Neil Brown

English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm (https://decoded.legal) on Free software.

Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns.

He/him. Cishet, lucky husband.

💚 means I am empathising / supportive.

#NoBot / #NoSearch / #NoIndex / #NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit

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neil@mastodon-neilzone-co-uk.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs8wntpf67037s4x6q9l7rtm0nhv060jvlzzcy0zj6rc2cezmecgqcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds7d6u3t

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub1waxkzn4ulrap2d5qtluxhkl8wcl5lye7y9sg79958s43j9hnsspsqdx0yw

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Last Notes

2026-05-22 05:16:44 UTC

Today is World Goth Day.
Wishing a very dark and mystical day to those who, erm, celebrate.

2026-05-09 15:39:15 UTC

After "age verification" for VPNs, age verification for DNS-over-https? Or just DNS?
Or simple age verification to use the Internet.

2026-05-05 18:56:31 UTC

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@nprofile…y3hp PayPal has blocked the transaction (I'm guessing that it is because it has "Iran" in the title, but I could be wrong...), so let's see what happens!

2026-05-05 18:52:24 UTC

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@nprofile…y3hp @nprofile…u6du @nprofile…uzrv @nprofile…yast
A DRM-free eBook? I'm sold!

2026-05-05 09:24:58 UTC

Who wants some new, exciting* data protection fun**?
Because the UK has some new requirements around handling data protection complaints, coming into force soon!
Here's a new blogpost:
https://decoded.legal/blog/2026/05/new-requirements-for-facilitating-and-handling-data-protection-complaints/
* not really
** see above
#UKGDPR #GDPR # DataProtection

2026-05-05 05:57:05 UTC

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@nprofile…cw8e Thank you :)
I often have that reaction to people's toots, and it would be amazing if there was a commonly-accepted symbol / emoji for it!
I tend to go with 💚, as being a friendly sort of heart but without the connotation that comes with a red heart, but something more common would be amazing.

2026-05-05 05:49:45 UTC

I'm having a less than fun time with body image at the moment. This comes and goes but, right now, it sucks.
For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be thinner. Even when I was too thin, it wasn't quite thin enough.
And, at the moment, I am far from that.
I know that I "just" need to do more exercise and eat better, but that "just" is carrying a lot of weight in this sentence. Ironically.
No advice, thanks. I'm just venting.

2026-05-04 08:13:25 UTC

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@nprofile…hcuq Do you get a public holiday today, or was that Friday for you?

2026-05-04 08:12:52 UTC

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@nprofile…tdff I'd be surprised if it is still made :(

2026-05-04 08:00:19 UTC

It is a holiday, so I am making Sandra Scotch pancakes, with banana and honey.
https://mastodon.neilzone.co.uk/system/media_attachments/files/116/515/247/861/072/324/original/8d487a0d8c4e640c.jpg

2026-05-04 06:30:05 UTC

I wonder if my DIY skills extend to fixing a power shower...?

2026-05-03 16:11:53 UTC

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@nprofile…ygzn
I am self-employed, so no :)
But, for someone working full time, it is 28 days.

2026-05-03 16:07:22 UTC

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@nprofile…ygzn
In England and Wales, we generally have eight per year.

2026-05-03 16:01:12 UTC

Tomorrow is a public holiday in the UK.
Or so I was informed by someone when I offered it to them for a meeting! Oops.

2026-05-03 15:53:36 UTC

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@nprofile…cmq0 Yes!
Although I think the cinema near us lets people take in whatever food they want these days; I remember growing up that they used to prohibit that though.

2026-05-03 12:07:12 UTC

I've invented a box that gives you the experience of being at a cinema, but in your own front room.
You put the box in front of your TV, and, at random intervals, it blocks your view of the screen with the outline of up to three human shapes, for anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.
It will cost £10/person/hour, plus booking fee.
This is the successor to my ever so popular "turn the TV up until it is way too loud, and then a bit more" service.

