Here's what's probably going to happen:
1. Multiple countries other than the UK will demand age verification to access "adult content"
2. VPN usage will spike
3. Those countries will then outlaw VPNs claiming they are doing so "to protect the children and fight terrorism"
4. They will then create voluntary uniform and centralized online IDs to make age verification easier
5. Then the IDs will become required and the government will run AI on all of your internet activity which they can link to you personally
6. Eventually this data will be made available to private companies who will use it to judge your credit worthiness, the prices you pay, etc.
7. Then, the government will begin using the data to "proactively fight crime"
Decentralization of money and infrastructure matters if you value privacy and freedom.
Originally I wanted to make another update on the censorship and age verification situation- but things just keep happening a bit too fast. Everything is chaos so take this with a grain of salt.
Some of the notable things happening:
a) So apparently the KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act) is not the only thing which is proposed by the US gov. There is also the SCREEN Act.
b) Discord is scanning ALL messages of users in UK.
c) YouTube and Spotify are introducing age restriction as well. As far as I know Spotify for UK only. YouTube I only just found out about. Apparently YouTube uses AI for this.
d) Twitch is changing the Monetized Streamer Agreement.
e) There is talk in UK on banning VPNs.
f) Large amount of arrests for online communication offenses are made in the UK.
Few notes on this:
There is pushback in the UK government. Due to how British law (and American law) works it is practically impossible to repeal laws - instead they must be changed. (I'd like someone who understands their law to confirm this.)
A lot of people think it isn't a big deal to show your ID. European ID cards usually contain things like your social security number, address of the place where you live and other important information. Giving something like that to a social media site that had multiple leaks is terrifying.
If you can- Spread the word, protest, double check everything and make your own opinion.
Reminds me of an episode of Psycho Pass where people silently watch someone get beaten to death in public because they AND THE VICTIM have no idea it was murder. The media is so heavily censored and sterile and pure that people have no clue what violence and murder look like.
Thanks to everyone around the world who is fighting to prevent censorship and protect freedom of expression in anime, manga, games, and all other content cultures, Japan is beginning to wake up. Thank you! And let's fight together!
The Left: The Online Safety Act is bad
Liberals: Yep
Conservatives: We agree
Populist right: Us too
Literally nobody except those who will shill for everything this government does supports this law
"Don't worry about it. It's just to protect kids."
Literally 5 days later: ID check for listening to music.
Don't give them an inch, because they'll take a mile.
Global censorship is being rolled out all at once packaged as “protecting the kids.” Hope y’all are awake. This isn’t a drill. Your rights are currently being stripped in real time.
The censorship happening recently is genuinely fucking scary. We're regressing in real time, and it's only going to get worse. It was never going to stop at porn games. Now, anything NSFW, including horror games with adult themes, is being targeted. Fuck anyone who censors art!
The government are demanding you hand over your ID and biometric data to random, unvetted companies incorporated in places like Seychelles and Cyprus.
If they sell 100% of this data on the black market the government has no teeth in those jurisdictions to prosecute.
Go check for yourself - find an age verification platform then look at their company details.
I could go start one of these companies now and nobody is going to check that I’m actually deleting data.
This is going to be the biggest data privacy scandal of all time - bigger than the Afghan debacle.
🧵 This needs to be said. About age verification, censorship, and what’s happening online right now:
I’m exhausted, because of the constant fear creators live under. We’re watching the internet change in real time. Not evolve but REGRESS into something scary.
Age verification laws are being pushed under the guise of “protecting kids,” but what they’re actually doing is giving governments and corporations a terrifying amount of control over everyone’s private life.
This past month? It’s different. The wave of censorship that’s coming is louder, faster, and harsher than anything I’ve seen in years. It’s not just creators feeling it. It’s readers, writers, artists, fans. Everyone.
These policies don’t stop harm. They just punish the wrong people. They punish survivors reclaiming autonomy. Queer folks exploring identity. Neurodivergent people finding community. They punish expression.
We can’t stay quiet. We can’t sit back and “wait to see what happens.” Because it���s already happening. Accounts are disappearing. Access is being restricted. Communities are being erased. So I’m asking.. please.
Use your voice. Be annoying. Be loud. Be relentless.
Push back. Sign petitions. Support digital rights orgs. Talk about it publicly. Share stories. Refuse to be silenced. Control is the enemy. Freedom is at risk.
🧷 Resources below.
Please read. Please care. Please speak up.
Please share for more visibility.
If you legitimately think this has anything to do with children, then you are exactly their target demographic: dumb, weak, and they don't even have to try to put you on your knees.
Make no mistake, this is the governments of the world using "protecting children" as an excuse to place the entire populace of their respective countries under authoritarian control. They want to control what you can read, what you can watch, what you can buy, what you can say, and what knowledge and information you are allowed to know about. They want you docile and easily controlled so they can enrich themselves and do whatever they want while they keep the people in permanent slavery.
Already we are seeing governments around the world having used the "think of the children" excuse for these laws grossly expand them to encompass EVERYONE as a means of subjugation. The UK has openly admitted they have literally created the "Fingermen" to clamp down on free speech and throw you in prison for "wrong think" while also admitting the laws are for adults and have nothing to do with children.
We are witnessing the birth of a New World Order as Western governments around the globe are all working in tandem with one another in subjugate their people. How long do you think it will be before the people finally reach their breaking point and start fighting back... and god knows what will happen then.
> Mass amounts of people protest new surveillance act
> UK Govt. responds with "We don't care"
Yeah this is disgusting. And reps worldwide are already preparing similar legislation. People really need to know what's happening here...
Everyone who's calling mastercard and visa over the age verification shit should also be aiming at YouTube as well.
This will literally destroy the platform.