UK Online Safety Bill

[andy06shake]

Yeah, someone else said that to a government official (on the news I watched today) and the government official said, something to the effect that if it means protecting children online then so be it.

Government officials say lots of things.

And not always for the ""reasons"" claimed either.

[quintessentone]

Government officials say lots of things.

And not always for the ""reasons"" claimed either.

I can't argue with that, but let's see how this goes before we poo poo it.

[andy06shake]

I can't argue with that, but let's see how this goes before we poo poo it.

It made me decide to purchase a paid VPN, just like most other people I know.

I had been planning to do so for a while.

That was just the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.

There is money to be made, which is another motivation now that I come to think about it.

As for the claim by a government minister regarding protecting children, pull the other one. 

As of April 2024, approximately 4.5 million children in the UK were living in poverty, which equates to about 31% of all children.

If he wants to help kids, there are other areas he could and should be addressing, and then some.

[quintessentone]

It made me decide to purchase a paid VPN, just like most other people I know.

I had been planning to do so for a while.

That was just the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.

There is money to be made, which is another motivation now that I come to think about it.

As for the claim by a government minister regarding protecting children, pull the other one. 

As of April 2024, approximately 4.5 million children in the UK were living in poverty, which equates to about 31% of all children.

If he wants to help kids, there are other areas he could and should be addressing, and then some.

It's not just government, it's other organizations too.

"Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, a suicide prevention charity, said “nothing less than a new Online Safety Act” is needed to reduce harm and overhaul the design of their platforms, arguing that young people have been “let down” by Ofcom’s decision to “prioritize the business needs of Big Tech over children’s safety.”  
Organizations including the Center for Countering Digital Hate, meanwhile, argue the act is toothless against mis- and disinformation, and would fail to prevent another episode like the riots that spread across Britain last summer, which were inflamed by false rumors that spread online. "

The UK’s online safety regime is here. Will anybody notice?  – POLITICO

[andy06shake]

It's not just government, it's other organizations too.

"Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, a suicide prevention charity, said “nothing less than a new Online Safety Act” is needed to reduce harm and overhaul the design of their platforms, arguing that young people have been “let down” by Ofcom’s decision to “prioritize the business needs of Big Tech over children’s safety.”  
Organizations including the Center for Countering Digital Hate, meanwhile, argue the act is toothless against mis- and disinformation, and would fail to prevent another episode like the riots that spread across Britain last summer, which were inflamed by false rumors that spread online. "

The UK’s online safety regime is here. Will anybody notice?  – POLITICO

That inspires even less confident imho.

[quintessentone]

That inspires even less confident imho.

I think by a redesign of platforms, they mean that new algorithms need to be created and implemented, say with Facebook and Tik Tok, to identify potential children and then perhaps force them to prove they are adults, depending, of course, on the content.

[andy06shake]

I think by a redesign of platforms, they mean that new algorithms need to be created and implemented, say with Facebook and Tik Tok, to identify potential children and then perhaps force them to prove they are adults, depending, of course, on the content.

I dont necessarily disagree 

And that sounds like a fair interpretation.

But if the algorithms can be used for identification, where kids are concerned.

They could be used for nefarious purposes, also.

The algorithms are tools of a sorts.

It's how we use them that defines their impact.

[quintessentone]

I dont necessarily disagree 

And that sounds like a fair interpretation.

But if the algorithms can be used for identification, where kids are concerned.

They could be used for nefarious purposes, also.

The algorithms are tools of a sorts.

It's how we use them that defines their impact.

What would you consider nefarious purposes? Data mining? They have been doing that since the beginning of the interwebz.

[andy06shake]

What would you consider nefarious purposes? Data mining? They have been doing that since the beginning of the interwebz.

Yeah, data mining's definitely one part of it, but it goes deeper.

Think about facial recognition being used without consent, tracking kids habits to influence behavior, or even targeting them with manipulative ads.

It's not just companies trying to sell stuff either, it's the potential for surveillance, profiling, or even grooming risks.

Algorithms don't care about ethics, they just follow code.

[quintessentone]

Yeah, data mining's definitely one part of it, but it goes deeper.

Think about facial recognition being used without consent, tracking kids habits to influence behavior, or even targeting them with manipulative ads.

It's not just companies trying to sell stuff either, it's the potential for surveillance, profiling, or even grooming risks.

Algorithms don't care about ethics, they just follow code.

The fact of the matter is if a kid wants to go on a porn or dating site and a platform prerequisite is providing facial recognition because of government laws to protect the platform, then themz the rules that one now needs to follow. The protection is now for both the platform owners and the children.

So I think, right up front, on these platforms that they will be requesting facial recognition with consent. Although I don't know because I've never been on a porn or dating site, so I don't know what they request of subscribers at this time to prove one is of legal age to participate.