Trying to fix a broken system by tinkering won't achieve online safety.

[openrightsgroup@social.openrightsgroup.org]

Lob off one head, two more appear.

This is because online harms are an emergent property of the domination of Big Tech.

Attention capture revs the engine of targeted advertising that powers the beast.

New rules from age gating to content scanning are directed at the user, not the business model.

#onlinesafety #onlinesafetyact #bigtech #ageverification #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol

[openrightsgroup@social.openrightsgroup.org]

Proposals to expand age checks to VPNs and features like infinite-scrolling for UK users makes things worse.

The result is more personal data swilling around in tech firms and a permanent expansion of tracking infrastructure.

For VPNs, we're told to discard privacy for supposed 'safety'.

It makes no sense.

#onlinesafety #onlinesafetyact #bigtech #ageverification #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol

[openrightsgroup@social.openrightsgroup.org]

Age verification makes people create profiles on platforms.

For porn sites, this means tying a specific user to algorithmic profiles. It enables customised porn feeds that are designed to keep them on the platform for longer.

It also exposes people more to data breaches and advertising networks.

#onlinesafety #onlinesafetyact #bigtech #ageverification #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol

[openrightsgroup@social.openrightsgroup.org]

Design interventions alone can't significantly improve safety if the market rewards behaviours and outcomes that generate harm.

Large companies can absorb the cost of new rules. Smaller services often can't.

This reduces competition and locks users into dominant platforms that feed off its users.

#onlinesafety #onlinesafetyact #bigtech #ageverification #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol

[openrightsgroup@social.openrightsgroup.org]

The UK government is fattening the power of Big Tech, giving them greater control over our data.

With Palantir's Peter Thiel involved in age verification, we can't ignore how surveillance tech moves between military, intelligence and commercial markets.

Read more ️

Roblox, Reddit and Discord users compelled to use biometric ID system backed by Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel

Following global pushes for age assurance by governments, Persona is increasingly being used by major online platforms to carry out biometric age checks.

Open Rights Group (www.openrightsgroup.org)

#onlinesafety #onlinesafetyact #bigtech #ageverification #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol #palantir

[openrightsgroup@social.openrightsgroup.org]

The approach to online safety is flawed.

We need a rights-based approach that challenges the dominance of Big Tech, not one that embeds permanent monitoring by requiring ID to access information and services.

Tell your MP to fix the UK Online Safety Act ️

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-your-mp-online-safety-act-isn%E2%80%99t-working

#onlinesafety #onlinesafetyact #bigtech #ageverification #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol

[mnd999@mastodon.social]

@openrightsgroup I tried that, unfortunately my MP is a moron.

[tcatinreality@mastodon.social]

@openrightsgroup

Good diagnosis, wrong answer.

IMO, the solution is to break the tech oligopoly - while ALSO having real regulation that holds service providers responsible.

Sure, there are things to improve in OSA. But the only ones who benefit from a total change of strategy are the techbros.

That's why we have both antitrust AND product safety laws. It's absurd to argue only antitrust is needed ...in any industry.

[jim@social.openrightsgroup.org]

@TCatInReality @openrightsgroup For sure there are things that can be done. We are not saying that there should be nothing. Rather we are saying without action to align users and platforms, the pressure is in effect just on users, which cannot work.

[jim@social.openrightsgroup.org]

@mnd999 @openrightsgroup It is also politically difficult, at this point, to be fair. Thank you for trying! Please do keep trying