The Room 101 thread - for things you hate or just having a bloody good moan

[Wrathbone]

Couldn’t agree more, Dave. The rate at which civil liberties in the UK are being eroded or given provisos is startling. Regardless of whether it’s driven mainly by a desire for more government control, a perceived need for public monitoring or a genuine desire to protect children, it’s being done from a position of staggering technical ignorance, with zero regard for likely implications or wider digital safety concerns.

None of the recent sweeping changes like the OSA seem to have followed due process either - did it even go through the House of Lords? Where was the public discussion or professional consultation with industry experts who didn’t agree with the proposed changes? The petition to revoke it got over 2 million signatures and was ‘discussed’ in parliament. Not a single MP spoke out against the OSA, not one legitimate concern was addressed (typically dismissed with insinuation that perpetual masturbators don’t care about child safety) and outright lies were peddled in its defence, such as the claim that research had found something like a third of children have accidentally seen unwanted adult material online. In reality, they didn’t have data for that and so the figure was an estimate based on thin air that was repeatedly presented as fact.

I’m worried about child safety online, particularly for my nieces and the dangers of the online world they’re growing up in. But I’m far more worried about things like identity fraud, database leaks, unnecessary ID demands and the dismantling of privacy. I’m worried about the total lack of practical online safety taught to children by both parents and schools and the assumption that banning things is enough. I’m worried about a tech-illiterate government being allowed to make massive and dangerous changes to tech laws without challenge.

What a shitshow.

[Sly Boots]

I’m worried about the total lack of practical online safety taught to children by both parents and schools

I'd like to respond just to this part to say that my kids' schools have definitely taught lessons around online safety - don't share personal details online, don't post pictures of yourselves etc - and as a result it's something they're aware of. So I wouldn't say there is a total lack.

The parents part is obviously down to individuals, I can say we've always made sure to talk to our kids about the dangers present online, had various parental locks on appropriate devices as they've grown up, but accept we're probably in a small minority on that.

[Wrathbone]

I’m worried about the total lack of practical online safety taught to children by both parents and schools

I'd like to respond just to this part to say that my kids' schools have definitely taught lessons around online safety - don't share personal details online, don't post pictures of yourselves etc - and as a result it's something they're aware of. So I wouldn't say there is a total lack.

Fair, but it very much depends on the school and who's teaching it. From what I've been told, my nieces have had very little and it was sub-basic - stuff like make sure your password isn't "password". Thankfully my sister and brother in law are great parents and have gone over all sorts of stuff with them. They also spend a lot of time with my parents, and my dad is ironclad when it comes to online security. His firewall settings are so aggressive that it's often more inconvenient than an actual virus would be.

I think the worst thing about the OSA is that it arguably makes children LESS safe online. The fact is, any child who wants to view adult material will find a way, and now to bypass the OSA they'll be using tools and methods that are potentially insecure or have active malign intent, and none of it will be easily detectable by parents. How many schools are teaching the difference between safe VPN usage and risky VPNs, or even what a VPN is, for instance?

[Sly Boots]

Ah... I guess I'd naively assumed it was part of the national curriculum (it should be!) and would be similarly taught across the board. Oops

[Wrathbone]

Well... coming from a family of teachers I can say that the National Curriculum is often only as good as the person supposedly teaching it. My mum once had to correct another teacher who told her class that the moon gives off its own light.

[Sly Boots]

Well... coming from a family of teachers I can say that the National Curriculum is often only as good as the person supposedly teaching it. My mum once had to correct another teacher who told her class that the moon gives off its own light.

I shouldn't laugh, but...

[Mantis]

Absolutely ridiculous. The quality of teaching in this country really is in crisis.

Everybody knows the moon isn't real.