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I am in a country where consumer protections are being dismantled on a daily basis - the UK. Linux is still legal but remains to be seen for how long. The gover

I am in a country where consumer protections are being dismantled on a daily basis - the UK. Linux is still legal but remains to be seen for how long. The government will probably want us to install a backdoor to protect microsoft’s data flow. Pretty rough at the periphery of Europe.

cqqxo4zV46cp 3y ago
“Linux is still legal”. Someone’s been reading too much sci-fi.
- ath3nd 3y ago
  Well, if currently in UK people are/could be arrested for: - Wearing an orange shirt with a specific logo - Walking on the street - Singing a song - Supporting adowntrodden nation publicly or in a protest Then it's not so far fetched for that insane government to mandate citizens machines to install some backdoor so they can be constantly monitored. I remember UK trying to pass bills like 'Porn depicting cunnilingus is illegal'. If that kind of crap occupies politicians' time, Linux being illegal is most certainly not in the Scifi realm.
  - Crosseye_Jack 3y ago
    Well in most places in the world the police can arrest / detain you for pretty much anything, or they can find/create a reason to arrest you. Question then becomes a) will the charges stick b) will you be able to seek redress afterwards. Edit: not saying the UK doesn’t have some stupid laws on the books, or that politicians are not adding more stupid laws to the books, just that even in the US, the land of the free, a bad cop or a prosecutor looking for a promotion can make the next few months or even years hell for you if they wanted it.
  - ck425 3y ago
    Tbf the porn law was an attempt to standardize porn regulations so they applied to porn sold via the internet the same way they applied to porn sold via traditional formats (DVDs, magazines etc). But the parts of the existing regulations were archaic and horrendously out of date, such as not allowing "depictions of cunnilingus" and they tried to standardise first before updating. I'm sure there were some puritans involved, but for the most part it was a badly handled attempt to fix a loophole in regulations not an active campaign to 'Porn depicting cunnilingus is illegal'.
    - ath3nd 3y ago
      While we were talking, this came out: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67615719 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67615719 My point is that the current UK government is a messy bunch of profiteers who will support any possible law that benefits them or their corporate friends. In addition, they and their "technical advisors" both are extremely incompetent. That's why some version of "Linux is illegal" doesn't belong strictly to the fantasy realm to me. As a matter of fact, if I see that story on the headlines, I wouldn't be surprised in the least.
  - barrysteve 3y ago
    Publications can be silenced by a superinjunction in the UK. Not allowed to publicize specific information and not allowed to say they are gagged. Honestly the UK is one of the few places that treats speech like it matters enough to be kept private. A refreshing change in some ways.
- selfhoster11 3y ago
  We have a new law that requires mathematically impossible treatment of end to end encrypted data, which is an unenforceable clause. In a law that actually passed. We have a lovely law called RIPA that makes non-disclosure of passwords or encryption keys punishable by 2 years in prison (or up to 5 years in certain cases). One of those special cases is "national security" reasons, which is about two steps away from becoming "because someone higher up wants that data". Banning Linux, if not by malice then by incompetence/apathy, is not as unlikely as you think. Because they sure are, right now, very much incompetent and apathetic.
automatic6131 3y ago
Yeah, must be pretty hard living in the land of "in fear of this scenario I just made up".
- selfhoster11 3y ago
  Well, we did just have a bill passed that makes it legal for the police to do things like this with protesters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM1ERW-8vJk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM1ERW-8vJk The new protest bill would be unthinkable in most Western countries that care about the freedom to protest and freedom of expression. That is a fact. And the trajectory, at least for now, is still in this direction. Besides, with "Secure" Boot and the recent Google proposal with web attestation, we should be considering any moves towards limiting what runs on our devices (of which there are plenty these days), no matter how minor or limited in scope, as the mortal threat to freedom of computing that they are.
FirmwareBurner 3y ago
>I am in a country where consumer protections are being dismantled on a daily basis - the UK. That's what you get when you vote to be freed from the shackles of the biggest regulatory block in the world.
- selfhoster11 3y ago
  Believe me, we know. More and more people want to go back nowadays, but things are still very much a mess that cannot be fixed very quickly.
- rchaud 3y ago
  In the Tories' defense, they tried walking it back from the second it became clear that people would actually vote Leave. The UK tried to remain in the EEA, which would give them access to the single market (and presumably maintain some of the EU regulatory rules) but that was roundly rejected by the EU because well, beggars can't be choosers.
  - karmakurtisaani 3y ago
    There is nothing in the defence of a party that uses lies and populism to gain power in the hopes of people not wanting to do the obviously wrong thing. You play stupid games, ...
- gumballindie 3y ago
  But hey those blue passports and fishing waters and "are" sovereignty are under "are" control again!