2026-05-02 04:57:32 UTC

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@nprofile…hcuq Amazing call about the Blues Brothers. I love that film.
I have not watched The Lion King film but I did enjoy the show. That's another one where I could sing every song :)

2026-04-30 19:30:31 UTC

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Well bugger me.
I've:
- set up my own certificate authority
- created a CSR
- signed that CSR
- installed the resulting cert on a server
- configured apache2 to use it
- added my own root cert to my laptop and my Android phone
- configured Firefox on both my laptop and my phone to trust my root cert
- browsed to my website and got a working TLS connection, with no errors / warnings, using my own certificate authority
*And I've got how I did it with openssl written down.*
My goodness what a faff this was, and I'm not at all convinced that it is going to work with apps on Android.
But that is for Tomorrow Neil.

2026-04-30 16:02:49 UTC

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You can expect a riveting blogpost in due course.
And by "riveting", I mean "utterly tedious and unnecessary unless you, too, have the misfortune to want to run your own certificate authority".

2026-04-30 15:34:29 UTC

Well isn't learning how to run your own CA a lot of fun?
And by "fun", I mean "debugging".
And by "a lot", I mean "a looooooooooot".
I am making progress, today around SAN and Firefox, but this is a bit like plodding around in treacle.
(I'm not looking for advice, although sympathy is welcome :))

2026-04-30 05:59:07 UTC

People who like musicals: what are some of your favourites?
I like loads, but some of my highlights are:
* The Rocky Horror Show (I prefer the stage show to the film)
* Whistle Down The Wind
* Return to the Forbidden Planet
* Fame
* Wicked
#music #shows

2026-04-29 17:54:26 UTC

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@nprofile…htkw That sounds right up my street!

2026-04-29 17:36:14 UTC

New blogpost:
"Please consider publishing a full-text RSS feed for your website or blog"
If you don't already have a full-text RSS feed, please do add one, and then tell me about it and your blog in the replies!
And if you've already got one, amazing, tell me about it too please!
https://neilzone.co.uk/2026/04/please-consider-publishing-a-full-text-rss-feed-for-your-website-or-blog/
#blog #POSSE #RSS

2026-04-29 09:01:17 UTC

Thinking about FOSS, legal advice, and pro bono legal support.
What if there was a fund - be that from a funding body, or donations, or whatever - which paid (at reasonable rates, not Big Law Firm Prices) some lawyers to support FOSS projects.
So that it was free at point of use for those projects, but did not rely on lawyers working for free.
All outputs (subject to sorting issues to do with privilege) would be licensed under suitably open terms, with a goal of maximising re-use.
#FOSS #lawfedi

2026-04-28 15:41:01 UTC

The UK's plan to further censor people's Internet access continues:
> We are consulting on the mechanism, which is the right thing to do, but we are clear that under any outcome we will impose some form of age or functionality for children under 16. .. we aim to do so by the end of the year.
*sigh*
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-04-27/debates/09FEE6E7-FF12-45A0-A358-1E18BE4A44DF/Children%E2%80%99SWellbeingAndSchoolsBill

2026-04-28 08:28:48 UTC

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@nprofile…hcuq
Neither of these things are worth risking breaking your site, if you are unsure and don't have an easy means of restoring should something go awry!
Both the lack of dark mode, and the lack of full text RSS are (for me, anyway; I appreciate that everyone is different) very easy to work around.

2026-04-28 08:04:41 UTC

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@nprofile…hcuq If you were poking around in your backend, so to speak, perhaps you might also consider enabling full-text RSS feeds?
(It does impact on your ability to measure how many readers you get but it also means that those of us who subscribe via RSS can get the whole of each of your posts in our reader, without having to fiddle around.)

2026-04-28 07:39:17 UTC

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Anyway, thank goodness for Dark Reader and similar!
It may not be perfect, but it is certainly a better overall baseline for me than not using it, and being jump-dazzled.

