this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2026
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Finally, Europeans get back their freedom. /s

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[–] XLE@piefed.social 33 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The United States already funds the Tor Project, but despite this looking similar at first blush, it's far more centralized and thus easier to surveil anybody who uses it.

Portal team includes former DOGE member Coristine

Aka Edward Coristine, aka "Big Balls", aka the guy who helped compromise your social security number, aka the reason the US put stormtroopers into DC.

[–] vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

In a world with tightly regulated Internet this might start making sense. Tor and its traffic won't make it through AI-assisted censorship systems like China's GFW and Russia's whatever-it's-called-but-they've-started-breaking-everything-here. While a portal managed by foreign superpower's government might be allowed simply because of diplomatic pressure.

Not too different from how radio became regulated all over the world.

It's a shame, but what can you do. We are not demiurges, we are grains of sand flying with the wind and floating with the current. Sometimes we get melted, sometimes split, sometimes wet, cold, hot.

I'm not ashamed of dreaming of a different future and arguing in favor of it many years ago. But I'm also not ashamed to admit I was likely wrong.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm not sure I follow your logic. If countries are getting more authoritarian and nationalistic, and China is already blocking Tor, why would they feel compelled to not block something that even more blatantly a nationalistic American project?

[–] vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Because it's all trade and balance, so it's probable that such a window into the world (which will have its own censorship) might be allowed. Probably throttled. Probably allowed and throttled depending on some kind of social rating and individual permissions.

Unlike Tor, it's not escaping censorship, it's one portal (it's in the name) somehow allowing access to a few select "free speech" (quotes mandatory no matter how you feel about actual free speech) directions.

USSR had tourist permissions and allowed directions, and friendly socialist countries for which it was easier to get such a permission, and unfriendly capitalist countries for which it was pretty rare and involved state security following you, and so on.

This might be similar.

If you don't see how something can be divided into levels of access for different citizens, then that's just lack of imagination. They will think of a way.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I'm aware of authoritarian regimes that block internet based on the class of people that are accessing it, thanks. China already does this.

But I don't see how you're drawing the conclusion that this portal is going to be the vessel for doing that. Seems too 1984esque even for Trump, and like it would require actual competence.

[–] vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 15 hours ago

Seems too 1984esque even for Trump, and like it would require actual competence.

Not that much competence. Mostly power to keep applying it.

[–] nous@programming.dev 38 points 1 day ago

One source said officials had discussed including a virtual private network function to make a user's traffic appear to originate in the U.S. and added that user activity on the site will not be tracked.

Somehow I don't believe that last part 🤔

[–] Brewchin@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

If they'd decided to use truth.gov as the domain, that would have been the cherry on top. 😄

A ludicrous "plan".

[–] tino@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

so Europe just needs to ban that single domain? That's easy :)

[–] kokesh@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago
[–] kokesh@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Adding this shit to my Adguard Home blacklist.

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

A Trump controlled VPN service, seems safe.

[–] ZiemekZ@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

This video is sponsored by TrumpVPN

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Cool, gotta get that Nazi propaganda into the countries smart enough to ban that shit, wouldn't want people to think there was any sense left in the white house.

[–] zleap@techhub.social 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

@Samsy

If regulators could just direct even 5-10 percent of fines in the direction of fediverse and open source developers we could really ramp up the building of aternatives, we have alternatives just need investment to ensure that work can carry on.

@fsfe
@dff

[–] Samsy@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

Is it somewhere declared where the fines get used to?