cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/62278765

Software changes for compliance with age-verification laws are being pushed a bit everywhere in Linux-development; for example:

It’s interesting that it’s the same small group of people behind these pull requests, and that discussion threads in them have been locked owing to a great amount of negative criticisms.

They say “we have to comply with the law”. Which also means that if “the law” in the future will require proper verification, handling to 3rd-parties, or whatnot, then they will comply.

Well, it’s their right to. They don’t owe anything to anyone, and are under no obligation to report to users or to the community, nor to pay heed to anybody’s wishes.

If things proceed in this direction, we users may at some point have to choose between privacy-friendly Linux distributions or legal Linux distributions. People who, like me, are worried, need to start thinking about concrete actions to take before it’s too late: where to develop such distros? which channels to download and distribute them from? And so on. (And of course, more generally we need to write and protest to politicians, organize protest marches, go on strike, refuse to comply…)

It’s good to remind to those who keep on repeating the words “legal” and “illegal” that for example Nelson Mandela was, technically speaking, a criminal who did and promoted illegal activity. This happens when laws become immoral.

  • naeap@sopuli.xyz
    2·
    16 days ago

    Ok, I’ve written a long over complicated answer, which was basically a rant against those stupid shitheads without any clue how the internet or technology works, to push some laws over us

    I still stand by that statement, but I’ve cut out all the incomprehensible shit I’ve written o⁠:⁠-⁠)

    Seems I’m just getting carried away, when facing bullshit laws…

    Still, I’m not understanding what the basic idea of this law is, besides mass surveillance - and then I always thought that California is the one state in the US, that actually makes kinda sane laws, when it comes to regulations

    But I’m not even from the US, so maybe I’m misinterpreting things…

    Anyway, this shit sucks and we should build up a lobby front fucking now
    So in general, sponsor your FSF and similar organisations, or build your own and connect with like-minded ones

    We need to kill this shit in its roots
    Not even just for the autocratic reasons, but also simply because of its stupidity

    I’m just getting fed up fighting against shit like that since 30 years now, and those suckers always come back with another bullshit thing to kill our home world - the internet.
    We need to take it back and can’t have anyone else have a say in it.

    Edit: well, this re-worked answer wasn’t any shorter or easier to read… Hope someone still gets what I’m trying to say

      • naeap@sopuli.xyz
        2·
        5 days ago

        I feel very honoured, that you value my emotional and probably drunken outburst ;⁠-⁠)

        Anyway, we need to act.

        There is a saying (at least in German), that a wheel, that doesn’t screech, isn’t getting oiled.
        And if don’t act up, it will seem like no resistance and all is good.
        We need to scream with all the tools we have.