James Baker

https://social.openrightsgroup.org/@JamesBaker

Platform power and free expression program manager at Open Rights Group (npub1p2p…hjzg). Director of [@gamersvoice](https://mastodon.social/@gamersvoice ). Orchestrator of Stop Killing the Internet. Messaging in a personal capacity.

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npub1cqh0uvs7ry30jn6x38ncc3f0rn4hx402lrzl70rs3jhjnu6zmluqq48tnn

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jamesbaker_at_social.openrightsgroup.org@momostr.pink

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nprofile1qqsvqth7xg0pjghefargneuvg5h3e6mn2h40330l83cgetef7dpdl7qprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmnt56cn6e

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relay.momostr.pink

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npub1cqh0uvs7ry30jn6x38ncc3f0rn4hx402lrzl70rs3jhjnu6zmluqq48tnn

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Last Notes

2026-06-26 21:35:56 UTC

My evenings this week have been very busy with #stopkillingtheinternet we have about 12 organisations from EU, Canada, US, UK and India involved so far.

2026-06-26 12:10:57 UTC

A drug is a chemical substance and object.
A social media platform is a complicated system of speech and communication.
Using anaology that conflate the two is at best lazy thinking, at worst prohibitionist propaganda from people with authoritarian personality types.

2026-06-25 18:54:00 UTC

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The same is true of offline spaces too. Walk through any major city and there are scammers and risks of crime.

2026-06-25 13:11:02 UTC

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Yes! when my town flooded it was the only way to find out what was happening. All the authorities and Councillors and community self-organised on social media to respond to the disaster.

2026-06-25 10:06:50 UTC

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I think promoting good ways for people to access quality news is important . Really teaching critical thinking skills so people can judge what is or isn’t a good source. Using state power to restrict news is a bad idea and will totally be misused by people in power.

2026-06-25 08:07:35 UTC

A new study in the BMJ concludes the social media ban in Australia has had little impact https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj-2026-363695 #socialmedia

2026-06-16 14:19:15 UTC

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I play games with my son and enjoy it as an activity. I don’t think we should be overpathologizing everyday life by calling all sorts of behaviors ‘addictions’. I don’t support prohibition as a means to change platforms either. I support user tools, empowerment and education.

2026-06-16 13:48:46 UTC

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Video gaming. Yes every human activity can be harmless or harmful depending how you do it.

2026-06-16 11:38:56 UTC

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But it seems we are both worried about the power of those platforms

2026-06-16 11:38:37 UTC

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I worry it will entrench their power and obscure meaningful policies that would tackle the root causes. For example how going through Reddit ID process meant Reddit then got you year of birth data to better target people with adds. Millions of people’s personal ID data will go into these systems and much will end up being used by ad tech and reinforce power structures

2026-06-16 11:31:11 UTC

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The billionaires will get your face. Peter Thiel is a major investor in Persona doing the facial biometric scanning.

2026-06-16 11:27:54 UTC

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And also on device scanning so if you want a phone that it’s capable of recording your own body or seeing a biological image of our species you are also forced into the ID funnel

2026-06-16 11:26:18 UTC

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It’s not just social media but gaming platforms too. So if you enjoy playing games you are stuck.

2026-06-16 11:10:08 UTC

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When it applies to gaming platforms it’s not as simple for many people as just ditching X for Mastodon. Although the later would be a silver lining

2026-06-16 11:06:51 UTC

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It applies to gaming platforms as well. So for literally millions of people an entire past-time comes under it, even if you avoided social media

2026-06-16 05:03:55 UTC

This is really excellent from Defend Digtial Me. I suggest people read and ask these questions to people in power https://defenddigitalme.org/the-uk-under-16s-social-media-ban-questions-answers-faq/ #stopkillingtheinternet #stopKillingInternet #socialmedia

2026-06-15 22:46:45 UTC

This petition against the social media ban is taking off https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/757233 #stopkillingtheinternet #socialmedia please do sign and share under the #stopkillinginternet even if it’s a Gov one!

