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

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

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wi…

Let's see how much those EU charter papers are worth when you get arrested for a tweet, which happens a lot.

Vague Hate speech laws alone can utterly remove any of those "human rights". In Germany and the UK people get charged for jokes or sarcastically criticizing politicians all the time. That is not free speech or even free expression regardless how much you want to cope to own musk or whoever the news told you to hate this week.

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

#172
post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And Mullvad is likely an entity outside of your home country, hence more difficult to coerce than your ISP This is not true in the EU or for the signatories of the Lugano Convention (the EU, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway). Mullvad is very explicit that they'll abide by all EU laws. For instance, see the e-Evidence Regulation specifically written for "network-based services" like "proxy services": https://eur-lex…

> is not a hurdle for your local LEA you think it might be Everything is possible, of course, but in no world is it > That's your assumption, not an assertion Mullvad makes? IDK what they have to say about it, but the ISP has a hardware line to my home, my name on a contract and recurring card payments. Mullvad has some money with no clear source and an ID with 3-4 people on it that jump ID every other month. I can't…

> They can absolutely parse things and follow me across IDs to put me in a big log

So, VPNs do not protect against surveillance. Both of us agree.

> some data magic

The EU e-Evidence Regulation requires this of EU & EFTA based providers. Make what you will.

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

#173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wi…

Let's see how much those EU charter papers are worth when you get arrested for a tweet, which happens a lot. Vague Hate speech laws alone can utterly remove any of those "human rights". In Germany and the UK people get charged for jokes or sarcastically criticizing politicians all the time. That is not free speech or even free expression regardless how much you want to cope to own musk or whoever the news told you to…

People get arrested for tweets like calling for the homes of asylum seekers to be set on fire. Something like this, clear and direct calls for violence and criminal acts, usually turn up when you research any of those cases brought as examples for censorship in the EU or UK.

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

#174
post #31

Mullvad becoming popular with huge ad campaigns is very sus. Either way I don't use it anymore because its ip ranges are banned on most websites.

I'm also weirded out by how much ad spend they have. Billboards? Ads on buses? Why? I want my VPN provider to be like the domain registrar Gandi, not super well known, consistent, and no-nonsense. I am a Proton user now, mostly because I finally realized VPN came with the email service I was already paying for. No complaints.

Gandi is sadly not a great example anymore for this, as they raised prices quite a lot over recent years, especially for their email service.

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

#175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wi…

Let's see how much those EU charter papers are worth when you get arrested for a tweet, which happens a lot. Vague Hate speech laws alone can utterly remove any of those "human rights". In Germany and the UK people get charged for jokes or sarcastically criticizing politicians all the time. That is not free speech or even free expression regardless how much you want to cope to own musk or whoever the news told you to…

It's too bad I can't block users who think offending their interlocutor is a form of debate on HN. I do not "cope" and I don't give a shit about Musk, he's the one who has faithful followers who parrot his ignorant bullshit on social media, which btw I do not follow. Don't sound like him and I won't wonder whether that's what you're doing.

Oh, and also Paul Graham.

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

#176
post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's see how much those EU charter papers are worth when you get arrested for a tweet, which happens a lot. Vague Hate speech laws alone can utterly remove any of those "human rights". In Germany and the UK people get charged for jokes or sarcastically criticizing politicians all the time. That is not free speech or even free expression regardless how much you want to cope to own musk or whoever the news told you to…

People get arrested for tweets like calling for the homes of asylum seekers to be set on fire. Something like this, clear and direct calls for violence and criminal acts, usually turn up when you research any of those cases brought as examples for censorship in the EU or UK.

There is a difference between the EU and the UK: the UK is no longer a signatory to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. On the other hand, it is still a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights, but of course there has been a sustained, concerted effort to exit it, disparage it as "a villain's chapter" etc, at least since I've been in the country (2005).

The environment in the EU and the UK is also very different in terms of freedom of speech. In the UK for example I've kept tabs on people being put in jail for completely ludicrous reasons, like a kid who was accused of planning a Sandy Hook - like attack because he had a backpack with batteries, stones and ziplocks in it, and a young woman who was put in jail for writing poetry, with themes interpreted as terrorist sympathy. Unfortunately my bookmarks are on my other computer and I can't access them now and a search online only brings up more current cases that I don't know much about because I haven't looked into them yet, so I'll have to ask you to just have to believe me about that.

On the other hand you can find plenty of information about Drill music used as evidence in criminal trials, which is also a form of criminalisation of expression that should be banned under both the EU and CoE laws:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-600703...

Then again there is the appalling treatment of climate activists and anti-war protesters in the UK, like for example the recent proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation and the arrest of hundreds of its supporters that followed. But I believe that protesting e.g. the carnage in Palestine is not treated much better in Germany or France.

The important thing to keep in mind however is that all of that is the result of authorities overstepping bounds and claiming for themselves powers that they don't have, which happens in such freedom of speech-loving countries like the US even more often. The fact of the matter is that the law of the land protects freedom of expression and we do not live in some dystopian dictatorship where you're bundled up if you so much as dare to make a squeak about the government, or the authorities.

Using a banned ad to claim otherwise is simply disingenuous.

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

#177
post #160
post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s illegal to protest in a way that has any real effect now

I live in central London and there are protests pretty much daily about all sorts of things. The problem is more no one paying attention to them rather than their being illegal.

"that has any real effect". All the words I wrote were to be read

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

#178
post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also weirded out by how much ad spend they have. Billboards? Ads on buses? Why? I want my VPN provider to be like the domain registrar Gandi, not super well known, consistent, and no-nonsense. I am a Proton user now, mostly because I finally realized VPN came with the email service I was already paying for. No complaints.

Gandi is sadly not a great example anymore for this, as they raised prices quite a lot over recent years, especially for their email service.

Come to think of it, that's why I'm on Proton now.

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

#179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was Clearcast that rejected it you can see the reasoning here [0], seems to be mostly that it implies VPNs facilitate criminal activity and "irrelevant to the average consumer’s experience with a VPN". Either way they gave a real gift to the marketing team in rejecting it. Every person in advertising dreams of having to write the phrase "our banned ad" even more perfect when the ad was about tracking/censorship. […

> you can see the reasoning here you can see what mullvad , the company selling a product here, say what the reasoning was. As i say, smacks of marketing campaign. Did clearcast give the marketing team a gift, or did the marketing team invent it? All we have is Mullvads word, but my word they have been running an extensive campaign in london for a while now. Step 1: cryptically warn people that their rights are under…

You didn't read the link and it shows.

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

#180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was Clearcast that rejected it you can see the reasoning here [0], seems to be mostly that it implies VPNs facilitate criminal activity and "irrelevant to the average consumer’s experience with a VPN". Either way they gave a real gift to the marketing team in rejecting it. Every person in advertising dreams of having to write the phrase "our banned ad" even more perfect when the ad was about tracking/censorship. […

In what world does rejection mean a ban? > way they gave a real gift to the marketing team A gift to us in how dishonest marketing can be, yeah. > "irrelevant to the average consumer’s experience with a VPN" Clearcast doesn't like snake oil, it'd seem.

It doesn't but it's a gift to marketing because they can claim it was a ban, which was my point.

Yeah turns out marketing people lie and stretch the truth.

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