2026-04-28 07:34:45 UTC

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I'm guessing that some people don't know about variable CSS and media selectors. Fair enough, I guess.
Or they use a default theme which doesn't support it and wouldn't know how to change it.
And some likely know about dark mode, but can't be bothered or do not see it as a priority.

2026-04-28 07:30:06 UTC

I am surprised by how few people running websites support a dark mode theme.
How is this not just basic good practice?
Thank goodness for a browser extension which can force a basic dark mode.

2026-04-28 07:07:53 UTC

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@nprofile…hkgk @nprofile…wwlw
Quite possibly but whether they are more energy efficient than the cost of manufacturing them and disposing of the old ones, especially if what has failed is a part designed to fail after a particular term, I don't know.

2026-04-28 06:29:16 UTC

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I am, however, absolutely the worst person to give any kind of dating advice.
"Chat with someone on a forum. Have dinner with them. Decide that this was probably a mistake. Decide that you were wrong. Have a second date with them, cook for them, fix their computer, and, by the end of the date, find yourself completely in love. Realise that, next year, you'll have been married to them for 15 years."

2026-04-28 06:21:23 UTC

Apropos @nprofile…ga9v's thread about "pick-up artistry", when this was in the news years ago, I wanted to have a look at the actual advice being given out.
The language in which was phrased was - inevitably - misogynistic and dehumanising. Typical "alpha male" nonsense.
As far as I could tell, the whole structure was little more than a thinly-veiled attempt to sell books and subscriptions and courses.
Weird, horrible, and seemingly, if unsurprisingly, a complete scam...

2026-04-28 05:53:28 UTC

There is something joyful, and perhaps slightly rebellious, about taking old hardware and giving it a renewed purpose today.
It is somewhat frustrating that this is not the norm, and that so many things are built to be disposable, or are treated as disposable, within such a short time frame.
The constabt push to sell people a new thing is wildly unhelpful.

2026-04-28 05:45:02 UTC

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@nprofile…hcuq
No meetings?! How did you manage that?

2026-04-27 06:44:11 UTC

And yes, that is a large (suppressed) pistol.
I am not just pleased to see you.
https://mastodon.neilzone.co.uk/system/media_attachments/files/116/475/310/008/244/885/original/5cdabb47f7292648.jpg

2026-04-26 17:04:29 UTC

I am *exhausted* after a day's exertions in the woods.
I really need to get fitter.

2026-04-25 19:11:31 UTC

It looks a little warm tomorrow.
This could be... interesting.

2026-04-25 06:33:44 UTC

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@nprofile…hcuq I haven't been swimming in *ages*. Enjoy!

2026-04-25 06:28:46 UTC

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@nprofile…hcuq Are you doing anything fun?

2026-04-25 06:22:29 UTC

It looks like a beautiful weekend here.
I am playing Airsoft tomorrow, so today is jobs.
All the jobs.

2026-04-24 20:34:56 UTC

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@nprofile…3t4m I never had those, sadly.
I have a plastic card with my name and photo on it, and QR code and NFC for contact details, but oddly enough I've only ever used that as photo ID, which is accepted in a surprisingly large number of places.

2026-04-24 20:30:37 UTC

Someone asked me for my business card today.
I had not realised that they were still a thing.

2026-04-24 16:22:38 UTC

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As the actress said to the bishop.

2026-04-24 16:22:07 UTC

If you buy a phone, tablet, TV, or whatever, the vendor should supply you with a simple, free means of installing just the bare OS on it.
Ideally, don't ship it with crapware in the first place, but who I am kidding. Gotta monetise both ends!

2026-04-24 10:01:17 UTC

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@nprofile…9d4g Yes, I understood that wasps are not so aggressive until late summer, when they are drunk or on a sugar high!

