Nostr notes by alecm

## The Huggingface Dilemma Sigh. ...

2026-07-22T09:24:30Z

##

The Huggingface Dilemma

Sigh.

https://www.wired.com/story/openai-models-escaped-containment-and-hacked-huggingface

#huggingFace #llm #openai

## EU Exempts Apple Watch and AirPods [and iPhone] From Battery ...

2026-07-20T02:15:37Z

##

EU Exempts Apple Watch and AirPods [and iPhone] From Battery Removal Requirement [due to water resistance & safety]

The “right to repair” folk will be upset, but here’s a further thought:

If “water resistance” is legitimate grounds to sidestep “right to repair”, perhaps “hacker & abuse resistance” can be valid grounds to sidestep “interoperability”?

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2026/07/17/eu-exempts-apple-watch-and-airpods-from-battery-removal-requirement/

#interoperability #onlineSafety #rightToRepair

## How It Started in 2018 / How It’s Going in 2026: UK Labour ...

2026-07-14T21:48:43Z

##

How It Started in 2018 / How It’s Going in 2026: UK Labour Government to discover “Timezones” in 3… 2…

Oh dear.

https://twitter.com/search?q=(from%3Aalecmuffett)%20AND%20(timezone%20OR%20%22time%20zone%22)&src=typed_query&f=live

#keirStarmer #onlineSafetyAct #socialMediaBan #timezones

## If you are a Parent here’s One Thing you should be utterly ...

2026-06-18T17:49:26Z

##

If you are a Parent here’s One Thing you should be utterly furious about regarding the UK’s Social Media Ban

The Government safety wonks are throwing our children out of an aircraft WITHOUT EVEN A PARACHUTE.

I lived the kind of pastoral 1980s upbringing which everyone else is elegising: rural Worcestershire, bicycling down to the local library for knowledge, bird watching and sticking 2p coins into phone boxes at the pips to get my parents to pick me up, buses to the local town to scouts and tabletop gaming clubs, and dark starry skies and stargazing with plenty of fresh air. Kid’s TV like Blue Peter with SAE envelopes to get free activity advice from the BBC.

Leaving aside that: for me, it was depressing and terrible and isolating – putting that aside – *go and reread that paragraph and notice how much of it doesn’t exist anymore.*

Successive governments of the past 40 to 50 years have slaughtered local bus services; I live in a large village / small town of 6,000 people and if we are lucky there are two buses per day. Rail services have been slashed as well.

Libraries are a skeleton of themselves and a substantial amount of their provision is online. They are still staffed by amazing people who do amazing work and pursue getting you stuff that you need within a one week window … but that’s not going to complete when the rest of the world has instant downloads to their Kindle or Audible. We shouldn’t be turning our children into captive plans for libraries.

Phone boxes don’t exist anymore – of course the kids can still have phones but that just means THEY WILL SEND SMS WHICH WILL NOT REALLY HELP – and in any case you should have gotten them a basic phone rather than an iPhone.

Scouts? Yes they still exist but they are in crisis, they don’t have enough volunteers and there are – just as with sports clubs – equally huge safety hurdles for anybody who interacts with children: if the government expects there to be a sudden surge of demand for youth clubs they are going to have to provide for a sudden surge in demand for DBS checks.

And all of the gaming clubs? They moved online years ago and now you are killing access to their modern equivalents. I am fortunate to live in an area where there is a tabletop gaming cafe 4 miles in one direction and 9 miles in another, but again there are no buses.

Also: when’s the last time you ever heard anybody talk about “stamped self-addressed envelopes”? The postal service is now massively expensive and you’ll have to go begging your parents for stamps if you want to send anything anywhere. You should be using email or WhatsApp instead.

This is not the 1980s anymore and we cannot give kids a 1980s upbringing. Aside from the fact that in reality it was not the halcyon childhood which people are remembering, we have killed or replaced all of the infrastructure which enabled it.

And I still don’t have a Blue Peter badge, although I did get a competition winner badge once.

https://www.tiktok.com/@mrhobbsteacher/video/7652067776563006742

#censorship #socialMediaBan #youth

## “Signal President Meredith Whittaker threatens again to pull ...

2026-06-11T04:28:55Z

##

“Signal President Meredith Whittaker threatens again to pull the encrypted messaging app out of the UK”

Signal will not compromise user privacy in order to satisfy the UK Government. They could withdraw from UK app-stores, but further: they could block any account with an associated “+44” phone number – myself included.

Such a “nuclear option” would beneficially put the burden of responsibility upon the UK Government without background narrative nitpicking about “side loading”, “1st amendment”, and other nerd distractions.

https://x.com/business/status/2064752727033352241?s=20

#ageVerification #censorship #clientSideScanning #signal

## From 2019: ‘If there were 5 million “bad people” on ...

2026-04-13T18:05:49Z

##

From 2019: ‘If there were 5 million “bad people” on Facebook – terrorists, criminals, drug-dealers, whatever – that would be 0.2% of the userbase’

99.8% would not be “bad people”.

This is “scale”.

Occasionally people need reminding how this works.

https://twitter.com/AlecMuffett/status/1107592617569804288?s=20

#onlineSafety

## I find it bizarre that the AgeVerification (AV) industry says ...

2026-04-13T09:04:07Z

##

I find it bizarre that the AgeVerification (AV) industry says “platforms don’t want AV because they don’t want private data” – BUT civil society says “platforms DO want AV because they want private data”

It’s like those criticisms of the BBC where they receive conflicting hate from both sides, so you have to start wondering if the platforms are doing something right to have pissed off everybody.

Probably, yes, given the circumstances.###

Comparehttps://twitter.com/The_AVPA/status/2043608121768096227###

Contrasthttps://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/2022428994596221081

#ageVerification #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct

## Trump posts graphic video of slaying to argue for stricter ...

2026-04-11T20:24:14Z

##

Trump posts graphic video of slaying to argue for stricter immigration policies | BBC News

“Hey, d’ya remember the [good old days](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj9kgxqjwjo ) back when journalists, politicians & civil society would rage that platforms “must do more to take down violent content” – [including proactive censorship](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47758455 ) – RATHER THAN POLITELY COMMENT ABOUT IT BEING REPOSTED & AMPLIFIED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA ON HIS OWN SITE?”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1eqvpw3j1no

#onlineSafety #trump

## Australian eSafety: “It is a ‘dark pattern’ to permit ...

2026-04-01T20:12:25Z

##

Australian eSafety: “It is a ‘dark pattern’ to permit people to 1/ amend mistakes 2/ be in control of information about themselves 3/ be obliged to validate abuse reports”

Clearly the perspective which the Australian eSafety Commissioner brings to the table is “users are untrustworthy scum and must be whipped into control” – basically like MPs, then.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4181pkxl2o

#australia #censorship #eSafety #onlineSafety #socialMediaBan #surveillance

## There is an entire genre of tricking AI customer service bots ...

2026-03-13T03:34:22Z

##

There is an entire genre of tricking AI customer service bots into doing work; but few are pointing out the obvious…

…that this is how all censorship circumvention works, and that content scanning will inevitably fail in the face of focused ingenuity.

https://twitter.com/om_patel5/status/2032248004443287962?s=20

#ai #censorship #clientSideScanning #onlineSafety #surveillance

## Ofcom’s [attempted] browbeating Canada-based online ...

2026-03-06T12:06:01Z

##

Ofcom’s [attempted] browbeating Canada-based online depression forum into compliance with Online Safety Act Age Verification

This Reddit post; it’s the UK that loses out:

> It’s an old-school internet forum from late 1990s, still chugging alone today. I started getting email from Ofcom around November 2025 and now have multiple letters. I’ve repeatedly told them I’m from Canada, I’m not based in the UK. Eventually, I blocked all UK IP addresses in mid-February 2026 and told them I’d blocked the UK and that I was done engaging with them. [But…]

https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/1rk690v/i_run_a_selfhelp_forum_for_people_with_depression/

#ageVerification #censorship #depression #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct

## The Wyoming GRANITE Act, America’s first-ever foreign ...

2026-02-24T05:18:00Z

##

The Wyoming GRANITE Act, America’s first-ever foreign censorship shield bill, has PASSED the Wyoming House of Representatives, 46-12! | Preston Byrne

If the state can pass such a law then the chances of it being replicated at a federal level are considerably increased:

> “BREAKING: the Wyoming GRANITE Act, America’s first-ever foreign censorship shield bill, has PASSED the Wyoming House of Representatives, 46-12! On to the Wyoming Senate!”

https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/2026055692675600489

#censorship #graniteAct #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct

## Ofcom: “if you don’t respect our groundless ...

2026-02-13T09:45:18Z

##

Ofcom: “if you don’t respect our groundless extraterritorial authority then we will multiply the unenforceable fines that we shall demand you pay”

If you ignore that the likely *actual* purpose is to pander jointly to the UK Government & British press, there’s something desperately ridiculous about all of this pompous theatre from Ofcom:

https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/2022163922170900545?s=20

#4chan #censorship #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct

## Introducing Encrypt It Already | Electronic Frontier ...

2026-01-30T14:39:35Z

##

Introducing Encrypt It Already | Electronic Frontier Foundation

> [EFF is] launching Encrypt It Already, our push to get companies to offer stronger privacy protections to our data and communications by implementing end-to-end encryption. If that name sounds a little familiar, it’s because this is a spiritual successor to our 2019 campaign, Fix It Already, a campaign where we pushed companies to fix longstanding issues.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/01/introducing-encrypt-it-already

#eff #endToEndEncryption

## Anna Riedl: “The amount of prompt engineering needed to not ...

2026-01-30T05:41:01Z

##

Anna Riedl: “The amount of prompt engineering needed to not make medical professionals have wild irrelevant hallucinations is truly extraordinary”

Sometimes I agree people are more like LLMs and less like what they imagine:

> “For example, if you mention having had emotional stress they will entirely ignore the long list of physical symptoms you mention afterwards and suggest you look into „psychosomatic“ causes. At this point I don’t know whether to attribute „general intelligence“ or „understanding“ to their architecture.”

https://twitter.com/AnnaLeptikon/status/2016478641555636234?s=20

#ai #llm

<li>added “and content” to clarify an observation by ...

