Recent posts

#31

Off the Record / Re: Australia begins enforcing...

Last post by Jacob - Today at 05:21:42 PM

On the face of it, I'm in favour - personally my kids are banned from social media. I think social media as it exists today is harmful to kids (and adults for that matter).

There's also the bit that the owners and leaders of social media companies are by and large attempting to undermine democracy and turn Europe into fascist leaning colonies of the US and Russia, so I'm in favour of anything that undermines their reach.

I'll definitely watch the developments with interest.

#32

Off the Record / Re: Australia begins enforcing...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 05:20:00 PM

The argument that we should do nothing because some percentage of people will find a work around is not a very persuasive argument for me.

That is like saying we should have no criminal laws because there are people who find ways of avoiding prosecution.  We should have no regulations because some people ignore them etc.

#33

Off the Record / Re: The EU thread

Last post by Jacob - Today at 05:14:54 PM

It's a Russian wet dream.  An English translation and touch up of something that could have come right out of the Kremlin.

The idea of Russia being of the world's five powers steering the global economy is utterly laughable; their economy is barely larger than to Mexico. It's smaller than Canada.

The US national security establishment has become a straight-up mouthpiece for Kremlin propaganda.  It's heartbreaking to see.

IMO, it shows the value of seriously investing in influence operations. Russia has - I think - put much more concerted effort into wooing influential individuals (Murdoch, Musk, Orban, etc etc), financing allied parties, and pioneering online internet influence operations.

By any rational metric, Russia does not belong at that table. Except the one metric that lots of influential parties and individuals feel it serves their own interest to act as if Russia does belong at that table.

#34

Off the Record / Re: The EU thread

Last post by Jacob - Today at 05:05:23 PM

Much depends to what extent our politicians are capable of taking the big decisions rather than cucking themselves for the  orange utang in the white house.

Playtime is over, but much of Europe (and that includes its citizens) doesn't seem to have gotten the memo.

---------------

Beware the Europe You Wish For
The Downsides and Dangers of Allied Independence
Celeste A. Wallander
July/August 2025
Published on June 24, 2025

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/redeem/JZlfvFLrdKA

hopefully this works

It worked, reading it now. Thanks

#35

Off the Record / Australia begins enforcing wor...

Last post by Savonarola - Today at 04:53:57 PM

From Reuters

Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

SYDNEY, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Australia on Wednesday became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticised by major technology companies and free-speech advocates.

Starting at midnight (1300 GMT on Tuesday), 10 of the largest platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab YouTube and Meta's (META.O), opens new tab Instagram and Facebook were ordered to block children or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) under the new law, which is being closely watched by regulators worldwide.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it "a proud day" for families and cast the law as proof that policymakers can curb online harms that have outpaced traditional safeguards.

"This will make an enormous difference. It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced," Albanese told a news conference on Wednesday.

"It's a profound reform which will continue to reverberate around the world."

READ A BOOK INSTEAD, PM TELLS YOUNGSTERS

In a video message, Albanese urged children to "start a new sport, new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there for some time on your shelf," ahead of Australia's summer school break starting later this month.

Some of those below the cut-off age of 16 were anxious about adjusting to life without social media, but others were less concerned.

"I'm not really that emotional about it," said 14-year-old Claire Ni. "I'm kind of just, like, neutral."

Luna Dizon, 15, said she still had access to her TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat accounts, but worried about "culture shock" once the ban took full effect.

"I think eventually, without (social media), we'll learn how to adapt to it," she added.

TEENAGER SIGNS OFF WITH 'SEE YOU WHEN I'M 16'

While the government has said the ban would not be perfect in its operation, about 200,000 accounts were deactivated by Wednesday on TikTok alone, with "hundreds of thousands" more to be blocked in the next few days.
Many of the estimated 1 million children affected by the legislation also posted goodbye messages on social media.

"No more social media ... no more contact with the rest of the world," one teen wrote on TikTok.

"#seeyouwhenim16," said another.

Others said they would learn how to get round the ban.

"It's just kind of pointless, we're just going to create new ways to get on these platforms, so what's the point," said 14-year-old Claire Ni.

