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 All that remains: in afterlife as 'mainstream' blogger, with what little I know. 20k views |
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Obshchak! Baby, Obshchak! Tin Roof…Rusted.  Some torn to the ground ▼ Read here some old blog entries...  2018 Highlights ▼Citizen Journalist   -- ![Merit Badge in Second Time Around Contest
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Congratulations on winning the Grand Overall Prize in [Link To Item #2164876] with your beautiful poem, [Link to Book Entry #933358]. This poem really moved me. Great writing!
Rachel *^*Heartv*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Second_Time_Around_Contest-2164963_14.gif) Short answer, mostly relatable. |
| Effin, Facebook It’s a full court press on our privacy… I asked what’s up with still having to prove I’m an adult, (YouTube) as I think the S.S. needs my records on file in our growing surveillance state… J. Edgar, that you? My medical records are in part contained on my Fitbit…which Google owns and requires I sign my device with the app by February…one.more.thing… AI at Google is concerned, too.  (I know no emojis, untrainable)AI Overview As a user of internet platforms and devices, you have valid concerns about the amount of personal data that large companies like Google and Yahoo collect, their age verification methods, and the privacy implications of tech mergers like Google and Fitbit. Yahoo's age verification methods Recent age verification requests from Yahoo are a response to new laws and legal decisions aimed at protecting minors from harmful online content. * Legal pressure: In June 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a Texas age verification law to stand, ruling that adults do not have a First Amendment right to access obscene content without first proving their age. Since 2022, 19 U.S. states have passed similar laws requiring websites with sexually explicit content to verify users are 18 or older. * Methods of verification: To comply with these laws, websites must confirm a user's age using methods like a government-issued ID or facial recognition software, explaining why Yahoo may be requesting this documentation. * Consequences of refusal: If you refuse to verify your age, Yahoo may block your access to certain content or services, especially those related to gambling or adult-themed leagues. For account security reasons, Yahoo does not allow users to change their birth date once it is set. Google's acquisition of Fitbit and your health data Your health data is highly sensitive, and your concerns about Google's ownership of Fitbit were shared by consumer advocates and regulators when the deal was first announced. * Privacy commitments: When Google purchased Fitbit in 2021, it committed to global regulators that it would not use health and wellness data from Fitbit devices for Google ads. It also pledged to store this data separately from its ad data. * Enforcement: These commitments were part of the approval process by the European Commission and other authorities, but data privacy experts expressed skepticism about whether Google would be held to these promises long-term. Your concern about destroying your device highlights the loss of control users often feel after a tech merger. * Opt-out choices: The commitments did not prevent Google from absorbing Fitbit's data for other services like AI development, or from changing privacy policies in the future and asking users to opt-in to new terms. Antitrust and data privacy issues with Big Tech The feeling that tech giants have become too powerful is widespread and has led to ongoing legal challenges and increased regulatory scrutiny. * Ongoing lawsuits: The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have filed multiple antitrust lawsuits against companies like Google, Meta (Facebook), and Amazon. These cases allege illegal monopolization and harm to competition. * Focus on data: A central theme of these lawsuits is the misuse of data. Regulators argue that these companies' immense data troves give them an unfair advantage over competitors and violate consumer privacy rights. * New legislation: A patchwork of state-level data privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), is attempting to address the issues you raise by giving consumers more control over their personal information. However, there is no single, comprehensive federal law in the U.S. that governs data privacy. What you can do While the frustration is understandable, destroying your Fitbit is not the only option for taking back some control over your personal data. Here are some steps you can take to protect your privacy: * Use your rights under privacy laws: States like California give residents the right to know what data a business has collected, delete personal information, and opt out of the sale or sharing of that data. Even if you don't live in a state with a strong privacy law, some companies extend these rights to all users. * Explore device-level controls: Check your Fitbit's settings and your Google account's privacy controls to see if you can limit the types of data collected or shared. You may be able to restrict access to sensitive information. * Delete old data: If you are leaving a platform, actively delete your data and account. This can