2026-06-15 10:36:27 UTC

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Age verification addresses the symptoms not the cause – and even feeds back into the harmful business model. The data shared for age verification can also be used by platforms and the wider data broker ecosystem to send you ads and customised content, fuelling the harmful business model. #socialmedia

2026-06-15 10:34:53 UTC

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Major social media platforms rely on extensive collection of personal data to target advertising and maximise user engagement. Their business models are designed to keep users online for longer, using algorithms that prioritise content most likely to capture attention and drive interaction. This contributes to the spread of harmful, polarising and addictive content, with consequences for both individual wellbeing and democratic discourse.

2026-06-15 10:33:47 UTC

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In less than a year, the government has expanded age verification to such an extent so that soon it will be virtually impossible to be online in the UK without handing over identity documents or biometric data to unregulated companies.
Forcing people to prove their identity in this way puts adults and 16- 17 year olds at risk of their personal data being hacked. Discord is one example of a platform that suffered a major data-leak as a result of the introduction of age-assurance.

2026-06-15 10:30:51 UTC

These headline-grabbing proposals by a Prime Ministers on his way out fail to address the root causes on online harms – business models that reward harmful content.
The government is on a policy failure ratchet, of policy failures that are followed by more and more censorship and surveillance measures that also fail, because safety is never delivered this way.

2026-06-15 10:25:29 UTC

Over the past week I’ve been working with a group of organisations from the world. Plans are underway to launch a new global movement to oppose restrictions such as bans or device scanning that harm the open net. Formal Announcements we can expect tomorrow in the meantime https://www.stopkillingtheinternet.com/ #stopKillingInternet

2026-06-14 16:05:08 UTC

I haven’t commented much about the social media ban. That’s because I’ve been very busy working on a project related to it. Looking forward to being able to talk about that more tomorrow! #socialmedia #ban #politics

2026-06-14 16:04:01 UTC

Online safety begins at home with the family says Phil Booth of NO2ID https://youtu.be/q1KT0GUJygI #onlinesafety #socialmedia #DigtialID

2026-06-13 09:42:56 UTC

iF you hAvE dOne nOtHiNg wrong https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/man-jailed-due-to-faulty-face-recognition-says-florida-cops-ignored-other-evidence/ #AI #PreCrime #surveillance

2026-06-11 07:42:22 UTC

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What about certain context. Say false statement of fact about a candidate as an offence or using an algorithm to push a bot net that targets an individual journalist or politician. That was what I was suggesting but if you think not?

2026-06-11 05:34:48 UTC

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To explain this if I flooded a platform with bots all pumping out disinformation so it drowned out your message. I’m talking about organised distruption and pollution. Not just an individual saying something incorrect that they believe. Also have to be careful as attempts to counter disinformation can harm free expression too.

2026-06-10 16:58:17 UTC

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but what’s tricky is measures to counter disinformation can also sometimes harm free expression. For example the Government’s response to this is to fast track new online safety act restrictions and censorship. The Gov’s own disinformation unit that tracked people as well that BBW exposed is another example of where a response harms free expression

2026-06-10 16:55:32 UTC

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To expand the argument, it’s that organsied bad faith disinformation campaigns undermine the conditions that make expression useful, equal, and democratic. So for example - if a platform has bots that are pumping out disinformation and an algorithm that favours that message then everyone’s else is ability to express themselves is hurt. If that disinformation targets an individual such as a journalist it can also have a chilling effect.

2026-06-10 14:55:19 UTC

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Politicians and the government should be using Mastodon and BlueSky, to help break the monopoly of power and speech held by X.
We should resist calls for authoritarian speech restrictions and the private concentration of power over public debate.
A healthier internet is possible but only if we choose to build better #musk #X #Belfast

2026-06-10 14:54:18 UTC

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That is a better foundation for democratic debate.
Politicians should lead by example.
If they are serious about reducing the influence of harmful platforms they should engage with us in federated spaces.
Yet how many UK MPs are in these spaces where people are trying to build more democratic tools? (4)

2026-06-10 14:53:10 UTC

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Federated and decentralised platforms show that another model is possible.
They are not perfect, but they reduce dependence on any single owner, platform, algorithm or business model.
In federated spaces, communities can set their own moderation standards, users can choose where they participate, and no Government or Billionaire can decide what the whole network sees. (3)

2026-06-10 14:52:36 UTC

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We need to build a healthier information environment with pluarlity where no single company, government, or billionaire can dominate public debate.
That means tackling concentration of power.
It means transparency, accountability, interoperability, and giving people meaningful control over the systems that shape their online lives. (2)

