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Proton CEO warns global age verification push will mean "the death of anonymity online"
(www.techradar.com)
this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2026
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Bullshit. Rather than a trust by default model, we switch to a distrust by default model. Done. But that’s not something compatible with ads so we are fucked.
What is bullshit?
You don't believe there are LLMs posing as citizens online? Or, you don't believe that governments are trying to use that to push narratives, propaganda to destabilize citizens trust? Or, you don't believe anyone would be gullible enough to fall for LLM targeted propaganda?
Correct, when anyone with a few thousand to spend can create botnets to mimic and mislead a nations citizens, that's a problem. When Billionaires can create private datacenters to publish and promote their own propaganda anonymously, that's a problem. The world is too connected and too illiterate to handle a free, open, anonymous internet safely IMO. It's being taken advantage of by too many big players with little to no pushback.
Anonymous internet isn't dead, but no country can saddle it, so for the safety of any Nation, the default needs to be gated in some way shape or form. Otherwise, every Nations citizens is at the mercy at how well any enemy Nation can utilize targeted propaganda in a heavily unregulated medium.
As a Nations Citizen, you either:
1). Handle your own shit - in which case there's not much Nations can do to keep someone off anonymous, open internet.
2). Rely on your Government to provide and protect you from other Governments trying to destabilize forementioned Government.
The default needs to be #2 for the large majority.