I mean this with every cell in my body : smartphones should have never been invented.

I'll die on this hill as I thumb this out on my generic $20 smartphone.

The Internet was better when it solely existed on a desktop PC in the corner of the living room and connected with robots screaming at each other

#tech #smartphones #RetroComputing #internet

Well, the markup is officially on the House E&C Committee schedule. Looks like they chose the following bills:
-Children and Teen's Online Privacy Protection Act (aka COPPA 2.0)
-App Store Accountability Act
-Sammy's Law
-KIDS Act (an amalgam of various bills [specific bills detailed below])

The KIDS Act is an amalgam of the following bills:
-SCREEN Act
-Kids Online Safety Act
-Safe Messaging for Kids Act
-SPY Kids Act
-Safer GAMING Act
-SAFE BOTs Act
-Safe Social Media Act
-No Fentanyl on Social Media Act
-Assessing Safety Tools for Parents and Minors Act
-Promoting a Safe Internet for Minors Act
-AI Warnings And Resources for Education Act (AWARE Act)
-Kids Internet Safety Partnership Act

Other notes about the KIDS Act:
-Bill number is "H.R.7757"
-The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is the court that would handle challenges
-Challenges to the KIDS Act as a whole must be made within 90 days of enactment (60 days for specific acts/findings/determinations/etc. made under the bill)
-The House seems to be going through with their version of KOSA (which will no doubt cause conflict with the Senate, who want their version)
-Explicitly forbids doing the following in the bill's name:
A: Censorship of 1st amendment protected speech
B: Weakening/Restricting of COPPA
C: Prevention of the moderation of spam, criminal activity, and security risks.
D: Weakening/Altering of Section 230
E: Breaking/Circumvention of encryption
F: Precluding the use of any form of encryption (including end-to-end encryption)
G: Requiring indefinite retention of user data
H: Requiring the affirmative collection of any
personal information with respect to age that is not
collected already in the normal course of business.

Please call your Senators and Representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #Internet #SocialMedia #AgeVerification #KOSA #KidsOnlineSafetyAct #US #UnitedStates

RE: https://sharkey.world/notes/ajdd0d377qm503lz

Privacy and Surveillance boosted

Space Queen Enthusiast » 🌐 2026-03-02
@GalacticGoddess@sharkey.world

According to @fight@mastodon.fightforthefuture.org :

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to a full committee markup on the package of "child safety" bills they discussed back in December this week (KOSA, App Store Accountability Act, SCREEN Act, etc.).

This will bring us that much closer to an extremely censored internet that will not keep kids safe. It's mass surveillance and censorship.

Please call your Senators and Representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #Censorship #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #Internet #SocialMedia #AgeVerification #KOSA #KidsOnlineSafetyAct #US #UnitedStates

According to @fight@mastodon.fightforthefuture.org :

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to a full committee markup on the package of "child safety" bills they discussed back in December this week (KOSA, App Store Accountability Act, SCREEN Act, etc.).

This will bring us that much closer to an extremely censored internet that will not keep kids safe. It's mass surveillance and censorship.

Please call your Senators and Representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #Censorship #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #Internet #SocialMedia #AgeVerification #KOSA #KidsOnlineSafetyAct #US #UnitedStates

Unter dem Vorwand von #Alterkontrollen zum #Jugendschutz scheint die autoritäre #EU nun ernst zu machen und möchte, dass sich Menschen zukünftig per Smartphone-App ausweisen, wenn sie das #Internet vollumfänglich nutzen möchten.

