Decentralized social network Mastodon says it cannot comply with age verification laws, like in Mississippi and elsewhere, and says it's up to individual server owners to decide.
I too have been screaming about private online since the 90s. I have an intuitive reaction that sort of mirrors yours.
But can I ask you a question?
And it’s one that I’m asking because I genuinely wish to learn from others.
Because I can’t quite see the difference and maybe there’s something I’m missing.
Why is it not government overreach to ensure pornography isn’t sold to minors in an adult video store, but government overreach to have the same expectation of online pornography providers?
I would love your enlightened view on this so I can learn from it. Because I can’t quite see the difference.
I understand that many adults go into an adult video store and need not prove their age, because they clearly look like adults.
And so the difference here is that everyone have to prove their age online, even people that are clearly adults by how they look.
But entering a pornography website is the equivalent of entering an adult video store where the clerk cannot see you, cannot hear your voice. In that world I would also expect the clerk to check every purchase as they would have no other means of assessing the buyer’s age.
Or maybe you think that adult videos should be sold to everyone and it’s the very concept that pornography is restricted to minors that you disagree with. I don’t personally hold that view but then I can least understand why you would also reject online age verification.
Or maybe you think it is ineffective and won’t make a difference. That argument I most definitely agree with, but how we choose to implement a law, and whether it’s effective, is two different discussions I would posit.
Edit: I love that I’m getting downvoted for expressing a POV respectfully.
Parents have the ultimate say-so of what their kids have access to.
I don’t believe there needs to be a law that says that, no.
If a parent decides their kid is responsible enough to have their own money, then it’s the parents who are to blame if that kid buys “bad” things with that money.
Same thing online. If a parent decides their kid is responsible enough to have unrestricted internet access, then it’s their fault if the kid then goes to a “bad” website.
It’s not the store’s fault. Nor is it the website’s fault.
We have given away far too much of our parental responsibility over to 3rd parties, and now we don’t know how to parent anymore.
Make illegal? Nope. Not my business to tell other parents how to raise their children.
And that’s exactly the problem here. People like YOU, who think that if I don’t want something illegal, than that of course means I like that thing, or that I personally want to do that thing.
Nope. It has to do with personal autonomy. I’m not your boss, I shouldn’t get to tell YOU what you can do to yourself. Period.
Except you forget about the whole “as long as it doesn’t directly affect others” thing.
I followed on your steatment. If I forgot it, you also forgot it.
But my point stand, by the traffic code you cannot drive drunk also if you don’t affect anyone else on the road.
Generally it is not that you can do something that is illegal thinking that it is ok as long as it doesn’t affect others.
You think people should be charged with a crime they haven’t done yet? Because that is exactly what happens in some DUI arrests.
Sleeping it off in your car but have the engine on because it’s cold/hot outside? DUI.
Then there are the idiotic open container laws where even an open alcoholic drink is legally a DUI, even if the driver isn’t drinking.
And if you can’t afford a good lawyer? It’s a conviction. Which goes on your permanent record.
A guy I worked with had a motorcycle try to pass his company vehicle as he was turning left. The motorcycle driver was killed.
It fucked the guy up so bad, mentally. He began drinking. Never at work, but he drove a company vehicle. See where this is going yet? If not let me finish.
A block from his house, he cracked open a beer. Now even if he had chugged it, there’s no way he’d be even slightly drunk before he got home. But he didn’t realize the worker who sold him the beer had already called the police and he was being followed.
The arrested him for DUI in his own driveway, due to idiotic open container laws, despite blowing a 0.
He took a plea for reckless endangerment, but it didn’t matter. He was 4 years from retirement. He was fired.
You think people should be charged with a crime they haven’t done yet? Because that is exactly what happens in some DUI arrests.
Of course not, but then maybe the problem is not the DUI law, it is the fact that you cannot fight it if you cannot get a good lawyer, which cost money. Basically your justice system is fucked up.
Sleeping it off in your car but have the engine on because it’s cold/hot outside? DUI.
Slippery slope. How can police know that you just turned on the engine but not moved instead of driving and then stopping because you fall asleep ?
Then there are the idiotic open container laws where even an open alcoholic drink is legally a DUI, even if the driver isn’t drinking.
That is a stupid law, I agree, but it is the law.
A block from his house, he cracked open a beer. Now even if he had chugged it, there’s no way he’d be even slightly drunk before he got home.
Well, he should not have done it. He know the laws. I can feel pity for him in the specific case, but he breaks the stupid law.
The arrested him for DUI in his own driveway, due to idiotic open container laws, despite blowing a 0.
That was the problem here. The laws is written so you fail either way. Here if I have an open wine bottle in the car but I blow a 0, nobody could do anything to me.
