Finding your own personal decision point is hard.
Where do you compromise? Where do you take a stand (and deal with the consequences)?
This is me venting out loud, not trying to call anyone out. Not trying to defend myself.
I'm just tired and want to get this out of my head.
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I've kept to Linux over Windows for a long time, since around 2008, dealing with many experiences/games I just didn't get to have. And it got better. Then VR happened, and I'm getting to relive those "glory" days of "well maybe I just don't get to join y'all today", then.. it's not as good as flat screen gaming, but it's slowly getting better.
I joined Mastodon in 2017, before any other social media (I'm not counting StatusNet years prior because I didn't really use it outside of Ubuntu's Me Menu, and Facebook was just for API keys). I have made accounts elsewhere but still keep here as home base, doubling down with learning to run my own instance on a VPS.
Seeing other operating systems and social networks enshittify isn't fun though (no schadenfreude), just.. sad.
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And now we (as society) are getting screwed over with identity ("age") verification because "think of the children!" And don't think about the power it gives to governments and private corporations who verify your identity.
I'm glad System76's CEO is actively pushing to change laws to exclude open source from this nonsense. I'm glad there's efforts elsewhere.
But.. I caved with VRChat. I verified with Persona before the current US administration came into power because I was worried it would get worse. And it has gotten worse.
Now there's this big furry event - Furality - that decided to screw everyone over in the wake of all this via forced identify verification, despite Florida (their nonprofit registration place) not requiring it. And they don't allow the more privacy preserving options Yoti provides, which nearly defeats the point of providing a non-VRChat (Persona) option.
I want to know why. Why? If it's because an identity hash it makes it easier to ban repeat harassers (a reason I've heard from other devs), then be honest about it! "Because the laws might change to require age verification" is a "we'll make things worse for you before we're legally required to" which is a.. choice stance.
So.. I'm stuck with sticking it to the man and cutting out a cornerstone of my year (one of the few things I take a few work vacation days for), or.. going.
And.. I'm going to Furality.
I acknowledge that means I'm technically contributing to their user stats which say they were fine to enshittify. I hate that.
At the least, I am not encouraging others to go. I do not plan to hype it up. And I probably won't post much about it afterwards.
Sorry if some friends thought I'd stick it out here, too. I've made my protests in other areas, I was not ready to give up this for this year, too.
(I felt like I needed to be honest with where I compromise, not trying to hide it, hence posting.)
Jessica🏳️🌈
Keeya
)