2026-01-24T15:22:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…j8y0
_________________________

<li>added “and content” to clarify an observation by rahaeli</li>

## Keir Starmer is hell-bent on destroying your right to a ...

2026-01-14T13:04:16Z

##

Keir Starmer is hell-bent on destroying your right to a private life | …I absolutely detest that the mainstream parliamentary parties are sitting on their hands regarding this matter

We shouldn’t have to be reading this written by somebody from Reform, published in the Telegraph. Where are the LibDems?

> Who could object to stopping these most heinous crimes? But make no mistake: this is “client-side scanning”. Messages will be analysed on your device, before encryption, meaning true end-to-end privacy evaporates. Every text, photo, or voice note you send could be inspected in real time – not just flagged ones, but all of them.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/13/starmer-hell-bent-destroying-your-right-to-private-life/ archived at https://archive.ph/2026.01.14-084717/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/13/starmer-hell-bent-destroying-your-right-to-private-life/

#censorship #clientSideScanning #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #privacy #reformUK #surveillance

## Government drops plans for mandatory digital ID to work in UK ...

2026-01-14T03:40:15Z

##

Government drops plans for mandatory digital ID to work in UK | BBC | ID Cards are not dead yet and we need to keep the pressure up…

… however, this is pointing in the right direction:

> “The government has dropped plans requiring workers to sign up to its digital ID scheme in order to prove their right to work in the UK, the BBC understands. By 2029, right to work checks will be done digitally – for example by using biometric passports – but registering with the new digital ID programme will be optional.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3385zrrx73o

#digitalId #idCards #surveillance

## Britain’s bid to police the world’s internet | spiked | ...

2026-01-14T02:40:52Z

##

Britain’s bid to police the world’s internet | spiked | … I wish we could read this kind of analysis in The Guardian

> Even putting the principle of national sovereignty aside, Ofcom’s censoriousness is seriously poisoning relations with the US. Americans take their free speech seriously, and this isn’t the first time Ofcom has targeted US platforms. Think of 4chan and Kiwi Farms, two other dodgy websites that are legal in the US but fall foul of British law. These attacks are increasingly seen for what they are: an effort by Ofcom and the great and the good in the UK to prove their moral worth in an exhibition of self-righteous anti-Americanism, purely for the consumption of soi-disant progressives at home. The optics aren’t good.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/01/13/britains-bid-to-police-the-worlds-internet/

#censorship #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## They may not like the label but Ofcom are a censor, because ...

2026-01-13T07:27:21Z

##

They may not like the label but Ofcom *are* a censor, because they are attempting to force platforms (including entirely foreign ones) to adopt the paraphernalia of censorship, so not only…

So not only are they working towards constraining the expression-speech of users, they are also compelling the code-speech of platforms:

https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/2010780990814503157?s=20

#censorship #ofcom #surveillance

## Live-Event Blocking at Scale: Effectiveness vs. Collateral ...

2026-01-11T21:21:19Z

##

Live-Event Blocking at Scale: Effectiveness vs. Collateral Damage in Italy’s Piracy Shield | RIPE Labs

> Italy’s Piracy Shield blocks IPs and domains within minutes, but measurements performed by researchers at the University of Twente and colleagues show broad collateral damage to legitimate services. We share the results of those measurements in the hopes of sparking a community discussion around the Piracy Shield initiative

https://labs.ripe.net/author/antonio-prado/live-event-blocking-at-scale-effectiveness-vs-collateral-damage-in-italys-piracy-shield/

#censorship #Italy #piracy #surveillance

## 1947: interesting to see a physical example of mitigation for ...

2026-01-11T20:59:34Z

##

1947: interesting to see a physical example of mitigation for known plaintext attacks against British military ciphers, including explicit exceptions for OTP

I wonder if the average consumer of the content understood the difference?

> WARNING: This is an unparaphrased version of a secret cypher or confidential code message, and the text must first be paraphrased if it is essential to communicate it to persons outside British or Allied Government Serv Services. (*NOTE: Messages shown as having been sent in a One-Time Pad “O.T.P.” are excepted from this rule.)

https://twitter.com/pinstripedline/status/2010401171173695701

#cryptography #history

## Reminder: Spain already blocks Cloudflare IP addresses when ...

2026-01-11T16:02:10Z

##

Reminder: Spain already blocks Cloudflare IP addresses when there is a football match on

It’s utterly bonkers and passibly corrupt, so whatever is happening in Italy is not too far off the same:

https://twitter.com/Zrob0/status/2010104466536620112?s=20

See also:

https://cybersecurityadvisors.network/2025/04/15/la-liga-blocking-of-cloudflare-ips-in-spain/

#censorship #cloudflare #Italy #Spain #surveillance

## UK Orders Ofcom to Enforce Encryption Backdoors > [Baroness ...

2026-01-10T20:45:07Z

##

UK Orders Ofcom to Enforce Encryption Backdoors

> [Baroness Berger] also accused tech companies of lying when they say scanning encrypted messages isn’t possible. And maybe they are. But when your answer to that is “Well, we’ll just force them to comply by law,” you’re not solving the problem. You’re building a digital panopticon with the grace of a sledgehammer.

https://reclaimthenet.org/uk-orders-ofcom-to-explore-encryption-backdoors

#censorship #clientSideScanning #endToEndEncryption #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance

## Wikimedia UK and the Online Safety Act: A deep dive into the ...

2026-01-10T11:51:04Z

##

Wikimedia UK and the Online Safety Act: A deep dive into the story so far | Wikimedia UK

> With a decision on whether or not Wikipedia will be considered a category 1 service under the UK Online Safety Act 2023 expected in 2026, it seems like a timely moment to reflect on the journey to this point; including Wikimedia UK’s work to ensure that measures to improve online safety do not have detrimental consequences for public interest platforms like Wikipedia.

https://wikimedia.org.uk/2026/01/wikimedia-uk-and-the-online-safety-act/

#censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns #wikipedia

Have you paid for the 5-minute arguement or for the full half ...

2026-01-09T22:08:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…zl52
_________________________

Have you paid for the 5-minute arguement or for the full half hour?

## Cloudflare once again finds enough spine to publicly combat ...

2026-01-09T18:43:35Z

##

Cloudflare once again finds enough spine to publicly combat calls for censorship & state control, although on from past experience we can only wonder how long it will last

Fully quoting [an exceptionally long tweet](https://x.com/eastdakota/status/2009654937303896492 ) from Matthew Prince, it’s hard to forget the last [two](https://blog.cloudflare.com/why-we-terminated-daily-stormer/ ) [times](https://blog.cloudflare.com/kiwifarms-blocked/ ) that this happened — but of course those were *bad guys* which makes this situation *totally* different.

> Yesterday a quasi-judicial body in Italy fined Cloudflare $17 million for failing to go along with their scheme to censor the Internet. The scheme, which even the EU has called concerning, required us within a mere 30 minutes of notification to fully censor from the Internet any sites a shadowy cabal of European media elites deemed against their interests. No judicial oversight. No due process. No appeal. No transparency. It required us to not just remove customers…

> but also censor our 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver meaning it risked blacking out any site on the Internet. And it required us not just to censor the content in Italy but globally. In other words, Italy insists a shadowy, European media cabal should be able to dictate what is and is not allowed online.That, of course, is DISGUSTING and even before yesterday’s fine we had multiple legal challenges pending against the underlying scheme. We, of course, will now fight the unjust fine. Not just because it’s wrong for us but because it is wrong for democratic values.

> That, of course, is DISGUSTING and even before yesterday’s fine we had multiple legal challenges pending against the underlying scheme. We, of course, will now fight the unjust fine. Not just because it’s wrong for us but because it is wrong for democratic values.In addition, we are considering the following actions: 1) discontinuing the millions of dollars in pro bono cyber security services we are providing the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics; 2) discontinuing Cloudflare’s Free cyber security services for any Italy-based users; 3) removing all servers from Italian cities; and 4) terminating all plans to build an Italian Cloudflare office or make any investments in the country.

> Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. While there are things I would handle differently than the current U.S. administration, I appreciate @JDVance taking a leadership role in recognizing this type of regulation is a fundamental unfair trade issue that also threatens democratic values. And in this case @ElonMusk is right: > [> #FreeSpeech](https://alecmuffett.com/article/tag/freespeech )> is critical and under attack from an out-of-touch cabal of very disturbed European policy makers.

> I will be in DC first thing next week to discuss this with U.S. administration officials and I’ll be meeting with the IOC in Lausanne shortly after to outline the risk to the Olympic Games if @Cloudflare withdraws our cyber security protection.

> In the meantime, we remain happy to discuss this with Italian government officials who, so far, have been unwilling to engage beyond issuing fines. We believe Italy, like all countries, has a right to regulate the content on networks inside its borders. But they must do so following the Rule of Law and principles of Due Process. And Italy certainly has no right to regulate what is and is not allowed on the Internet in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Brazil, India or anywhere outside its borders.

