Embattled Starmer coming back to try and introduce digital ID via the backdoor
Remember, Starmer backed down on digital ID. Now, the embattled PM is coming back for another try through the backdoor
Starmer Joins China and North Korea With U-Turn on VPN Ban
Labour is planning to ban Virtual Private Networks for children after insisting it would not do so. What number U-turn is that?
Back when the Online Safety Act first came in Guido exclusively reported on Labour’s support for action against VPN usage. The party supported Sarah Champion’s proposals to look at curbing their use if, after the OSA was introduced, people were circumventing the age verification firewall. Exactly what has happened – every outlet was very keen to run the government’s denial of this at the time…
Peter Kyle claimed in July last year that the government was “not considering a VPN ban” because there are “far more people who are actually there to prove their age in a legitimate way.” This was written up as Labour ‘ruling out’ a ban…
The position now, as per Starmer’s Substack: “Limiting VPN access for kids: to make it harder for kids to get around age limits of services or certain functionalities.”
That’s now been U-turned on. VPNs are crucial for internet security – Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo points out that an age threshold is effectively a ban on usage. Is Starmer going to start giving his speeches in Mandarin, too?
From mainstream media
Children could be prevented from using virtual private networks (VPNs) to illicitly access pornography, and limited from speaking with online chatbots under proposals being floated by the Prime Minister to bolster online safety.
The Government also plans to consult on banning children from social media, and restricting infinite scrolling.
Sir Keir will meet parents and young people on Monday to insist that the Government will do all it can to keep children safe online.
The Government is vowing to close legal loopholes which have allowed chatbots to create deepfake nude images, and is planning further curbs on social media.
This follows the war of words between ministers and Elon Musk earlier this year, after his Grok AI chatbot – embedded into the social media site X – was used widely to make fake nude images of women.
https://www.aol.co.uk/articles/no-online-platform-gets-free-223000936.html?guccounter=1
Recorded on the 19th January, being read out on the TV news today
The Social Media Ban Is a Trojan Horse
This morning Jaymie discusses the open letter by over 60 Labour MPs urging Starmer to ban social media for under-16s, a group of influencers including the Tate brothers, Nick Fuentes, Sneako, and others have been filmed dancing and singing along to Ye's banned 'Heil Hitler' track, Nick Fuentes lands seven-figure gold sponsorship, the latest in the Nato-Trump row, and Andrew Rosindell becomes the second Conservative MP to defect to Reform UK within a week.
Rumours - for now
“The British government can soon take away your child”
“All newborn babies will soon be required to have their own digital ID - parents that refuse can face prison time”