Gavin McCormick

DoB 04/07/68, Christian, sound man in Metropolitan Tabernacle Belfast, climbed Kilimanjaro in 2009, Everest Base Camp in 2011, also private pilot :)

[OpinionEver @opinionever]

Any politician that is for age verification, Digital ID, VPN bans or hate speech laws are part of a global movement to build a new enslavement of humanity.
We should build a future that treats these people as criminals.

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@ClaireT13274488 I completely agree, and would do it every day and twice on Sundays before I'd upload id to use the internet! 👍

[Freddie New @freddienew]

I had intended to put out this series of posts on @bitcoinpolicyuk’s Privacy Toolkit on a more regular basis, but I hope you’ll realise that I’ve been rather distracted on quite a relevant subject this week.

I was intending to review the section on VPNs, and if you’ve been paying attention to what’s been happening in the UK, you will know that VPNs are right in the cross hairs of the government and Parliament right now.

Since the Censorship/Personal Data Mining Act (aka the Online Safety Act) has proved to be an abject failure in either of its aims – preventing access to pornography and collecting data on anyone who tried – the government is now taking aim at the very tools which have been responsible for this failure, namely VPNs

What is a VPN?

Short for Virtual Private Network, it is quite simply a service that creates a secure tunnel between your device and the internet, hiding your IP address and routing your traffic through a remote server.

Why should you use one?

As you can choose the geographical location of that remote server, you are easily able to circumvent geoblocking as in the case of adult material accessed by people from the UK. Additionally, they should as a matter of good practice always be used when connecting to public wifi, to prevent bad actors from intercepting or viewing your traffic, and they improve your privacy even at home, by reducing the ability of your ISP to log the websites you visit (and then sell that data).

What’s been happening in the UK?

Quite a lot - @leicesterliz let us all know to expect VPN sanctions soon (details as yet undisclosed) and lawmakers are already tabling amendments to legislation that if enacted would require all VPN providers to age verify aka ID all their customers to ensure that children don’t get hold of one (see relevant posts in the thread); effectively banning kids from using one and requiring providers to identify you before you get one - something many providers do not do. Details in thread.

What can I do?

I strongly suggest that if you don’t already have one, you research, download and install a VPN on all your devices today, while you still can. I personally favour @mullvadnet, but there are many good alternatives – h/t to @roxananasoi for the very interesting comparison table that is linked below.

What if the government do ‘ban’ them or age gate access?

In short, don’t panic. Anyone is now able to code their own rudimentary VPN, as I did with my @openclaw agent as demonstrated in the thread. If you are able to go to the next level, you can even run one on your own router at home, so that all your family’s traffic is automatically protected – post from @ben_dewaal in the thread.

What does all this mean?

I am very much afraid that what we are seeing at the moment are symptoms of a system that is losing control of its ability to control what its populace thinks and says, and is lashing out like a wounded animal in response.

Governments across the world do not, bluntly, want a highly-informed, articulate and intelligent population, as such populations are harder to control and to coerce. Thus the global attempts to fetter access to the internet, to platforms that support free speech and open dialogue, to monitor, track and analyse the behaviour of every single one of us

This may seem like a dark time, but I have never been more confident that they will not win. Those of us who believe, like @halfin, that the computer can be a tool to liberate and protect people, rather than to control them, are many. We are motivated, and we will not give in.

And neither should you.

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@BGatesIsaPyscho That's quite a skill, eyes not required! 😆🙄

[Scott Roberts @ScottRoberts]

Life is short. Eternity is long.

One day your career, possessions, accomplishments, and earthly pursuits will come to an end. You will stand before God.

Jesus Christ is not one option among many. He is the only Savior, the only Mediator, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

Turn to Christ. Trust in Him. Follow Him.

Life is short. Jesus is the only way.

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@madeinwill Or, we could just educate ourselves on how to protect our online privacy until such times as we have a government that isn't working diametrically against the people it is supposed to serve.....

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@TVKev It can always get worse. And seems to on a daily basis at the moment 😔

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@TheAliceSmith They really are, and it's never been more obvious 😔

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@JamesMelville @IfindRetards

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@DeFiTracer Brilliant! Are the left now going to hate on him for this? 😆

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@citizenjournos_ Surprised they weren't rapping doors ordering people to attend "or else" 🙄
Or maybe they were..... 🤔

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@MegynKellyShow @megynkelly I apologise on behalf of Northern Ireland for the dire quality of our elected representatives. This lot are unrepentant terrorists turned hard left woke globalist shills.
Pray for us 🙏🙏🙏

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@IfindRetards It's extremely troubling the sheer number of people out there,many in positions of authority, who are determined to shut down free speech because they hear opinions they don't like and can no longer control the narrative.
Hope @elonmusk sues her 👍

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@TheLaurenChen I apologise on behalf of Northern Ireland for some of those elected to our local government. This lot are unrepentant terrorists turned hard left woke globalist shills. Lecturing us about hate and racism 🙄
Pray for us 🙏🙏🙏

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@DavidVance @elonmusk I'd love to see that happen @elonmusk 👍

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@AnthonyCumia Disgusting lot. Welcome to devolved government in NI. Unrepentant terrorists leading our country. Pray for us 🙏

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@Robbie_Reasons Long ago imo.

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@IfindRetards As a Belfast man, I 💯 concur. Although there is a lot of competition right now......

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@sharrond62 The lunatics are running this particular asylum. We desperately need regime change 😔

[Gavin McCormick @gavinmccormick]

@ok6ixx Absolutely adore Japan 🇯🇵❤️
Makes it even more depressing living in the UK right now though 😔