cqqxo4zV46cp 3y ago

“Linux is still legal”. Someone’s been reading too much sci-fi.

ath3nd 3y ago
Well, if currently in UK people are/could be arrested for: - Wearing an orange shirt with a specific logo - Walking on the street - Singing a song - Supporting adowntrodden nation publicly or in a protest Then it's not so far fetched for that insane government to mandate citizens machines to install some backdoor so they can be constantly monitored. I remember UK trying to pass bills like 'Porn depicting cunnilingus is illegal'. If that kind of crap occupies politicians' time, Linux being illegal is most certainly not in the Scifi realm.
- Crosseye_Jack 3y ago
  Well in most places in the world the police can arrest / detain you for pretty much anything, or they can find/create a reason to arrest you. Question then becomes a) will the charges stick b) will you be able to seek redress afterwards. Edit: not saying the UK doesn’t have some stupid laws on the books, or that politicians are not adding more stupid laws to the books, just that even in the US, the land of the free, a bad cop or a prosecutor looking for a promotion can make the next few months or even years hell for you if they wanted it.
- ck425 3y ago
  Tbf the porn law was an attempt to standardize porn regulations so they applied to porn sold via the internet the same way they applied to porn sold via traditional formats (DVDs, magazines etc). But the parts of the existing regulations were archaic and horrendously out of date, such as not allowing "depictions of cunnilingus" and they tried to standardise first before updating. I'm sure there were some puritans involved, but for the most part it was a badly handled attempt to fix a loophole in regulations not an active campaign to 'Porn depicting cunnilingus is illegal'.
  - ath3nd 3y ago
    While we were talking, this came out: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67615719 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67615719 My point is that the current UK government is a messy bunch of profiteers who will support any possible law that benefits them or their corporate friends. In addition, they and their "technical advisors" both are extremely incompetent. That's why some version of "Linux is illegal" doesn't belong strictly to the fantasy realm to me. As a matter of fact, if I see that story on the headlines, I wouldn't be surprised in the least.
- barrysteve 3y ago
  Publications can be silenced by a superinjunction in the UK. Not allowed to publicize specific information and not allowed to say they are gagged. Honestly the UK is one of the few places that treats speech like it matters enough to be kept private. A refreshing change in some ways.
selfhoster11 3y ago
We have a new law that requires mathematically impossible treatment of end to end encrypted data, which is an unenforceable clause. In a law that actually passed. We have a lovely law called RIPA that makes non-disclosure of passwords or encryption keys punishable by 2 years in prison (or up to 5 years in certain cases). One of those special cases is "national security" reasons, which is about two steps away from becoming "because someone higher up wants that data". Banning Linux, if not by malice then by incompetence/apathy, is not as unlikely as you think. Because they sure are, right now, very much incompetent and apathetic.

automatic6131 3y ago

Yeah, must be pretty hard living in the land of "in fear of this scenario I just made up".

selfhoster11 3y ago
Well, we did just have a bill passed that makes it legal for the police to do things like this with protesters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM1ERW-8vJk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM1ERW-8vJk The new protest bill would be unthinkable in most Western countries that care about the freedom to protest and freedom of expression. That is a fact. And the trajectory, at least for now, is still in this direction. Besides, with "Secure" Boot and the recent Google proposal with web attestation, we should be considering any moves towards limiting what runs on our devices (of which there are plenty these days), no matter how minor or limited in scope, as the mortal threat to freedom of computing that they are.

FirmwareBurner 3y ago

>I am in a country where consumer protections are being dismantled on a daily basis - the UK. That's what you get when you vote to be freed from the shackles of the biggest regulatory block in the world.

selfhoster11 3y ago
Believe me, we know. More and more people want to go back nowadays, but things are still very much a mess that cannot be fixed very quickly.
rchaud 3y ago
In the Tories' defense, they tried walking it back from the second it became clear that people would actually vote Leave. The UK tried to remain in the EEA, which would give them access to the single market (and presumably maintain some of the EU regulatory rules) but that was roundly rejected by the EU because well, beggars can't be choosers.
- karmakurtisaani 3y ago
  There is nothing in the defence of a party that uses lies and populism to gain power in the hopes of people not wanting to do the obviously wrong thing. You play stupid games, ...
gumballindie 3y ago
But hey those blue passports and fishing waters and "are" sovereignty are under "are" control again!