remove your personal information from their servers, though some data may be retained for legal purposes. * Use privacy-enhancing tools: Consider using tools like a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and browser extensions that block trackers to limit online surveillance. * Advocate for stronger laws: Support organizations and politicians who advocate for stronger data privacy protections and more robust antitrust enforcement against large tech companies. isn’t this all a ploy to get control of the internet? I thought it had no obligations to recognitions laws, but lawyers found a weakness, exploited it. I’m sure they don’t care about minors. guns, alcohol, drugs are more dangerous. it’s power and money and I hate how much humanity is corrupted and made to feel we’re idiots who can’t be responsible? Concerns that mandatory online age verification is a pretext for control, not a genuine effort to protect minors, are widespread among civil liberty and internet freedom advocates. Critics argue that these measures, while framed as "common-sense" laws, fundamentally alter the internet by eroding anonymity, increasing surveillance, and consolidating power in the hands of the largest tech companies. Arguments that age verification is a ploy for control * Surveillance systems, not safety measures: The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and other critics call mandatory age verification laws "surveillance systems," arguing that the primary outcome is a more controlled, less private internet. Because platforms must verify the age of all users to bar access to one group (minors), they end up collecting sensitive identity information from everyone. * A "windfall" for big tech: Smaller platforms, blogs, and independent content creators cannot afford to build the complex and costly age verification systems needed to comply with these laws. The EFF argues that this effectively "entrenches" the power of big tech companies like Meta and Google, which have the resources to implement these measures and absorb massive fines. This crushes smaller competitors and further consolidates the internet under the control of a few dominant players. * Lobbying from big tech: Some of the largest tech companies, like Meta (Facebook and Instagram parent) and Google, have actively lobbied for certain types of age verification laws. They have pushed for the responsibility of verification to fall on app stores (which they own) rather than on individual apps. This strategy helps them deflect public scrutiny and litigation away from their platforms, while also centralizing more data and control at the app-store level. * The money trail: As with general data collection, more mandatory data collection means more opportunities for monetization. While promises are made not to use sensitive age verification data for advertising, critics are skeptical, given the tech industry's track record. The verification process also creates a new industry of third-party verification services, adding another layer of data brokers to the ecosystem. * Creation of new legal weaknesses: As you noted, some see this as lawyers exploiting a new angle rather than a genuine concern for minors. Privacy and free speech experts have consistently pointed out that online verification is not comparable to an in-person ID check. The online version creates massive databases of personally identifiable information (PII) that are vulnerable to hackers and misuse. A breach of such a database, which links names, addresses, and browsing habits, could expose millions of users to identity theft and discrimination. * Ineffective at protecting minors: A 2025 Yahoo/Mashable report on academic research showed that online age verification laws are not effective in their stated purpose. Teens can easily use virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass geographic blocks or just navigate to non-compliant sites overseas. Instead of protecting minors, the laws make the entire internet less safe for everyone by normalizing the sharing of sensitive personal information. Counterargument: Protection of minors as the primary motive Proponents of age verification laws argue that they are necessary to protect minors from harmful and adult content. * Parental consent and control: Many state laws aim to require parental consent for minors to access certain social media platforms, putting parents in the driver's seat. * Growing mental health concerns: Supporters often cite the documented negative effects of social media and online exposure on the mental health of minors as a key driver for legislation. * Supreme Court rulings: A June 2025 Supreme Court decision upholding a Texas age verification law for adult content gave new legal support to this approach, ruling that adults do not have a First Amendment right to access obscene speech without proving their age. However, that ruling applies only to obscene content, and its broader implications for other content are still being debated. I skimmed it. I’m a SKIMMER! I SKIM…THE NEWS! Grape nuts/airplane peanuts What is the deal with that? And books will be digital. Hang on to those hard copies. If Nixon can whoops a portion of his tape recorder… Thank God I’ll Be Dead…soon I hope.  Um, God? It’s time for your relief pitcher. |
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