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Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

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101–110 of 194 posts

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#101

Place a giant video ad in tourist places in London to sell adblock? And how much "surveillance" does a VPN prevent anyway? This is a regulatory & legislative problem and I don't see how any public VPN is part of the solution.

> And how much "surveillance" does a VPN prevent anyway?

Changing your acc number every other month and paying anonymously is much easier on Mullvad than on the ISP level. You can also get multiple people on the number very easily. And Mullvad is likely an entity outside of your home country, hence more difficult to coerce than your ISP.

In my eyes ISPs are compromised by default so the aim is to guard against them, if Mullvad is also as compromised it's more difficult for them to track me across account numbers and, even if they do, my data is then in another country, which worries me less than it being local since I'm not important enough to warrant international action.

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#102
post #64

Sadly, it's Mullvad VPN itself which may be banned in the UK. VPNs will require identify verification. Not a problem for companies which require credit cards for payment, but Mullvad famously allows anonymous cash payments through the post.

When will the UK citizens stand up against the regime?

Mass surveillance and living in a police state is an ingrained part of British culture.

It is no wonder to me that police procedurals are the most popular genre of TV shows in UK by quite a margin. They really are high-quality, but it does really feel like thinly-veiled propaganda (often commissioned by the BBC) portraying the State and police as the good guys in their endless quest against the baddies. Thank god there are CCTVs at every corner keeping the peace!

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#103

Lol, my band (London-based) has a song and YouTube music video called "Streets Of London". I had a minor panic/WTF moment when I saw the submission saying : "Streets of London [video] (youtube.com)".

FYI link is below, for the off-chance someone is curious.

(not sure what are the unwritten rules of self-promotion here, but hopefully providing a link in a sub-comment instead of the comment itself makes it okay-ish?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI3xj9cM0jk

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Advance censorship is typically forbidden, for good reason. It's one thing to go after someone for lying, another thing to sit there all the time and try to make sure no lies are ever heard.

What troubles me about using the word “lie” is it becomes up to a body of bureaucrats to determine what is true. Instead, fight misinformation with superior information.

>it becomes up to a body of bureaucrats to determine what is true.

I think we have a ministry for that.

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are quite a few countries which consistently score higher than the US on democracy, overall freedom and press freedom indices, despite not having these absolutist freedom of speech provisions in their constitutions (if they even have constitutions). Because it's not about the piece of paper or what's written on it, is it? It's about the society and what it allows their government to get away with. If the US eve…

Like the RSF press freedom index, which ranks multiple countries in the top 10, where you can be jailed for expressing your earnest belief that something didn't happen? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_Holocaust_denial

I'm German. Punishing people for holocaust denial is exactly the right thing to do. There is no reason to deny that the holocaust has happened, because it has happened.

We don't see this as censorship, it's a safeguard against an ideology that destroyed democracy.

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#106
post #6

> Mullvad was rejected by Clearcast, the organization responsible for approving all TV ads in the UK and ensuring they comply with the rules set by the authorities > “The overall concept lacks clarity.” “It is unclear why certain examples are included, who the ‘speaker’ represents, and the role of individuals depicted in the car.” > "Referencing topics such as: Paedophiles, Rapists, Murderers, Enemies of the state, J…

Do broadcast standards and practices for TV networks in the USA not extend to advertising?

It would be very strange for them to e.g censor certain kinds of drug references in the programmes they produce and air, but then permit them in adverts, no?

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#107
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. You avoid having companies, who can swallow the bill, making whatever claims they like without having to much to worry about other than a slap on the wrist - Their claims are already out. J&J, P&G, Unilever et al - you may trust them to do the right thing, i don't.

That’s a solved problem, though? Just adjust the fine based on the company’s revenue

It's only "solved" if the solution is actually happening.

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#108
post #35
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My British perspective: I don’t want advertisers free to lie as much as they want. I’ve had ads taken off the TV for being clearly misleading (anyone can raise a complaint to the ASA - the Advertising Standards Agency).

>My British perspective: I don’t want advertisers free to lie as much as they want. Not exactly what happened here is it? A private company which somehow gets to approve ads rejected an advert complaining about a dystopian lack of privacy under a government that is actively trying to kill off privacy.

Not any private company, but Sky and Warner Bros Discovery.

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#109
post #6

> Mullvad was rejected by Clearcast, the organization responsible for approving all TV ads in the UK and ensuring they comply with the rules set by the authorities > “The overall concept lacks clarity.” “It is unclear why certain examples are included, who the ‘speaker’ represents, and the role of individuals depicted in the car.” > "Referencing topics such as: Paedophiles, Rapists, Murderers, Enemies of the state, J…

Free speech does not exist in the UK or EU. At most there are vague free opinion laws with many grey areas that boil down to "keep them to yourself" if you like to keep your door hinged.

I'm sorry to say but that's ignorant bullshit. Freedom, not only of speech, but of expression and information, is enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the major legal document of the EU; whence I quote:

Article 11 - Freedom of expression and information

1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.

2. The freedom and pluralism of the media shall be respected.

https://fra.europa.eu/en/eu-charter/article/11-freedom-expre...

The link above clarifies that this article corresponds to article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (a legal document of the Council of Europe, a different body than the EU, whose members are a strict subset of the members of the CoE). Article 10 delimits restrictions to the right of expression, as follows:

2. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary."

And as the article points out, those restrictions apply to article 11 freedoms also, acting as an upper bound:

Pursuant to Article 52(3) of the Charter, the meaning and scope of this right are the same as those guaranteed by the ECHR. The limitations which may be imposed on it may therefore not exceed those provided for in Article 10(2) of the Convention, without prejudice to any restrictions which Community competition law may impose on Member States' right to introduce the licensing arrangements referred to in the third sentence of Article 10(1) of the ECHR.

In other words, yes, there is freedom of "speech", a.k.a expression, in the EU and it, and its limits, are enshrined in law.

I hate to make assumptions but there are a few public figures from the US that have argued that "Europe" has no freedom of speech like the brave US, like Paul Graham and Elon Musk, but they're talking out of their backsides.

Re: Mullvad VPN: Banned TV Ad in the Streets of London [video]

#110
post #35
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My British perspective: I don’t want advertisers free to lie as much as they want. I’ve had ads taken off the TV for being clearly misleading (anyone can raise a complaint to the ASA - the Advertising Standards Agency).

>My British perspective: I don’t want advertisers free to lie as much as they want. Not exactly what happened here is it? A private company which somehow gets to approve ads rejected an advert complaining about a dystopian lack of privacy under a government that is actively trying to kill off privacy.

The private company "somehow" gets to approve ads because it's owned by the TV networks that air the ads. Better than needing separate approval from each network.
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