes are going unchecked, just mentioning increased immigration gets a lot of people's backs up, but as GDP per capita continues to stall and even fall, the pressure it puts on services is a factor for many. And we're…

So if we’ve agreed with OPs assessment that the problem in the UK is the government attempting to seize more power…how will becoming subjects of yet another government body that is even more powerful and less beholden to the people…help things? The EU might be better on digital privacy right now, however the emotional winds of the political mob change often and many people in EU government feel differently. The EU is…

> So if we’ve agreed with OPs assessment that the problem in the UK is the government attempting to seize more power

Most of the OP's assessment that I quoted is about the UKs failing economics

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#495
This sort of thing is why the US has turned into a governance-averse society in some pretty bothersome ways.

People suggest some sort of regulation for something, or some social service, often ones that are similar to those in the UK, and people who oppose it will point to things like this and use them to illustrate the slippery slope fallacy.

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#496
post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> now mostly shared is the pornographic type of content What is your source? I believe you are incredibly biased. Netflix is one of the biggest user of bandwidth worldwide, and if we're talking about the percentage of "pornographic" IP packets, I think it's even less than the former. > and I really wonder how could I filter the content that goes to them Parental control on device and DNS-level blocker (think AdGuard,…

I must admit the amount of pornography in different forms is now apparently everywhere on social media. Including social media I thought was "safe": I see videos that I think are overtly sexual in nature on YouTube, even if the video is something supposedly "innocent". If you click through to their profiles there is an inevitable link to 18+ content most of the time. I am subscribed to only tech/film/gaming channels…

> I probably have cursed myself by checking these people's profiles after the fact

I think you really did. I don't watch much YouTube and don't use social media beside Instagram—which I mostly use for messaging friends and not exchanging photos—but I don't see a lot of erotic content on the mainstream platforms.

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#497
post #483

I need to prove my age to buy a lottery ticket or purchase alcohol. The merchant typically doesn't save my id info. What if I could purchase a unique QR code, good for maybe a month, that I could use online to prove my age? There'd still be problems in the US with 1st amendment issues, but I'd at least remain anonymous.

> what if i could purchase a unique qr code, good for maybe a month, that I could use online to probe my age? I can already smell a business opportunity to start illegally reselling/dealing age-verification qr codes.

It's called selling a fake ID, which is already illegal.

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#498
post #62

Basically every new law, piece of news or media I see coming from the UK paints a picture of a beat-down, cynical & scared society that's complacent to or in support of increasing surveillance and control by the government. Like maybe Adolescence or basically any mention of the NHS. The crimes they cite like child grooming or terrorism/hate being incited sound pretty terrible too, but I wonder why the UK specifically…

The UK is becoming increasingly authoritarian in ways that feel increasingly antagonistic to the majority of the population, regardless of political party. Taxes are rising (with tax take falling), crimes are going unchecked, just mentioning increased immigration gets a lot of people's backs up, but as GDP per capita continues to stall and even fall, the pressure it puts on services is a factor for many. And we're se…

The resistance to innovation in the screening invitations is more down to empire building by low-talent management than to the NHS 'religion'. Dr Ben Goldacre wrote a memorable X thread on a closely related topic some years ago.

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#499

This sort of thing is why the US has turned into a governance-averse society in some pretty bothersome ways. People suggest some sort of regulation for something, or some social service, often ones that are similar to those in the UK, and people who oppose it will point to things like this and use them to illustrate the slippery slope fallacy.

I mean, it quite literally is a slippery slope. Its only a fallacy if the causal indicators aren't so obvious.

Re: VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

#500

There is a petition to repeal the Online Safety Act[0]. The initial government response can be read as “lol, no”. [0] https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/722903

i dont understand after (15?) years of petitions with zero results, how anyone is stupid enough to keep thinking they should be mentioned
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