"In Europe, the latest proposal for a chat control regulation put forward by the Danish presidency would require every internet-connected device to include government spyware, as easy to activate as Alexa or Siri. It would scan not only for known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) but also, in practice, would flag artwork, fan fiction, family photos and chats, relying on unreliable AI classifiers which scientists warn can't be implemented safely."
"Globally, laws like the UK's Online Safety Act, Australia's under-16 social media ban, and an increasing number of US state laws are mandating age verification not just for porn sites, but also for platforms like Reddit and Discord. The result is the over-censorship of legal content as harmful to minors, or platforms like Bluesky shutting off service altogether in certain states."
Governments worldwide are expanding surveillance, weakening encryption, and curtailing freedoms under child-protection rationales. Proposed chat-control rules in Europe would require government-activated spyware on every internet-connected device, scanning for CSAM and misclassifying artwork, fan fiction, and private photos through unreliable AI. Legal pressure has pushed tech firms to resist backdoors, with some apps considering exit rather than weakening encryption. New laws mandate age verification across many platforms, prompting over-censorship and platform shutdowns in certain regions. These restrictions drive users toward VPNs and privacy tools. Rising Tor and VPN usage signal growing distrust, eroding open communication and mirroring authoritarian tactics.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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