“Sorry boss, I can’t log into the server until they repeal a stupid law”
this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2025
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KOSA and other Bad Internet Bills (US-specific for now)
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In late 2025, Congress is once again considering KOSA along with a package of other #BadInternetBills internet bills. EFF, Fight for the Future, ACLU, Woodhull Foundation, and dozens of other groups continue been sounding the alarm, and grassroots activisms have joined in to make it it clear that these bills are terrible ideas. Alas, Congress is now considering packaging them together—possibly into must-pass legislation. We're organizing to keep them from sneaking these bad internet bills through.
This community is for news stories, opinion pieces, and action links about these bad internet bills. Please help get the word out!
And if you use microblogging software like Mastodon, please also check out the #BadInternetBills hashtag.
Icon originally from Why we need to openly protest KOSA on Five Nights at Freddy's Wiki, used by permission.
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Sorry sir, all of our off-site servers are unreachable because 100 year old politicians don't understand how networks function.
A series of tubes?
That wont stop them from fucking everything up anyway
When it comes to anything technical, lawmakers are typically unqualified to make any assessment on how best to protect the public. They constantly want to introduce back doors, ban encryption, or other nonsense because they think they’ll magically uncover hackers, pedos, and terrorists. In reality they’re just making the technology less secure or flat out breaking how things are supposed to work.
Years ago, there was an issue similar to this that came up and at the time the article's author made a great point about 4 items that should be asked of any politician considering policy regarding the internet.
The question is: "Explain the differences between the internet, the World Wide Web, a browser and a search engine, and can you do so without one of your assistants telling you."
If any politician can't correctly identify what each is, they really have no business trying to regulate the technology.
I think your view of it is honestly a little positive. In reality, I think a lot of it is an intentional erosion of privacy to eventually implement a surveillance state and control the population completely.
scumbag US politicians want what China has lol
"I consider input from specialists in the field."
Ok, at least they acknowledge their limits and look for professional input.
"Industry leaders have told me..."
There it is!
And suddenly everyone's work computers stop working.
So how I see this will be implemented in the UK is that your work vpn endpoints will need to be registered with ofcom.
The big providers like proton or Nord will have to declare their endpoints if they want to remain compliant.
All the smaller providers will just skirt detection for quite some time, eventually they will crackdown on them, if Sky can manage a slow but steady block so can Ofcom. No they will never get anybody but that was never ever the intent, just to get most.
The main aim will be to use using an unauthorised VPN as a means to further smear people and confiscate their equipment, you have to have reasonable grounds in the UK.
Its never been about criminals or pedos, most already use other means to secure themselves.
come and take it
Bad article, made even worse by being written as if the author understands a thing about VPNs.
Websites have no way to tell if a VPN connection is coming from Milwaukee, Michigan, or Mumbai. The technology just doesn't work that way.
Maybe, if you're writing about such stuff, you're first supposed to research that "the technology just doesn't work this way" and websites don't see VPN connections. They terminate on the VPN server and the websites have no reliable way to know whether a packet used to travel through a VPN or multiple before.
Websites subject to this proposed law are left with this choice: either cease operation in Wisconsin, or block all VPN users, everywhere, just to avoid legal liability in the state.
Since the latter is plain impossible, there is no choice.
Boo-o.
So fucking stupid these people