Fuck Me in the Hell

ID Verification has given rise to a plague of scams that ask you to verify because, you see, your account is compromised, please, we need your ID to make sure it's you... or whatever.

I've been @'ed in one myself, and while spamming their replies to call them out as the fucking scam they are, I saw one person reply to me saying "Thanks, I was..." - presumably about to give the scammer their government ID. We were subsequently blocked by the scam account in question, of course.

Meaning, it isn't just old fucks who fall for it, people in their late teens and 20 somethings do too. A lot of people probably don't even think twice about it until they see someone reblog a warning post about this brand new scam...

...and that's just on tumblr. That's just one format of this scam taking advantage of this wave of "give us your ID to use socmed!" I'm sure there are more, and way more insidious, versions floating around out there or being devised as I type this. Like, it'd work so well as a form of redirect malware that hijacks your browser and brings you to a form. If you want to proceed... Please give us your ID...

"If you have nothing to hide..." Hey, snap back to reality for a sec. The powers one party gives themselves gets transferred to the next. You can very easily end up with something to hide when the opposing party gets in.

Take for example what is occurring in the USA and the UK with trans people.

... Also it's still illegal to be gay in a vast number of countries. I dare say gay people in those countries have something to hide...

"Well, it's no different from the liquor store!" The liquor store doesn't store a copy of your ID in their back room that thieves can break in and steal.

Unlike verification services that may or may not retain a copy of your ID. You don't know until it's too late. Even if they say "we delete it uwu" - there have been companies that say that, but have been found to have kept the information on file.

And when that data gets stolen? Well... Data can be copied and sold multiple times. Who knows how many people end up with a copy of your ID, passport, or whatever? You don't know... Until it's too late :)

source

“Just over 200 state lawmakers from across the country are calling on members of the House and Senate to reject a proposal to preempt some state regulations of artificial intelligence for three years, citing the technology’s impact on kids, artists and creators and workers.

The letter said “we take seriously our responsibility to safeguard our constituents from AI harms to children, workers, artists and creators, families, and consumers.” “

The preemption provision “would freeze a sweeping set of state laws and tie the hands of lawmakers at a moment of rapid technological transformation,” the lawmakers added in the letter

This was organized by the non-profits Americans for Responsible Innovation and The Alliance for Secure AI

The preemption that is being referenced “a measure included in a discussion draft of a national framework on AI being floated by Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) in the House”

“The discussion draft proposes overriding state regulations that target AI model development for three years. This would not necessarily preempt state laws dictating how AI is used once released, as other proposals have suggested.

The draft “expressly does not preempt laws of general applicability, common law remedies, or laws regulating AI use or deployment,” a summary of the draft said.”

“made up of 104 Democrats, 98 Republicans and 1 independent, said the provision, even if limited, would apply to a “sweeping category of laws,” including measures about AI models trained on copyrighted materials, antidiscrimination training laws and private protection bills.“

they wrote, “Not only is the provision extremely broad as written, but the tech industry will almost certainly weaponize such a provision in court to strike down state measures not intended to fall within the scope of GAAIA,”

“Tuesday’s letter compares the AI revolution to the emergence of social media, which has since faced growing backlash over the platform’s impacts on society, especially minors and young adults. “

the lawmakers wrote, “The lessons of the social media era are clear: allowing Silicon Valley to write its own rulebook leaves industry unaccountable and leaves American families vulnerable to AI’s dangers,”

“While the proposal was introduced in a bipartisan fashion, interparty and partisan agreements over AI regulation continue to stall legislation in Congress.

The UK will be banning under 16s from social media platforms

It’s supposed to be taking place next year

“The plan was met with mixed reaction, with some praising Starmer for taking action and others questioning the effectiveness of a blanket ban.

YouTube and Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — warned Monday that a blanket social media restriction could push kids into unregulated spaces.”

YouTube spokesperson has said “Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services,”

“Meta said a ban could drive teens to online alternatives without any parental controls.”

Starmer acknowledged the challenges and said some teens would try to find their way around a ban, but said: “I do believe we can enforce it.”

He added: “Teenagers drink before they should, but we do not then say, ‘in which case let us abandon any attempt to stop them buying alcohol.’”

(Which is fucking stupid, because you gave them the phone, you gave them the app)

It’ll take on an Australian style ban

“The U.K. said its ban will apply to platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, but not YouTube Kids or messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal.

Starmer stressed that enforcement action will target tech companies, not children.”

“The government will also act to prevent strangers from contacting children on gaming and livestreaming platforms, Starmer said.

AI chatbots designed to simulate romantic or sexual relationships with users will be restricted to over-18s only, and authorities are also considering additional measures including overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for those under 18.”

Some are happy and some point out that a social media ban is impossible

i don't care about the "positives" to these bans. it is government overreach in every way. stop blaming the children for parents not doing their job, and stop allowing your rights to be taken away just because you think it's for the kids.

Because my government is so stupid, I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to keep posting on here in the near future. I refuse to hand over my face or my ID to use the internet in any meaningful way. This twat is at the top here because he wants us to link our accounts to our full names, faces, current home addresses, and place and date of birth, and is doing so under the false pretence of child safety.