> THIS IS AN IMPORTANT FIGHT AND WE WILL WIN!!!

> In addition, we are considering the following actions: 1) discontinuing the millions of dollars in pro bono cyber security services we are providing the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics; 2) discontinuing Cloudflare’s Free cyber security services for any Italy-based users; 3) removing all servers from Italian cities; and 4) terminating all plans to build an Italian Cloudflare office or make any investments in the country.

> Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. While there are things I would handle differently than the current U.S. administration, I appreciate @JDVance taking a leadership role in recognizing this type of regulation is a fundamental unfair trade issue that also threatens democratic values. And in this case @ElonMusk is right: > [> #FreeSpeech](https://alecmuffett.com/article/tag/freespeech )> is critical and under attack from an out-of-touch cabal of very disturbed European policy makers.

> I will be in DC first thing next week to discuss this with U.S. administration officials and I’ll be meeting with the IOC in Lausanne shortly after to outline the risk to the Olympic Games if @Cloudflare withdraws our cyber security protection.

> In the meantime, we remain happy to discuss this with Italian government officials who, so far, have been unwilling to engage beyond issuing fines. We believe Italy, like all countries, has a right to regulate the content on networks inside its borders. But they must do so following the Rule of Law and principles of Due Process. And Italy certainly has no right to regulate what is and is not allowed on the Internet in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Brazil, India or anywhere outside its borders.

> THIS IS AN IMPORTANT FIGHT AND WE WILL WIN!!!

#censorship #cloudflare #freeSpeech #FreeSpeech

## I am totally here for accusations that ChatGPT & other ...

2026-01-09T11:23:46Z

##

I am totally here for accusations that ChatGPT & other LLM/AI are demonstrating woke liberal bias: Part 2

Apparently ICE Agents are not meant to shoot defenceless observers who are trying to get away from them.

https://twitter.com/fluxtheorist/status/2009137214379229202?s=20

[Previously](https://alecmuffett.com/article/139532 )

#chatGPT #Claude #llm #wokeAI

## It will be interesting to see if Britain’s politicians ...

2026-01-09T09:51:31Z

##

It will be interesting to see if Britain’s politicians maintain their taste for self-harm through isolationism by banning X for whatever reason

The internet is speech and if you take the position that “*bad speech is harm*” rather than “*bad speech demands good speech*“, the only effective option is a kind of Digital Brexit where you block your citizens from participation in the bigger world.

The UK Government will simply have to start censoring internet access for Britons. Or it could give up on the pretence of global control… but that would look like weakness.

> Elon Musk’s X could be banned in Britain over AI chatbot row

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/08/musks-x-could-be-banned-in-britain-over-ai-chatbot-row

Archived at: https://archive.ph/2026.01.09-080303/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/08/musks-x-could-be-banned-in-britain-over-ai-chatbot-row/

#censorship #elonMusk #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #twitter #x

## The Ofcom Files, Part V: Block Harder | Preston Byrne > ...

2026-01-08T15:43:32Z

##

The Ofcom Files, Part V: Block Harder | Preston Byrne

> First … As a so-called “independent regulator,” Ofcom is not supposed to reverse itself under political pressure. Here, it appears to have done so.

> Second, in the absence of any concrete evidence that my client has done anything wrong, and until this week Ofcom’s stated public position was that it had not, Ofcom has taken the extraordinary step of, once again … using regulatory correspondence to take pot shots at opposing counsel.

https://prestonbyrne.com/2026/01/08/the-ofcom-files-part-v-block-harder/

#censorship #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct

## “In the one case where a website voluntarily blocked the UK ...

2026-01-08T09:11:16Z

##

“In the one case where a website voluntarily blocked the UK [to comply with the OSA] the UK now wants to get a blocking order to… block it again?”

1/ the Online Safety Act’s network regulations are not about protecting children, they are about attempting to control the internet

2/ the controls being sought are directed at the wrong entities & would never have been effective anyway, for multiple reasons

3/ for those reasons, we are now in a realm of kafka-esque comedy:

https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/2009036279854305402

#censorship #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct

## “News: There Were BGP Anomalies During The Venezuela ...

2026-01-07T21:38:58Z

##

“News: There Were BGP Anomalies During The Venezuela Blackout”

Fascinating geek read for anybody who wants to monitor how nation states manipulate internet routing to their advantage:

https://loworbitsecurity.com/radar/radar16/

#BGP #privacy #security #Venezuela

## BBC amplifying Ofcom’s toothless “£18m fine” regulatory ...

2026-01-07T18:47:58Z

##

BBC amplifying Ofcom’s toothless “£18m fine” regulatory bluff re: US-based suicide-discussion forum

The website is in the USA which has constitutional free speech protections that will render meaningless any attempt to impose a “fine”.

As such, headlines like the attached make Ofcom appear to be attempting to save face via performative regulatory posturing.

It’s kind of tragic.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj4l8q2rdxyo

#1stAmendment #censorship #ofcom #suicide

## Privacy will be under unprecedented attack in 2026 | Computer ...

2026-01-07T11:49:13Z

##

Privacy will be under unprecedented attack in 2026 | Computer Weekly

Good summary of the challenges we face this year; disclosure: I am quoted regarding perceptual hashing / fuzzy matching:

> The UK and Europe are ramping up opposition to encryption and stepping up surveillance of private communications. Here is what to expect this year…

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366636751/Privacy-will-be-under-unprecedented-attack-in-2026

#censorship #chatControl #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #perceptualHashing #privacy #security #surveillance

## How the ElonMusk / Grok / DeepFake / Generative AI thing will ...

2026-01-07T10:21:55Z

##

How the ElonMusk / Grok / DeepFake / Generative AI thing will play out: The Tech Outrage Playbook

<li>public outrage, moral repugnance, calls for punitive regulation</li><li>[platform] creates mitigation for [the problem]</li><li>within days, civil society nerds find a circumvention for the mitigation, calls for outrage to be directed at “insufficient” mitigation, demands “[platform] needs to do more!” and starts a {campaign, petition, hashtag} using it to seek {new membership, funding}</li><li><repeat previous two steps until media is saturated & everyone is bored></li><li>[problem ceases to be a problem, for the moment]</li><li>[political entity, probably somewhere in the EU] publishes draft punitive regulation which incidentally obligates government surveillance of everyone</li><li>[<em>N years later</em>] journalist discovers [the problem] in [new platform]</li>

#censorship #civilSociety #csam #deepfake #elonMusk #grok

## Judge Demands OpenAI to Release 20 Million Anonymized ChatGPT ...

2026-01-06T19:22:39Z

##

Judge Demands OpenAI to Release 20 Million Anonymized ChatGPT Chats in AI Copyright Dispute

OMG, this is going to be a disaster:

> OpenAI invoked a Second Circuit securities case that blocked SEC wiretap disclosures, but [Judge] Stein sharply distinguished it: ChatGPT logs involve voluntary user inputs and undisputed company ownership, unlike surreptitious recordings. “Users’ privacy would be protected by the company’s exhaustive de-identification,” Wang had ruled earlier.

https://cybersecuritynews.com/openai-20-million-chatgpt-chats/

#openAi #privacy #surveillance #whatCouldPossiblyGoWrong

## If you watch one video today, make it. Thomas Pearson talking ...

2026-01-06T12:50:02Z

##

If you watch one video today, make it. Thomas Pearson talking about the online safety act and its impact on mental health — his, and others…

This:

https://www.tiktok.com/@thomasrpearson/video/7592213183801150742

#ageVerification #censorship #mentalHealth #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance

## I am totally here for accusations that ChatGPT & other ...

2026-01-06T07:37:08Z

##

I am totally here for accusations that ChatGPT & other LLM/AI are demonstrating woke liberal bias

Apparently America doesn’t do stuff like kidnap Venezuelan presidents:

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/2008300663273357560

#ai #chatGPT #llm #trump #Venezuela

## Australian Social Media ban is not working, so now the “war ...

2026-01-02T09:02:30Z

##

Australian Social Media ban is not working, so now the “war on teens” people are demanding outright phone bans…

Not entirely surprising; and this won’t work either:

https://twitter.com/TimjboAU/status/2006680932603093169?s=20

#australia #censorship #socialMediaBan #surveillance #vpns

## The BBC has no choice but to teach Trump a lesson about free ...

2025-12-21T13:04:16Z

##

The BBC has no choice but to teach Trump a lesson about free speech | …fascinated to wonder if @arusbridger supports @4chan doing the converse @ofcom

> “How pleasingly ironic it would be for the British Broadcasting Corporation to remind Americans what the First Amendment is all about.”

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/bbc-news/71919/the-bbc-must-teach-trump-lesson-about-free-speech

Via:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1ps4q8g/the_bbc_has_no_choice_but_to_teach_trump_a_lesson/

#4chan #bbc #censorship #freeSpeech #graniteAct #ofcom #trump

## The Data Center Water Crisis Isn’t Real > For many ...

2025-12-20T18:22:32Z

##

The Data Center Water Crisis Isn’t Real

> For many people, AI (which is scary and bad) using water (which we need to live) is deeply “offensive,” Andy said — especially when they don’t realize that digital goods (like the internet) have long had a physical (and water) cost, Andy said.

