Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
This present government is not trustworthy, I agree. But it has (until recently) enjoyed an unassailable majority and probably thinks/thought it could ram through powers if it chose to. It hasn't chosen to.I’m sorry, I just do not trust them given they are in the process of criminalising much public protest. It is not a huge jump from there to restricting things they can try to paint as extremists e.g. Momentum, Socialist Workers Party, Black Lives Matter, Extinction Rebellion etc etc etc. I see the movement of travel. Thankfully the internet exists largely beyond their reach so they’d unquestionably fail even if they tried, but don’t assume they are not dumb enough to try.
PS I’m not necessarily arguing against the Online Safety Bill either, though I do think any attempt to ‘teflon desk’ any responsibility for the criminal behaviour of people onto social media businesses is a bit much. The tools to do most of this exists, hate speech etc, yet the police routinely do not act to protect people even after multiple reports.
Again, what you argue boils down to 'let's abandon any attempt to regulate, because it might go wrong' while simultaneously disregarding the ways in which, sans regulation, it is already going wrong. Which is odd, because you were the one who started this thread, pointing out how it is going wrong. And you say you aren't necessarily arguing against the OSB, while at the same time arguing that online regulation is a terrible idea. Your position is incoherent, but you don't see it. Yet you criticise others of being blinded by their own POV.