🚨 UK: The govt wants to ban VPNs, social media & AI chatbots for under-21s.

[techlore@social.lol]

UK: The govt wants to ban VPNs, social media & AI chatbots for under-21s. Your silence is a yes.

Make your voice heard before May 26. Fill out the survey and let them know your views: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation

[rhinosworryme@climatejustice.social]

@techlore

Wow, the questions make it completely clear that they intend to do this regardless of the responses. Such leading questions.

[happyborg@fosstodon.org]

@techlore Done. I doubt it will prove worth the effort as it assumes implementation of a harmful and ineffective measure - age verification - throughout.

[jsbarretto@social.coop]

@techlore I just tried to take the survey for parents with children under the age of 21. My son is 4 months old, so I entered "0" when it asked how old my child was. The survey promptly informed me that I did not have a child under the age of 21 and so the survey was not for me. It's permanently locked me out.

[htpcnz@mastodon.social]

@techlore yeah sit around do nothing then get mad at foss projects & contributors trying to comply with the law while using overpriced products from trillion dollar companies already doing the same.

[vulgalour@birdbutt.com]

@techlore wow they really want you to say "Please restrict the internet, daddy, and VPNs are very bad." so hard in this.

[happyborg@fosstodon.org]

@jsbarretto
🤯
@techlore

[netunreach@mastodon.social]

@techlore Make sure not to fill out the section asking what other of the many methods people will use to get around it, for obvious reasons. Maybe a written declination to respond, or saying there are too many to list (which there are).

[viralobscurity@mstdn.social]

@techlore I just spent an hour going through this

It's definitely focused on "how we can restrict things" rather than "should we restrict things"

My recurring comments were less personal data collection, more education and clean up problematic social and AI platforms for everyone

I refused to answer the "other than VPNs, how do children circumvent age checks?"

I'm not ruining it for anyone by answering that

I know more than most how important online privacy is for staying safe

[viralobscurity@mstdn.social]

@LevZadov @techlore It didn't ask for my name or details. Just a confirmation of living in the UK and having children

Ironically, I'm on a VPN so no usable IP for them to use

[primejack@mastodon.social]

@techlore Once again the UK censoring more and more stuff for control

[heals@indiepocalypse.social]

@techlore I get why VPNs are problematic if you’re trying to regulate access to social networks/AI but ignoring that for a moment I have to tell the UK govt: guys, one of these is not like the others!

[silverarrows@autistics.life]

@jsbarretto @techlore ironically, you'll now need a VPN to access it.

[silverarrows@autistics.life]

@techlore I did it. The questions are quite leading as another user pointed out. I made a big deal about how the gov should be supporting parents in keeping their kids safe, not forcing adults to link their online presence with their real life ID. And that if parents weren't having to work ridiculous hours to pay the bills, they'd have more time to supervise their kids online and educate them.

[jsbarretto@social.coop]

@SilverArrows @techlore hehehe

[magnetichuman@cupoftea.social]

RE: https://social.lol/@techlore/116291069074438330

@techlore The "parents" survey took only 5 minutes to fill in. All multiple choice with a free text "other comments" box at the end.

[spanghero@ioc.exchange]

@techlore Thanks for that and I've added my tuppence worth. Not sure they'll be happy with some of my comments, but that's very much their problem.