Joined February 2009
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
It’s got nothing to do with protecting kids. It’s government control, the implementation of a mass surveillance framework that will only expand - and rapidly. Every single user having to share age verification data (especially kids!!!!) is a huge win for Big Tech and Big Government
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
Stripping anonymity from the internet would constitute one of the most sweeping rollbacks of civil rights in recent history. interc.pt/4szOqfP
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
The things that make no sense about age verification laws the left: the left likes to say requiring an ID is "racist" and hurts people. the left likes to say everyone needs a "safe space to raise their voice and remain anonymous to share their story if they need" well, ID verification requires a government approved ID to collect data. the right: we should do everything in our power to uplift the nuclear family unit and middle class america. We're now going to not do anything, and demand you give your ID to access the internet because that is more important than cleaning up crime and getting rid of the criminals who rape and murder. The republicans have eagerly adopted the global liberal agenda because there is no republican, there is no liberal, there is no left, there is no right. There are extremist pieces of shit who want to maintain power, the women who enable them because of suicidal empathy and being stupid, and then there is everyone else. The only conclusion is this is just another repeat of history where those in power try to maintain it. Information free flow is dangerous for them all, anonymity is dangerous to them. All these "age verification" software companies are tied to the people pushing them. Look at FOSI- K-ID - Australia- Esafety Commissioner. @tweetinjules is an american who was installed in australia, who oversees censorship in AUS, but ALSO France, AND the US. HOW IS THAT OK? But no politician has a spine to stand up, because they're all getting paid for this.
American lawmakers: "We're never going to have Digital ID and government surveillance like the UK" Also American lawmakers: "Let's use the UK's strategy as the blueprint for America!" ☑️Age verification, age assurance ☑️Parent-child relationship linkage (with no guardrails to ensure the correct adult is linked to the child) ☑️Design code mandates ☑️Platform-level monitoring of users ☑️Device-level verifications ☑️Pathway to full Digital ID See KOSA, COPPA 2.0, App Store Accountability Act and state-level policies that all mirror the EU framework nearly identically. And it's conservatives that are cheering for this the loudest.
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
Cypherpunks write code! The Cypherpunk Manifesto was published on March 9, 1993 by Eric Hughes. Happy Cypherpunk Day 🖤
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
If the FTC can use antitrust laws to punish a private group for expressing opinions about media credibility, no advocacy organization is safe. That’s not protecting competition. That’s government censorship. realclearmarkets.com/article…
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Yes, it's true. I have come back from the dead to scream into the void about the the _real_ demise of our Constitutional rights. I think building codes should mandate transparent doors and walls in our homes. What are you hiding in there, anyway?
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The noose is tightening. The future of freedom might need to be a little less centralized that it currently is.
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
If you do nothing else ….
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
You're a traitor. This violates our 1st and 4th amendment (which applies to teens as well mind you) and will only put everyone in further danger.
The time for negotiations is over. Tech companies have 30 days from today to implement age restrictions on social media access for kids under 14. Within 60 days, parental consent must be in place for 14- to 16-year-olds.
Community note
Parental Controls has existed for decades in almost all operating systems, are one of the first steps during setup, and third party tools exist to expand their capabilities. It takes less than 10 mins to setup. The bills do the opposite for digital ID’s instead. x.com/i/status/20294… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_… support.apple.com/en-us/105121 support.apple.com/guide/mac-help… microsoft.com/en-us/microsof… help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-… xbox.com/en-US/apps/fam… playstation.com/en-us/ps-famil…
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
"Only criminals care about privacy." Your bank encrypts transactions. Your doctor locks medical records. Your lawyer seals case files. You whisper secrets. You password-protect your phone. Privacy isn't paranoia, it's how basic trust works.
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
WHO CONTROLS THESE PEOPLE?!? There is literally NO WAY this stuff just happens to pop up all across the world and now in multiple states at roughly the same time period. How can people not tell that this is absolutely a coordinated effort to take more of their rights and privacy away?