2026-04-23 18:39:16 UTC

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@nprofile…vcx6
I am the engineer, the admin, the manager, and the end user :)

2026-04-23 18:29:45 UTC

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> We propose that, to be effective, the discussions must involve at least three participants, one of whom must act as the facilitator and guide the discussion. We also propose setting a maximum number of 12 participants to make sure everyone can engage and participate.
So a group of three of us, having coffee and a chat together for an hour or so, three times a year, would meet the proposed requirement.
The facilitator just has to be a solicitor without an adverse regulatory record.

2026-04-23 18:18:01 UTC

I'm starting to feel a bit more positive about Cyber Essentials Plus. It feels achievable.
Sure, the requirements could be clearer in some areas, but at least they are publicly available.
Do I think that, as an organisation, we will actually be any more secure? No. But then I have been aiming for a high standard anyway.

2026-04-23 17:59:36 UTC

> the SRA proposes a new rule to require solicitors to participate annually in facilitated group discussions about ethical duties and dilemmas for a total of at least three hours.
Interesting.
I wonder how this will work for people who don't have "groups" [of colleagues].
Perhaps I will have to start a group :)

2026-04-23 15:40:23 UTC

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@nprofile…hcuq
140 PRINT "You are likely to be eaten by a grue"

2026-04-22 18:36:09 UTC

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@nprofile…unx4
It is not about personal data, but rather the collection of information from terminal equipment - a separate regime to the GDPR.

2026-04-22 18:30:33 UTC

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@nprofile…unx4
In the EU, opt-in.
In the UK, probably just opt-out these days. But that still requires clear notice and the chance to decline.

2026-04-22 18:25:50 UTC

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I will be genuinely interested to see if Tindie can recover from this.

2026-04-22 18:21:44 UTC

Tindie is still down, it seems.
At what point does "scheduled maintenance" become "extended holiday"?

2026-04-22 18:19:13 UTC

This is explained to users clearly, requiring them to make an explicit choice as to whether they wish to enable this or not, I hope.

2026-04-22 18:14:37 UTC

It was rather nice in the garden today.
https://mastodon.neilzone.co.uk/system/media_attachments/files/116/449/713/809/313/105/original/59b396c7b113b199.jpg
https://mastodon.neilzone.co.uk/system/media_attachments/files/116/449/713/817/117/052/original/bbf382145aa31371.jpg

2026-04-22 16:39:30 UTC

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@nprofile…fc9d
Yes, I picked up on this when I was looking at this a while back, so I no longer have sudo privileges.
But I do have access to the root account.

2026-04-22 15:27:12 UTC

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@nprofile…xr5j Nice!

2026-04-22 15:23:06 UTC

Can anyone recommend, please, from their own direct personal experience, an assessor for the UK's Cyber Essentials Plus scheme, who has experience in assessing businesses using Linux for desktop computing?
#cybersecurity

2026-04-22 13:12:30 UTC

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@nprofile…7nvc
Honda Jazz (automatic).

2026-04-22 12:54:13 UTC

It looks like the transmission on my car is beyond economic repair (according to the small local garage that I have used for years) :(
And, sure, if I had a garage / lift, and more time, I might go pokey pokey to see if I could fix it. But I have neither.
So... I guess I might need to think about replacing it, which is a shame.
I'm going to end up with a surveillance trap on wheels :(

2026-04-21 18:43:13 UTC

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@nprofile…m8hf
Perhaps I am misunderstanding your example. You appeared to be comparing someone's choice to adopt an adblock add-on with being subject to attestation.
Have I misunderstood?

2026-04-21 18:37:55 UTC

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@nprofile…m8hf
> Adblock and its many clones are also systems where pesky “other people” decide which parts of a website you can see.
I am not following your logic here.
Are you suggesting that a shared blocklist, or subscription to a centralised list, by a user, where the user decides to install the add-on on their own browser, to protect their own privacy, where they can remove the extension at any time, is comparable to a third party dictating whether software will run on their machine or not?

