VPN use surges in UK as new online safety rules kick in

Post by Noumenon72 » Mon, Jul 28, 2025, 7:49 PM UTC

wongarsu wrote: post #350

winterismute wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always thought linking all the main things not working in the actual world to the alienation caused by too much digital consumption to be wrong/not really making sense. However, gradually, I am getting closer and closer to that conclusion... In your case, what brought you to the stance "Too much social media is what ails the whole world"? What do you think we could do to solve it?

Social Media used to be better when you actually had a connection to the other person. Nowadays it's mostly anonymous or parasocial. All social media sites have drifted to influencer content (TikTok, Meta, Youtube) or to moving the identity of the other person to the background (reddit, HN). The inbetween of early social media with smaller groups of people who know each other has gotten very rare The other factor is…

Post by Saline9515 » Mon, Jul 28, 2025, 7:56 PM UTC

u_sama wrote: post #234

Saline9515 wrote: post #147

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Well they also produced pre-totalitarian authors, such as Thomas Hobbes and his advocacy of authoritarian states.

I think this is the most uncharitable reading and understand of Hobbes that exists. The main argument (and context) is that men is evil and can only live in "civilization" by being forced into it by an absolutely powerful state. The fact this state is a monarchy, a dictatroship or a democracy is not the issue. The fact (in which he is right) a state needs absolute power and monopoly of that power. Modern democracies…

Post by mywittyname » Mon, Jul 28, 2025, 7:56 PM UTC

JFingleton wrote: post #456

Xelbair wrote: post #437

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From tourist point of view UK felt to me like a police state, and I'm leaning more towards the former view. Cameras everywhere, non-stop reminders that you're being watched, being tracked everywhere(including which train car you're in now), constant reminders about possible dangerous bags being left alone etc. Tracking would feel helpful and useful, if not for constant oppressive reminders that "Bad Thing could happe…

I always thought a police state would demand identification at every street corner (perhaps I'm wrong?) and any minor breaking of the law being dealt with severe justice. The UK has always been against a "state ID" unlike a lot of European countries, so I'm not completely convinced the description of "police state" is accurate. In fact I think it's the opposite given people can freely break the law despite cameras be…

Post by ujkiolp » Mon, Jul 28, 2025, 7:58 PM UTC

areoform wrote: post #241

cs02rm0 wrote: post #62

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The UK is becoming increasingly authoritarian in ways that feel increasingly antagonistic to the majority of the population, regardless of political party. Taxes are rising (with tax take falling), crimes are going unchecked, just mentioning increased immigration gets a lot of people's backs up, but as GDP per capita continues to stall and even fall, the pressure it puts on services is a factor for many. And we're se…

> Taxes are rising (with tax take falling) > just mentioning increased immigration One of these seems like the solution to the other. > as long as those people leaving are straight, white males, or their families, they're being told "good riddance" regardless of the brain drain and loss of tax income Having UK work experience and having talked to thousands of british folks over a decade, I find this hard to believe.…

Post by nebben64 » Mon, Jul 28, 2025, 7:59 PM UTC

HDThoreaun wrote: post #136

chrismatheson wrote: post #109

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is TOR an answer to this ?

It is incredibly easy to tell if someone is using TOR. It would be banned before VPNs