> But people who care about the environment — Andy himself identifies as an environmentalist — should also care about precision, because hyperbolic reporting can mislead activists about where the problems actually are and fuel nonsensical climate policies.

https://www.piratewires.com/p/andy-masley-ai-water-crisis-isnt-real

#andyMasley #dataCentre #water

## BREAKING: filings in both the US House & Senate to resolve ...

2025-12-19T18:37:48Z

##

BREAKING: filings in both the US House & Senate to resolve towards disapproving/opposing (e.g.) Ofcom’s demands to differentiate 4Chan’s user base & implement age-walling for Britons/everyone

Écoutez et répétez: it is not an obligation for websites wholly based in other countries to implement censorship on behalf of the British Government. The UK Government may one-sidedly impose ‘obligations’ as it likes, but that’s mere hot air:

> “any attempt by foreign entities to censor or penalize constitutionally protected speech of United States persons shall be opposed.”

https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/2002077225269801344

#4chan #ageVerification #censorship #graniteAct #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## The coming war against local LLMs will be wrapped, as ever, in ...

2025-12-19T10:27:54Z

##

The coming war against local LLMs will be wrapped, as ever, in a choice between Child Protection and Anti-Terrorism

“The Internet is for Porn” – not exactly, but free & easy exchange of Porn was a driving force behind the growth of: FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, web hosting , load balancers, all forms of streaming video, bulk file transfer sites, BitTorrent, CDNs, life blogging, micropayments … and so it will go with local LLMs.

No wonder so many people want to ban the technology, even though it’s basically a glorified zip file of the entire internet and everything in it.

Of course…

https://www.reddit.com/r/StableDiffusion/comments/1pd03sd/its_your_choice_at_end/

Of course the Chinese LLMs will *not* come uncensored but instead with censorship that their government appreciate, as opposed to censorship that our governments appreciate.

However, [I strongly believe that we are moving to a world of local models running everywhere](https://alecmuffett.com/article/109128 ), just in the same way that RSA encryption was considered computationally too expensive to practically deploy on small end devices back in 1991, and now it and its successors run multiple times a millisecond on every device.

Not that people are going to be happy about this.

#censorship #computerHistory #llm #surveillance

## Whistleblowers raise ‘extreme’ concern about security of ...

2025-12-19T06:19:18Z

##

Whistleblowers raise ‘extreme’ concern about security of government’s Digital ID | ITV News

My understanding from friends is One Login is a glorified bastion host that reliant services & parties are obligated to blindly trust, making it a giant SPOF; that *alone* would be terrifying at national scale, but then: *this*:

> “Whistleblowers have told ITV News that One Login is failing to meet the mandatory, minimum government cybersecurity standards, ‘Secure by Design’ and the ‘Cyber Assessment Framework’”

https://www.itv.com/news/2025-12-18/whistleblowers-raise-extreme-concern-about-security-of-governments-digital-id

#digitalId #idCards #oneLogin

## Mullvad: “The [EU] lost the Chat Control 2.0 battle […in] ...

2025-12-19T06:08:57Z

##

Mullvad: “The [EU] lost the Chat Control 2.0 battle […in] 2026, they will be back with their next attempt: Going Dark. This time some EU member states want to include VPN services”

https://x.com/mullvadnet/status/2001690546163593308?s=20

Quote; it’s essentially an adverb but it’s still informative:

> The European Commission lost the Chat Control 2.0 battle over access to end-to-end encrypted data. By the summer 2026, they will be back with their next attempt: Going Dark. This time some EU member states want to include VPN services.

> The Going Dark initiative, or ProtectEU as the Commission now calls it, wants to “enable law enforcement authorities to access encrypted data in a lawful manner”. This is a Chat Control 3.0 attempt.

> The EU Commission and several member states are also looking for new rules on data retention. In a new ”Presidency outcome paper”, the member states discuss metadata retention: which websites you visit, and who is communicating with whom, when and how often. The ambition is “to have the broadest possible scope of application” and this time some member states also want the proposal to include VPN services.

> Mullvad has spent the last three years opposing Chat Control 2.0 – even though the law would have affected our business positively.

> We will continue to fight Going Dark with full force, regardless of whether VPNs are included or not. If VPNs are included, and if Going Dark becomes law, we will never spy on our customers no matter what.

#censorship #chatControl #surveillance #vpns

## In a move that will surprise nobody except British ...

2025-12-17T16:58:27Z

##

In a move that will surprise nobody except British “safety” activists who are unused to the concept of “positive rights”, Age Verification has been declared unconstitutional in LouisianaFor various reasons today has been a pretty shit day, but this offers a spark of hope:

https://netchoice.org/netchoice-wins-permanent-block-of-louisiana-age-verification-law-protecting-free-speech-and-parental-rights/

Via:

https://twitter.com/prestonjbyrne/status/2001333065742954814?s=20

#ageVerification #censorship #feed #Louisiana #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## Moral Panic, Regulation, and the Challenge of Undoing ...

2025-12-17T09:14:58Z

##

Moral Panic, Regulation, and the Challenge of Undoing Regulation: the Tonka Bean | Watch this if you want to understand the importance of fighting or fixing the Online Safety Acthttps://youtube.com/watch?v=tgHEMFM6KY4

#censorship #FDA #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #tonkaBean

## Danish government proposes to ban streaming over VPNs due to ...

2025-12-13T15:41:48Z

##

Danish government proposes to ban streaming over VPNs due to risk of circumvention of content controlsPresumably this will be the next idea for the House of Lords:

> The Danish government has introduced a controversial bill that would make it illegal to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to bypass geo-blocking on streaming services like Netflix. The proposal, which is currently under review during the holiday season, aims to criminalize VPN usage when accessing content that is not normally available in Denmark, such as American streaming services. Ordinary citizens found in violation of this law could face fines as a result.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonVPN/comments/1pl529v/government_proposes_to_criminalize_vpn_use_for/

#censorship #denmark #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## Australian Social Media Ban: we must not let ‘perfect’ be ...

2025-12-13T14:57:09Z

##

Australian Social Media Ban: we must not let ‘perfect’ be the enemy of ‘incomplete, self-defeating, trivially circumventable & pointless’ | @CameronWilson at Crikey> does it matter that some kids are getting around the ban? a report commissioned by the government (but never fully released) warned non-compliance “snowballing and becoming normalised” would “potentially undermine” its effectiveness. [Cameron Wilson] wrote about it earlier this year here:

https://x.com/cameronwilson/status/1999674541199503663?s=20

#australia #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #socialMediaBan #surveillance

## Australia’s Social Media Ban is a Betrayal of Free Speech ...

2025-12-13T09:56:54Z

##

Australia’s Social Media Ban is a Betrayal of Free Speech and a Safe Internet | NetChoice> “Parents get no say in whether to allow their fifteen-year-old to join Facebook or watch a documentary on YouTube. The government’s decree is not subject to parental override. Far from supporting parental authority, the Australian government has seized that authority for itself. To put it plainly, Australia has made its rule, dissenting parents be damned.”

https://netchoice.org/australias-social-media-ban-is-a-betrayal-of-free-speech-and-a-safe-internet/

#ageVerification #australia #censorship #socialMediaBan #surveillance

## EU Revives Plan for Year-Long Online Data Retention | Reclaim ...

2025-12-12T20:40:15Z

##

EU Revives Plan for Year-Long Online Data Retention | Reclaim the Net> A Council paper now circulating (via Netzpolitik) among member states outlines a plan that would apply not only to telecom operators but to nearly every major digital service, including cloud platforms, domain hosts, payment processors, and even end-to-end encrypted messengers such as WhatsApp and Signal. Officials insist they do not intend to compromise encryption or read private messages. What they want is the so-called metadata: who contacted whom, from where, at what time, and through which service.

https://reclaimthenet.org/eu-revives-plan-for-year-long-data-retention

#chatControl #endToEndEncryption #privacy #surveillance

## The American Counter-Offensive Against Foreign Censorship ...

2025-12-12T19:23:56Z

##

The American Counter-Offensive Against Foreign Censorship Should Be Bipartisan | Preston Byrne> On the center-left: Reddit, Wikipedia.

> On the center-right: X, Rumble, Truth Social.

> On the right: Gab.

> Somewhere off in the fourth dimension, nowhere to be seen on the map: Kiwi and 4chan.

> Everyone’s fighting back, across the political spectrum, because we all know that every American is threatened by foreign censorship.

https://prestonbyrne.com/2025/12/12/the-u-s-counter-offensive-against-foreign-censorship-should-be-bipartisan/

#4chan #ageVerification #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## Reddit argues it isn’t like other social platforms in case ...

2025-12-12T13:59:08Z

##

Reddit argues it isn’t like other social platforms in case against Australia’s social media ban | TechCrunchMm. Godspeed.

> Reddit is essentially asking the Australian High Court to address some of the questions raised about the legislation, which requires 10 major services to deactivate under-16s’ accounts and prevent them from using the app. Critics argue that the law infringes on children’s rights, and companies have sought to raise questions about what “social media” even defines.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/12/reddit-argues-it-isnt-like-other-social-platforms-in-case-against-australias-social-media-ban/

#australia #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #reddit #socialMediaBan #surveillance

## Banning children from online games, and spying on every ...

2025-12-12T11:00:06Z

##

Banning children from online games, and spying on every device: Why we must oppose Baroness Benjamin’s attack on liberty | LibDem VoiceFinally the Liberal Democrats are hearing the other side of the “safety” issue:

> [If] one Liberal Democrat peer has her way, no one under the age of 16 would be able to play an online game that allows them to talk or interact with another player. Baroness Benjamin is backing a series of illiberal amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

https://www.libdemvoice.org/banning-children-from-online-games-and-spying-on-every-device-why-we-must-oppose-baroness-benjamins-attack-on-liberty-78846.html

#anonymity #censorship #floellaBenjamin #libDem #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## Teens are having fun getting around the teen social media ban ...

