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Age checks could turn internet into an ID checkpoint and would kill anonymity, Proton CEO says (proton.me)
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Online threats to children are real, but the headlong pursuit of age verification that we’re seeing around the world is unacceptable in its approach and far too broad in scope — and we simply can’t afford to get this wrong.

To be clear, parents’ concerns are valid and sincere. Few people would argue that kids should have unfettered access to adult material, to self-harm how-tos, to social media platforms that manipulate them and expose them to abuse.

But it’s the very depth of those worries that is being cynically exploited. Age verification as is currently being proposed in country after country would mean the death of anonymity online.

And we know exactly who stands to gain: The same tech giants who built the privacy nightmare that the internet is today.

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[–] 12 points 4 months ago* (3 children)

The nightmare trap of the Two Party System is that you can look at one party cozying up to Big Tech (Obama in 2009) and conclude the other party must be reflexively in opposition.

Trump was fully surrounded by Thiel goons before he'd even left office in '21. And the relationship only got tighter with his Elon Musk Bromance. But hey, if you'd just elected Kamala Harris and Liz Cheney Tim Walz to the White House, I'm sure nobody would be talking about how much of their cabinet was stuffed with Silicon Valley cutouts.

It's not like a cartel of trillionaires can buy up both parties at once, right?

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  • [–] 4 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Sort of, but my point is he made a specific point of praising a demented rapist and lauding the pedophile party as heroes. Silicon Valley cutouts that support Democrats commit the unforgivable sins of praising diversity or working to solve climate problems. They’re not surveilling hospitals for ICE. This guy loves trump because he believes trump has any opinion or knowledge of tech monopolies.

    Tone deaf doesn’t cover it. If he sold shoes, it’d be one thing. But he jumped head first into the cesspit for no reason other than he believed it.

    And so, even though our opinions on age verification coincidentally align, he can fuck right off.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago* (1 child)

    he made a specific point of praising a demented rapist and lauding the pedophile party as heroes

    He made a point of praising a President's pick for the Antitrust Division of the DOJ. He didn't praise Trump and he certainly didn't praise pedophilia.

    Slater's tenure at DOJ was short-lived and unremarkable. So feel free to mock Yen on those grounds. But this has dick all to do with Epstein. It has nothing to do with the bloated ICE budget (which received bipartisan approval) or the assorts nightmarish cabinet appointments, many of which enjoyed supermajority support in the Senate (Rub'em All Out Rubio was appointed unanimously ffs).

    he jumped head first into the cesspit for no reason other than he believed it.

    He's a Tech Goon and Trump had a ton of Tech Goons on his team. These people aren't partisan, they're corporate lemmings. By 2028, I'm sure Yen will be lining up to brown nose the incoming Dem administration. By 2032, he'll be back on Team R, shocked at how the party that did everything Tech wanted has betrayed his customers again. Oh, and incidentally, insisting that the only way to protect yourself from Mean Old Big Government is by upping your Proton License to Double Super Secure.

    And so, even though our opinions on age verification coincidentally align, he can fuck right off.

    He's endorsing the poison so he can sell the antidote.

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  • [–] 0 points 4 months ago

    He didn't praise Trump and he certainly didn't praise pedophilia.

    Disagree. “Great job Mr. president!” is praising trump, and praising trump is praising pedophile protectors. It’s noteven a big leap, or unconfirmed rumors. We have multiple witness accounts to his actions and nothing has been done - legally- following the initial release of many documents.

    It has nothing to do with the bloated ICE budget (which received bipartisan approval) or the assorts nightmarish cabinet appointments, many of which enjoyed supermajority support in the Senate

    Also disagree. Eighth-graders know what trump is about. Andy Yen knows what trump is about. Corruption, fascism, incompetence. Yeah let’s send a hoo-rah tweet to my (whatever # followers)

    (Rub'em All Out Rubio was appointed unanimously ffs).

    Yeah that’s disgusting. Although I assumed he was just stupid and corrupt, not flat out evil as has revealed himself to be.

    These people aren't partisan, they're corporate lemmings.

    He’s both. There’s no non-partisan support of trump, he’s made sure of it.

    By 2028, I'm sure Yen will be lining up to brown nose the incoming Dem administration. By 2032, he'll be back on Team R, shocked at how the party that did everything Tech wanted has betrayed his customers again.

    Yeah, that’s probably right, but all the reason I’m kicking him to the curb now.

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