Back when I was a sociology student at Kyiv-Mohyla, I was stupidly, shamelessly enamoured with the collective western Left. I dreamed of a day when Ukrainian academia would have widespread and popular discussions about colonialism, privilege, and all of the -isms. I read essays
Um genuinely how is this supposed to be enforced unless kernel-level spyware is implemented on every device? It would mean every second is watched, recorded, and reported. This is the ultimate 'big brother', just short of actually reading people's thoughts.
If we give government the power to scan your phone for child porn (fair enough) they will eventually use it to scan your phone for jokes they don’t like, or conversations you shouldn’t be having
Under 16s can't use social media but also, under 10s are going to be taught by uncontrollable, black box artificial intelligence?
The fuck is happening in the UK?
"All adults will be able to switch off the protections if they are over 18." And how will this be verified? Is this just a way to sneak in mandatory device level age verification?
While protecting young people from exploitation is a noble and vital goal, the PM is deliberately ignoring the terrifying reality of how his proposed policy would actually be enforced.
Companies like Apple and Google will effectively be forced to introduce state-mandated surveillance software (spyware) on every single phone, tablet and laptop in the UK.
Furthermore, because each device must know if the user is a child to block the content, this policy guarantees the roll-out of mandatory digital ID checks for the entire population, effectively killing internet privacy and online anonymity for us all.
We also must question the sudden sense of urgency and tough talk today.
Just last month, Jess Phillips resigned from the government over this exact issue, calling out Starmer for pursuing only "incremental change," and worrying more about upsetting tech bosses than protecting children.
Why the sudden pivot? It is hard to see this ultimatum as an act of genuine conviction. Instead, much like his rushed, unworkable social media ban, it looks like another desperate cynical attempt to shore up Starmer's political legacy before the looming by-election and leadership contest.
It was NEVER about protecting the kids...it was always CONTROL💀
British Based Age/ID Verification company Yoti reported GrapheneOS users to authorities for using GrapheneOS due to "PAST SECURITY CONCERNS"
>is partnered with several mainstream companies, including Playstation, Instagram,and Epic Games.
Unfortunately the OG reddit post was taken down🥲
https://t.co/syfSPERF0U
I’m loving this sort of thing.
For years, Russia has been yelling about “Ukrainian Nazis,” the “Kyiv junta,” the “protection of the people of Donbas,” the “NATO threat,” and “we didn’t start this war, Ukraine attacked us.”
And then, as if nothing happened, Russian officials openly and publicly threaten Armenia with a “Ukrainian scenario” if its pro-Western government, which has been confidently re-elected, continues moving closer to the European Union and European countries.
He’s not going to stop pushing for digital ID until he’s out of power, is he? That’s one of the real goals here.
He doesn’t want children to have access to platforms where people criticise his government and he wants police to know exactly who every anon account on those platforms is.
He’s a complete tyrant.
Same talking points. All within 24 hours. Same bill. Same goal. To get mass surveillance in Ohio and to get a digital ID. Ohio is a massive surveillance as is. This only makes it worse. Anyone who is in Ohio. Your rights and privacy are at risk. Time to fight is now!
Despite enormous pressure from Russia, the pro-European Civil Contract party has prevailed at the elections in Armenia with 49,81% of the votes.
The pro-Russian Armenia Alliance, is in second place with 23,29%.
Russian Telegram channels do not admit the ruling party's victory. Instead, they say that Pashinyan's party has gotten less than 50% of the votes.
In the weeks before the election, Russia banned the export of Armenian flowers, mineral water, cognac, fresh vegetables and fruit. Putin and other Russian figures made repeated threats regards Armenia.
More and more russians are getting a taste of war: explosions, airport shutdowns, uncertainty. They seem genuinely surprised that Ukraine is fighting back, and the war is being brought to their homes. On the videos, they keep asking: "Why us?". Oh, you should know why.
The vast majority of people not realising this is simply a way to monitor, and eventually censor, everyone’s online activity is mind boggling
Even if you’re 65, you’ll still have to provide identification/selfie to use X, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, discord etc.
Open your eyes
This is why they're so obsessed with Digital ID, today it's eat 25% less meat, consume 20% less dairy, drive an electric car and replace your boiler, all presented as recommendations but recommendations are difficult to enforce.
Systems are not, Digital ID is the foundation, once everybody has a digital identity connected to government services, payments, banking and daily life, monitoring becomes easy.
How much fuel you use, how much energy you consume, how often you travel, what you buy, what your carbon footprint looks like.
Then eventually you arrive at the logical destination, enforcement of the system, allowances, carbon credits to enforce you to stay within the limits, one steak a month, a hot shower fortnightly and your car only drives 15 minutes from where you live.
A system where your consumption is measured against targets set by people you've never met.
There are basically a few ways to make a billion dollars. It’s either through monopolies, insider trading, political payoffs, fraud, inheritance, or wage theft. Nobody makes a billion dollars purely from hard work or saving money.
This is the tragedy of authoritarianism.
For 26 years, Putin demanded loyalty instead of competence, obedience instead of debate, and propaganda instead of reality.
Now even Russian voices are admitting what the Kremlin spent years trying to hide: Russia is weaker, poorer, more isolated, and less secure than when this all began.
The cruel irony is that millions of Russians were promised greatness. What they got was sanctions, mobilization, economic stagnation, North Korean troops, and a war with no end in sight.
The biggest threat to Putin’s system was never NATO.
It was the moment reality became impossible to censor.
Always weird to me that conservatives act like he’s the toughest man in America when literally a follow up question is enough to make him turn completely beet red and crash out