this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025
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[–] Confining@lemmy.dbzer0.com 59 points 14 hours ago

Part of me wants every website to do this. The UK just gets blocked from majority of the internet then people in the UK can get angry and rebel.

[–] yeahiknow3@lemmings.world 61 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

So of all the fucking things to restrict, why this? Facebook is a hundred times more dangerous than any porn. Ban that shit instead.

[–] megopie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Because it’s something where the current government can claim they’re “doing something” or “addressing a real problem” but it also doesn’t threaten the rich and powerful.

Going after Facebook would threaten the rich and powerful, for who it is an important tool for manipulating people, who think they can use it to mold culture to what they want it to be my breaking the minds of children.

The current UK government is desperate to say to the public that they’re governing and fixing problems, but they also really don’t want to piss off the rich and powerful.

[–] jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works 16 points 15 hours ago

because Facebook is an abstract danger, porn is (relatively) well defined

[–] FairycorePhoebe@lemmy.blahaj.zone 143 points 18 hours ago (6 children)

I don't understand how this is a controversial opinion, but maybe parents should actually parent their children instead of expecting the Internet or the government to decide what their kids should see for them? Maybe talk to your kid about safe and ethical sex, the dangers of porn addiction, and not to take anything away from pornographic content instead? Maybe we shouldn't be giving children smartphones and tablets with unfettered internet access in the first place instead of spending time with them? Wild concepts I know.

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 108 points 18 hours ago (3 children)

because these laws aren't about protecting children they're about elimination of access to things the government doesn't like... like queer spaces

[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 52 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

This, right here. It's like Nixon's "war on drugs" that went on, and on, and on... The goal was not drugs, per-se, but to use drugs as a pretense to police people of color.

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 6 points 15 hours ago (2 children)
[–] davidagain@lemmy.world 9 points 15 hours ago (1 children)
[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 7 points 15 hours ago

As is american tradition.

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[–] obinice@lemmy.world 15 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

And giving them sweeping ability to track everybody via their identity papers, to see what websites and services they're using, what all their online identities are, etc.

They claim the info isn't being saved or passed on to the government to form a big surveillance database to one day use against people - sure, it's legal to, say, be gay or a socialist or of a particular religion today, but societies and regimes change, and the info they collect on you today may become ammunition against you in 10, 20, 40 years time.

But I don't for a moment believe their obvious lies.

This is nothing but authoritarian police state monitoring and control. It's extremely obvious. Yet, who are we to vote for in the next election? Not Labour, thanks to this (and a few other big reasons perhaps), not the Tories because, well, you've seen what they're like.

It's not impossible for a third party to be elected of course, not as impossible as places like the USA that have a very worryingly solidified two party system, it's just very unlikely.

Knowing the British people and their seeming apathy and poor judgement at scale these days I wouldn't be surprised if they elect the racist bigots at Reform - who ironically would be even more authoritarian and evil than what we have now.

As usual, there's no hope for the future and no possibility of good outcomes.

Humanity is doomed to repeat it's failures for all of history again and again, and we're just along for the miserable ride.

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 13 hours ago

The general apathy and disdain for noncomformity (the hatred protestors get is absurd) really does let their government stomp all over them. IIRC BBC goes out of their way to not cover protests in their own back yard, or anything that may be critical of the crown

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[–] Schlemmy@lemmy.ml 25 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Don't give your children unrestricted acces to a smartphone until they've proven they can use it wisely. No smartphone before age twelve. Limited use until age 15. And ffs. Ban smartphones at school.

Teach your kids about the internet. It's part of sexual education.

And don't leave it up to private companies to identify me and collect sensitive data on me. Fuck that. If you really want age verification. Deliver the framework.

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[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 25 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

I've been saying this a couple places recently, but why not pass legislation requiring every site to provide a content rating. Then parents can choose if they want to restrict content by ratings or not. Yeah, you could have malicious actors, but it makes it easier and simpler for everyone to work than having ID laws.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 23 points 16 hours ago

But that would actually solve the problem and not enable massive government overreach. We can't have that.