An “Age Verification for all Operating Systems” (including Windows, macOS, & Linux) bill has been introduced in the state of Illinois. This new bill (Illinois SB 3977) is *very* similar to the recently passed California bill (and the introduced Colorado bill) and, if passed, would set a deadline of January 1st, 2028 for compliance. The Illinois version of the bill is being sponsored by Laura Ellman (Democrat). legiscan.com/IL/bill/SB3977/…
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
Government: "We want to keep everyone safe online!" Also government: "We're going to break VPNs and encryption."
Age verification for VPNs undermines why people use VPNs @SenatorShoshana
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
MidnightBSD has updated their license to specifically forbid usage in additional regions impacted by new “Age Verification for Operating Systems” laws — Brazil, California, Colorado, New York, & Illinois. “Residents of any countries, states or territories that require age verification for operating systems, are not authorized to use MidnightBSD. This list currently includes Brazil, effective March 17, 2026, California, effective January 1, 2027, and will include Colorado, Illinois and New York provided they pass their currently proposed legislation. We urge users to write their representatives to get these laws repealed or replaced.” github.com/MidnightBSD/src/c…
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
Please tell us, Congressman, how does a government mandating EVERY user to give up their private data to ...*checks notes*... Big Tech, hold Big Tech accountable and protect our children? You're a fool if you believe this.
My App Store Accountability Act is simple: It protects privacy, it protects the rights of parents, and it protects the innocence of children by holding Big Tech accountable.
Community note
The App Store Accountability Act does NOT "hold Big Tech accountable" nor does it protect children, it forces users to provide more info to said Big Tech to access the internet, and incentives children to look for darker, more dangerous alternatives without verification. congress.gov/119/meeting/ho… reason.org/commentary/the…
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
Judge striking down Texas' ASAA: "The Act is akin to a law that would require every bookstore to identify the age of every customer at the door and, for minors, require parental consent before the child or teen could enter and again when they try to purchase a book."
App stores should be held to the same standards as their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Age verification measures for app purchases are common sense solutions to give parents oversight of their kids' online experience. The App Store Accountability Act does just that, helping put parents in charge and protecting kids' privacy online.
Community note
Parental Controls has existed for decades in almost all operating systems, are one of the first steps during setup, and third party tools exist to expand their capabilities. It takes less than 10 mins to setup. The bills do the opposite for digital ID’s instead. x.com/i/status/20294… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_… support.apple.com/en-us/105121 support.apple.com/guide/mac-help… microsoft.com/en-us/microsof… help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-… xbox.com/en-US/apps/fam… playstation.com/en-us/ps-famil…
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
Important: We have revised our license to include additional jurisdictions implementing the age verification laws. Residents of Brazil are no longer authorized to use MidnightBSD. We will not implement ID checks as Brazil requires. (not just attesting age)

ALT Idiocracy Test GIF

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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
Today, I met with Colorado Senator Matt Ball, co-author of Colorado OS Age Attestation Bill SB26-051. Sen. Ball suggested excluding open source software from the bill. This appears to be a real possibility. Amendments are expected for the CA age attestation bill. It's my hope we can move fast enough to influence excluding open source in the CA bill amendments. No illusions, it's an uphill battle, but we have an open door to advocate for the open source community.
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Hard naming is a smell.
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Hey @AmazonHelp (I'm not stupid -- I know you don't really exist) If you start dropping my stuff off in the rain when there's a well-established, more convenient spot that's covered, it's all coming back.
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Steve Jones (@sjfloat@mastodon.social) retweeted
Last night my team identified Nix 2.30 and Determinate Nix 3.8.0 were running macOS builds as the root user. We immediately notified the NixOS security team with full details, and stopped distributing Determinate Nix 3.8.0. Please upgrade immediately.
Determinate Nix v3.8.1 is released, with an important security update for macOS users. All Determinate Nix users on macOS are encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible. Details: determinate.systems/posts/ch…
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