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UK House of Lords attempting to ban use of VPNs by anyone under 16 (alecmuffett.com)
submitted 5 days ago by git@hexbear.net to c/news@hexbear.net
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[-] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 50 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

The next amendment also calls for protecting the children with tamper-proof, system-wide monitoring software watching all devices' internet and file usage.

Such a software would both technically infeasible and stricter than the worst and fakest 'North Korea surveillance' accusations I've ever seen.

[-] Esoteir@hexbear.net 43 points 5 days ago

how would you even enforce this lmao

[-] PorkrollPosadist@hexbear.net 42 points 5 days ago

Suppressing the technology is impossible. Targeting the payment processors is trivial.

[-] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 34 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Friendly reminder that Mullvad encourages payment in cash. Can't target that payment processor

[-] Blep@hexbear.net 23 points 5 days ago

I mean the mail probably could intercept packages to mullvads addresses

[-] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 24 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Admittedly true, but way more work, and probably infeasible unless the UK restarted arbitrarily inspecting all mail

[-] darkcalling@hexbear.net 3 points 5 days ago

They don't do that there? I mean not open and inspect but inspect outside. In the US all pieces of mail are photographed for tracking people down after the fact.

Anyways as mail sorting is done automatically with computers blocking mailed payments to their address would be beyond trivial. Just have machines sort it straight to MI6 or the London Police or a special naughty bin. True I suppose people could use re-mailer services though those are kind of hard to find, kind of expensive, and most of them are for package forwarding for people buying from abroad so not the types of companies who would resist pressure on a front like this as this group of people would be more trouble than they're worth making up a fraction of their business.

[-] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Yes, blocking to certain addresses is probably feasible (though international mail pretty much exclusively ignores the address, so would be extra work).

But remailing here is a pretty cheap service, about 1 dollar per package. I daresay it'd be much more available and cheap if mail was being blocked for such things. And I fail to see why overseas remailers would ever feel at all "under pressure", they wouldn't care about UK laws.

Obviously yes at the end of the day there's a whole arms race to be had. My point really is just that paying in cash is exceptionally harder to seriously stop, it'd take new laws and major investment. Whereas card payments to all VPN providers can be stopped overnight with just like.. a private word from a government official.

[-] IncensedCedar@hexbear.net 7 points 5 days ago

Proton VPN and rise up VPN both offer free VPN options

[-] Awoo@hexbear.net 23 points 5 days ago

They'll block access to the VPN service's main webpage that sells the product, same as they block any other online service that does not comply with laws.

[-] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 23 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Get one VPN where you identify yourself. Then use it to bypass the block and get another VPN. Bam.

One kid with a VPN could make a lotta playground moolah by enabling others.

[-] whatdoiputhere12@hexbear.net 18 points 5 days ago

yeah if a vpn has no actual business in the uk, and they obviously tell the government to fuck off, what next?

[-] BeanisBrain@hexbear.net 39 points 5 days ago

Why are all the Western countries trying to build their own Great Firewalls lately?

[-] Awoo@hexbear.net 48 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Socialism had to isolate itself in order to survive in a world where capitalism surrounded it and sought to destroy it from all sides.

Capitalism is preparing for a world where China is the hegemony, where they have to isolate themselves in a capitalist bubble in order to survive.

It is the bourgeois state protecting itself in much the same way the socialist state protected itself.

[-] Sam@hexbear.net 40 points 5 days ago

parenti Siege Capitalism parenti

[-] Awoo@hexbear.net 23 points 5 days ago

Yeah exactly.

[-] keepcarrot@hexbear.net 15 points 5 days ago

Damn, that's going to suck

[-] sexywheat@hexbear.net 32 points 5 days ago

A number of reasons, one of them being that they lost control of the narrative and most young people all hate Pissreal and imperialism now

[-] JustSo@hexbear.net 25 points 5 days ago

Cuz we're winning and they're losing.

[-] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 19 points 5 days ago

Information control?

[-] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 38 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

In Soviet North China they ban vpns for underage kids they also paved over all the parks and made all public spaces pay to play yeonmi-park

[-] TraschcanOfIdeology@hexbear.net 34 points 5 days ago

Also this decision is made by a small cadre of largely unelected functionaries who have become so out of touch with the people because they're so privileged.

[-] Cysioland@lemmygrad.ml 27 points 5 days ago

Some of them literally call themselves Lords

[-] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 24 points 5 days ago

Over half of them actually. There's way more Lords than MPs

[-] Awoo@hexbear.net 29 points 5 days ago

This would require proving your age to the VPN provider, which de-anonymises VPN usage.

[-] SootySootySoot@hexbear.net 20 points 5 days ago

Regulations under subsection (1)—

(c) must make provision for the monitoring and effective enforcement of the child VPN prohibition.

I don't think that's a side effect. The law pretty explicitly requires monitoring of any kind that the Secretary of State decides.

[-] XxFemboy_Stalin_420_69xX@hexbear.net 25 points 5 days ago

you will NOT jack off, so HELP me GOD!!!!!

[-] infuziSporg@hexbear.net 16 points 5 days ago

In a way, they're sabotaging their future technological capabilities. Teens that are prohibited from using a VPN are not going to explore the field of networking as much.

[-] PaulSmackage@hexbear.net 17 points 5 days ago

It's the House of Lords. I could ask them to spell VPN and they'd start counting their fingers.

[-] horn_e4_beaver@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 days ago

Privacy is not to be permitted. Under 16s are not to be permitted encryption. No one is to have anything to hide except for the Government who will hide everything.

this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2025
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