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.

  • youmaynotknow@lemmy.zipEnglish
    1·
    4 hours ago

    I agree, it shouldn’t, but I but they do. Don’t deceive yourself like that. As I said, some stuff you can (still) keep under wraps, that’s how criminals do it, but connecting the dots they almost invariably get caught, sooner or later.

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      3 hours ago

      Right, like Al Capone got caught for tax evasion instead of all the murders and whatnot. If they’re digging, they’ll find it, and they can get almost anything with a warrant.

      My point is that governments are generally pretty dysfunctional with information sharing, so even if they have a piece of information, it’s unlikely the appropriate agency has it. They’re getting more and more information the more crap like age verification gets passed, but that doesn’t change the dysfunction between agencies.