Privacy

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Why are so many European countries getting worried about encryption and/or age verification? Why now? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 3 days ago by zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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I can understand why governments would push for something like this after 9/11, though it of course goes without saying that this is a totally unacceptable violation of someone's basic rights. It also goes without saying that governments always want more control over their citizens, but what exactly are they so worried might happen, right now, in 2025 or the near future?

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[–] network_switch@lemmy.ml 45 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I do think it's Gaza. For decades until the last couple of years, the plight of Palestinians have been mostly ignored. The whole of Europe and algosphere in the middle east have had active or passive public approval for middle east policy for the past century. Vietnam war reporting soured the public on far east colonialism and war reporting went softball afterwards and that softball unraveled in the 2010s and now Gaza is the modern day Vietnam war for reporting on disregard for life from pretty much ourselves. Israel is an ally of our countries.

So now government policy is incredibly misaligned with public opinion now and what was a steady grind at enacting internet control is suddenly a mad rush for governments. Israel is a line in the sand for the powerful like Vietnam was in the 60/70s was for media control/influence

[–] Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 24 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Honestly this

I recall something (RFK?) said that tiktok took the narrative on Gaza out of their hands. They can't tell people what to think if people have access to events (through video and images) that previously the news used to either hide or share tidbits about but heavily color by narrative.

[–] barrbaric@hexbear.net 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

It was Mitt Romney who said they had to ban tiktok because it was too pro-palestinian.

[–] bad_news@lemmy.billiam.net 8 points 3 days ago

I think there are two discrete forces at work pushing in the same direction here. The Jewish supremacist EU states want to spy on all communications because of Gaza, but the push for age verification is more that ad companies fund everything in the West and ads sell for WAY more if they know exactly who you are (this was Facebook's major advantage in an internet that was largely pseudonymous at the time). Age gating the images of warcrimes and making those who see them register that they've seen the images to see them is just a side benefit.