[–] Patches@ttrpg.network 12 points 16 hours ago

I imagine it would work about as well as YouTube Kids would.

Which is to say not at all

[–] Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 5 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

My 5 year old son does have access to an android tablet, but i restrict, selectively, what he can do on it and time limit his usage so it locks down after a few hours. I curate his youtube and frequently spend time watching kids content to decide if i want him watching it. If its good and educational i will share it to his kids youtube account. He cant browse the web, he cant buy things on the play stores. He has to get me to approve any app install and i will always install first and play to ensure it safe.

Its hard work, but its worth it to protect him online. And this has lead to it just being another one of his toys, it doesnt absorb his whole existence. He can take it or leave it. Which i am chuffed about.

When he is older and i can help him understand for himself how to be safe, i will help him however i can. Rather than restric, i will help him understand what the internet is, the good the bad and the ugly.

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 35 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

That's what everyone should be doing.

[–] dogs0n@sh.itjust.works 20 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Have to agree with you. If every site just blocked the country with a stupid law like this, then the regular (regarded) folk that are gonna send over their ID the first chance they get will maybe log off their wank station and idk join the cause.

Saying that, at least ppl will be forced to use a vpn instead of sending their id through the internet if they dont comply and just block.

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[–] Bloomcole@lemmy.world 5 points 12 hours ago

fuck the UK

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 246 points 1 day ago (9 children)

This is the second time in my life that Labour have gained power after a long Conservative tenure, only to dive straight into enacting policies that were more right-wing than their predecessors.

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 27 points 18 hours ago

if i had a nickel for everytime a labour government came into power after a prolonged tory government and immediately started governing further right id have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice in a row

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 69 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (14 children)

It's less of a left - right thing (that's mainly economics). It paternalism Vs liberty thing. Labour have always had a very strong "we must protect the populace" theme to their policies. Conservatives have it too, but they want to do it in a different way.

Sadly it's a really difficult thing to stand against. Who wants to be labelled the person enabling paedophiles, when all you want is the right to private communication.

[–] Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml 60 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

To be honest I don’t think much of this is about catching or preventing paedos, and is just straight up authoritarianism.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 37 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

You're right. It's not, but that's what you're labelled when you stand against it.

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[–] themurphy@lemmy.ml 62 points 1 day ago

Illusion of choice.

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[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 90 points 23 hours ago

Perfect response. This gets the message across, "governments of the world, the Internet doesn't need you, you need the Internet".

[–] abbiistabbii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (2 children)

Oh no, what ever will I, resident of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, do.

Boots up Tor.

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[–] SilverShark@lemmy.world 307 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's yet another step in seeing the Internet becoming owned by big corporations. Only big corporations can implement these things.

Art, creativity, people doing internet things as a hobby, that is dying more and more everyday.

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 142 points 1 day ago (9 children)

I miss the 90s internet :(

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[–] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 28 points 20 hours ago

hand wringing over objectionable video games is why queer artists are now having their platforms removed. if you dont want to see certain kinds of fictional porn, then either avoid the website it is hosted on, or make an account and edit your blacklist. also, if youre worried about your children having access to gay yiff, then restrict their access

[–] arararagi@ani.social 43 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

This is sadly the way to handle it, users of these places need to learn how to vpn instead of giving their private information for age verification online.

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 16 points 18 hours ago

VPNs aren’t going to be a practical solution going forward. You are creating dependancies that governments can target, spying on traffic and enforcing censorship for these relays is something any country can and likely will implement at some point. The clearnet is dying because the evangelicals are killing it.

[–] socsa@piefed.social 21 points 20 hours ago (12 children)

I sort of don't understand why these places which are hosted somewhere else would even bother?

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[–] Essence_of_Meh@lemmy.world 65 points 1 day ago (3 children)

There's a UK Parliament petition to repeal the Online Safety act. There's no guarantee it'll do anything but might be worth a try for anyone in the UK.

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