Rosetta_4514h ago
Techlore

🚨 UK: The govt wants to ban VPNs, social media & AI chatbots in various contexts. Your silence is a yes.

Make your voice heard before May 26. Fill out the survey and let them know your views: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation

5:48pmWeb
Show threadRhinos Worry Me15h ago

@techlore

Wow, the questions make it completely clear that they intend to do this regardless of the responses. Such leading questions.

Show threadClinton Anderson SwordForHire14h ago

@techlore

I'm ok if they ban all "AI" and all "social media" tbh

Show threadTed Zanzibar14h ago

@techlore "Your responses may be analysed and summarised using technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to help us to handle consultation responses efficiently and accurately."

Incredible.

Show threadhappyborg13h ago
@techlore Done. I doubt it will prove worth the effort as it assumes implementation of a harmful and ineffective measure - age verification - throughout.
Show threadJoshua Barretto13h ago
@techlore I just tried to take the survey for parents with children under the age of 21. My son is 4 months old, so I entered "0" when it asked how old my child was. The survey promptly informed me that I did not have a child under the age of 21 and so the survey was not for me. It's permanently locked me out.
Show threadhappyborg12h ago
@jsbarretto
🤯
@techlore
Show threadHTPC NZ13h ago
@techlore yeah sit around do nothing then get mad at foss projects & contributors trying to comply with the law while using overpriced products from trillion dollar companies already doing the same.
Show threadvulgalour - Free Range Queer12h ago
@techlore wow they really want you to say "Please restrict the internet, daddy, and VPNs are very bad." so hard in this.
Show threadLevka11h ago

@techlore

Go ahead put your name on a list. Just remember that the Holocaust itself started with lists.

For details, see:

https://kolektiva.social/@LevZadov/111007834392490556

Show threadViral Obscurity7h ago

@LevZadov @techlore It didn't ask for my name or details. Just a confirmation of living in the UK and having children

Ironically, I'm on a VPN so no usable IP for them to use

Show threadnetunreach10h ago
@techlore Make sure not to fill out the section asking what other of the many methods people will use to get around it, for obvious reasons. Maybe a written declination to respond, or saying there are too many to list (which there are).
Show threadViral Obscurity7h ago

@techlore I just spent an hour going through this

It's definitely focused on "how we can restrict things" rather than "should we restrict things"

My recurring comments were less personal data collection, more education and clean up problematic social and AI platforms for everyone

I refused to answer the "other than VPNs, how do children circumvent age checks?"

I'm not ruining it for anyone by answering that

I know more than most how important online privacy is for staying safe

Show threadprimejack1h ago
@techlore Once again the UK censoring more and more stuff for control
Show threadHeals 32m ago
@techlore I get why VPNs are problematic if you’re trying to regulate access to social networks/AI but ignoring that for a moment I have to tell the UK govt: guys, one of these is not like the others!