Rob Blake ∞

Father, Technologist, Autodidact.

Malthus Disrespector, Pro-Human.

[Jim Beattie @JimBeattie18]

"I must have flowers.
Always.
And always." - Claude Monet
:
Uma Gokhale art.

[Francisco Ribeiro @fraveris]

David Hockney

[Alonso Gurmendi @Alonso_GD]

It's not an under-16 social media ban, it's digital IDs with better marketing

[Barry Wall @HeadWarriorTWM]

The under-16 social media ban will inevitability lead to digital identity systems for everyone.

It is unavoidable.

For the strategically technically ignorant and the moral entrepreneurs fuelled by their over reactive disgust response and emotionalised reasoning, this is a bridge too far.

They are either so emotionally deranged they cannot understand it, or so morally bankrupt that they refuse to through confirmation bias.

There is simply no reliable way to enforce such a restriction without robust age assurance that applies to adults as well.

Self-declaration is worthless as children bypass it instantly.

Behavioural analysis and basic age estimation falter at the boundary age, especially with shared devices, VPNs and determined teenagers who appear older.

Platforms facing massive fines under laws like the Online Safety Act will default to stronger methods, including facial scans, photo ID matching, open banking links or digital ID wallets.

Once this infrastructure is built to gate children, it inevitably gates adults too, normalising the routine verification of identity for everyday internet access and ending anonymous use on major platforms.

This is the technical and legal reality, and still the pompous moral weasels will not confirm they understand.

[Vαnessα Rαdıce @lavaneradi]

David Hockney

[Jonathan Pie @JonathanPieNews]

The last sentence is the real meat and potatoes of this.

What's being promoted as a 'social media ban for children', is really an ID check for every adult.

[Mary Harrington @moveincircles]

Not saying I called it, but

[Labour Digital Rights Network @LabDRN]

An important intervention ⤵️

[Brivael Le Pogam @brivael]

Foutez la paix aux familles.

Il est de la responsabilité des parents de s’occuper de ces sujets.

Vous êtes un fossoyeur des libertés.

Démissionnez, et partez, et ne revenez jamais, vous faites honte aux Anglais et à leur histoire.

[John Jones @ThatJohnJones]

The Uniparty speaks.

[Labour Digital Rights Network @LabDRN]

🚨We have been warning for months that an under-16s social media ban is a dangerous mistake, and it is hugely encouraging to finally see a Labour MP breaking rank to say the same.

@emily4MK - who sits on the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee - has delivered a devastating critique of the government’s proposed blanket ban, calling it a "cop-out" that will actively put children at risk.

Read her full article in @POLITICOEurope ⤵️
https://t.co/uWpBvBNDl5

[Silkie Carlo @silkiecarlo]

Starmer’s social media ban speech is objectively terrible so far. Patronising, cliched, vapid. It sounds and is being delivered like a 14 year old’s GCSE drama piece.

[Naval @naval]

Not a free country.

[Tim Farron @timfarron]

It beggars belief that we’re back here again despite all the evidence. If we care about vulnerable people and if we care about being evidence led, we will reject this outright at 2nd reading, put an end to this nonsense and fix palliative care instead.

[John Jones @ThatJohnJones]

Today, Britain enters the dark valley of widespread peacetime state censorship.

[John Jones @ThatJohnJones]

This, 100% 👇

[John Jones @ThatJohnJones]

I have been incredibly fortunate in my life to have experienced the huge growth of the digital world, powered by the Internet, since the web started to become generally used in the mid-1990s. I had my first Compuserve account and email address in 1995.

I am overwhelmed by sadness – and fear – that we are about to see the first attempts by a British government to censor the Internet, in the form of a selective ban on social media access.

What dark times we are entering. I cannot believe we have got here.

[CrankyPappy @CrankyPappy]

I am 83 years old, I will die. The cause of death is birth. The only real things in life are food and love, in that order, just like our little dog Ruby. I really believe this and the source of art is love. I love life.
~ David Hockney

[Alec Muffett @AlecMuffett]

Stop Killing the Internet | A Global Movement for a Better Internet

[Labour Digital Rights Network @LabDRN]

We agree.