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VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

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Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#71

Post by chronogram »

harel wrote: post #44

While I do support restricting social media to younger minds, the way they go about it, and the collateral damage that will result is unacceptable. For about 500ms I thought I might have found the "one thing" I agree with this government, but nope... I'm considering whether it's time to leave the UK. There is an air of hostility here towards... well everything.

Where would you go to then? European countries, Australia and American states already have implemented or are keen to implement ID requirements/tracking for websites.

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#72

Post by inigyou »

iLoveOncall wrote: post #67
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Conspiracy theory^ This is happening worldwide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_age_verification_laws_b...

The fact that it's coordinated in all "Western" countries show it's a real conspiracy, not just a theory.

Or maybe different people respond similarly to the same incentives.

For decades companies like Facebook have been saying you just have to let us groom children, there's no way to have this tech and not groom children. Now the predictable consequences of that are arriving: the tech industry is being turned off, because it grooms children.

And when I say groom children, I'm talking about actual child predators, not the transphobic nonsense point.

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#73

Post by hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm »

iLoveOncall wrote: post #67
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Conspiracy theory^ This is happening worldwide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_age_verification_laws_b...

The fact that it's coordinated in all "Western" countries show it's a real conspiracy, not just a theory.

Oh yes like Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey. If it is happening worldwide, it is less likely to be a coordinated scheme and more likely coming to the same conclusions based on current research.

Edit because I'm getting limited:

This isn't exactly something old that has been going on for decades in its current form and the usage has increased especially since the lockdowns. Nations have also been copying each other for centuries, you don't need a secret group coordinating for it with a singular ulterior motive.

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#74

Post by wbl »

fidotron wrote: post #41
blululu wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Feel like there ought to be some Sinn Fein backed point to point connection in Belfast that leverages the Good Friday Agreement to get around this.

It would have to alter the voice of anyone on it to make them sound ridiculous.

For yanks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988%E2%80%931994_British_broa...

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#75

Post by wbl »

sowbug wrote: post #37

Doesn't the UK already have geo-targeted age verification infrastructure in place? A website or app could require the user to submit a live video of themselves quaffing a local beer.

Damnably hard to find local ales. I had to wander for hours last time I was in London to get Fullers.

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#76

Post by Aurornis »

collabs wrote: post #8

what if instead of this age gate or whatever government is doing, what if we simply said these big companies need to self police and if a child can reach their service they have to pay the child like lets say GBP 10k per instance? remove all "reasonable step" shield to hide behind. for example, a shopkeeper can't say they took "reasonable steps" if they sell alcohol to a child so why should a website be any different…

> what if we simply said these big companies need to self police and if a child can reach their service they have to pay the child like lets say GBP 10k per instance?

All of these proposals probably sound good to people who think the Venn diagram of sites they use and sites covered by these laws are two separate circles.

They probably sound a lot less good when you realize the law covers site like YouTube. The Australian law (which they said they’re modeling this after) also includes social news sites like Reddit.

If they passed a law like this extending to VPN services then you’d have to hand over your ID to use a VPN.

Usually people realize how bad these proposals are once they realize it might impact their internet use, too.

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#77

Post by inigyou »

reactordev wrote: post #43

bruhghghbmphf, the VPNs! the VPNs! can't have those! What's that good sir? You say ssh? Do not shh me sir. Oh, SSH... yes, SSH, can't have that! It's elementary, any system which one accesses MUST report to parliament. Personally Identifiable Documents for General Evaluation Of Ne'er-do-wells. We'll call it the P.I.D.G.E.O.N. network.

It's never about the technical capability of the tool. This is a mistake technologists keep making. It's about what the average person thinks it does or uses it to do.

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#78

Post by ben_w »

Retr0id wrote: post #52
embedding-shape wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Full context: > Ms Kendall told Nick Ferrari: “I told MPs yesterday I'm going to come back to the House with a statement on the issue of VPNs in July. There are very strong views on both sides of this. For some people, it is about privacy, and it is the ability to use that is really held strongly by people. And for others, they say they should be banned because kids are using them to get around. And so I— the main th…

What is there to research? Yes, VPNs can be used to circumvent geofences (and by extension, regional age restrictions). Yes, attempting to age-restrict VPNs is at odds with strong privacy guarantees. Privacy is a human right, and one which is essential for effective democracy.

> What is there to research?

The trade-offs and how many people care and about what specifically.

E.g., you say "Privacy is a human right", so why is it that half the websites I visit ask for permission to share details of how I use those sites with more corporate "trusted partners" than there were students and staff combined in my secondary school? I'm all on board with just banning this kind of analytics, but there's a lot of people who are more angry with the EU for forcing companies to at least ask for permission before they sell your data to all those analytics firms.

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#79

Post by inigyou »

flexagoon wrote: post #25

1. Age-gate social media 2. Children start using VPNs to bypass the ban 3. Age-gate VPNs 4. Repeat steps 2-3 Truly a masterful plan.

It's actually

1. Ban something

2. People bypass the ban

3. Ban however they're bypassing the ban

4. Goto 2

Re: VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

#80

Post by inigyou »

shakna wrote: post #9

Every corporate I know of, uses VPNs. Especially when workers connect from home. Is the UK government really interested in going up against the majority of their business partners...?

It's not about a technical capability to encapsulate packets, it's about whether people use it to bypass censorship or not.
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