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Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

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Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#51

I suspect the endgame of this campaign is to have mandatory ID checks for social media. Police would have access to these upon court orders etc and be able to easily prosecute anyone who posts 'harmful' content online.

Good! Why is the Internet any different than say, a porn or liquor store? Why are we so fuckin allergic to verification? I'll tell ya why- money. Don't pretend it's privacy.

there two false equivalencies in your argument, as presented in response to GP:

1. ID checks are not the same as age verification.

2. a social media website is not the same as a porn website.

if you take the stance that social media sites should require ID verification, then i would furthermore point out that this is likely to impact any website that has a space for users to add public feedback, even forums and blogs.

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which would kill social media. The cherry-picked tech giant iterations anyway.

They already have this in China and Korea. Hasn't stopped people from using social media.

The West isn't China and Korea. They can't opt out of authoritarian-state surveillance and great firewall, whereas we have options more amenable to privacy, even if you want to quibble that they aren't perfect.

Also the fact that UK and Australia are kind of backwards on online privacy.

That aside, this is targeted. The fediverse and vbulletin forums of old, even reddit, are all social media but will never require facial recognition. If they do, then far worse things are happening to freedom.

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#53

I suspect the endgame of this campaign is to have mandatory ID checks for social media. Police would have access to these upon court orders etc and be able to easily prosecute anyone who posts 'harmful' content online.

ultimately, i think the endgame is to require government ID in order to access internet services in general, a la ender's game.

Many countries (including in the EU) already required ID to use a SIM card: https://forestvpn.com/blog/news/countries-sim-card-registrat...

Funnily enough, when the Philippines did this, it was decried as a violation of human rights [1]. But usually, media are so silent on such things I'd call them complicit. One already cannot so much as rent a hotel room anywhere in the EU without showing government ID.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_Registration_Act

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#54
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not even edge cases - I was a pretty young looking woman and was mistaken for a minor until I was about 24-25. My mother had her first child (me) at 27 and tells me about how she and my father would get dirty looks because they assumed he was some dirty old man that had impregnated a teenager. (He was 3 years older than her). I think, ironically, the best way to fight this would be to lean on identity politics:…

I don't think they make much of a show of caring about trans rights in the UK right about now, unfortunately. In the US you can make a strong case that a big database of faces and IDs could be really dangerous though I think

> In the US you can make a strong case that a big database of faces and IDs could be really dangerous though I think

The government already has this from RealID.

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#55
post #26

I see a lot of comments here arguing age requirements are overreach and these decisions should be left to the parents. To those presenting such arguments, do you think that applies to other activities as well? What about smoking/drinking/firearms? Pornography? Driving? I haven't researched the topic of social media's effect on young people, but the common sentiment I encounter is that it's generally harmful, or at le…

> I see a lot of comments here arguing age requirements are overreach and these decisions should be left to the parents. To those presenting such arguments, do you think that applies to other activities as well? What about smoking/drinking/firearms? Pornography? Driving?

All of the things on your list are primarily enforced by parents already.

This law is regulatory capture that's going to strengthen the monopolies of the exact social media sites that you allude to. It makes it harder for smaller, focused sites to exist. Instead the only option will be sites with algorithmic feeds that currently push right-wing nazi propaganda, anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, nihilist school shooting clubs for teenagers, or whatever fresh hell the internet came up with this morning.

If you think age verification is going to fix these problems on the big sites, I suggest watching YouTube Kids. Actually, don't. I wouldn't wish that trauma on anyone. Seriously.

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#56
post #25
post #2

Aside from the privacy nightmare, what about someone who is 18 and just doesn't have the traditional adult facial features? Same thing for someone who's 15 and hit puberty early? I can imagine that on the edges, it becomes really hard to discern. If they get it wrong, are you locked out? Do you have to send an image of your ID? So many questions. Not a huge fan of these recent UK changes (looking at the Apple E2E sit…

It's a good thing to think about. I knew a guy in high school who had male pattern baldness that started at 13 or 14. Full blown by the time he was 16. Dude looked like one of the teachers.

Same in my drivers ed at 16, guy had a mans face, large stocky build, and thick full beard. I once was talking to a tall pretty woman who turned out to be a 12 year old girl. And I have a friend who for most of his 20's could pass for 13-14 and had a hell of a time getting into bars.

This facial thing feel like a loaded attempt to both check a box and get more of that sweet, sweet data to mine. Massive privacy invasion and exploitation of children dressed as security theater.

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> confiscate the equipment if the child breaks the rules. Even you acknowledge this plan is flawed and that the child can break the rules. And it's not that difficult. After all, confiscating the equipment assumes that they know about the equipment and that they can legally seize the equipment. Third parties are involved, and doing what you suggests would land these adults in prison. I know you thought you were being…

These are not 20 something college students with jobs and rented apartments, doing stuff without their parents knowing. These are kids younger than 13, they don't have jobs, they live with their parents, no internet/data planes outside of control of their parents, no nothing. The goal of these laws is to get ID checks on social networks for everyone, so the governments know who the "loud ones" (against whatever polit…

It has to be acknowledged that some things, like social media and pornography, are harmful to children. "Maintain the status quo" isn't an attractive response to that. ID laws are not a perfect solution, maybe not even a good one.

You undermine your whole point by pretending VPNs are going to make the whole thing moot. Why do you care when you won't be affected because you can just use a VPN? Why does pornhub make such a fuss when their users can just use a VPN? Because in reality, introducing that much friction will stop a lot of people.

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#58
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please walk me from scratch how you would access the internet on your own right now without any form of Government ID

??? I'd walk to a local library and use their wifi. Or walk to a local McDonalds and use their wifi. Or walk to a friend's/family's house and use their wifi. Or...

I know right. There are entire business models where “comfortable place to connect to WiFi” is an important part of the strategy.

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already have this in China and Korea. Hasn't stopped people from using social media.

The West isn't China and Korea. They can't opt out of authoritarian-state surveillance and great firewall, whereas we have options more amenable to privacy, even if you want to quibble that they aren't perfect. Also the fact that UK and Australia are kind of backwards on online privacy. That aside, this is targeted. The fediverse and vbulletin forums of old, even reddit, are all social media but will never require fa…

Korea is a democratic Western nation, they host US military bases and fly F-35. Korean made phones are trusted enough that American special forces use it for some parachute jumpings.

Re: Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

#60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already have this in China and Korea. Hasn't stopped people from using social media.

The West isn't China and Korea. They can't opt out of authoritarian-state surveillance and great firewall, whereas we have options more amenable to privacy, even if you want to quibble that they aren't perfect. Also the fact that UK and Australia are kind of backwards on online privacy. That aside, this is targeted. The fediverse and vbulletin forums of old, even reddit, are all social media but will never require fa…

> The West isn't China and Korea.

They have this in South Korea: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43716932

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