2025-12-12T09:21:39Z

##

Teens are having fun getting around the teen social media ban | Crikey> … TikTok quickly filled with videos claiming to be from teens who said they were still able to use many of the major social media platforms, many with hundreds of comments from others agreeing and saying they’d had similar experiences. … One teen lamented losing “the last photo I had on my friend which were on snapchat and I obviously got banned, now I can never get those photos back”. Another teen captured themselves being deemed underage by one platform’s system, despite claiming to be old enough to use it.

https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/12/11/teen-social-media-ban-workaround-teenagers-under-16-fun/

#australia #homelandSafety #onlineSafetyAct #socialMediaBan #vpns

## Age Verification Is Coming For the Internet. We Built You a ...

2025-12-12T06:00:28Z

##

Age Verification Is Coming For the Internet. We Built You a Resource Hub to Fight Back | EFF> …we’re launching EFF’s Age Verification Resource Hub (EFF.org/Age): a one-stop shop to understand what these laws actually do, what’s at stake, why EFF opposes all forms of age verification, how to protect yourself, and how to join the fight for a free, open, private, and yes—safe—internet.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/age-verification-coming-internet-we-built-you-resource-hub-fight-back

#ageVerification #eff

## January 15th: EFFecting Change: The Human Cost of Online Age ...

2025-12-11T22:42:50Z

##

January 15th: EFFecting Change: The Human Cost of Online Age Verification | EFFLive stream panel session:

> Join EFF’s Rindala Alajaji and Alexis Hancock along with Hana Memon from Gen-Z for Change and Cynthia Conti-Cook from Collaborative Research Center for Resilience for a conversation about what we stand to lose as more and more governments push to age-gate the web.

https://www.eff.org/event/effecting-change-human-cost-online-age-verification#main-content

#ageVerification #eff

## ERRATA: Baroness Benjamin et al. wish to ban children under ...

2025-12-11T15:59:34Z

##

ERRATA: Baroness Benjamin et al. wish to ban children under the age of *18* from using VPNs; that’s better than 16, isn’t it?This “child” is someone who will have been voting for 2 years.

Possibly they will even be at university.

https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/63901/documents/7465 page 19.

## “The girl in his photo is not backing it. She directly told ...

2025-12-11T15:03:43Z

##

“The girl in his photo is not backing it. She directly told the PM it’s a bad idea.”Chalk up another small moment of joy created by Community Notes.

Ironically, the girl probably can’t see this.

https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1998938036244197695

## Crowley: “For my money, the really big one will be all of Us ...

2025-12-11T14:53:18Z

##

Crowley: “For my money, the really big one will be all of Us against all of Them”Below, me, in 2014, reflecting upon intelligence agencies vs: privacy.

Elsewhere: Politico reports [“How a new Russia-China-US network could work…”](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2025/12/10/how-a-new-russia-china-us-network-could-work-00685342 ) archived at https://archive.ph/IUvMS

https://twitter.com/AlecMuffett/status/547172396537753600

#censorship #china #pratchett #russia #surveillance #trump

## AND FINALLY: UK House of Lords demands client-side scanning of ...

2025-12-11T12:59:18Z

##

AND FINALLY: UK House of Lords demands client-side scanning of content to check for “viewing of CSAM”There’s a kind of Orwellian inevitability to this: all you have to do is [search for Baroness Benjamin in the document](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/63901/documents/7465 ) and up comes her goal of looking through [the square window](https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8338879/the-square-window-from-bbc-childrens-tv-series-playschool ) into your device:

> “Action to promote the wellbeing of children by combating child sexual abuse material (CSAM) … (2) The “CSAM requirement” is that any relevant device supplied for use in the UK must have installed tamper-proof system software which is highly effective at preventing the recording, transmitting (by any means, including livestreaming) and viewing of CSAM using that device.

India recently tried “mandatory tamperproof software”; it [didn’t ](https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-cyber-safety-app-mandate-breach-privacy-main-opposition-party-tells-2025-12-03/ )fly, and it would not have worked anyway.

#ageVerification #censorship #clientSideScanning #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #VPN

## IT GETS WORSE: UK House of Lords attempting to ban use of VPNs ...

2025-12-11T12:37:12Z

##

IT GETS WORSE: UK House of Lords attempting to ban use of VPNs by anyone under 16This is deranged, [each nation’s boomers and reactionaries attempting to outdo the others](https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/63901/documents/7465 ):

> **“Action to prohibit the provision of VPN services to children in the United Kingdom**> ” … the provider of any Relevant VPN Service which is, or is likely to be — (i) offered or marketed to persons in the United Kingdom; (ii) provided to a significant number of persons. (c) must make provision for the monitoring and effective enforcement of the child VPN prohibition.

VPNs are [a technology which anyone can implement for themselves](https://alecmuffett.com/article/113969 ). “Regulatory compliance” of them is not feasible, it’d be like banning DIY.

## BREAKING: UK House of Lords Draft Amendment to Ban Social ...

2025-12-11T11:27:39Z

##

BREAKING: UK House of Lords Draft Amendment to Ban Social Media for Under-16s in the UKBaronesses Cass & Benjamin, and Lord Nash, propose to turn the UK into [The Leather-Wrapped Village](https://www.margaretmeloni.com/blog/the-story-of-the-leather-wrapped-village/ ):

> This new clause would require the Secretary of State to take action to promote children’s wellbeing in relation to their use of social media by […] introducing regulations to prevent under 16s from accessing social media.

> But one day the queen wished to walk … As she walked through the village she cut her foot on a sharp stone. She quickly realized that this must happen to all of her loyal subjects. Dismayed she asked her advisors what could be done to prevent her people from cutting their feet. Her advisors told her that perhaps the entire area could be wrapped with leather. In this way the sharp stones would be covered

> […]

> Finally the jester could take no more and he called out, “Instead of wrapping the earth with leather, why don’t you all just cover your feet?” After a moment of stunned silence, they all realized that the jester was in fact no fool and he was right. With the proper protection on their feet, the villagers could walk anywhere.

…also [cited previously](https://alecmuffett.com/article/116699 ); it’s a [well-known children’s story](https://www.margaretmeloni.com/blog/the-story-of-the-leather-wrapped-village/ ), especially today after being [featured in Bluey](https://blueypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Unicorse ), so you’d think that people who care about children would know about it.

It’s pointless to blanket the internet to prevent harms, because the kids will be driven to circumvent the protections *because they are kids*; better, instead, to teach them individual wisdom.

#bluey #censorship #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance

## Open Rights Group: “Tell your MP to attend the debate on the ...

2025-12-11T10:12:15Z

##

Open Rights Group: “Tell your MP to attend the debate on the Online Safety Act”> The Online Safety Act […] has enabled a wave of questionable age-assurance providers, restricted free expression by wrongly censoring lawful content, and made it harder for communities to run their own small websites … Parliament will debate this critical issue on 15th of December 2025. It’s time to make them understand what is at stake … Write to your MP to tell them to attend the debate and why it is important for you. It’s time to speak up before it’s too late!

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-your-mp-attend-debate-online-safety-act — which provides a form to contact your MP

#onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #openRightsGroup

## Two posts from 2014: Trolley Problems, Nuclear Weapons, ...

2025-12-10T13:14:43Z

##

Two posts from 2014: Trolley Problems, Nuclear Weapons, Snowden, Jocks, and Meat-GrindersThese are a pair of Facebook posts from 2014 which I just want to transfer over to my blog for ease of finding; but if you are particularly interested in questions of utilitarianism and outcomes (having seen multiple references to “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” in the past few weeks) they might be interesting…###

Part 1: [Why you should Shoot the Button](https://www.facebook.com/alecmuffett/posts/pfbid0XxYn5cDhQKqCsT1NGJq3kgf5BLKstqj9fLzYcJt9EQSW87VLfw1C7nRgL4jEj5iCl )> So my friend Glyn has been going around and posing a question something along the lines of:

> « You are locked in a room with a man. You have a gun. The man has his finger poised over a button which will unleash nuclear armageddon upon the earth. Do you shoot the man? »

> …which is apparently one of those questions being used to explore morality in a crisis; there are various spins on it, like you shoot him and he hits the button anyway, or will you kill one man to save one million people you don’t know, etc. From what I understand this question vexed some denizens of the > [> Privacy International](https://www.facebook.com/PrivacyInternational?__cft__[0]=AZVistB7glI-pLCl9rCKD-YidO7n8FsqFXnb2TChgoIo7kcbpyDeZ1MgS07soTts8lofXHWGaSWc3pU2CpHvWZ4DakwWsM-Q3JfVlkHG50pHYlmPaPqhk_VOOOCSpYAB2Gc&__tn__=-]K-R )> office for several hours.

> Then they asked me, down the pub. I thought for a moment and said “shoot the button”, which caused consternation as nobody had suggested that before. The answer was relayed to Glyn via SMS who nitpicked it as above – “you might cause a short and incinerate the world” – so I wrote up my response as follows:

> «This question (as posed to me) is actually a metaquestion, one which can be rationally disambiguated by the fact that someone asked it.

> If it were up to me then, faced with a guy with his finger over the Armageddon button, I would certainly shoot him, in the head or heart, whichever presented minimal risk of accidental button-pushing on the way down. Quick kill, low risk.

> I would do this because my threat model would be protection of the people whom I love, elsewhere, who would die in the conflagration. With this threat model, this is the only rational action other than suicide which would be nihilistic rejection of the choice.