BAN HAS GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS

The rollout caps a year of debate over whether any country could practically stop children from using platforms embedded in daily life, and begins a live test for governments frustrated that social media firms have been slow to implement harm-reduction measures.

"I'm happy that they want to protect kids, and I'm happy that we have a chance to see how they do it and see if we can learn from them," said European Union lawmaker Christel Schaldemose, who wants to see greater protection for the bloc's children.

Albanese's centre-left government proposed the landmark law citing research showing harms to mental health from the overuse of social media among young teens, including misinformation, bullying and harmful depictions of body image.

Several countries from Denmark to New Zealand to Malaysia have signalled they may study or emulate Australia's model.

At a school in the German city of Bonn, students spoke favourably of a ban.

"Social media is highly addictive and doesn't really have any real advantages. I mean, there are advantages, such as being able to spread your opinion, but I think the disadvantages, especially the addiction, are much worse," said 15-year-old pupil Arian Klaar.

Julie Inman Grant, the U.S.-born eSafety Commissioner who is overseeing the ban, told Reuters on Wednesday a groundswell of American parents wanted similar measures.

"I hear from the parents and the activists and everyday people in America, 'we wish we had an eSafety commissioner like you in America, we wish we had a government that was going to put tween and teen safety before technology profits,'" she said in an interview at her office in Sydney.

'NOT OUR CHOICE': X SAYS WILL COMPLY

Elon Musk's X became the last of the 10 major platforms to take measures to cut off access to underage teens after publicly acknowledging on Wednesday that it would comply.

"It's not our choice - it's what the Australian law requires," X said on its website.

Australia has said the initial list of covered platforms would change as new products emerge and young users migrate.

Companies have told Canberra they will deploy a mix of age inference - estimating a user's age from their behaviour - and age estimation based on a selfie, alongside checks that could include uploaded identification documents.

For social media businesses, the implementation marks a new era of structural stagnation as user numbers flatline and time spent on platforms shrinks, studies show.

Platforms say they earn little from advertising to under-16s, but warn the ban disrupts a pipeline of future users. Just before the ban took effect, 86% of Australians aged eight to 15 used social media, the government said.

($1 = 1.5097 Australian dollars)

While, personally, I think no one should have access to social media; I'm curious what Languish thinks of the ban and if they would support such a measure in their own country.

I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, but I wouldn't support an effort like this in the United States as I think kids are just going to find away around the ban.  (I guess that could be an argument for the ban.  Just like the Spartans didn't give their young men enough food in order to teach them to forage; we can deprive our children of the internet so they can learn to become haxxors.)

#36

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Jacob - Today at 04:51:26 PM

Stop right now please, unless Maduro coughs up the protection money soon, the war will start. I want to discuss that not have the 145th Israel debate

You think the Trump admin is going to wag the dog with a war in Venezuela to distract from the shitty economy?

#37

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Savonarola - Today at 04:35:57 PM

Yet another casualty in the War on Woke:

Rubio orders return to Times New Roman font over 'wasteful' Calibri

Good night, sweet Calibri,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Comic Sans MS might be more appropriate for this administration.

#38

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Tamas - Today at 04:33:33 PM

This is the stuff where human rights organisations seem out of touch not just witb the zeitgeist bit rational thinking as well: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec/10/keir-starmer-hierarchy-of-people-constraining-human-rights

This "risk of creating hierarchy of people" thing/ the entire idea of nation states or heck even tribes or families is based on creating a hierarchy. The state IS supposed to prefer the interests of its own citizens over non-citizens. It's basic stuff.

#39

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 04:31:40 PM

Well, the " wink-wink neo Nazis" and Hamas broadly have the same goals.

One of them is now confined to handful of square miles and regularly pummeled by the IDF.

The other is running the most powerful nation on earth and the one in which I live. 

If only they didn't have support of hundreds of millions of people across the globe...

#40

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Tamas - Today at 04:25:57 PM

Stop right now please, unless Maduro coughs up the protection money soon, the war will start. I want to discuss that not have the 145th Israel debate