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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

#511

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

Online petitions aren't worth the paper they're written on.

If people want change, they'll need to find alternative avenues. (Like civil disobedience.)

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

#512
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Bourgeois love to divide the working class, typical divide and conquer. Indigenous worker vs imported worker, men vs women, queer vs straight, old vs young, car user vs bicycle rider. This is important because it weakens existing solidarities and prevent the emergence of class consciousness. It's part of their modus operandi and has been for centuries, only now they master it thanks to algorithms and machine lear…

This view (“the Bourgeois’, etc.) seems to imply there’s a group of very clever manipulators somewhere, overtly planning and executing this (presumably in a dark room with armchairs and cigars). But I just can’t imagine this, in the UK’s example. What I see instead is the other side of Hanlon’s razor —incompetence— coupled with a political class riven with pockets of self-interest, and very few seemingly with an inte…

Are you aware of the reason Epstein island existed? Do you know about the history of intelligence agencies influence on national governments? Transnational corporate lobbying? (All incompetence. I suppose.)

No dark rooms, armchairs or cigars are needed. Did you guys even read Wikileaks?

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

#513
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This view (“the Bourgeois’, etc.) seems to imply there’s a group of very clever manipulators somewhere, overtly planning and executing this (presumably in a dark room with armchairs and cigars). But I just can’t imagine this, in the UK’s example. What I see instead is the other side of Hanlon’s razor —incompetence— coupled with a political class riven with pockets of self-interest, and very few seemingly with an inte…

Smells like coded antisemitism, in this case.

Jesus Christ lol

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

#514

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Well, if you look at the US, similar laws are being enacted at the state level as those you see in the UK, often by the same people who would reject the other features of governance you see in the UK (the NHS, stricter firearms regulations, etc.) because of them being "overbearing".

They are overbearing, this UK-esque "do you have a loisence for that" governance, is exactly why we have a permitting crisis in SF.

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

#515
post #496

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I wouldn't call it Erotic. It's hard to describe but you just know that it's somehow sexualised. I would think that somehow maybe I am a crazy prude but these profiles then do link to adult content (from their youtube via link aggregators, which is definitely not an 'adult content' platform). I think it's some form of cross platform advertising while skirting around the 'no adult content' rules of youtube.

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

#516
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…

I think it's always a bit of a bummer when someone takes the time to write a really well-thought out comment and someone comes in with a reddit-style quip that adds nothing to the conversation but derails it for everyone else.

There are so many charitable and earnest ways to make the point you're getting at, why reach for such intellectually low hanging fruit?

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

#518
post #305

The VPN trick potentially won’t last long. We’ve seen it go stale already in the world of intellectual property rights. For at least the last ten years Netflix et al have been well aware of which AS numbers / IP netblocks correspond to people sat at home in front of the TV, and which correspond to servers in a rack somewhere (including those hosting VPN endpoints.) One tweak to the rules and all of a sudden not only…

Doesn't make any sense, it's in Netflix's interest to prevent this, but it's the opposite for porn sites.

Only a little bit of legislation would be needed to change incentives around though

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

#519

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, if you look at the US, similar laws are being enacted at the state level as those you see in the UK, often by the same people who would reject the other features of governance you see in the UK (the NHS, stricter firearms regulations, etc.) because of them being "overbearing".

They are overbearing, this UK-esque "do you have a loisence for that" governance, is exactly why we have a permitting crisis in SF.

Aye, but the one thing you very likely won't have in SF is the need to have your government ID stored in a system in order to view NSFW material.

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

#520

The "VPN use surges in UK" articles are bought and paid for by the VPN industry. I don't believe it is possible to convince me that VPN's as sold and marketed are anything but a massive scam. Yes, that includes the company that you say is honest.

I want to believe Mullvad is legit but I'm too old, have read too much and I'm way too cynical
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