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I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating

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Re: I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating

#2
Common misunderstandings are that there was no control over the internet and that anonymity was for protecting freedom of expression of the individuals.

The difference is that what once was covert in the West is now out in the open. Anonymity enabled the troll culture, famously exploited by any and all bad faith actors in their favor. Control in terms of surveillance on metadata level is just a manner of having enough endpoints at your disposal for a nation state actor.

It was a nice illusion and the wake up is kind of harsh.

Re: I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating

#3
This is Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. And he’s totally correct. The Internet was much better before the 2000s and the social media era. And when the people who remember it aren’t around, those remaining won’t have any idea that they’re missing something.

He’s also totally correct in calling out the obvious lunge towards authoritarianism from European democracies - this must be stopped immediately:

> Once-free countries are introducing dystopian measures such as digital IDs (UK), online age checks (Australia), and mass scanning of private messages (EU).

> Germany is persecuting anyone who dares to criticize officials on the Internet. The UK is imprisoning thousands for their tweets. France is criminally investigating tech leaders who defend freedom and privacy.

Re: I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating

#4
post #2

Common misunderstandings are that there was no control over the internet and that anonymity was for protecting freedom of expression of the individuals. The difference is that what once was covert in the West is now out in the open. Anonymity enabled the troll culture, famously exploited by any and all bad faith actors in their favor. Control in terms of surveillance on metadata level is just a manner of having enoug…

> Anonymity enabled the troll culture

Anonymity enabled honesty and free expression. FTFY.

Re: I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating

#5

This is Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. And he’s totally correct. The Internet was much better before the 2000s and the social media era. And when the people who remember it aren’t around, those remaining won’t have any idea that they’re missing something. He’s also totally correct in calling out the obvious lunge towards authoritarianism from European democracies - this must be stopped immediately: > Once-free…

We're also running out of people who know and care that you used to be able to buy straight from a publisher, own, play offline with privacy, and resell games on an open platform without Steam as a DRM/rent-seeking middleman.

Re: I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating

#6

This is Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. And he’s totally correct. The Internet was much better before the 2000s and the social media era. And when the people who remember it aren’t around, those remaining won’t have any idea that they’re missing something. He’s also totally correct in calling out the obvious lunge towards authoritarianism from European democracies - this must be stopped immediately: > Once-free…

We're also running out of people who know and care that you used to be able to buy straight from a publisher, own, play offline with privacy, and resell games on an open platform without Steam as a DRM/rent-seeking middleman.

Point 'em to Gog and itch.io if you get a chance

Re: I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating

#7
post #2

Common misunderstandings are that there was no control over the internet and that anonymity was for protecting freedom of expression of the individuals. The difference is that what once was covert in the West is now out in the open. Anonymity enabled the troll culture, famously exploited by any and all bad faith actors in their favor. Control in terms of surveillance on metadata level is just a manner of having enoug…

> Anonymity enabled the troll culture

You will be blown away by stuff people post at eachother on facebook, the site where you use your real name

Re: I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating

#9
post #2

Common misunderstandings are that there was no control over the internet and that anonymity was for protecting freedom of expression of the individuals. The difference is that what once was covert in the West is now out in the open. Anonymity enabled the troll culture, famously exploited by any and all bad faith actors in their favor. Control in terms of surveillance on metadata level is just a manner of having enoug…

> Anonymity enabled the troll culture Anonymity enabled honesty and free expression. FTFY.

That is indeed the paradox. What sometimes made true community possible, sometimes made exploitation easier. The line between the two is thin, and we’ve all seen both sides of it.
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