But assuming I agree with you, what would be your suggestion to avoid people driving around while drunk ? Or to avoid minors to access porn material ? Aside the charade “parents need to educate they children” that obviously you cannot take for granted.
I too have been screaming about private online since the 90s. I have an intuitive reaction that sort of mirrors yours.
But can I ask you a question?
And it’s one that I’m asking because I genuinely wish to learn from others.
Because I can’t quite see the difference and maybe there’s something I’m missing.
Why is it not government overreach to ensure pornography isn’t sold to minors in an adult video store, but government overreach to have the same expectation of online pornography providers?
I would love your enlightened view on this so I can learn from it. Because I can’t quite see the difference.
I understand that many adults go into an adult video store and need not prove their age, because they clearly look like adults.
And so the difference here is that everyone have to prove their age online, even people that are clearly adults by how they look.
But entering a pornography website is the equivalent of entering an adult video store where the clerk cannot see you, cannot hear your voice. In that world I would also expect the clerk to check every purchase as they would have no other means of assessing the buyer’s age.
Or maybe you think that adult videos should be sold to everyone and it’s the very concept that pornography is restricted to minors that you disagree with. I don’t personally hold that view but then I can least understand why you would also reject online age verification.
Or maybe you think it is ineffective and won’t make a difference. That argument I most definitely agree with, but how we choose to implement a law, and whether it’s effective, is two different discussions I would posit.
Edit: I love that I’m getting downvoted for expressing a POV respectfully.
Parents have the ultimate say-so of what their kids have access to.
I don’t believe there needs to be a law that says that, no.
If a parent decides their kid is responsible enough to have their own money, then it’s the parents who are to blame if that kid buys “bad” things with that money.
Same thing online. If a parent decides their kid is responsible enough to have unrestricted internet access, then it’s their fault if the kid then goes to a “bad” website.
It’s not the store’s fault. Nor is it the website’s fault.
We have given away far too much of our parental responsibility over to 3rd parties, and now we don’t know how to parent anymore.
So you would also support a child buying alcohol online on account of being given money and access to the internet?
Support? Absolutely not.
Allow? Not my child.
Make illegal? Nope. Not my business to tell other parents how to raise their children.
And that’s exactly the problem here. People like YOU, who think that if I don’t want something illegal, than that of course means I like that thing, or that I personally want to do that thing.
Nope. It has to do with personal autonomy. I’m not your boss, I shouldn’t get to tell YOU what you can do to yourself. Period.
Wait, this way every **laws **is useless then, I am not your boss, I shouldn’t get to tell YOU that you cannot drive while drunk.
Except you forget about the whole “as long as it doesn’t directly affect others” thing.
Or, more likely, you intentionally ignored it in order to score some “gotcha” for Internet points.
I followed on your steatment. If I forgot it, you also forgot it.
But my point stand, by the traffic code you cannot drive drunk also if you don’t affect anyone else on the road.
Generally it is not that you can do something that is illegal thinking that it is ok as long as it doesn’t affect others.
Let me turn that around on you.
You think people should be charged with a crime they haven’t done yet? Because that is exactly what happens in some DUI arrests.
Sleeping it off in your car but have the engine on because it’s cold/hot outside? DUI.
Then there are the idiotic open container laws where even an open alcoholic drink is legally a DUI, even if the driver isn’t drinking.
And if you can’t afford a good lawyer? It’s a conviction. Which goes on your permanent record.
A guy I worked with had a motorcycle try to pass his company vehicle as he was turning left. The motorcycle driver was killed.
It fucked the guy up so bad, mentally. He began drinking. Never at work, but he drove a company vehicle. See where this is going yet? If not let me finish.
A block from his house, he cracked open a beer. Now even if he had chugged it, there’s no way he’d be even slightly drunk before he got home. But he didn’t realize the worker who sold him the beer had already called the police and he was being followed.
The arrested him for DUI in his own driveway, due to idiotic open container laws, despite blowing a 0.
He took a plea for reckless endangerment, but it didn’t matter. He was 4 years from retirement. He was fired.
Of course not, but then maybe the problem is not the DUI law, it is the fact that you cannot fight it if you cannot get a good lawyer, which cost money. Basically your justice system is fucked up.
Slippery slope. How can police know that you just turned on the engine but not moved instead of driving and then stopping because you fall asleep ?
That is a stupid law, I agree, but it is the law.
Well, he should not have done it. He know the laws. I can feel pity for him in the specific case, but he breaks the stupid law.
That was the problem here. The laws is written so you fail either way. Here if I have an open wine bottle in the car but I blow a 0, nobody could do anything to me.
But assuming I agree with you, what would be your suggestion to avoid people driving around while drunk ? Or to avoid minors to access porn material ? Aside the charade “parents need to educate they children” that obviously you cannot take for granted.