Comment by skhunted
8 months ago
I’m very liberal and very much opposed to authoritarianism. I don’t see the problem with forcing online content to be different than offline content. You gotta show ID or otherwise prove age to buy alcohol and pornography offline. Why not for online as well?
Because when you show ID to buy age-restricted things in person, nobody is keeping a record of anything. A clerk looks at your ID and that's the end of it.
Online is a completely different beast on that count.
I don’t think this is a compelling argument for keeping things as they currently stand.
Governments have a terrible track record when it comes to privacy. Everything from the USPS selling your info when you move, to the 2 dozen texts I got yesterday because the government sells[1] your voting records on the cheap. Maybe you don't agree but surely you at least understand why people are widely worried about a future where the government decides to sell your adult website access records to make a few extra bucks.
[1]: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/voter-re...
6 replies →
Could you elaborate further on the problem you see?
I don't see a problem with "things as they currently stand".
2 replies →
Yes clearly ISPs, OSs, and everyone involved who is making money should provide easier and better tools for protecting kids from adult content.
But a state mandated thing associated with my ID is... iffy.
People have perfectly good reasons for wanting to protect their privacy.
But they have done that and so a government mandated solution is warranted.
Look into the Chinese identification systems associated with internet access to see where this leads. It isn't good.
2 replies →
If you really want to buy pornography on the internet as a minor, you will have difficulties doing the transactions.
Aside from that you haven't thought about the implications of an ID system in the current political climate. Some advocates even state their real goals openly.
I don't think you are very liberal here for that matter. It is just a single issue, but it strongly correlates with positions around this particular topic.
It's easy to view pornography online regardless of age. That's what we are talking about.
Here are my leftist views: No one should have more than $10 million of wealth. Everyone should have a place to live, food, and healthcare. Healthcare should be free at the point of usage. The U.S. should stop funding Israel. Higher education should be free. Churches should pay tax on the property they own. Donations to charity should not be tax deductible. Public transportation should be heavily subsidized and greatly expanded. The DOD and CIA and NSA should be greatly reduced in size and scope. Elections should be publicly funded so that each candidate gets an equal amount of funding. Abortion should be legalized everywhere. Homeschooling should be outlawed.