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submitted 6 days ago by madeindex@lemmy.world to c/europe@feddit.org

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49729865

However you look at it age verification is a major change to the internet and our freedoms.

We've seen all kinds of legislation pushed through in the past, often even against major resistance.

What makes me suspicious this time is the speed at which some of the slowest bureaucracies in the world are adopting it and how it's happening in 20+ countries in parallel.

It's like they're all in a group chat, fast-tracking this before resistance can even form.

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[-] HowRu68@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Though I share your concern regarding possible censorship and information restrictions etc, according to the article:

"After approval by the Senate earlier Tuesday, members of the National Assembly passed the bill by 279 votes to 81. "

This is a very high approval rate in favour of the bill in France , where they can't almost agree on anything. Also, according to this eurobarometer:

" The risk of cyberbullying or harassment that children face on social media (mentioned by 71% of respondents) and the risk of online grooming or sexual exploitation that children face on social media (70%) are the biggest concerns of Europeans".

So this appears to be genuinely on the agenda of most Europeans.

[-] ISOmorph@feddit.org 15 points 6 days ago

So this appears to be genuinely on the agenda of most Europeans.

The detrimental effects of social media are proven in many peer reviewed publications. No one is debating that. But why the hell does everyone have to cut back on their personal freedom to mitigate those issues? Big tec created a monstrosity of an algorithm manipulated internet to maximise their investment opportunities and somehow no one is putting the responsability on them to remove their own digital cancer from our society. Instead we get to feed the algonet even more of our personal data to make the issues even worse. That's the shitty part.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 3 points 6 days ago

Big tec created a monstrosity of an algorithm manipulated internet to maximise their investment opportunities and somehow no one is putting the responsability on them to remove their own digital cancer from our society. Instead we get to feed the algonet even more of our personal data to make the issues even worse

That's because EU failed to respond in time* and algonet now forms important part of our economy. Governments and service rely on those "free" services and banning them would cause large scale disruption. They don't want to do that so they try to regulate it instead.

*The failure to respond is understandable because EU is not a tech company. Their job is not to compete with tech companies by offering alternatives, their job is to legislate. So Europe didn't create the tech and infrastructure needed to offer those services and not people rely on facebook, whatsapp and google in their daily lives. Vast majority of these people don't support banning those services but don't mind giving them their IDs. That's why government chose this solution. The laws they pass require public support and the public prefers ending anonymity online to losing social media entirely.

[-] ISOmorph@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago

the public prefers ending anonymity online to losing social media entirely.

The public is made malleable through systemic cannibalisation of the education sector, weaponisation of the media, and corruption of representatives. That's why we have Trump in the US or the AfD in Germany. "The public wants this" hasn't been a valid argument for some time now. There is a right and wrong in some situations and this is one of them.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 1 points 6 days ago

“The public wants this” hasn’t been a valid argument for some time now.

No idea what that's supposed to mean. It's' absolutely a valid argument as long as we live in democracy. Every time the governments try to do something that goes against the malleable public support for AfD, Vox, Konfederacja and so on grows. They have to constantly thread the line between meaningful reforms and fulling support for the populists.

There is a right and wrong in some situations and this is one of them.

Yes, then can be right and lose the next elections making things even worse. This is primary school level view of politics.

[-] ISOmorph@feddit.org 2 points 6 days ago

A democracy only works if everyone has access to the same education and information. Public opinion doesn't matter if it can be shaped at will. What you call democracy is an oligarchy in sheeps clothing.

I'll stop responding now because you've become condescending for no reason.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 1 points 6 days ago

A democracy only works if everyone has access to the same education and information. Public opinion doesn’t matter if it can be shaped at will. What you call democracy is an oligarchy in sheeps clothing.

Ok, so I guess politicians are no longer elected and we can all stop voting.

[-] madeindex@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

"For four months, all of us in France will have to prove our age," she told journalists.

[-] HowRu68@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

That's the shitty part.

It absolutely is shit. It's at best a medicine to treat a symptom. Not the disease itself, though imho trying to reign in the "algorithms" haven't really worked so far. Especially since it only wants to spread, and the enshitification gets only worse.

In a better world, there would be better options. But this isn't (yet) that world unfortunately.

[-] madeindex@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Yeah, probably a problem most people in the world are aware of and concerned about, however IMHO this doesn't seem to be aimed at solving it.

this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2026
34 points (88.6% liked)

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