“If users don’t want to verify their age, or if they’re under 18, they will still be able to have an account with certain features limited. Bluesky will block “adult-appropriate content” and turn off certain features, such as direct messaging.”
So you can still use Bluesky without age/identity verification, including being able to post.
Yeah, I get pushing for Mastodon over Bluesky, but Bluesky is being forced to do this by the UK government for UK citizens so this is just exaggerated rage bait.
Rage bait, or a line being drawn? The excuse that it’s just for certain type content, only some features will be limited, etc. sounds like “it’s just a little bit of Orwell, why you so mad bro?” Let the free market sort it out, if most people are fine with limitations (and future additions to those) then so be it. There are alternatives right now, so make a choice.
The UK government is forcing them and all other web services to do the same. UK-hosted Mastodon servers may coast under the radar for awhile, but they’ll come for them eventually.
Rather than getting mad at Bluesky for implementing government-mandated age verification, how about actually getting mad at the UK government?
A lot of us are and have protested for years. The previous gvmt didn’t care and the current one don’t either because its not really about kids, its about control and surveillance. The ruling political class want to know what its citizens are up to and/or want us to know they can id us any time, especially those of us who are noisy about political issues.
Our right to protest is just about gone, including the right to wear masks. We are legally obliged to provide pins to our phones when detained and we can be arrested if a protest is deemed obstructive - which includes being too noisy. We can even be arrested just for discussing holding a protest of some kind.
At the same time, we are told that vocally supporting non-violent groups is now terrorism and can be punishable with prison time.
And the vast majority of the UK population sit on their collective arses moaning about immigrants and watching Love Island. They don’t care - genuinely, they absolutely do not care their rights are disappearing one by one.
Required to use our fingerprints/faces, and PINs at border, but not PINs at e.g. protests right? Or is this a thing where within 1000(?) miles of the border is close enough?
Why do you think Mastodon is exempt from those rules? The law applies to all sites/services with a significant UK audience - some of the Mastodon .uk instances will definitely be subject to this, and because of how badly the law is written, it can apply to many more.
People can have their hardon for hating Bluesky, but they’re literally just trying to avoid being fined by the UK govt here - this wasn’t their idea.
Mastodon might not be legally exempt, but depending on how much effort the UK government puts into enforcing this, large swaths of it might be functionally so. Most instances presumably arent hosted in the UK, and while some of those outside that country might block traffic there or be big enough for the UK government to order ISPs there to block them for noncompliance, theres a decent chance that some smaller, foreign run instances might simply ignore whatever the UK is doing, and if a UK user signs up to one of these, or uses a VPN to use one that does block the UK, and can still get the content from the rest of the network due to federation anyway, then the platform as a whole could potentially get away with ignoring those rules in a way that a single large site couldnt.
The simple solution is not making everything a fucking app…
It’s always hilarious to watch people act like they care about security and privacy but download 27 different apps instead of just using a web interface…
It’s like the iPad generation can’t figure out a bookmark list
I said apps but I probably should have said websites and apps, because websites aren’t exempt. I hear you on how frustrating it is when they’re making everything an app, though.
Applies only to the UK, which is requiring it for apps that host adult content: https://www.theverge.com/news/704468/bluesky-age-verification-uk-online-safety-act
From your helpful link:
“If users don’t want to verify their age, or if they’re under 18, they will still be able to have an account with certain features limited. Bluesky will block “adult-appropriate content” and turn off certain features, such as direct messaging.”
So you can still use Bluesky without age/identity verification, including being able to post.
As always to do with Bluesky, Lemmy way overreacting to news exagerrated so much its essentially false.
Yeah, I get pushing for Mastodon over Bluesky, but Bluesky is being forced to do this by the UK government for UK citizens so this is just exaggerated rage bait.
Rage bait, or a line being drawn? The excuse that it’s just for certain type content, only some features will be limited, etc. sounds like “it’s just a little bit of Orwell, why you so mad bro?” Let the free market sort it out, if most people are fine with limitations (and future additions to those) then so be it. There are alternatives right now, so make a choice.
The UK government is forcing them and all other web services to do the same. UK-hosted Mastodon servers may coast under the radar for awhile, but they’ll come for them eventually.
Rather than getting mad at Bluesky for implementing government-mandated age verification, how about actually getting mad at the UK government?
A lot of us are and have protested for years. The previous gvmt didn’t care and the current one don’t either because its not really about kids, its about control and surveillance. The ruling political class want to know what its citizens are up to and/or want us to know they can id us any time, especially those of us who are noisy about political issues.
Our right to protest is just about gone, including the right to wear masks. We are legally obliged to provide pins to our phones when detained and we can be arrested if a protest is deemed obstructive - which includes being too noisy. We can even be arrested just for discussing holding a protest of some kind.
At the same time, we are told that vocally supporting non-violent groups is now terrorism and can be punishable with prison time.
And the vast majority of the UK population sit on their collective arses moaning about immigrants and watching Love Island. They don’t care - genuinely, they absolutely do not care their rights are disappearing one by one.
Required to use our fingerprints/faces, and PINs at border, but not PINs at e.g. protests right? Or is this a thing where within 1000(?) miles of the border is close enough?
https://www.pcdsolicitors.co.uk/advice-news/latest-news/do-i-have-to-provide-my-phone-password-to-the-police/
Mad at your government, but still leave Bluesky, just don’t leave angry.
Also, it’s just a matter of time for other governments to do the same. They’re already working on it in the U.S.
How about both? And while doing so, use applications that aren’t yet subjected to those rules.
Others are tho. For example lemmy.zip blocks UK users from signing up for this reason.
Why do you think Mastodon is exempt from those rules? The law applies to all sites/services with a significant UK audience - some of the Mastodon .uk instances will definitely be subject to this, and because of how badly the law is written, it can apply to many more.
People can have their hardon for hating Bluesky, but they’re literally just trying to avoid being fined by the UK govt here - this wasn’t their idea.
Mastodon might not be legally exempt, but depending on how much effort the UK government puts into enforcing this, large swaths of it might be functionally so. Most instances presumably arent hosted in the UK, and while some of those outside that country might block traffic there or be big enough for the UK government to order ISPs there to block them for noncompliance, theres a decent chance that some smaller, foreign run instances might simply ignore whatever the UK is doing, and if a UK user signs up to one of these, or uses a VPN to use one that does block the UK, and can still get the content from the rest of the network due to federation anyway, then the platform as a whole could potentially get away with ignoring those rules in a way that a single large site couldnt.
It’s absolutely Orwellian, and people should be angry at the UK for forcing this onto any website their citizens access.
But there won’t be alternatives for long cause you’re placing the blame on the whip and not the person cracking it.
A) I’m just commenting on it being labeled as rage bait and not a call for action(s)
B) Absolutely go after the root cause as well as find alternatives
C) There are always alternatives
Beware USA :(((
Supreme Court’s ruling practically wipes out free speech for sex writing online (July 4, 2025)
its a good thing I never write and have sex at the same time
The simple solution is not making everything a fucking app…
It’s always hilarious to watch people act like they care about security and privacy but download 27 different apps instead of just using a web interface…
It’s like the iPad generation can’t figure out a bookmark list
I said apps but I probably should have said websites and apps, because websites aren’t exempt. I hear you on how frustrating it is when they’re making everything an app, though.