Darin sieht man dann nicht nur die Versuche der EU, die Anonymität im Internet gänzlich und zu Gunsten von #Überwachungsstaat und #Überwachungskapitalismis zu beerdigen, sondern wohl auch immer mehr Menschen zum Besitz von Smartphones zu zwingen. Dies wiederum entspringt wohl der Tendenz zur Zwangsdigitalisierung möglichst aller Lebensbereiche und Informationen, die in der Konsequenz dann nur noch per #Smartphone - und damit staatlich überwacht und kontrolliert - offen stehen sollen.

https://netzpolitik.org/2025/eu-konzept-so-sollen-die-alterskontrollen-im-netz-ablaufen

About the Age Verification bills in California and Colorado:

It seems few people are actually bothering to read the bills and instead just want to scream while running around in circles. Neither of the bills are mandating you give your ID/Face-Scan/Transactional Documents/etc. to be able to setup your computer.

The only thing you give is your birth-date/age, you are assigned an age-category, and apps and websites respond accordingly.

Don't get me wrong, there are still valid concerns about these bills, but few are actually discussing those concerns. Most are just assuming the worst and panicking.

Also, I don't know how these bills would be enforceable on Linux (or any decentralized, FOSS ecosystem).

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #Internet #AgeVerification #US #UnitedStates #California #Colorado

A mysterious YouTube video gave thousands of people a place to breathe. Then it vanished. Find out what happened next in this moving essay from Bijan Stephen https://longreads.com/2026/02/26/internet-checkpoint-taia777-donkey-kong/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social #internet #culture #essay #longreads

@ross

I have a web based RSS reader I worked on a while back and I want to work on again.

Here's my page using this code.

https://deltaboogie.net

At the top left is contact info based on a vcard file.

Scrolling down on the left are my feeds.

On the right are feeds I like to read.

This is a plain text program with no database. To add a feed you add a line of text that can be copied from the feed.

#RSS #rssreader #internet

"To understand the Archive is to understand the physical reality of digital memory. It is a story of 20,000 hard drives, 45 miles of cabling, and a vision that began in 1996. . . ."

Bruce Li for HackerNoon: https://hackernoon.com/the-long-now-of-the-web-inside-the-internet-archives-fight-against-forgetting

#Longreads #Internet #Web #Technology #Hardware #Servers #WaybackMachine #InternetArchive

EU’s Chat Control law is in the final stretch: countries dropped plans for mandatory mass scanning and explicit encryption backdoors, but “voluntary” scanning and broad risk rules remain on the table 📡

Age checks could tie private chats to IDs or face data, sidelining anonymous, secure communication for many people 🔒

@edri

🔗 https://edri.org/our-work/chat-control-is-in-the-final-stretch-but-it-could-be-a-marathon-not-a-sprint/

#TechNews #Privacy #Security #Encryption #Surveillance #AgeVerification #EU #Europe #BigTech #AI #DataProtection #HumanRights #Freedom #Internet

Cryptography as a tool of power
https://negativepid.blog/cryptography-as-a-tool-of-power/

#cryptography #history #IT #tech #privacy #Internet #tech #IT #science #STEM #computing #AI #quantumComputing #quantumPhysics #inventions #innovation #negativepid

Spain court orders NordVPN, ProtonVPN to block 16 LaLiga piracy sites via dynamic IP lists—no appeals, inaudita parte hearing. ⚖️

LaLiga cites EU Digital Services Regulation duties; both VPNs decry lack of notification, due process violations. 🛡️

Impacts paid privacy tools while free VPN loopholes persist. 🔒

@protonprivacy

🔗 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/spain-orders-nordvpn-protonvpn-to-block-laliga-piracy-sites/

#TechNews #Privacy #VPN #Cybersecurity #Piracy #EU #Regulation #DigitalRights #FOSS #Internet #Censorship #LaLiga #Spain #NordVPN #Proton #Europe

Recently, I mentioned @brennan 's blog.

What made me a regular reader was not his philosophical musings but his devotion to the #indieweb.

I found this post, particularly useful, especially the list of blog search engines:

https://brennan.day/resources-for-the-personal-web-a-follow-up-guide/

Searching personal blogs returns a bit of the excitement of the early web -- when we "websurfed" instead of "doomscrolled." New things turn up and old things are reinvigorated with new thoughts and personal connections.

