Joe RessingtonJust updated my iPad. It wanted me to take a photo of a credit card. I did not let it. It then told me I might not be able to access certain things. The future is fucking shit.
Melroy van den Berg@joeress get rid of your apple devices. And windows.
iam-py-test@melroy The problem isn't Apple. The UK government is requiring all companies to perform such age checks, and many other places like the EU and California are following suit. Companies - and even open source projects - have to obey the law, even if they or their users disagree with it.
The law doesn't specifically require companies ask for credit cards - and that's a pretty poor way to handle age verification. However, other methods also are bad for their own reasons, requiring users to either submit to a racist and invasive face scan, or provide an ID.
Apple and Microsoft are horrible companies, but for other reasons. Moreover, as we are seeing with California, open source operating systems are also required to comply. Software developers should not and can not simply pick and choose what laws they obey.
Its unfair to blame them for the UK's poorly written mass surveillance and censorship legislation. The blame lies with the UK government, and with every other government mandating this.
📡 RightToPrivacy & Tech TipsApparently, Meta helped lobbying efforts, age verification into operating systems through an entity called "Digital Childhood Alliance":
Essentially, can act to transfer some liability, from social media platforms, into operating systems (even volunteer based developers forced to work for free)
Hence requiring 'age signaling' to app requirement on operating systems.
#ageverification #digitalID #privacyMatters #anonymity #socialmedia
Lobbying For Age Verification | KOSA Push
Has Apple (or other OS companies) done such lobbying in favor of age verification legislation? Or is it mainly social media companies?
That would certainly undermine my original argument if Apple was actively supporting this legislation rather than simply meeting their legal obligations.
Thanks
That's a great question - I imagine they would want "their say" in the matter - so certainly would not surprise me.
But that's something I'll need to look into - as I'm also curious.
I do know #System76 (centered in Colorado) spoke to a co-author of the Colorado #AgeVerification bill, w/hopes of getting open source software exempted (unsure if happening).
Another good article on Meta lobbying for it in Android / Apple:
Meta Is Spending $2 Billion to Build a Surveillance System. It Just Doesn't Want You to Call It That.
Big Tech Lobbying if you want to call it that has been exposed for its data protection issues. A Reddit researcher just did what regulators, journalists, and consumer advocates have struggled to do for years: follow the money behind one of the most consequential tech policy fights in Washington — and name who is actually […]
robertmxApple has been sidestepping privacy and interoperability regulations for years and now are suddenly quite eager to comply. Really tells you everything you need to know about them.
Duncan Bayne@iampytest1 @melroy Companies and open source projects don't have to obey the law by requiring this invasion of privacy. They could choose to not serve people in the UK, thereby accelerating the FO part of FAFO.
Bernie Luckily Does It@iampytest1 @melroy I'm old enough to remember when software developers violated unjust laws and often got those laws changed in response.