> However: if you are in a position to ask the question then you clearly have a different threat model. Specifically, if you are experiencing a moral quandry about killing one person to preserve the lives of millions, then you are already discounting numeric disparity and for some reason see the killing of one person as equally bad as the killing of 200 million.

> In *that* threat model (choosing between two equally bad scenarios) then shooting the button, whatever the result, is the rational action. This is because shooting the button moves you from a state of having two bad outcomes (killing one, or seeing 200 million killed) to a situation where there are two bad and one good outcome (the former, plus: break the button and nobody dies).

> This is clearly an improvement in your situation and therefore you should take it.

> Any nitpicking about “it might be a drill” is compensated by “if so, the base commander may have filled your gun with blanks”, so can be safely ignored.

> Welcome to thinking like a defender [ed: … as opposed to a pentester]»###

Part 2: [John Kerry vs: Edward Snowden](https://www.facebook.com/alecmuffett/posts/10152532348573140 )> From what I remember of growing up, when jocks are defeated by geeks who are either/both better equipped than, or can outthink their opponents, three complaints – three unmanly whines – are to be heard from the defeated:<li>it’s cheating (because he didn’t attack me head-on)</li><li>it’s not fair (because I didn’t expect what happened)</li><li>he’s a coward for not fighting fair or honourably</li>

> The latter is particularly odd because part of the whole point of out-thinking your opponents is so that you don’t have to go up against their strongest suit. Throwing yourself into a meatgrinder may be “brave” or “daring” but sometimes it’s plain stupid, especially if going around the side is smarter.

> In other news, John Kerry: > [> https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/kerry-snowden-coward-traitor-n116366](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/kerry-snowden-coward-traitor-n116366 )###

Back to 2025If you’re still into Trolley Problems, my solution is: grab the lever and try to cause a derailment; but apparently that’s cheating.

#philospohy #snowden #trolleyProblems

## The world needs social sovereignty | Mastodon Blog | ...

2025-12-09T12:36:40Z

##

The world needs social sovereignty | Mastodon Blog | Fediverse’s 800g Gorilla calls for local platforms, for local people…Because of course what the world really needs is balkanized discourse policed by local law enforcement:

> “The term digital sovereignty means that an institution has autonomy and control over the critical digital infrastructure, data, and services that make up their online presence. Up until this point, social media has not been a part of this conversation. We think it is time to change that.”

https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/12/the-world-needs-social-sovereignty/

#digitalSovereignty #fediverse #jingoism #mastodon

## Speculation: “Reddit enlists lawyers to take on teen social ...

2025-12-08T22:35:09Z

##

Speculation: “Reddit enlists lawyers to take on teen social media ban”*Interesting if true* speculation in Australia; the anti-corporatist populist pols [will do their nut](https://alecmuffett.com/article/132089 ):

> Reddit is expected to launch a High Court challenge against Australia’s under-16s social media ban, the Australian Financial Review has reported. The masthead reports [that it] has enlisted barrister Perry Herzfeld, SC, backed by law firm Thomson Geer to run its case, according to anonymous sources with knowledge of the challenge.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-news-live-wells-under-fire-for-fresh-travel-expense-revelation-reddit-expected-to-challenge-government-s-social-media-ban-in-court-20251209-p5nm0c.html archived at https://archive.ph/PMljn

#australia #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #reddit #socialMediaBan

## What the world might look like if we get a federal GRANITE Act ...

2025-12-08T20:57:13Z

##

What the world might look like if we get a federal GRANITE Act | Preston Byrne | …the joy of this is that it might even be bipartisan> [Someone] referred to GRANITE as a “legal atomic bomb.” I think that description is apt, and suggestive of what will emerge after such a law’s enactment – a state of affairs I would describe as an “Online Censorship Cold War.” The larger the EU makes their penalties, or the bigger and more strategically important a U.S. target they pursue … the greater are the statutory civil damages recoverable in American courts.

https://prestonbyrne.com/2025/12/07/what-the-world-might-look-like-if-we-get-a-federal-granite-act/

#4chan #censorship #digitalServicesAct #freeSpeech #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance

## A US psychologist prescribed a social media ban for kids. How ...

2025-12-08T09:38:35Z

##

A US psychologist prescribed a social media ban for kids. How did Australia become the test subject? | Social media ban | The Guardian> In emails obtained by Crikey under freedom of information, the South Australian government wasn’t as keen to hear from [Francis] Haugen since she had described a ban as a “bumper sticker solution”.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/07/how-australia-became-the-testing-ground-for-a-social-media-ban-for-young-people

#australia #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #socialMediaBan #surveillance #vpns

## “India’s request for satellite-aided iPhone location data ...

2025-12-07T19:20:09Z

##

“India’s request for satellite-aided iPhone location data is a privacy nightmare” | AppleInsider> According to sources of Reuters, India has thought about a telecom industry proposal to require smartphone producers to enable satellite location tracking. It is to be kept active, so as to better improve surveillance efforts. Multiple sources and documents have emerged, showing that Apple, Google, and Samsung all opposed the order, over concerns for user privacy.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/12/06/indias-request-for-satellite-aided-iphone-location-data-is-a-privacy-nightmare

#apple #india #SancharSaathi #surveillance

## Sometimes even politicians agree that it is necessary for ...

2025-12-07T18:29:30Z

##

Sometimes even politicians agree that it is necessary for social media to carry videos of people literally and really being blown to pieces…You have to wonder how the Online Safety Act is going to accommodate such thinking?

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1997700954934628417?s=20

#ageVerification #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #stateSanctionedMurder #surveillance

## Lord Carlile believes that “[websites can] lose their right ...

2025-12-06T23:08:42Z

##

Lord Carlile believes that “[websites can] lose their right to appear on any screen in the United Kingdom” – rather than “citizens will suffer censorship by the British state”The noble lord should be told [“that’s not how it works”](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2025-12-04a.1903.0#g1904.4 ):

> On the Radio 4 “Today” programme this morning, ofcom admitted that none of the three fines levied so far has been paid. Is it not right that Ofcom should be encouraged to take much stronger enforcement action against those who do not pay by making it clear that within a very short time, they will lose their right to appear on any screen in the United Kingdom unless their enforcement is fit for purpose?

#ageVerification #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## Baroness Floella Benjamin of BBC PlaySchool fame proposes ...

2025-12-06T22:39:21Z

##

Baroness Floella Benjamin of BBC PlaySchool fame proposes Australia-like YouTube age-blocks on MsRachel, DannyGo, …Perhaps the noble Baroness could be reminded that Ms Rachel & DannyGo are primarily on YouTube, not BBC1 as she once was; and that actual YT-provided affordances for kids are essential for modern parenting?

> Also, by relocating to countries with few or no internet safety > [> Laws](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/glossary/?gl=38 )> , children can be exposed to more extreme, illegal or unmoderated content. Perhaps children under 16 should be banned from social media altogether.

[Full quote in context:](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2025-12-04a.1903.0#g1903.3 )

> To ask His Majesty’s Government what measures have been put in place to prevent children using virtual private networks to avoid age verification to access harmful material online.

…

> I thank the > [> Minister](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/glossary/?gl=35 )> for that Answer. However, Childnet has discovered an increase in the use of VPNs by children in the last three months. While younger children are deterred by age-verification checks, teenagers actively seek out and share methods to circumvent them. Many minors are downloading free VPN applications that often monetise user data and expose devices to viruses. Also, by relocating to countries with few or no internet safety > [> Laws](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/glossary/?gl=38 )> , children can be exposed to more extreme, illegal or unmoderated content. Perhaps children under 16 should be banned from social media altogether. What action will the Government take to address the increasing number of children using VPNs? Will they instruct > [> ofcom](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/glossary/?gl=217 )> to follow the lead of the Australian e-safety commissioner and require that digital services check VPN traffic for technical and behavioural red flags that suggest a user in the UK may be a child? Let us act sooner rather than later.

#ageVerification #dannyGo #msRachel #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct

## I hate that this man has a pointTo be clear: this is not the ...

2025-12-05T09:02:06Z

##

I hate that this man has a pointTo be clear: this is not the majority of the criticism of the act; let alone the mocking of the act nor the ridicule of the act.

https://twitter.com/cjsnowdon/status/1996520556666233200?s=20

#bbc #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance

## Ofcom writes to 4chan: “We are a UK-based regulator, but ...

2025-12-04T20:52:30Z

##

Ofcom writes to 4chan: “We are a UK-based regulator, but that does not mean the rules do not apply to sites based abroad” — true, but irrelevant…Ofcom can declare that the rules apply anywhere, but that doesn’t mean that anywhere is necessarily within Ofcom’s jurisdiction.

America might as well be another planet. Ofcom may claim whatever it wants, but it’s what the inhabitants believe that is important.

https://twitter.com/LundukeJournal/status/1996644933843738993

#ageVerification #censorship #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #starshipTroopers #surveillance #vpns

## EU’s Top Court Just Made It Literally Impossible To Run A ...

2025-12-04T18:55:02Z

##

EU’s Top Court Just Made It Literally Impossible To Run A User-Generated Content Platform Legally | TechdirtOh dear:

> Under this ruling, it appears that any website that hosts any user-generated content can be strictly liable if any of that content contains “sensitive personal data” about any person. But how the fuck are they supposed to handle that?

> The basic answer is to pre-scan any user-generated content for anything that might later be deemed to be sensitive personal data and make sure it doesn’t get posted.