#blogs #Internet

Nutze Snowflake, um der Zensur an Orten zu entgehen, an denen das Internet blockiert ist. #Solidarity

Starte jetzt mit
Snowflake --> https://snowflake.torproject.org/de/
via @torproject

'Der einfachste Weg, eine Schneeflocke aufzuwirbeln, ist, die Browser-Erweiterung zu installieren, sie zu aktivieren und zu sehen, wie das Symbol grün wird, wenn ein blockierter Benutzer eine Verbindung zu deinem Addon herstellt.'

#Iran #Solidarität #Zensur #Tor #Internet #Zensur

Alt...

Eine violette Illustration einer Schneeflocke mit weißem Text auf dunklem Hintergrund, der lautet: Hilf Menschen, Zensur zu umgehen, starte Snowflake. snowflake.torproject.org.

I've heard reports of Discord using Persona for Age Verification in the UK.

For those that don't know, Persona is a Peter Thiel funded venture. Persona is facing several class action lawsuits in Illinois for allegedly using biometric data to train GenAI models. Persona, of course, denies this.

With that, I have a couple questions:

To UK Users: Has Discord always used Persona for AV? Or did they switch very recently?

To users in other regions that mandate AV: Is Discord using k-ID? Or are they using Persona (or other AV Vendor)?

Regardless, it's scummy for Discord to advertise k-ID as their AV Vendor yet use Persona without disclosure (at bare minimum). I get that Discord is kinda forced to implement AV or face the wrath of various governments, but still.

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #SocialMedia #Internet #AgeVerification #US #UnitedStates #EU #Europe #UK #UnitedKingdom #Canada #Australia

Discord mandates global age checks: face scan or ID required for full access, else “teen‑by‑default” restrictions. 🔐
Non‑verified users lose adult servers and features, despite past vendor ID data breaches. 🌐
Raises privacy concerns amid a shift toward gated internet access. 🧩

🔗 https://www.theverge.com/policy/876131/discord-age-verification-mandates-web-future

#TechNews #Privacy #SocialMedia #Discord #AI #Safety #Surveillance #DataProtection #OnlineSafety #Regulation #DigitalRights #Security #Internet #UserRights #BigTech

It's Safer Internet Day! As countries debate social media bans, here's how to keep your teens safe online.

From @euronews: https://flip.it/j70pek

#Internet #SocialMedia #Tech #Technology #SaferInternetDay

I've had the same free email for exactly 20-years, but over the last year it's become manipulative and intrusive while increasingly failing to filter spam.

My entire online life is linked to this email, now it might go sideways.

Are there proven, dependable, and hopefully free, services that do better, or is this a universal problem?

I don't want to bounce from one to another, constantly having to update sites. I'm also desperate to keep expenses down.

#email #internet #free #mail #today

Canadians!

Bill S-209 is due for a section by section consideration in the Senate this Thursday (i.e. the equivalent of a full committee markup to Americans)!

Reminder: This bill would mandate privacy invasive Age Verification as well as give the Canadian government the ability to block ANY website that isn't compliant (search engines, Wikipedia, social media, etc.), not just "commercial pornographic websites" like the bill claims! One of the bills' sponsors essentially admitted this!

If this bill passes, it would be massively chilling to privacy and free speech in Canada! The Canadian government would control what you're allowed to see!

VPNs are, at best, a temporary solution here.

Call your Senators and House of Commons Representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #Internet #SocialMedia #Canada #AgeVerification #BillS209

Canadians!

Bill S-209 is due for a section by section consideration in the Senate this Thursday (i.e. the equivalent of a full committee markup to Americans)!

Reminder: This bill would mandate privacy invasive Age Verification as well as give the Canadian government the ability to block ANY website that isn't compliant (search engines, Wikipedia, social media, etc.), not just "commercial pornographic websites" like the bill claims! One of the bills' sponsors essentially admitted this!

If this bill passes, it would be massively chilling to privacy and free speech in Canada! The Canadian government would control what you're allowed to see!