2026-04-21 07:52:32 UTC

I saw a MacBook Neo for the first time over the weekend.
The lack of trenchcoat and glasses was, frankly, disappointing.

2026-04-20 19:01:44 UTC

Age verification, but you just have to say how much RAM sounds like an awful lot of RAM to you.

2026-04-20 18:17:49 UTC

A while back, someone kept explaining copyleft and Free software licensing to me.
I indicated that I was familiar with the subject matter, but nevertheless, the lecture continued.
Only now do I realise that this was an example of stallmansplaining.

2026-04-20 17:41:17 UTC

Trufax.
(With many thanks to @nprofile…hqg6!)
https://mastodon.neilzone.co.uk/system/media_attachments/files/116/438/256/547/346/815/original/e34cc702aa9de7b1.jpeg

2026-04-20 16:57:48 UTC

I had the day off today.
For $reasons, I can't say what I did, but I am *exhausted*.

2026-04-19 21:24:49 UTC

Google Play Integrity: what if Google dictated what software ran on your computer.
Open source implementations of attestation: what if a bunch of other people dictated what software ran on your computer.
Look, these handcuffs are permissively licensed!
No, thank you.

2026-04-19 15:08:10 UTC

Walking through a shopping centre in Reading, UK, today, there were two people trying to get people to sign up for "World".
It requires you to provide images of your eyes (irises) and face, to verify your humanity.
Fortunately, I carry with me a suitable bargepole, for fending away such nonsense.

2026-04-19 13:31:28 UTC

I love Jitsi, as a self-hosted video conferencing service. I have run it for years.
But... I use it for perhaps a couple of hours every few weeks.
It runs on a relatively low powered box, but still, it is a powered box, and for 99% of the time, that power is just wasted.
So I am going to experiment switching it off, and saving that energy.
If someone wants a video chat, I'm happy to offer XMPP or Signal.

2026-04-19 06:26:40 UTC

Age verification, but it is just a drawing of a rough outline of a human body, with the text:
"Click on the body to show what is hurting right now".

2026-04-18 18:40:57 UTC

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@nprofile…0ufy
I very much sympathise with that. Most of my tech is secondhand, or broken and given a new lease of life with a little tinkering.
And, yes, sure, you'll need to get used to doing some things differently, if you were to start using Linux, but there are definitely ways to make your life easier. Or, at least, less hard. But it sounds like you have your hands quite full enough at the moment!

2026-04-18 18:31:20 UTC

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@nprofile…0ufy Blimey. You'll be wanting the vote next.

2026-04-18 18:22:59 UTC

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@nprofile…0ufy Oh, I was just trying to make a vaguely entertaining reference to one of your own posts, in which you play up that image!

2026-04-18 18:10:45 UTC

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@nprofile…0ufy
"Oh, look at ditzy little me, trying to use with Linux.
If only some brave Internet knight could step in to help me.
Like a TV stand."

2026-04-18 14:01:57 UTC

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@nprofile…0qnq @nprofile…jz7n
Yeah, no-one has the thyme for that.

2026-04-18 13:50:04 UTC

I have mown, and strimmed, and sawed, and pruned, and raked, and brushed, and now I strongly suggest that you do not come near me.
Gardening done, showering still to come.

2026-04-18 11:52:04 UTC

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@nprofile…jz7n Exactly! If I like something else to toot or blog about it, I will do that of my own initiative :)

2026-04-18 09:28:13 UTC

Just let me compute in peace.
https://neilzone.co.uk/2026/04/just-let-me-compute-in-peace/
#blog

2026-04-18 07:37:47 UTC

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@nprofile…slfs @nprofile…kxem
I prefer to see a QR code alongside the information contained within it, rather than just the QR code, but as an easy means of transferring data, I like QR codes.