It also beggars belief that this massive overreach can be justified with a janky consultation form that didn’t even offer its paltry participants the option to say no. There is no mandate for this; it was not in Labour’s manifesto and we have not voted on it. There is, however, a government petition signed by over 2 MILLION people standing in opposition to the introduction of Digital ID and yet this act seeks to carry it out anyways.

【速報】英国政府は、成人ユーザーについては、デジタルIDや顔認証、パスポート、クレジットカードによる本人確認を行えば、今後もソーシャルメディアを利用できるとの見解を示した。

Stop making people give out their IDs to prove they're old enough!!! There's ALREADY been data breaches because of IDs needed!! Most 16+ year olds don't even have IDs, so this would lock them out anyway!! And what about the people who can't afford an ID???

And you want to establish a curfew for 16 and 17 year olds??? The people who can work, vote, pay taxes, drink alcohol, smoke, vape, leave home, travel, etc. What the hell is wrong with you??? They don't even consider people who are nocturnal in their curfew, because it would be from 9pm to 8am. They don't consider people who wake up earlier than 8am either. Or a variety of other ways people live. Fuck you, stop making people conform to how you think they should live! You shouldn't be controlling lives in this way!

And you know, instead of banning short-form addictive content or placing restrictions on social media companies, it's just a fucking blanket ban. YouTube? Banned. Tumblr? Well, actually, it's 16+ on Tumblr even before the ban for UK residents. That's Tumblr guidelines. Guess they were ahead of the curve.

And you know what else? Instead of addressing why teens turn to social media: having nothing to do in real life because everything costs so fucking much, being bullied so social media is an escape for them, hating real life, etc. They're just banning it. This is going to put vulnerable under 18s in more danger because they'll be looking for ways to get around the ban. The government will ban all the legitimate methods and so the under 18s will be forced to go to illegal methods which will push them to a darker side of the internet. Similar thing would happen for 18+ year olds who don't want to risk their ID.

And someone might compare giving your ID online, to giving it at a bar. But it's very different. When you give your ID at a bar, they give it back to you. They don't store it at all. When you give your ID online, they store it and then you have to trust that they did delete it when they said they would. Except, you have no proof that they did. They shouldn't store your ID at all. That's how data breaches happen. It's not if, it's WHEN.

Also, why are you spending so much time focusing on this especially when your solution is terrible? There's a cost of living crisis, there's shitty public services because they were privatised, there's rising wealth inequality, there's increased unsatisfaction which leads to increased extremism, there's wars, there's increased violence against women and minorities, etc. Focus on fixing the structural and societal problems for once, you cowards!

This campaign will fully launch in about 14 days

They point out the many problems within the internet and how they have been ignored, even abused

“For two decades, the problems of an entire generation have been ignored. The problems of the internet were left to rot.

When the YouTuber who exposed predators on Roblox brought them to light, the response was not to go after the predators, but to go after him.

We know these problems.

If a YouTuber can find them, why can’t a company with billions of dollars, armies of engineers, and full control over their platform?”

DO NOT CLAIM TO SPEAK FOR CHILDREN WHILE IGNORING THEM EVERYWHERE ELSE.

They point out that talking about young people is becoming the standard instead of talking to them

“In the UK, the timing is particularly concerning.

With a by-election approaching, children’s protection is being used as a political weapon; a way to look tough, moral, and decisive.

Meanwhile, the views of young people who say a ban would mean a loss of connection are ignored.”

“And this is no longer just one country.

Canada is moving with its own new bill.

The United States is trying to revive the same on the federal level.

The European Union is pushing age verification across the bloc.

Everywhere, the same pattern is appearing; children’s safety is invoked, but the people most affected are still not at the table.”

“And now, suddenly, governments are willing to threaten CEOs of some of the largest companies on the planet with arrest.

Not to give users control over algorithms.

Not to empower people.

Not to address systems that affect adults and children alike.

No.

Instead, the answer is curfews, time limits, and locking off access to YouTube, Twitch, parts of Discord, Reddit, and many more. And guess what you will need ID to access?”

age verification data always gets leaked

They bring up discord and how they had their age verification data leaked, leaving thousand of IDs out in the open

“So, do not tell us this is just about safety. When you force people to hand over identity documents to access public life online, you create new targets, new risks, and new harms.”

“It does not stop there. First, they ask for your ID. Then, they ask to monitor the device in your pocket and your private messages.

That is something police can only do with due cause and a court order. This effectively inverts the presumption of innocence and puts a policeman in your pocket.”

They compare it to a town hall, pointing out that you can’t ban a town hall

“For two decades, experts, children, and parents alike have argued for solutions. People have exposed the problems, documented them, and pointed directly at the failures.

Yet still, Governments have failed to tackle the root causes, failed to adopt policies that protect rights, and failed to adopt a public health approach that looks at mental well-being holistically.

The answer does not have to be control. It does not have to be your data turned into currency. It can be so much more, so much better.”

The organization wants to have a public conversation and proposal on how to keep the internet safe