Brazil legislation: Digital Statute For Children And Adolescents
Apple App Store Age Verification
These are not tumblr specific policies. Tumblr is implementing age verification in response to legislative moves that were made months ago.
Tumblr is a failing social media site that has escaped death multiple times already; they do not have the social cachet to defy state regulatory agencies. We know they won't say no to Apple, either--the porn ban on tumblr was in response to Apple's crackdown on explicit content.
If you did not know this was happening, you were behind the curve. That is fine. You're caught up now. The next step is to link up with people in your country who are working to preserve privacy, to roll back these laws where they exist, and to prevent their passage where they do not. In the US the organization you want is Stop KOSA--in the EU you can start with Fight Chat Control.
Repealing ID verification and blocking chat control will help everyone, especially the most vulnerable. We can push this back, but we cannot get it done through the Feedback form. We have to get it done at the legislative level and lock it down so it cannot be forced upon us. I see lots of anger out there. Good. Put it to use.
Protect Internet Freedom from now until forever. It's important existentially! Americans stand with UK citizens in our struggle against government censorship
Since Thursday our politicians have been trying to rush the 'Kids Online Safety Act' (KOSA) and SCREEN acts alongside 15 other bills through committee in order to censor the internet while lying about it being for child safety. It was such laws that allowed the UK, Australia, and Europe to become the hellholes they are where youre arrested for mean posts.
Sadly, our same leaders are also trying to repeal Section 230 alongside these bills. What Section 230 does, in simple terms, is categorize stuff you make online as part of your freedom of speech.
If they aren't stopped they will strip that from you. Be wary.
The script to oppose KOSA (the Kids Online Safety Act) is now officially on https://5calls.org/. Call if you wanna kill KOSA again! It's a must if you don't want age verification in the US!
YES, YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT DISCORD'S AGE VERIFICATION
But while cancelling Nitro and boycotting Discord CAN be a form of protest, it sadly may not be effective on its own.
Why? Bc their hands are tied due to the recent trend in age verification bills worldwide.
All of the bad internet bills. One website.
This site helps send emails to your lawmakers to oppose certain Internet bills in the US, many of which would push age verification if passed
HOWEVER, calling your lawmakers on the phone is most effective.
If you're not in the US, you can still help by spreading the word.
The only way to prevent age verification (On Discord and ALL other social media platforms) is to prevent the bills that are forcing it. Look at the site for more info
Update, just to clear things up:
This is not a petition to stop Discord specifically.
This is to point out the root cause of age verification policies.
Discord is complying in advance, but if these bills pass, EVERY platform will have to make age verification features.
If these bills pass, Discord actually won't have a choice.
Protesting Discord's policies and preventing these bills are both important. We are saying "no" to Discord's complying in advance, while tackling the core of the situation.
If YouTube’s new AI flags you as “underage” and asks for an ID or your face, DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM.
Uninstall the app. Close the browser. Leave a 1 star review on the App Store and/or Google Play Store. Call them if you can, and don’t email as there aren’t any humans that see those.
Let them know that this new policy unfairly targets gamers, those with autism, those who watch cartoons, etc. It was never about protecting the kids.
Even if you don’t live there, if you still live somewhere in the states, please, listen up.
“The MA legislature and governor just proposed dangerous social media surveillance legislation that would require everyone in the state, including adults, to upload a government ID or submit to a face scan to create a social media account. If something like this passes here, it will spread to other states faster than activists can fight back.
I have an op-ed out in today's Boston Globe explaining why this legislation would hurt kids and help Trump attack LGBTQ youth and undocumented folks. You can read it here (no paywall) https://archive.ph/rAK4P
If you're in MA, please send this to your state senators and the governor! They need to read it! You can also use this tool to easily call the key lawmakers who will be making decisions about this: https://www.stoponlineidchecks.org/ma “
- Fight For the Future Signal chat
I encourage reading EFF’s article linked below as it goes into the greater details of the legislation aside from this, but key notes:
• Forces everyone (not just kids) to upload a government ID or submit to a facial recognition scan to create a social media account or post online, even on educational sites like Wikipedia
• Force parents to send even more sensitive information to Big Tech companies to “verify” custody in order for a minor to create an account (think: sending a birth certificate to Mark Zuckerberg to let your teen create an account)
• Allow unsupportive parents to lock queer and trans youth off the Internet, restricting access to life-saving community and information with zero recourse
• Expand the Trump admin’s surveillance capabilities, making it easier for them to persecute people organizing protests, monitoring ICE, and criticizing the administration
• Cost Massachusetts tax payers enormously, as the legislation is clearly unconstitutional and would face legal challenges.
• Specifically harm undocumented folks who use social media to warn communities about ICE activity and raise money for family members
• Fine smaller and non-profit tech platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky out of business, further expanding the monopolies of Big Tech platforms
It is one of many of the worst pieces of digital surveillance legislation right now in the states.
If you’re in MA, please call and write to your state senators and governor through EFF’s article below, and if you’re not, either spread the word or call them too, but, don’t give them your ZIP code so they don’t know where you are.