2026-06-10 14:51:41 UTC

A thread on the awful scenes in Belfast. They are a reminder that how information spreads matters. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. Protecting that right is essential in a democratic society.
But free expression does not include incitement to violence, and intentionally circulating disinformation can harm free expression rights.
And free expression of the monopolists – if it means accepting them destabilising our democracy – invites censorship and state control. (1)

2026-06-10 12:06:32 UTC

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Yes you need to take a holistic approach to issues such as mental health and child safety too not just focus on internet

2026-06-10 11:46:54 UTC

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I’m saying devices with controls exist if people want to freely choose to use them. They shouldn’t be mandatory imposed on everyone. Hope that clarifies.

2026-06-10 11:44:51 UTC

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I think we are about to witness a very large movement and global push back from people. People want to communicate, especially young people.

2026-06-09 16:25:01 UTC

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I get your point about so many people having been riled up (intentionally I might add) that it’s almost politically impossible for them not to be seen to be doing something but there are so many more policy leavers to tackle big tech they aren’t looking at

2026-06-09 16:17:34 UTC

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Personally I’m in favour of a lot more parental education and being able to turn on a fully optional child mode which is part of the device setup. So when a parent buys a device that’s part of the account setup journey. But the solution can’t just be tech. It has to be media literacy education and better mental health support for children. We can talk about social media harms but you can’t detach that from CAHMS waiting list

2026-06-09 16:15:38 UTC

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The issue is if you ban it then just as drugs and alcohol, access to phones are now used then supply of a phone is used by preds to groom a child. Just as county line gangs supply young people with mobile phones currently.

2026-06-09 15:44:51 UTC

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Or how about I as a parent get to decide? Given the evidence of social media use shows benefits for certain people and harms for others. I should as a parent be able to judge what’s best for my child.

2026-06-09 11:51:47 UTC

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I’ve tried some as I’m a dad of two sons. Habe you tried the HMD Fuse or the Mums net ‘The Other Phone’ I haven’t yet. Maybe I’ll ask them to send me a free version to do a review of!

2026-06-09 11:50:08 UTC

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Its an optional parental control that a parent can activate and set. The problem is when it’s on by default and you need to pass an ID check to turn off really. There are phones already on market that do this type of thing as well such as HMD Fuse if you really want AI censorship of your child’s device.

2026-06-09 10:49:30 UTC

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Fixed it! Yea despite pressing the copy button it must have not worked and instead was still some random k pop on my clipboard. That’s a cool music video though!

2026-06-09 07:10:11 UTC

So it turns out the founders of the company lobbying for on device scanning of our phones (safertonet),found god at a faith-led investor meeting. https://youtu.be/9qkpcLK422o nothing like some hard cash to encourage the Holy Spirit and save children. #safetonet #surveillance
https://files.social.openrightsgroup.org/system/media_attachments/files/116/718/881/435/678/247/original/10fb347324fbfe48.png

2026-05-30 21:57:21 UTC

👏 well played @npub1xh7…v9hj
https://files.social.openrightsgroup.org/system/media_attachments/files/116/665/759/881/934/006/original/68774b199db83e8c.png

2026-05-30 09:19:39 UTC

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What about separating out the morality and ethics of different uses. Recognising if you have a disability it’s a legitimate use. Whereas creating AI generated slop videos isn’t.

2026-05-30 09:05:22 UTC

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I’m calling for nuance I guess. Criticism of its harms and poor uses but recognising that it does also have real and tangible benefits for nureldivgent individuals with dyslexia, blind people who use the audio description features etc I don’t think that’s so much a ‘trick’ but just it’s not all bad.

2026-05-30 08:37:39 UTC

As someone who is dyslexic, watching the backlash against LLMs feels a bit strange. I finally found a tool that helps me communicate more confidently, and sometimes it feels like that gets overlooked when people talk about them as if they have no value whatsoever. #dyslexia #LLM #AI

2026-05-06 08:09:29 UTC

AI policing nuked this guy’s account. He had to waste days trying to get it resolved. When ‘safety algorithms’ become mandated everywhere this will get lots lots worst. https://www.reddit.com/r/FuckMicrosoft/s/QWI2guPk8W
https://files.social.openrightsgroup.org/system/media_attachments/files/116/526/604/947/674/153/original/4351ce47336fe1c9.png

