Show threadWulfy—Speaker to the machines5d ago

@gimulnautti @chatcontrol

Not tech industry, though it benefits them too.

Authoritarians, Statists and Intelligence Agencies.

I used to be active in #EFA (Oz branch of #EFF )
"Internet passport" idea goes back at least 20 years ago, before the rise of the broligarchy.

#AgeGate #agechecks

N-gated Hacker NewsJun 20
Ah yes, the UK's latest attempt to "age-gate" the internet: a masterstroke of digital innovation where #VPNs are banished and websites deliver "degraded responses" as a feature, not a bug. 🤦‍♂️ Meanwhile, the government waits impatiently for the tech to catch up with their 1990s-level tech policies. 📉
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/vpn-ban-update-uk-households-34141063 #digitalinnovation #agegate #techpolicy #internetregulation #HackerNews #ngated
VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

Ministers have said details about action alongside the social media ban, including regarding VPN use, will come in July.

Birmingham Live
Hacker NewsJun 20

VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/vpn-ban-update-uk-households-34141063

#HackerNews #VPNban #UKgovernment #agegate #cybersecurity #privacy

VPN ban update for UK households as government looks at 'age-gate'

Ministers have said details about action alongside the social media ban, including regarding VPN use, will come in July.

Birmingham Live
True North Strong And FreeJun 19

RE: https://social.openrightsgroup.org/@openrightsgroup/116776718352740336

#CdnPoli #AgeGate #Technology #Internet #Fediverse
Hey #Canada - it might be a good idea to follow what is happening in the UK about a proposed VPN ban as it could happen here as well.

True North Strong And FreeJun 16

#AgeGate #CdnPoli
#Surviellance #Internet #Technology

From 2026-6-15

"With update to Canada's privacy laws, feds are building a 'super-regulator'"
https://betakit.com/with-update-to-canadas-privacy-laws-feds-are-building-a-super-regulator/

With update to Canada’s privacy laws, feds are building a “super-regulator” | BetaKit

Bill C-36 would hand private-sector privacy authority to Canadian Digital Safety Commission.

BetaKit
Show threadTrue North Strong And FreeJun 15

@Em0nM4stodon
I really hope that politicians do not expect Mastondon to be able to use facial ID scans or upload other ID.

Mastodon has a very small dev team with no money to pay for ID scans.
Unlike large social media, mastodon instances are usually moderated with clear policies on what is unacceptable practice.

The way things are going in #Canada people might soon need something like a letter from the Pope just to connect to the internet.

The ignorance of politicians is staggering.

#ageGate #CdnPoli

True North Strong And FreeJun 15

#AgeGate
#Surviellance #Internet #Technology

From 2026-6-15

"The Commission: How Bill C-34 Creates an Internet Super-Regulator That Will Touch the Lives of Millions of Canadians"
https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/06/thecommission/

Quote:
"The sheer breadth and limited constraints are incredible.
In establishing the Commission, Bill C-34 creates the most powerful Internet regulator the country has known, and does so before anyone can fully know how that power will be used."

The Commission: How Bill C-34 Creates an Internet Super-Regulator That Will Touch the Lives of Millions of Canadians - Michael Geist

The proposed kids’ social media ban is capturing the headlines, but lost in the debate over Bill C-34 is that its most consequential element may be the creation and powers of the government agency the bill establishes to oversee the entire system. The Digital Safety Commission of Canada will be a super-regulator of the Internet, with greater influence over the daily lives of Canadians than perhaps any other regulator in the country. The breadth of its influence can’t be overstated: it will set the standards that millions of Canadians must satisfy to verify their age in order to use social media services. It will establish what platforms must do about harmful content, including the removal of certain material. It will determine whether the age-gating requirement may be lifted for any given service. It will both regulate the platforms and advocate for their users, dual roles that raise obvious fairness concerns. And it will exercise investigative and adjudicative powers, complete with penalties, hearings, and formal, law-enforcement-style investigations. Yet despite all those powers, it will not be bound by the rules of evidence, will be free to conduct its hearings in secret, and, at least in the beginning, will be capable of operating as a one-person body in which the Commission and its Chair are one and the same individual. The full scope of the new powers is illustrated in the infographic below.

Michael Geist
True North Strong And FreeJun 15

#AgeGate
#Surviellance #Internet #Technology

From 2026-6-15

"The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 272: Build Canada's Lucy Hargreaves on Canada’s AI Strategy and the Need to Shift From Being Users to Builders"
https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/06/the-law-bytes-podcast-episode-272-build-canadas-lucy-hargreaves-on-canadas-ai-strategy-and-the-need-to-shift-from-being-users-to-builders/

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 272: Build Canada’s Lucy Hargreaves on Canada’s AI Strategy and the Need to Shift From Being Users to Builders - Michael Geist

The release of the government’s AI strategy has sparked a wide range of reactions and a flurry of additional legislative initiatives. While the legislative side is being fleshed out, the debate over the broader strategy remains, including whether it features sufficient safeguards and enough ambition. To address the latter issue, Lucy Hargreaves, the Co-Founder and CEO of Build Canada, joins the Law Bytes podcast to assess the strategy, some of the remaining challenges, and discuss how Canada can “work to build AI companies the world can’t live without.”

Michael Geist
True North Strong And FreeJun 15

#AgeGate
#Surviellance #Internet #Technology

From 2026-6-14

"Privacy as a Fundamental Right?
The Government's Terrible Privacy Track Record Suggests Virtue Signalling Over a Genuine Commitment"
https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/06/privacy-as-a-fundamental-right-the-governments-terrible-privacy-track-record-suggests-virtue-signalling-over-a-genuine-commitment/

Privacy as a Fundamental Right? The Government's Terrible Privacy Track Record Suggests Virtue Signalling Over a Genuine Commitment - Michael Geist

The government is set to introduce its long-promised privacy reform legislation early this week, with the recognition of a fundamental right to privacy expected to serve as a foundational element of the bill. Establishing privacy as a fundamental right would be a welcome and long-overdue development, one that many have called for and that was set to be added to Bill C-27, the prior attempt at privacy reform. Yet the framing is difficult to square with the government’s actual record on privacy, which over the past year has involved a steady stream of privacy-invasive measures that leave the fundamental rights rhetoric feeling more like virtue signalling than a genuine commitment. Simply put, the government cannot credibly claim to treat privacy as a fundamental right while actively undermining that right through a series of other bills and efforts to sideline the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Michael Geist
True North Strong And FreeJun 15

#AgeGate
#Surviellance #Internet #Technology

From 2026-6-13

"Taking Stock of Bill C-34: Five Things to Know About the Government’s Plan for a Kids’ Social Media Ban, Mandated Age Verification, and AI Chatbot Rules"
https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/06/taking-stock-of-bill-c-34-five-things-to-know-about-the-governments-plan-for-a-kids-social-media-ban-mandated-age-verification-and-ai-chatbot-rules/

Taking Stock of Bill C-34: Five Things to Know About the Government's Plan for a Kids' Social Media Ban, Mandated Age Verification, and AI Chatbot Rules - Michael Geist

This past week in digital policy was dominated by Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, which includes platform regulation, an under-16 social media ban backed by mandated age verification, a new AI chatbot regulatory regime, and the creation of a powerful Digital Safety Commission. I have posted daily on the bill, including my initial review, an examination of the 50 key decisions the bill leaves for later, and a closer look at the government’s fast-track implementation plan, alongside a FAQ and posts on mandated ID and trade risks that I published just before the bill was tabled. For those coming to the issue fresh, this post draws on the week's posts by taking stock of where things stand.

Michael Geist