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New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

bigbrotherwatch.org.uk

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Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#111

Post by zimpenfish »

JimDabell wrote: post #85
codeduck wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny; as a Brit I'd say the above is a classic hallmark of American companies. Brits are masters of malicious compliance.

> Brits are masters of malicious compliance. My favourite example of this was when Thatcher passed a law banning the broadcast of Sinn Féin. The BBC responded by dubbing the audio with actors’ voices. So you would watch the news and see an interview with Gerry Adams, but you would be hearing an actor speak his words, meaning the BBC were complying with the law by not broadcasting his voice.

> The BBC responded by dubbing the audio with actors’ voices.

Don't forget the cherry on top - an actor who sounded exactly like Gerry Adams / whoever.

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#112

Post by subscribed »

tbossanova wrote: post #64
inetknght wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your phone should not have any business whatsoever collecting, checking, or verifying the age of the person using it. > And as a parent, I know that if child protection is opt-in, there’ll be a huge fight about it, because some other parents won’t activate it, which then makes the situation unfair for the kids. I’d much rather have it on by default so that all kids are treated the same. If you cared about your childr…

“But $parent, none of the other kids have it on! I’m missing out on everything! Are you trying to ruin my life? I hate you!” Rinse and repeat until you break

I'm a parent and this argument is silly to put it gently.

"No" is a complete sentence after the reasoning has been laid out the first time.

Yes, I did the same with tiktok, Instagram, WhatsApp in my house for my kids. Their home network is mildly sanitised, their phones minimally parented.

It's mostly consensus despite their whining (mostly performative, it seems).

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#113

Post by neya »

tomhow wrote: post #89
neya wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> Ah, the classic "aPpLe cAn dO nO wRoNg" comment from a thread full of nothing but Apple lovers. Hey, this is an awful comment from someone who has been on HN long enough to know better. That random capitalization thing is a cheap form of sneering, as well as being a tired old internet trope, and the whole comment breaks this guideline: Please don't fulminate. Please don't sneer, including at the rest of the communi…

So, are you also going to do anything about the top comment being fake news? It literally says something completely that is not true. Minus the "sneering", I think the validity of my comment remains.

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#114

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fxtentacle wrote: post #16

While I agree with the general argument that iOS shouldn’t limit the user’s freedom, it looks to me like Apple actually put in some effort to make this as privacy-preserving as possible. The article somewhat glosses over it, but you can buy a PASS age verification card at the local post office for 15£. That one is widely accepted and it doesn’t contain unnecessary information that might cause trouble if it leaked (li…

You forgot to mention that the (provisional) driving licence can be issued to 16 year olds.

Full (A1) licence to 17 year olds. It's a proper, full licence, just for a limited power/displacement. Looks proper, "adult".

I don't have iPhone in my household but but I'd very happily ask my nearly 17yo child to try to pass as an adult using their licence to point to the utter stupidity of this.

And to address your last point - the difference is not that Apple is barring adults from the huge portion of the internet (and no, I'm not talking about porn, to address inevitable strawman) unless they submit to the intrusive check.

What proves for me it's malicious, subversive pattern is that it hasn't been widely advertised.

The right way to do it would be to NOT turn it on, but allow to switch "I'm not an adult" option in the settings and then require age check to turn it off. It would require a parent to do it in their child's phone ONCE.

The way it is now is stupid, hostile, so utterly British Government in a way. Great job.

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#115

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unglaublich wrote: post #88

This is what the people want and vote for? Can hardly blame Apple for following local regulations. Just sad that Western citizen are throwing hard earned privacy rights so easily out of the window. Giving in to the most trivial emotional blackmail.

It would be a lie to claim that local regulations require that.

I'm not saying you're lying, I'm saying you're misinformed.

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#116

Post by Ntrails »

sleepychu wrote: post #92
crote wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If those restrictions are so good for children, wouldn't it be in your interest to enforce them - even when other parents do not? Or are you worried about your kids getting an unfair advantage over unrestricted ones?

I am not parent comment, and I'm also not in favour of restrictions for all/most people in the name of "the kids" for all the reasons covered in this debate. Invasive age verification feels even worse. But I gotta tell I am not looking forward to deciding which is worse when my little kids grow up and I either have to: - let them use TikTok (or whatever it is by then) and suffer what I know to be an insidious poison…

> At the time, it sucked. In retrospect I totally agree

Being parented essentially means rules applied that are in your long term interest despite your own preferences (typically shorter term). When I had to go to bed on time, it sucked. When I had to eat my vegetables, it sucked

The kids who didn't watch soaps, didn't have phones, didn't get to see 15 films... etc, were fine in the end. This isn't a new concern. Every other generation of parents has done it.

> My only real hope to escape this dilemma

I simply don't see a dilemma.

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#117

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_3u10 wrote: post #44
consoleable wrote: post #22

Why have Western countries introduced so many laws that look like China’s? The government controls more and more individuals

The only western country left is Paraguay, maybe Israel too. “The west” is now the global north, it’s mostly 3rd world countries dying of old age and going bankrupt in the process.

It's weird to see a North-African country let by a man investigated for war crimes and genocide, country that recently passed death sentence laws only for the indigenous population only, suggested as the last bastion of the western civilization?

I'm very happy my country is not bundled together with.....that.

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#118

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boysenberry wrote: post #28

I activated ADP as soon as it was available here, and I was hoping things would work out, and friends and family who missed the opportunity would be able to use it by now as well. I’m not pleased with this move, but its implementation has me wondering. I barely keep up with anything these days so I was taken by surprise after I updated. And, probably due to the decrepitude, I was annoyed for a few days that my phone…

If you rolled back make sure you're on 18.7.7 or you're exposed to the "DarkSword", active in the wild if I'm not mistaken.

(I hope someone corrects me, I've read first hand sources but can't verify them independently)

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#119

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al_borland wrote: post #12

As much as I'd like to see Apple fight this, shouldn't the blame be placed on the governments for compelling this, rather than on Apple? What is the alternative, pulling out of the UK? While I'd love this hard-line approach, as it might make other countries think twice, the stockholders probably wouldn't love it. > Laws like the Online Safety Act 2023 apply to websites and online services — not to entire phone operat…

Law doesn't require Apple to do it.

It's simple as that.

This is a VOLUNTARY act from Apple side but will be without doubt exploited by the overreaching, authoritarian country UK is now.

Re: New iPhone age and identity checks restrict internet freedom in the UK

#120

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Fizzadar wrote: post #49

One silver lining this is finally going to push me to switch to a dedicated camera and some niche unrestricted Linux or graphene device as a phone. Goodbye iPhone. (I say this as someone with an Apple account old enough to auto “qualify”, how lucky).

If you value security and privacy on the phone there's really no alternative to GrapheneOS or iPhone (comparable security, worse privacy).

It's pixel only at the moment, new Motorola devices expected in 2027.

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