I used https://instag.com/reddit/ to bypass the block rather than disabling my vpn for that smut site.

Here is the image for anyone that couldn’t see it.

All of their guides are available here - https://lemmy.world/c/PurchaseWithPurpose

and here - https://purchasewithpurpose.eu/

I agree. A proper counter movement is needed.

Big American corporations are heavily lobbying EU council and governments. Transparency is not working, EU council are rolling back on GDPR, massively eroding our privacy, which is irreversible.

With the likes of Trump in charge the US are not trustworthy with any data. The data that they already take illegally is too much.

The UDHR article 12 is supposed to protect our privacy.

We need a counter movement big enough to scare the politicians when they start bending to the Big-Tech. They are not in the least bit worried as things stand now.

Peter Hummelgaard (among others) and his arrogance does not seem even a little concerned about his position.

Windscribe are a bit late to the game -https://x.com/windscribecom/status/1995619967996494334

They are twittering today quoting an article that was published 3+ months ago.

Proton is moving out of Switzerland because of their new surveillance laws. So much for Switzerland being some bastion of privacy huh? That makes Canada a better place for a VPN. Stop drinking the marketing koolaid.

Judging by the direction that Switzerland seems to be going, I am guessing (I could be wayyyy wrong) that Swiss privacy companies are going to be still effective for people outside of Switzerland, soon to be completely free from US big tech spying. Canada are in the 5 eyes, whereas Switzerland aren’t even mentioned in the 14 eyes.

As for Canada being a better place for the Privacy or a VPN, I think Windscribe need to stop drinking their own nonsense.

What’s happening in Switzerland? Flipping and flopping for the past year. I welcome this latest news, and the similar news yesterday, hopefully it is infectious to the rest of Europe but it completely contradicts things that have been proposed for the last few months, then the sudden change. I wonder did Trump push too hard:

May 14 2025 - Proposed Swiss surveillance law ‘identical to Russia’

June 13 2025 - “A war against online anonymity” – why Switzerland wants to change its surveillance law and what’s at stake

September 11 2025 - Swiss government looks to undercut privacy tech, stoking fears of mass surveillance

November 15 2025 - Switzerland plans surveillance worse than US

November 27 2025 - Switzerland: Data Protection Officers Recommend Broad Cloud Ban for Authorities

…

https://www.corporateeurope.org/en/2025/11/roll-back-digital-rights-prepared-secrecy

Yes, that’s the same with many things. No counter movement.

We will see how transparent it all is

https://transparency.eu/briefing-lobby-transparency-in-the-eu/

At a guess, I’d imagine big tech companies are lobbying as most of the information that they use comes from data gathering. Using data directly from texts etc. Leaves them open to court cases.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/12/eu-gdpr-data-law-us-tech-giants-digital

The options are limitless to the politicians regarding money making opportunities pushing x,y and z through once our private correspondence and devices are being scanned.

For example, in years to come insurance companies could refuse to pay out on all sorts of claims using that data. Doctor may have recommended you walk a mile a day and change your diet. You don’t do it, or just miss a day, your life insurance policy is voided. Car crash not your fault, no payout because you missed something else etc.

I couldn’t begin to to guess the amount of ways that this information could be used, but it’s a complete u-turn from what the EU was saying only a few years ago

https://gdpr.eu/what-is-gdpr/

They still recommend using signal - but only internally.

Which in itself is bizarre.

And exempting themselves from being scanned is just showing what they really think.

The timeline is here

Currently Denmark pushing it, they hold the EU presidency at the minute. Their minister for justice - Peter Hummelgaard is responsible for the big push and the wording. Specifically trying to pull the wool over the general public. Ireland are next (they take over in January) And the minister for justice in Ireland (Jim O’Callaghan) is also in favour of it.

U.N. right to privacy

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Right to privacy in the digital age

U.N. - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

They have already rethought it a few times. The changes made have been to encourage the politicians to vote yes. One of the biggest, of not the biggest is to make them exempt from scanning. Enough questions in the right places and at the right times, would not give them any choice.

How could they defend adding an exemption clause for themselves into such an invasion of privacy.

No, I just wasn’t sure if you knew how the proposal is attempted. There are far too many to simply remove to stop it. The majority will still continue their term, and if with this mindset, could still push it through.

A good way to help them rethink it, is to have their devices scanned too. The only way this is going forward, is if they think that they are exempt from scanning.

But while they’re still serving their elected terms, and seem adamant to push this through, the least we can all do is push for their devices to be scanned too, if it has to go through.

Yes. Everything. Nothing will be allowed to block scanning unless you are an elected politician, or possibly any public servant. It will be up to us to watch them ourselves.

That works better if the ‘control’ applies to everyone.

Under this proposal, all politicians (the people needed to pass this proposal through law) are exempt from having their devices scanned.

In other words no control or monitoring over the rich and powerful, who are able to set up paedophile rings more efficiently and privately with their own havens or islands than any normal person.

He is only in favour of state surveillance if it doesn’t apply to him and other politicians - i.e. the people he needs to help him pass this law through.

We need things like fightchatcontrol.eu now more than ever. They’re trying to push it through “quickly”

The vote is due to take place today. But, as they have done so in the past, they may postpone it until they are confident of it being passed. Germany are believed to be opposing it too.

You can view what each country’s stance is, on fightchatcontrol.eu