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submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by Deep@mander.xyz to c/technology@lemmy.world

Online threats to children are real, but the headlong pursuit of age verification that we’re seeing around the world is unacceptable in its approach and far too broad in scope — and we simply can’t afford to get this wrong.

To be clear, parents’ concerns are valid and sincere. Few people would argue that kids should have unfettered access to adult material, to self-harm how-tos, to social media platforms that manipulate them and expose them to abuse.

But it’s the very depth of those worries that is being cynically exploited. Age verification as is currently being proposed in country after country would mean the death of anonymity online.

And we know exactly who stands to gain: The same tech giants who built the privacy nightmare that the internet is today.

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[-] ReCursing@feddit.uk 22 points 3 weeks ago

He has a vested interest in saying that, but he's right, and it would be awful

[-] AverageEarthling@feddit.online 14 points 3 weeks ago

I mean, I've got boxes full of physical books and self hosted movies and Tv. At that point, I'll just stop using the internet. I need to go outside more anyway.

[-] zewm@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

Finally all my friends that been giving me shit about having a dvd collection can eat shit.

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[-] floofloof@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago

The next step will be to make more essential services online only, so people have to use the internet.

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[-] emeralddawn45@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 3 weeks ago

If this becomes widespread, I just won't use any websites that require it. There will always be ways around it or alternatives for people opposed to losing their privacy. There already are at least 2 Internets. There's reddit and Facebook and Twitter and all the corporate news sites, and then there's Lemmy and archive.org and the dark web and dev pages and independent websites and piracy. I find I rarely care about the former anyway. It'll just mean being blocked off from all the corporate slop, which may be a blessing in disguise.

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[-] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

That's quite obviously the end goal here.

[-] daggermoon@piefed.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

Can we make a new internet?

[-] shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, have a look at reticulum. No centralized addressing authority. No centralized domain naming system. Everything is globally routeable. It also just got support for transferring HTTP with RServer and MeshBrowser.

[-] jaybone@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 weeks ago

I always figured we would go to tor when this day came. But I keep seeing people mention all of these alternatives I have not heard of. Is this reticulum better?

[-] gajahmada@awful.systems 3 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah, we ( you guys ) should fork the internet.

There's Meshtastic and the like ( I think ) but then again what we'll build there? Another fediverse ? I don't see the difference with what I have now.

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[-] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Dark web 2.0, here we come!

[-] west2seven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

This moron is also a MAGA appologist and enabler. I left Proton for other alternatives. They want to claim they are "politically nuetral" well if you really were you wouldnt be commenting at all on politics would you?

[-] coalie@piefed.zip 7 points 3 weeks ago

I must have missed a bunch. I only recall him saying he liked trumps pick for one role.

[-] parson0@startrek.website 3 points 3 weeks ago

And afaik that was it. It has been blown out of proportion many times since by people forming opinions based on headlines. If there was anythung else I'd like to know too though

[-] myrmidex@belgae.social 4 points 3 weeks ago

People forget that the current antitrust actions against Big Tech were started under the first Trump admin

His earlier words did not age well

[-] treesquid@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

"Could" is a funny way of saying "are obviously intended to". Stop playing around, call it out directly. Points where you must have your ID checked are, in fact, ID checkpoints.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Clearly this man is a genius.

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[-] Zephorah@discuss.online 2 points 3 weeks ago

Stating the obvious.

META was a major lobbyist for all of the state bills we’ve seen so far. There’s probably more. Or META is taking the lead because most hate them already, which provides a nice distraction from anyone else involved.

Tech and data centers want our data. What better way for a complete data set is there? I’m sure Palantir is in there somewhere.

[-] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Maybe Kaczynski had a point by running off to the woods and living in a cabin.

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[-] tinfoilhat@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

How long before we get a Meshtastic style, decentralized internet?

[-] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 1 points 3 weeks ago

Fuck proton and especially fuck the proton CEO.

[-] artifex@piefed.social 1 points 3 weeks ago
[-] bedwyr@piefed.ca 6 points 3 weeks ago

Moreso. It can always get worse, and indeed everything is.

[-] artyom@piefed.social 2 points 3 weeks ago

As of right now it is optional.

[-] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

"Veah ahh yo pay puz?"

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this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2026
104 points (99.1% liked)

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