cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/59424100
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for an end to widespread anonymity on the internet, saying users should post under their real names.
I propose that all politicians must have cameras installed and streamed 24/7 in any spaces they regularly occupy. This includes offices, private homes, and even bathrooms. These spaces must have enough cameras that there are no blind spots within the rooms. Let’s make every politician live in a very literal manifestation of 1984. Don’t want to have the whole world watch you take a crap? Don’t run for office.
As soon as any politician critisises this idea, tell them there is nothing to worry about if you have nothing to hide.
Merz criticized defenders of online anonymity, saying they are “often people who, from the shadows of anonymity, demand the greatest possible transparency from others.”
Dude is non-comprehending and very offended to hear it
I want a camera up their butthole
I think it’s time to cancel the internet.
The internet is dead its hollow corpse is a shitty mall and propaganda brainwashing machine.
the 90s internet was so much better. I want the 90d internet back. even if it did take a week to download a movie
The 90s internet is still here the web is just gone. Tildeverse, Gemini, BBS, Muds and IRC are still around. Its smaller but so was 90s internet but its still a lot of fun in the hidden corners of the net.
I wonder why such discussions are always framed as an all or nothing propositions. Zero knowledge systems are a decades old invention. Just very briefly: based on some ID a site issues cryptographycally signed tokens claiming some fact, e.g. the requester being an actual real person, adulthood, etc. Such a token could be presented by an otherwise anonymous user to a 2nd site with their own signature as proof of said property in order to consume their service. Tokens could even be single use.
A requirement to prove someone is, in fact, a human is not unreasonable. Banning bots or bad actors could be a solution to a lot of the problems on social media etc…
There is naturally a major shortcoming of this scheme, authoritarians could not track people…
Zero knowledge systems
I like this idea, it’s very interesting. Yet I always end up wondering how it could go sideways.
A one time token (as in per message) seems onerous. A multi use token attesting “this is a human” could be sold to a bad actor using it to allow non-humans to masquerade as humans. We already see something like that on big social media where human accounts are sold to troll farms.
Good point. Have no elegant solution for that at the ready.
In the age of AI, without verifying the identity of people there’s no way to really distinguish AI spam. A trusted user under a well-known pseudonym might work, but that requires they build up trust anonymously and as time goes on that’d be harder.
So basically, the internet is dead without this, and it’s dead with it.
Hmm. Perhaps requiring PGP public / private keys could be used to show provenance without leaking PII helter skelter?
As in - you don’t need to sign your name per se but it can be traced back to you.
I might be talking out of my ®ear, but that might be a middle ground (if at all technologically possible).
The goal is mass surveilance. Sensible solutions are unwelcome. The current politicians need to be voted out.
A grim analysis…but one I fear has merit, based on priors.
To pivot briefly though: what are people’s feeling towards pseudonymous PGP?
Sometimes I think Mike Tyson had a point: “Social media made y’all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it”
There has to be a privacy respecting, non-surveillance state, yet “own it or retract it” method to posting on line. What we have right now… has not worked out so well for us.
The vast vast majority of human history had no social media and people were disrespecting others and not getting punched
Fuck off Gestapo Merz
i fail to see the benefits to this for example if someone makes a post asking for help in the linux community an two people reply with same answers that work itd make no difference if one person that answerd is richard stalman or some random john doe
i fail to see the benefits to this
It’s Germany, this is about persecuting people who oppose zionism (as well as any other project of the German state). Any stated justification is a lie invented to cover that up.
There are crazy things that are happening during european elections. Swamrs of bots and fake accounts are used to promote anti-EU anti-everything parties.
There was a case in Romania that president was elected, but tuned out that much of his tiktok was sponsored through Russian and Chinese funds. But highest court overuled election results.
Facebook bots are being used in Lithuania by the shittiest parties, journalists get bombarded with hate comments after they openly critique those parties.
I think there’s great threat to every country national security with how social media is managed. However massive ID checks is going to create more problems and it won’t ever pass with German public since they are one of the most privacy conscious in EU.
Boomer who doesn’t understand technology wants to go back to 1980s.
oh no he understands perfectly. he wants to jail anyone who speaks out for palestine.
That’s like everybody having to wear a name tag in public. Also, chilling effect.
Papers! Where are your papers!?
Fuck you Merz
