So, any of you Britishes scanned your face for the interwebs yet?

[Hitcore]

OSA strikes again!

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But in the end, lots of Britishes gonna be like:

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As an EU citizen, all of this is also heading our way. Certain content already got filtered.

 

[Retro]

"Britishes"!! Love it.

But seriously, it's hardly surprising that VPNs have since taken off like a rocket, is it?

Virtual private network (VPN) apps have become the most downloaded on Apple's App Store in the UK after sites such as PornHub, Reddit and X began requiring age verification of users on Friday.

VPNs can disguise your location online - allowing you to use the internet as though you are in another country.

It means that people are likely using them to bypass requirements of the Online Safety Act, which mandated platforms with certain adult content to start checking the age of users.

As of Monday morning, half of the top ten free apps in Apple's app download charts in the UK appeared to be for VPN services.

And one app maker told the BBC it had seen an 1,800% spike in downloads.

VPNs top App Store charts as UK age verification kicks in

Experts say free versions of such apps or services may carry potential security and privacy risks.

www.bbc.co.uk

As an EU citizen, all of this is also heading our way. Certain content already got filtered.

Yeah, welcome to our world.

 

[Retro]

btw, this is a political issue, so I've moved the thread to the politics section.

 

[live627]

It’s never about kids it’s about control. .

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Benjamin Franklin once said: ``Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.''

 

[Hitcore]

Eventually they'll figure out a way to

It’s never about kids it’s about control. .

That's right.



Not the first time I'm posting this image. Won't be the last time, I'm afraid.

 

[live627]

the entire reason for the UK law is to suppress dissent. Specifically to suppress anti-migrant dissent and protests.

Not the first time I'm posting this image. Won't be the last time, I'm afraid.

that image will be relevant for many, many moons

 

[Hitcore]

In other news, but kind of related since it is in the end also about government controlling what one may or may not see:

YouTube could be forced to promote British public service TV content

UK Media regulator Ofcom warns networks such as BBC and Channel 4 are ‘endangered’ as viewers move online

www.irishtimes.com

TL;DR: The all powerful OFCOM wants to force BBC content into your YouTube feed in sort of a force fed algorithmic propaganda way. Your feed won't reflect what people want to see but only what they should see (a.k.a. government approved content).

 

[Hitcore]

As an EU citizen, all of this is also heading our way.

 

[AllThingsTech]

I just hope this age verification requirement doesn’t spill over to online forums like here and I know bloody well that @Retro has my back here

I’m also concerned about if the online safety act demands too much, forums may shut down as forum owners don’t wanna risk legal liability and it’s a bit much for a hobby forum. @Retro have you considered what you’d do in such a scenario? I really hope NZ remains!!!

 

[Retro]

and I know bloody well that @Retro has my back here

I'm not sure of what the context of "having your back" here is. Could you explain?

Age verification applies to sites with "harmful" content like porn and violence, not a place like this.

Unfortunately, the OSA applies to all internet forums regardless of size, as I've explained in my rebranding thread which is why big changes to NZ are on hold for now as I look at it and decide what to do.

 

[AllThingsTech]

You have my back as in you share my strong opinion on anonymity - you wouldn’t ever want to have to verify members’ real life identities. You even removed the Xenforo’s date of birth requirement when registering and you said you want to remove the date of birth profile field.

 

[AllThingsTech]

It’s good that you’re aware of the regulations… some site owners just don’t want to deal with the risk of falling foul of legislation that may potentially affect them whatsoever, kinda like the cost-benefit analysis where forums are nowhere near popular as they were back in the day and the risk of litigation.

You have a struct family friendly policy here though so should be good to go