2026-04-01 22:08:51 UTC

E-safety commissioner in Australia is upset their isn’t a system to snitch on teens who are on social media. Wanting children to be safe is a reasonable thing but it isn’t healthy or normal behaviour to want a society where people report each other for being on social media. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4181pkxl2o
https://files.social.openrightsgroup.org/system/media_attachments/files/116/331/725/592/283/004/original/e593613ff8ded391.png

2026-03-26 23:19:49 UTC

Phil Booth has done a video explaining the Digital ID consultation and how the scheme relates to Gov.uk One Login. Well worth a watch and sharing with friends and family https://youtu.be/mC16RbBzd2Y?si=pCn6E2-m33z-US4E #DigtialID #privacy #no2id

2026-03-25 20:53:50 UTC

House of Lords has defeated Government again on Online Safety. Rejecting new Henry VIII powers to ban sites. Insisting on an under 16 ban for social media. Also dropping requirement to age gate VPNs 🎉. Final twist Kidron has proposed a new raft of amendments that create quite radical changes to the Online Safety Act. I guess in hope Government goes for them in ping pong. #Parliament #onlinesafety #VPN

2026-03-08 12:55:16 UTC

‼️ We have until Monday to tell MPs to save free access to the Internet ‼️
On Monday MPs are voting on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Amendments in this bill could give new Ministerial power to decide which internet services should be restricted, meaning all adults would need a digital ID check to establish their age to access services. #DigitalID #privacy #AgeGate
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/no-id-checks-web-access

2026-01-21 20:46:53 UTC

The House of Lords just voted to ban VPNs for children - https://votes.parliament.uk/votes/lords/division/3503 #VPN #onlinesafety

2026-01-06 13:09:30 UTC

The cybersecurity and resilience bill is now being debated in the commons. You can follow the debate here https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/7f6986e6-bca2-4b75-b5a6-d1e9a93feef7 . Will follow along on this thread and keep you posted. Ian Murray kicks off talking about updating scope of regulation to include a wider range of organisations. #cybersecurty #digitalsovereigty #parliament

2025-12-13 09:04:59 UTC

📚 18th–19th c. – Novel reading panic
🗞️ Early 1900s – Dime novels & pulp fiction
🦸 1950s – Comic books & juvenile delinquency
🎸 1950s–60s – Rock ’n’ roll
📺 1960s–70s – Television addiction
🎲 1970s–80s – Dungeons & Dragons
🤘 1980s – Heavy metal & Satanic Panic
🎮 1990s – Video game violence and VHS nasties
🌐 2000s – Internet & online danger
📱 2010s–2020s – Social media & smartphone addiction
#moralpanics #timeline #onlinesafety

2025-11-15 07:50:49 UTC

The amount of live show tickets that force you to download you a data tracking app to access them is such a con. Why should going to see live music mean handing over your personal data

2025-10-25 09:51:23 UTC

Hebden Bridge has lost a phone mast. No prior warning just everyone on some networks like O2 just losing signal overnight. But hey the Government wants us all to have digital ID so that’s alright even if we can no longer even access the internet! #rural #connectivity #DigtialID

2025-09-17 12:15:56 UTC

Wow Mirror now reporting an ad van protesting the Trump visits has been ceased by Police. It appears the U.K. does actually have a free speech crisis! https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ad-van-picture-donald-trump-35916462 #freespeech #trump

2025-09-17 09:04:44 UTC

Arrested for ‘malicious communication ‘. The communication was projecting an image of Trump with Epstein on Windsor Castle. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-windsor-castle-b2827891.html

2025-08-10 07:37:29 UTC

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Odd that DSIT are directly intervening when it ought it be Ofcom who have responsibility for regulating how platforms are implementing it. Where was this reported? Maybe should write to them and ask them to clarify their views as to whether more needs to be done to protect freedom of expression.

