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Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

mullvad.net

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Re: Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

#31

Post by falkensmaize »

One very simple way to give parents control over what their children see and participate in without violating everyone else’s privacy is to create adult and social TLDs and require these sites to migrate to them. So instagram.com becomes instagram.social, etc. Then mandate that all consumer network equipment mfrs and internet providers provide easily accessible ways to block these TLDs. Maybe combine that with some public education materials to teach less savvy parents how to do this.

Now you’ve given every parent a way to easily mass block all adult/social sites/apps if they want and no one’s privacy need be compromised.

Re: Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

#32

Post by cindyllm »

tobadzistsini wrote: post #23

Growing up I remember all the ads about avoiding narcotics talking about getting hooked on free samples and then going to jail for theft and/or possession. The people behind that propaganda didn't know drugs do cost money, dealers being dorky teens and twenty-somethings who are about as dangerous as a butterfly. But this propaganda also illustrates how some elements aren't very bright. The internet age with free emai…

[dead]

Re: Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

#34

Post by Cider9986 »

Animats wrote: post #5

So, to post something in 2027: - You have to have an approved browser. - It has to be installed on an approved platform, Google or Apple, for which you have a valid account. - You have to have an account on the posting platform. - You have to get past moderation on the posting platform. That's without age verification.

You can't sign up for a Facebook account without giving a live selfie.

Any image of your family you post will be scraped by Clearview AI, bypassing the restrictions that make it hard for you to create accounts, to create a worldwide facial recognition system.

Re: Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

#36

Post by 2001zhaozhao »

dredmorbius wrote: post #29
asjgGa6 wrote: post #21

There isn't much left of the free Internet anyway. Search engines no longer work, all discussion forums are ranked/censored by interest groups, mail delivery is between large entities. Maybe we need an alternative set of root servers for a free Internet.

And content is increasingly produced for, and by, machines. Human initiative and/or access is increasingly incidental. It's easy to create an alternative. The problem isn't that, it's keeping that alternative clanker-free. (As well as free of all the other enemies / plauges on the useful, generative, Internet.)

> keeping that alternative clanker-free

which brings you right back to verification...

Re: Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

#37

Post by firecall »

Avicebron wrote: post #27
mylifeandtimes wrote: post #19

EU law gives every citizen a right to a bank account. I wonder if EU law could give every citizen a right to a google or Apple account, including a forced recovery option if the account is 'deactivated'? If at some point such an account becomes essential to function in society, access to such an account becomes a legal mandate.

I mean, try getting a job without an email account and a cell phone number.

Indeed.

Here in Australia, the local and state governments push the use of their Apps as well.

These Apps provide access to identity documents, offical notifications, and messages for health, benefits and taxation purposes.

Then there is Banking and the issues around becoming a cashless digital society…

It’s become less about access to hardware devices, as useable devices can often be free when donated by a friend or relative, and more about continuity of access to your digital life.

The risk of losing access to your online identity or having it stolen are very real with often traumatic results for individuals.

Re: Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

#38

Post by simulator5g »

Cider9986 wrote: post #34
Animats wrote: post #5

So, to post something in 2027: - You have to have an approved browser. - It has to be installed on an approved platform, Google or Apple, for which you have a valid account. - You have to have an account on the posting platform. - You have to get past moderation on the posting platform. That's without age verification.

You can't sign up for a Facebook account without giving a live selfie. Any image of your family you post will be scraped by Clearview AI, bypassing the restrictions that make it hard for you to create accounts, to create a worldwide facial recognition system.

Well yeah, Facebook has been a data harvesting scheme from the beginning. It was originally called LifeLog. It is not part of the “free” web.

Re: Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

#39

Post by dyauspitr »

falkensmaize wrote: post #31

One very simple way to give parents control over what their children see and participate in without violating everyone else’s privacy is to create adult and social TLDs and require these sites to migrate to them. So instagram.com becomes instagram.social, etc. Then mandate that all consumer network equipment mfrs and internet providers provide easily accessible ways to block these TLDs. Maybe combine that with some p…

Block how? You can block sites now and all it takes is a proxy/vpn to get around it. Nothing short of personalized age verification will work. The best we can do is make sure the age verification system is centralized by the government. The client sites can’t see who you are and the centralized government server should not be able to see the sites you visit.

The only way this can go wrong is if the client sites collude and publish their visitor logs and then the government can do the legwork to identify you. But even this is pretty easily bypassed if you use a VPN.

Re: Age verification for social media, the beginning of the end for a free internet?

#40

Post by enoeht »

falkensmaize wrote: post #31

One very simple way to give parents control over what their children see and participate in without violating everyone else’s privacy is to create adult and social TLDs and require these sites to migrate to them. So instagram.com becomes instagram.social, etc. Then mandate that all consumer network equipment mfrs and internet providers provide easily accessible ways to block these TLDs. Maybe combine that with some p…

Reminder that the internet was created to be live and a indestructible means of reaching one and another, none of what you wrote can meaningfully do what you think it would.

Failing in parenting and lobbied politicians (regulatory capture) on the other side.

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