Comment by miiiiiike

21 hours ago

I’m glad this is finally becoming the cause célèbre du jour. This feels like THE FIGHT or at least one of the TOP 3 THE FIGHTS and it hasn’t had even a fraction of the public’s attention until now.

Most folks already know the internet is not a safe place to express political thought. The powerlessness the public feels is obvious.

It won't be an issue until mainstream media makes it one. Since the media is owned by right wing billionaires, that media will reflect the biases and interests of those billionaires - many of which own internet platforms that would benefit from knowing the exact identity of every single user.

>I’m glad this is finally becoming the cause célèbre du jour.

It really isn't, though. Don't mistake the internet for reality. The majority of people in the US and Europe support laws like these, and most of the rest don't care.

Even on Hacker News the consensus is mostly in favor of anything from age restriction to making all social media illegal.

  • >The majority of people in the US and Europe support laws like these

    okay then, show us a poll where the majority answers "yes" to an unambiguous question like "are you in favor of having to provide your ID or scan your face to access the Internet?"

    "The majority of people in the US and Europe" support laws against drugs, for example, but would likely object to having their cavities searched three times a day.

  • > Even on Hacker News the consensus is mostly in favor of anything from age restriction to making all social media illegal.

    That doesn't sound right. Put up a poll. I'd put money on 90%+ choosing some flavor privacy/anonymity on the internet.

    • The main issue is that they are very careful not to frame it like that. In broader contexts, it's always framed as something like "do you favor limiting children's access to social media" without a word on what it would cost to actually institute such a ban.

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