2025-08-03 13:12:27 UTC

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Yes this hasn’t gone away. Ofcom consulted on this early in the year and you can read the replies https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/consultation-technology-notices including over 780 from individuals via @npub1p2p…hjzg

2025-08-01 21:05:21 UTC

A reminder that according to the Ministry of defence VPNs allow users to bypass state-imposed censorship. #VPN #Censorship
https://files.social.openrightsgroup.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/955/533/717/084/527/original/67ef8b6cc446dd13.png

2025-08-01 18:02:51 UTC

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What is primary priority content and what is just priority content. Why do we have a primary priority and not a primary and secondary content. We ponder the epistomogy and linguistic nuances of the legalese. How do we define content? What if a piece of content changes slightly is it still the same content like the ship ofTheseus? Does content have a platonic form of potential harm, or rather does it subjectivity exist in the meaning we ascribe it as bona fide existentialists? :)

2025-08-01 17:56:02 UTC

Someone said Ofcom haven’t really done anything with the Online Safety Act. That’s a bit unfair as they have produced around 1700 pages of guidance. It’s really a bureaucratic magnum opus of the modern age. The UKs gift to the world, something for historians to puzzle over. It’s subtly subversive - an anarchist Trojan - anyone who reads it loses hope in Governmentality. #onlinesafety #Ofcom

2025-07-26 11:57:36 UTC

The petition against the online safety act is hitting 170k. I’ve not seen a petition reach such numbers in a long time. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/722903 I would encourage people to also sign up and support campaigns working on this issue > https://www.openrightsgroup.org/join/ #onlinesafetyact #privacy

2025-07-04 09:29:40 UTC

Anyone using Grindr will have to upload an ID document and photos to US company Facetec. https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/07/03/grindr-uk-age-assurance-security/ what could go wrong?! #privacy #onlinesafety #biometrics

2025-06-14 07:22:26 UTC

When the facial recognition algorithm says
You are guilty. Sorry if a women in Manchester wrongly accused of shoplifting and getting banned from shops despite being innocent. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdr510p7kymo #biometrics #news #survillance

2025-01-21 13:11:48 UTC

Big tech is upping its censorship game. For example you can switch your VPN and watch how Tik Tok now censors different search terms about Trump in different countries. Tested this myself. So much for ‘free speech in the US’. #TikTok #Censorship #Trump
https://files.social.openrightsgroup.org/system/media_attachments/files/113/866/506/609/083/983/original/4570748d72aa75c6.png
https://files.social.openrightsgroup.org/system/media_attachments/files/113/866/506/742/177/488/original/9da26e5ab036a294.png

2024-12-16 19:31:24 UTC

An online cycling community forum says it will shut rather than having to deal with the onerous requirements of the Online Safety Act https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/401475/ many of us warned they would destroy the best bits of the Internet while trying to tackle the worst.

2024-11-27 07:57:16 UTC

Internet safety in the 00s “never use your real name online”. Internet safety 20s “give us your ID to get online”. #ageverification

2024-10-12 09:31:02 UTC

Today in at #oggcamp in #manchester with @npub1p2p…hjzg come along and say hello at our stall.

2024-09-25 09:10:36 UTC

Every day now we are hearing more personal stories of people who are struggling to get their e-Visa. So many people are at risk from what is looming to become a car crash example in how to do digitalisation of identity documents. #evisa #homeoffice #immigration

2024-09-11 10:47:38 UTC

This weekend we are campaigning down a Lib Dem Conference in Brighton. See https://www.openrightsgroup.org/events/campaigning-at-lib-dem-conference-in-brighton/ for details. If you follow on Mastodon and fancy lending a hand or grabbing a coffee let me know! #digitalrights #libdems #brighton

2024-08-28 15:57:07 UTC

Danish politicians talking about wanting to ban encrypted messaging apps. As the article highlights politicians rely on and use secure messaging apps. They are essential for all democracies! https://cybernews.com/privacy/denmark-ban-telegram-signal-whatsapp/ #privacy #e2ee #denmark

2024-08-14 12:12:17 UTC

27 campaign groups, charities and human rights organisations write to Sir Kier Starmer urging them not to expand live facial recognition technology. Further expansion of a digital surveillance state is not the solution to social conflicts and riots. https://inview.org.uk/news/177007-ctarmer_plan_to_expand_facial_recognition_technology_after_far-right_riots_condemned_by_charities #facialrecogntion #surveillance

2024-08-01 15:21:47 UTC

Looks like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in the US is dead. This leaves the UK’s Online Safety Act as a pretty big outlier in how the internet will be regulated https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2024-08-01-kosa-is-dead-now-its-time-to-unite-to-take-on-big-tech-for-real/