Censorship is Coming for everyone
Censorship is coming for everyone, not just creators. We’re already seeing a demand for ID age verification among social media and tube sites. The web was once a mecca of information, ideas, and anonymity. But the after 20 years of the rapid proliferation of stolen content, over 10 years of substantial bot traffic and now AI being overlapped into every post, even those who control the sites, can’t easily tell what or who is real or where the traffic originates. So in an effort to reduce bots and see what really makes us tick, they are cataloging everyone.
Telephone Your Mom : 213.291.9497
We already have speech censorship; seggs, unalived and pewpew have become part of the modern lexicon because we can’t say sex, killed or talk about guns. We already have censorship of nudity, or even linking to adult sites over most social media. They are selling this new censorship as protections for minors. But parental filters have been there for us to use for a long time. Forking over your ID to an electronic database, each time you want to interact with a new site or app is not the same as showing your driver’s license to a store clerk, or bouncer to buy a porno, cigarettes, or get in the door to an adult club.
This is about control.
This is the ultimate profiling. Current laws give the boot licking enforcement officers reason to detain or question anyone suspected of hanging out with others of nefarious reputations (read: with a rap sheet). Your ID is now biometric, and it links you to everything that a site potentially offers. All it takes is the rules to change where you are. Or for the community standards to change on the site you frequent (TikTok comes to mind) and suddenly you might be engaging in undesirable activities.
Even if you keep your activities clean. What about data breeches? We hear about these getting hacked regularly. Do you really want to risk being doxed? Or worse if your credit card info is also available, losing banking access? This censorship is not just about what we say, or what you see, they are coming to change the way you interact online. The big companies will all start to demand your data, little ones try to hold on through smaller markets.
So how to protect yourself ?
VPNs will work for a while, but they will eventually be blocked. You have to stop using the big sites/ apps that are demanding you conform. While things are in flux I suggest that you make a list of direct sites that you like, niche content creators, etc. Anything that you want to continue to enjoy, that might not be widely accepted. So, don’t forget about me….your favorite incest loving mom, Blonde Tabu