2026-04-18 07:25:26 UTC

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@nprofile…0ufy
Well, when it wakes up, tell it well done for its recent story from me :)

2026-04-18 07:23:02 UTC

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@nprofile…slfs @nprofile…kxem Yep, both have their place.

2026-04-18 07:16:26 UTC

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@nprofile…0ufy
We can't all be fantastic eloquent long-form writers now, can we?!

2026-04-18 07:15:45 UTC

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@nprofile…slfs @nprofile…kxem I quite like QR codes.

2026-04-18 06:20:20 UTC

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Anyway, I won't be welcome back at that Nando's.

2026-04-18 06:13:14 UTC

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Perhaps don't use the sauce for anything else since at that point, it has been tainted.

2026-04-18 06:10:03 UTC

If you put a chilli-based sauce, possibly but not definitively from Mozambique, on the area between your genitals and your anus, you've made yourself a peri-perineum.

2026-04-17 18:55:29 UTC

Things that I really do not have time for: looking into various countries' proposals around age verification requirements for computer operating systems.
Things that I am, nevertheless, doing: looking into various countries' proposals around age verification requirements for computer operating systems.

2026-04-17 14:53:49 UTC

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@nprofile…wfpz @nprofile…58gl @nprofile…zx3a
Oooh, nice!
I went for a cheap clear case which protects the sides/back. I dropped the ereader onto our driveway this morning, and it bounced, so money well spent, IMHO!

2026-04-17 06:56:15 UTC

I am having today and Monday off, for a bit of a break, so I'm trying not to do too much work.
Let's see how that works out for me.

2026-04-17 06:02:25 UTC

Good morning, and happy Friday!
Enjoy your unverified computing while it lasts :)

2026-04-16 08:48:22 UTC

New blogpost:
"Brief comments on two proposed new criminal offences relating to pornography: strangulation / suffocation, and sex (actually or purportedly) between relatives"
It covers exactly what you'd expect it to cover, so while it does not contain any sexual content, it (obviously) references it.
This is about *images*, not *acts*.
https://decoded.legal/blog/2026/04/brief-comments-on-two-proposed-new-criminal-offences-relating-to-pornography-strangulation-suffocation-and-sex-actually-or-purportedly-between-relatives/

2026-04-15 20:55:48 UTC

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@nprofile…kxem I am not familiar with US law on this.
If the material fell within the scope of this law (assuming, that is, that it becomes law), then possession of it (e.g. in a browser cache) would be an offence in the UK.

2026-04-15 17:04:29 UTC

The UK government is proposing new offences relating to pornography, encompassing strangulation / suffocation, and sex (actually or purportedly) between relatives.
This was not a blogpost that I ever anticipated writing.
(I'm awaiting feedback from a couple of people before publishing it.)

2026-04-15 15:05:31 UTC

A proposed legislative amendment, where the policy intent is to cause to every online service / hosting provider (and arguably even broader), which has any reason to be worried about UK law, to refuse to host etc anything which could be deemed pornographic content:
> A person commits an offence if they publish or allow or facilitate the publishing of pornographic content online where it has not been verified that—
> (a) every individual featuring in pornographic content on the platform has given their consent for the content in which they feature to be published or made available by the service,
> (b) every individual featuring in pornographic content on the platform has been verified as an adult, and that age verification was completed before the content was created and before it was published on the service, and
> (c) every individual featured in pornographic content on the platform, that had already been published on the service on the day on which this Act was passed, is an adult.

2026-04-15 09:34:57 UTC

> I just did a fact check with ChatGPT on your post, and...
ROFLMAOBLOCK

2026-04-14 20:12:13 UTC

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If I had to put my money on something other than GrapheneOS, it would probably be postmarketOS.
But I was pretty impressed with Ubuntu Touch when I tried it again recently after a few years.
I've also wondered about a better separation of connected and non-connected mobile devices, and whether that would be worth exploring.

2026-04-14 20:06:05 UTC

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@nprofile…m5vr I hope that you get on with Sailfish better than I did!