> How would a platform do that?

https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/04/eus-top-court-just-made-it-literally-impossible-to-run-a-user-generated-content-platform-legally/

#censorship #gdpr #intermediaryLiability #section230 #surveillance

## Ofcom: “I can levy vasty £1m fines upon Porn!” Internet: ...

2025-12-04T11:44:30Z

##

Ofcom: “I can levy vasty £1m fines upon Porn!” Internet: “So can I, so can any regulator; but will they pay when you levy them?”This will be interesting: Ofcom have imposed a headline-grabbing fine on “AVS Group” for £1 million — and a second fine of £50,000 — for dereliction under the Online Safety Act.

The first fine is politically intentionally dramatic; but it’s the second fine which is far more interesting…

[Ofcom document number 1](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-avs-group-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance ) tells us that AVS operates the following websites

> [Ofcom] have opened an investigation into AVS Group Ltd in relation to the adult sites: pornzog, txxx/.tube, upornia, hdzog/.tube, thegay/.tube, ooxxx, hotmovs, hclips, vjav, pornl, voyeurhit, manysex, tubepornclassic, shemalez/.tube.

[Ofcom document number 2](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/enforcement-programme-to-protect-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance ) tells us that they’ve issued the huge fine because:

> We are imposing a penalty on AVS Group Ltd of £1,000,000 in respect of the contravention of section 12. This penalty was set having regard to our Penalty Guidelines. In addition, AVS Group Ltd is now required to comply with section 12 by taking steps to implement highly effective age assurance on all remaining AVS Group websites that do not currently have such measures in place by 5pm GMT on 6 December 2025. Should AVS Group Ltd fail to comply with this requirement, a daily rate penalty of £1,000 per day will be imposed starting from 6 December 2025 until the section 12 duty is complied with or 16 March 2026, whichever is sooner.

But it also tells us about the smaller fine:

> We are imposing a penalty on AVS Group Ltd of £50,000 in respect of the contravention of section 102(8). This penalty was set having regard to our Penalty Guidelines.

> In addition, AVS Group Ltd is now required to take immediate steps to provide Ofcom with a complete list of all sites operated by AVS Group Ltd.

> Should AVS Group Ltd fail to comply with this requirement, a daily rate penalty of £300 per day will be imposed starting from 4 December 2025 until the section 102(8) duty is complied with or 1 February 2026, whichever is sooner.###

What does this mean?Well, as I’m reading between the lines: it seems entirely possible that AVS have ghosted Ofcom and not actually communicated with them at all. [Ofcom document number 3](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/ofcom-fines-porn-company-1million-for-not-having-robust-age-checks ) is a huge splash which seems timed to lend weight to them and rebuff press coverage that [the US Government is considering telling Ofcom to leave American companies alone](https://alecmuffett.com/article/133422 ), but nowhere have I heard from an AVS spokesperson in all this.

It may be that Ofcom is simply shouting into the wind?

#avsGroup #ofcom #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #Porn #shakespeare

## ReclaimTheNet: “ChatControl was meant to be temporary, the ...

2025-12-04T06:34:19Z

##

ReclaimTheNet: “ChatControl was meant to be temporary, the promotion of mass scanning of private messages until data proved it worked. The data never came.”https://reclaimthenet.org/eu-chat-control-law-permanent-privacy-risks-error-rates-lack-evidence

It was supposed to be a stopgap measure, a temporary derogation of privacy rights until proper evidence came in. Now, if you’ve been following our [previous reporting](https://reclaimthenet.org/eu-council-approves-new-chat-control-mandate-pushing-mass-surveillance ), you’ll know the Council wants to make it permanent, even though the Commission’s own 2025 evaluation report admits it has no evidence the thing actually works.

Via:

https://twitter.com/ReclaimTheNetHQ/status/1995880801632702694

#censorship #chatControl #endToEndEncryption #privacy #surveillance

## Age Verification: Teaching the world how to evade ...

2025-12-04T06:29:03Z

##

Age Verification: Teaching the world how to evade censorship> The number of Missouri residents searching for VPNs has quadrupled since the introduction of state-wide age verification laws on November 30, 2025.

> Trends data from the past 30 days indicates a four times increase in traffic for the search term ‘> [> VPN](https://www.techradar.com/vpn/virtual-private-networks )> ‘ from within the Show-me State.> [](https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/missouris-search-for-vpns-lifts-off-as-the-first-day-of-age-verification-arrives )

https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/missouris-search-for-vpns-lifts-off-as-the-first-day-of-age-verification-arrives

via:

https://twitter.com/EFF/status/1995628733550788905

#ageVerification #censorship #missouri #onlineSafety #surveillance #theVPNEffect

## Australia, and teenage Olympians and other upcoming sports ...

2025-12-04T06:24:23Z

##

Australia, and teenage Olympians and other upcoming sports stars are shuttering their Instagrams, likely impacting funding; or handing them over to “parents” to avoid bansHopefully handing the accounts over to the parents [will not get the parents banned](https://alecmuffett.com/article/132821 ).

https://twitter.com/mattjcan/status/1995978225651224628

#ageVerification #australia #censorship #eSafety #socialMediaBan #surveillance

Preston Byrne is understandably very happy: ...

2025-12-04T06:15:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…gh7a
_________________________

Preston Byrne is understandably very happy:

https://x.com/prestonjbyrne/status/1996404172607156297

## EFF: “After Years of Controversy, the EU’s Chat Control ...

2025-12-04T06:10:54Z

##

EFF: “After Years of Controversy, the EU’s Chat Control Nears Its Final Hurdle: What to Know”Good primer on the remaining badness:

> After a > [> years-long battle](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/05/eu-commissions-new-proposal-would-undermine-encryption-and-scan-our-messages )> , the European Commission’s “Chat Control” plan, which would mandate mass scanning and other encryption-breaking measures, at last codifies agreement on a position within the Council of the EU, representing EU States. > [> The good news](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/10/once-again-chat-control-flails-after-strong-public-pressure )> is that the most controversial part, the forced requirement to scan encrypted messages, is out. The bad news is there’s more to it than that.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/12/after-years-controversy-eus-chat-control-nears-its-final-hurdle-what-know

#censorship #chatControl #endToEndEncryption #privacy #surveillance

## Breaking: OnlineSafetyAct-inspired Federal GRANITE Act “for ...

2025-12-04T06:02:54Z

## Breaking: OnlineSafetyAct-inspired Federal GRANITE Act “for ...

2025-12-04T06:02:54Z

## [Indian] Government removes mandatory pre-installation of ...

2025-12-03T12:29:21Z

##

[Indian] Government removes mandatory pre-installation of [spyware] Sanchar Saathi AppWhat a surprise. Possibly related to the fact that [Apple rejected the proposal](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/12/02/apple-rejects-indias-order-forcing-smartphone-makers-to-install-state-run-app-report-says/ ).

Details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2198110&reg=3&lang=2

#censorship #india #sancharSaatchi #surveillance

## eSafety Australia has been issuing informal takedown notices ...

2025-12-03T10:51:46Z

##

eSafety Australia has been issuing informal takedown notices to platforms without due process; it turns out Australian courts don’t appreciate that behaviour> Justice: “So they thought it was appropriate regulatory practice, not to make a decision to issue a notice, not to make a decision to refuse to issue a notice, but to issue an informal notice to X and then claim it is a non-reviewable decision?”

> eSafety: “I’m not going to embrace that characterisation your honour…”

> Justice: “Yes I can understand why you wouldn’t want to, but that’s nevertheless factually the case isn’t it?”

https://twitter.com/Dittloff4Sense/status/1994208069082022172?s=20

More at: *Australia Court Questions eSafety’s Power in X Free Speech Appeal*

https://reclaimthenet.org/australia-court-questions-esafetys-power-in-x-free-speech-appeal

#australia #censorship #esafety #surveillance

## Australia eSafety: “Parents may lose their Google accounts ...

2025-12-03T09:41:20Z

##

Australia eSafety: “Parents may lose their Google accounts [and anything linked to them] if they let their kids use them to view stuff”Maybe it’s time for some Australian parents to undo all of those “Log in with Google” accounts?

https://youtu.be/EK1OIg6Cle0

#ageVerification #australia #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## Google warns Albanese government’s under-16 social media ban ...

2025-12-03T07:27:10Z

##

Google warns Albanese government’s under-16 social media ban could make kids less safe> Parents will lose the ability to supervise their teen or tween’s account on YouTube, as these accounts only work when they are signed in. “That means parents will no longer be able to use any controls they have set up, such as choosing an appropriate content setting or blocking specific channels.”

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/google-warns-albanese-governments-under16-social-media-ban-could-make-kids-less-safe/news-story/ac5994363ef9069589f838efb60bd10e

#ageVerification #australia #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #socialMediaBan #surveillance #vpns

## Australian prime minister confirms that social media ban is ...

2025-12-03T00:51:35Z

##

Australian prime minister confirms that social media ban is about “compliance”, but if companies comply and teens circumvent, then what?Albo says that he expects imperfection, but what happens if a few million kids download VPNs and just walk around all the bullshit? Where is the compliance then??

https://twitter.com/7NewsAustralia/status/1995938621119987731?s=20

#australia #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #socialMediaBan #surveillance #vpns

## Lawmakers to consider 19 bills for childproofing the ...

2025-12-02T11:44:03Z

##

Lawmakers to consider 19 bills for childproofing the internet> Can you judge the heat of a moral panic by the number of bills purporting to solve it? […] lawmakers have moved on from sex trafficking to social media—from Craigslist and Backpage to Instagram, TikTok, and Roblox. So here we are, with a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on 19 different kids-and-tech bills scheduled for this week.

https://reason.com/2025/12/01/lawmakers-to-consider-19-bills-for-childproofing-the-internet/

#ageVerification #censorship #kosa #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance

## (unverified image) The compulsory Indian spyware app indicates ...

2025-12-02T10:57:35Z

##

(unverified image) The compulsory Indian spyware app indicates why governments hate secure encrypted messenger applicationsMessaging like WhatsApp is outside of the scope of Android (etc) file permissions, so access cannot be granted to spy on such content.

