If you live in Mississippi, you may have noticed that you are no longer able to log into your Bluesky or Dreamwidth accounts from within the state. That’s because, in a chilling early warning sign for the U.S., both social platforms decided to block all users in Mississippi from their services rather than risk hefty fines under the state’s oppressive age verification mandate.

This consolidation of power is a dream come true for the Big Tech platforms, but it’s a nightmare for users. While the megacorporations get more traffic and a whole lot more user data (read: profit), users are left with far fewer community options and a bland, corporate surveillance machine instead of a vibrant public sphere. The internet we all fell in love with is a diverse and colorful place, full of innovation, connection, and unique opportunities for self-expression. That internet—our internet—is worth defending.

    • LuckingFurker (Any/All)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      2·
      17 hours ago

      The fact that you recognise it would be a struggle should honestly spur you on even more to do it. People got by for a long time without the Internet and even though now the same infrastructure they’d have used is at best a shell of its former self if not gone entirely it would still be possible. We don’t have to stop entirely but if a bunch of sites suddenly find their traffic is way down they’d start to put pressure on about getting rid of ID checks and we might finally see some movement

      • other_cat@lemmy.zipEnglish
        3·
        7 hours ago

        Oh, I know. No preaching required. I’m from pre-internet days. That’s why I agree with you. Being this dependent on the internet is not good for me or anyone else.