VPNs are, at best, a temporary solution here.

Call your Senators and House of Commons Representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #SocialMedia #Internet #Canada #BillS209 #AgeVerification

"In the beginning, the Web was simple. When I first encountered it in early 1993 (working for O'Reilly's Global Network Navigator[...]), there was only one browser for viewing web pages and it ran exclusively on the Unix platform. There were about a dozen tags that made any difference. Designing a web page was a relatively simple task."

https://cybercultural.com/p/1993-global-network-navigator/

#internet #TheWeb #cyberculture #technology #essay

The orange site shared this link, telnet.org which has a list of servers to which you can connect over Telnet. (Warning: these are always unencrypted connections).

If you want a Telnet-like experience but over a secure #TLS connection (e.g. using an #SSH client), check out the “Tildeverse,” https://tildeverse.org/ , a list of public-access servers with SSH login. It is like the #Fediverse but using TLS rather than the #ActivityPub protocol. The obvious drawback is that you need to know how to use a command line, but I doubt that would bother most Fediverse dwellers.

@screwlisp I didn’t see https://lambda.moo.mud.org at all in this list of Telnet logins. We may need to do something about that.

#tech #Internet #RetroComputing #Telnet #TildeVerse

Use Snowflake to give censorship the slip in places where Internet is blocked.

Snowflake allows you to connect to the Tor network in places where Tor is blocked by routing your connection through volunteer proxies located in uncensored countries.

Similar to VPNs, which help users bypass Internet censorship, Snowflake disguises your Internet activity as though you’re making a video or voice call, making you less detectable to Internet censors.

Start using Snowflake Now
--> https://snowflake.torproject.org/
via @torproject

#Iran #Solidarity #Zensur #Tor #Internet #Censorship

Alt...

A purple illustration of a snowflake, with white text on dark background saying: Help people bypass censorship, run Snowflake. snowflake.torproject.org.

Totaler Internet-Blackout: Sorge vor staatlicher Gewalt gegen Proteste im Iran

Die iranische Führung in Teheran schneidet die Bevölkerung von der Außenwelt ab und stellt einen harten Kurs gegen die landesweiten Proteste in Aussicht…..

https://www.heise.de/news/Totaler-Internet-Blackout-Sorge-vor-staatlicher-Gewalt-gegen-Proteste-im-Iran-11136262.html?wt_mc=rss.red.ho.top-news.atom.beitrag.beitrag

#Iran #Internet #Repression #Protest #Revolt

Mit wenigen Klicks können Sie Menschen helfen, die von Internetsperren in ihren Heimatländern betroffen sind. Möglich macht es der Tor-Proxy Snowflake…. #Fedihelp #Snowflake

Internetsperren im Iran: So leisten Sie mit Snowflake Unterstützung

https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/Internetsperren-im-Iran-So-leisten-Sie-mit-Snowflake-Unterstuetzung-7281703.html

#Iran #Internetsperre #Internet #Solidarity

‚Snowflake ist eine für den Tor Browser verfügbare austauschbare Übertragungsart, mit der sich Internetzensur umgehen lässt. Wie eine Tor-Brücke kann ein Benutzer auf das offene Internet zugreifen, wenn selbst reguläre Tor-Verbindungen zensiert werden. Die Verwendung von Snowflake ist so einfach wie der Wechsel zu einer neuen Brücken-Konfiguration im Tor-Browser.‘

https://support.torproject.org/de/anti-censorship/what-is-snowflake/

Starte die Nutzung von #Snowflake jetzt:
--> https://snowflake.torproject.org/de/

#Iran #Solidarity #Web #Internet

🌀 Tor Browser 15.0.3 released with key security and privacy updates. 🔒
NoScript updates are now hosted directly on Tor’s infrastructure, improving update reliability and autonomy. 🧩
Enhanced protections reduce fingerprinting risks and tighten extension control. 🕵️