It also explains why RCS is so popular, because it is a generic interoperable messaging framework on the device which can be spied upon by any application which requests permission to do so.

https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1pc234k/a_compulsory_mandated_app_installed_on_every/

#censorship #india #surveillance

## Australian Communications Minister: Australian children will ...

2025-12-02T09:35:24Z

##

Australian Communications Minister: Australian children will not be free to escape censorship, even if they start using LinkedIn as an alternative platformBasically:

https://twitter.com/ausvstheagenda/status/1995761206469013885?s=20

#australia #censorship #linkedin #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance

## Australia Government: “OVER THERE, LOOK, LOOK, CAPITALISTS, ...

2025-12-02T07:43:32Z

##

Australia Government: “OVER THERE, LOOK, LOOK, CAPITALISTS, IT IS NOT US OPPRESSING OUR CHILDREN! PLEASE LOOK AT THE CAPITALISTS!”No humility from the Australian government regarding [being sued by their own children](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-teenagers-ask-high-court-block-social-media-ban-2025-11-26/ ), and continuing to push the perspective that platforms serve users rather than users use platforms, wherever they may be hosted:

> Social media ban: Australia won’t be intimidated by tech firms, minister tells BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnv2z059745o

#ageVerification #australia #censorship #onlineSafety #onlineSafetyAct #surveillance #vpns

## India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber ...

2025-12-01T16:02:55Z

##

India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app | Reuters | WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?> India’s telecoms ministry has privately asked smartphone makers to preload all new devices with a state-owned cyber security app that cannot be deleted, a government order showed, a move likely to antagonise Apple and privacy advocates.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/india-orders-mobile-phones-preloaded-with-government-app-ensure-cyber-safety-2025-12-01/

#apple #censorship #feed #india #surveillance

## Starmer’s digital ID cards are the last thing Britain ...

2025-12-01T12:10:56Z

##

Starmer’s digital ID cards are the last thing Britain needs> The benefits of BritCard accrue not to us, but to the state: a unifying ID which bureaucrats can use to oversee our lives, linking all the parts together. But it is not fulfilling an unmet need. There is no market failure in digital identity services in 2025. The UK’s private sector identity market is thriving. Here’s how it evolved…

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/12/01/starmers-digital-id-cards-are-the-last-thing-britain-needs/ archived at https://archive.ph/baNQs

#britCard #digitalId #idCards

## Prediction: within 2 years there will be a backlash against ...

2025-12-01T11:13:36Z

##

Prediction: within 2 years there will be a backlash against the social media ban in Australia, but not the one you expectSimply: kids are going to circumvent or skirt the ban by using VPNs, but because of Aussie censorship & fear of getting in trouble they will not report abuse. Some kid will then be abused, abducted, or commit suicide, and there will be calls for deeper crackdown.

The only way to avoid this is to reverse it.

https://twitter.com/ausvstheagenda/status/1995416345014681917?s=20

#censorship #onlineSafety #socialMedia

## The UK Has It Wrong on Digital ID. Here’s Why | Electronic ...

2025-12-01T07:01:26Z

##

The UK Has It Wrong on Digital ID. Here’s Why | Electronic Frontier Foundation> …digital ID leaves vulnerable and marginalized people not only out of the debate and ultimately out of the society that these governments want to build. We remain concerned about the potential for digital identification to exacerbate existing social inequalities, particularly for those with reduced access to digital services or people seeking asylum.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/11/uk-has-it-wrong-digital-id-heres-why

#digitalId #idCards

## UK Parliament, 2009: “Bad Language: The Use and Abuse of ...

2025-11-28T20:56:20Z

##

UK Parliament, 2009: “Bad Language: The Use and Abuse of Official Language”This is a fun official read:

> Sir Richard said: “The evidence must be that this discontentment built up and this behaviour was such as could not go on.” In English, this would be translated as: “People were being quite outrageous and had to stop.”

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmpubadm/17/17.pdf

#ukGoverment #yesMinister

## Jolyon Maugham’s “GoodLawProject” bang the drum calling ...

2025-11-27T12:35:50Z

##

Jolyon Maugham’s “GoodLawProject” bang the drum calling for for localised censorship on a globalised internet, not realising nor caring about the impactThis is how you kill privacy & anonymity, and disenfranchise the weak, people:

https://twitter.com/GoodLawProject/status/1993710609326895157

#censorship #goodLawProject #jolyonMaugham #onlineIdentity #privacy #totalitarianism

## Mullvad” “An important victory – but we still need to ...

2025-11-27T07:10:20Z

##

Mullvad” “An important victory – but we still need to stop Chat Control”> From the outset, Chat Control was a proposal that aimed to introduce mass surveillance. That ambition is clearly still present … among many of the member states in the Council. [It] failed to introduce mass surveillance but has succeeded in paving the way for new attempts

https://twitter.com/mullvadnet/status/1993740699163087061

Long tweet. Full version:

> The Council of Ministers in the EU has, after three years, now reached a common position on Chat Control. The requirement for mandatory scanning (including end-to-end encrypted messaging services) has been removed, which is a major victory. The EU Council failed to implement mandatory mass surveillance. However, in its proposal, they are laying the groundwork for mass surveillance in the future.

> What happens now?

> The Council will now enter negotiations with the European Parliament, led by the European Commission. We urge the Parliament to stand firm in the trilogue negotiations and not deviate an inch from its previous position, demanding: no mass surveillance whatsoever without suspicion and a court order, no ID-verification requirements, and no censorship of legal content.

> The EU Council is preparing for mandatory mass surveillance and censorship

> The Council’s version of Chat Control includes voluntary scanning, vaguely worded legislation that may entail requirements for age verification and mandatory ID checks (even for end-to-end encrypted services), and an article stating that the requirement for mandatory scanning shall be reconsidered every three years. They also introduce a new infrastructure for blocking material, where it is up to each member state to block what they consider illegal. At the same time, a massive EU center is being established to work exclusively on this. All in all, this indicates that the EU Council is aiming to build an infrastructure for mass surveillance, and the legislative proposal is written in a way that opens the door to it.

> The EU Council’s Chat Control version

> – The EU Council’s Chat Control version introduces a new type of scanning for so-called new material and grooming. This means that AI will scan people’s conversations, photos and videos, in search of criminal content. This will result in enormous numbers of false positives, and people’s private lives will move from an AI detection to being examined by employees at a new EU center. This is mass surveillance and people’s private lives will be scanned without any suspicion and without a court order. This scanning is carried out in cooperation with American companies and can at any time be used to scan for virtually anything; Europol has already requested broader scanning and wants access to material that is not illegal.

> – Every three years, the European Commission will challenge the law and attempt to force mandatory scanning (even for end-to-end-encrypted services). Messaging services (including end-to-end encrypted) must take “all reasonable measures” to reduce the risk of their services being misused, including implementation of age verification. This means that the EU may require ID checks and ban anonymous use of messaging services and social media. This poses problems for people who criticize those in power in authoritarian countries, for whistleblowers who want to leak documents, and for sources who wish to speak anonymously with journalists.

> – A new infrastructure for blocking material is introduced, where it’s up to each of the member states to issue blocking orders for what they consider illegal. This implies that content that is illegal in one country will also be blocked in a country where it is legal. Once this infrastructure is in place, it also opens the door to a slippery slope when it comes to censorship.

> Stop Chat Control

> From the outset, Chat Control was a proposal that aimed to introduce mass surveillance. That ambition is clearly still present within the Commission and among many of the member states in the Council. The Council failed to introduce mass surveillance but has succeeded in paving the way for new attempts. This applies not only to future proposals for mandatory chat control scanning every three years. This is part of a broader development in which private and secure communication is being challenged by forces seeking to introduce mass surveillance. ProtectEU is a rebranded Chat Control, aimed at banning encryption. National laws are trying to do the same. We need to put a stop to these attempts here and now.

#censorship #chatControl #endToEndEncryption #privacy #surveillance

Nostr notes by alecm

## The Huggingface Dilemma Sigh. ...

## EU Exempts Apple Watch and AirPods [and iPhone] From Battery ...

## How It Started in 2018 / How It’s Going in 2026: UK Labour ...

## If you are a Parent here’s One Thing you should be utterly ...

## “Signal President Meredith Whittaker threatens again to pull ...

## From 2019: ‘If there were 5 million “bad people” on ...

## I find it bizarre that the AgeVerification (AV) industry says ...

## Trump posts graphic video of slaying to argue for stricter ...

## Australian eSafety: “It is a ‘dark pattern’ to permit ...

## There is an entire genre of tricking AI customer service bots ...

## Ofcom’s [attempted] browbeating Canada-based online ...

## The Wyoming GRANITE Act, America’s first-ever foreign ...

## Ofcom: “if you don’t respect our groundless ...

## Introducing Encrypt It Already | Electronic Frontier ...

## Anna Riedl: “The amount of prompt engineering needed to not ...

<li>added “and content” to clarify an observation by ...

## Keir Starmer is hell-bent on destroying your right to a ...

## Government drops plans for mandatory digital ID to work in UK ...

## Britain’s bid to police the world’s internet | spiked | ...

## They may not like the label but Ofcom *are* a censor, because ...

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