@torproject

🔗 https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-1503/

#TechNews #Privacy #Security #OpenSource #DataProtection #Encryption #Cybersecurity #Anonymity #Transparency #Accountability #WebSafety #Internet #Linux #Software #Mozilla #Tor #Browser #Firefox

How do you feel about Tailwind CSS? 🤔

#webdev #webdesign #tailwind #css #sass #design #web #internet #loveit #hateIt #nevertried #plsboost #qustions

While this bill seems good on the surface, it could have a chilling effect on free speech and privacy due to the following reasons:
1: No protections for satire/parody
2: No protections against bad faith lawsuits (ex: politicians could use it to suppress unflattering photos/videos).
3: Could potentially force platforms to implement a "shoot first, ask questions later" approach to take-downs to avoid lawsuits. This would lead mass censorship of protected speech.

I hope @eff@mastodon.social and the like have legal action prepared.

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #Internet #SocialMedia #US #UnitedStates

RE: https://mastodon.social/users/verge/statuses/115889838548116153

Arti 1.9.0 released with SOCKS proxy dynamic port support, relay circuit data handling, and directory authority key certificates for Tor's Rust implementation. 🛠️
Progress on relays and onion services advances next-gen privacy infrastructure, though still experimental for production use. 🔒

@torproject

🔗 https://blog.torproject.org/arti_1_9_0_released/

#TechNews #Privacy #Tor #OpenSource #Rust #Security #Anonymity #FOSS #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights #Internet #Linux #Censorship #Development #Networking #Arti #Mozilla

RE: https://mastodon.social/@verge/115889838548116153

While this bill seems good on the surface, it could have a chilling effect on free speech and privacy due to the following reasons:
1: No protections for satire/parody
2: No protections against bad faith lawsuits (ex: politicians could use it to suppress unflattering photos/videos).
3: Could potentially force platforms to implement a "shoot first, ask questions later" approach to take-downs to avoid lawsuits. This would lead mass censorship of protected speech.

I hope @eff and the like have legal action prepared.

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #Internet #SocialMedia #US #UnitedStates

Dieser Artikel zum @torproject Snowflake und Iran ist schon 3¼ Jahre alt und wider sehr aktuell. Ich gehe mal davon aus, dass dies nicht unbedingt weiter hilft, wenn die Betroffenen "erst jetzt" Tor nutzen möchten.

»Internetsperren im #Iran — So leisten Sie mit #Snowflake Unterstützung:
Mit wenigen Klicks können Sie Menschen helfen, die von #Internet'sperren in ihren Heimatländern betroffen sind. Möglich macht es der #Tor-Proxy Snowflake.«

🧅 https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/Internetsperren-im-Iran-So-leisten-Sie-mit-Snowflake-Unterstuetzung-7281703.html
🧅 https://snowflake.torproject.org/de/

Sundry Sunday: Mike Fallek’s Internet Instructions
The internet is a busy place. Wouldn't it be nice to have a set of easy-to-understand instructions on how to operate it?

Yes? Well, too bad. What you get instead is the sarcastic internet instructions of Newgrounds user MikeFallek (1½ minutes). There's two parts, explaining things nobody has ever heard of before, the "v
https://setsideb.com/sundry-sunday-4/
#niche #sundaysundry #internet #MikeFallek #newgrounds #niche #sundrysunday

If you ever wonder what clumsy mass surveillance and information suppression look like, Iran is showcasing them right now. Sadly, it is also a deadly struggle between the regime and its people.
#internet #surveillance
https://ppc.land/iran-goes-dark-98-of-internet-infrastructure-collapses-in-nationwide-shutdown/

Is Craigslist the last real place on the internet, apart from the open social web, of course? Here's Jennifer Swann's story for @WIRED and @ArsTechnica on this "utopian vision of a much earlier, far more earnest Internet."

https://flip.it/uIYMTO

#Technology #Tech #Culture #Internet #InternetCulture #Craigslist