this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2025
215 points (92.8% liked)

Privacy

41827 readers
1657 users here now

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Every day we get closer to an Orwellian society. The United Kingdom may already be one.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com 97 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Almost the entire western world is going authoritarian. Very worrying trend. It has to be stopped.

[–] DavidGarcia@feddit.nl 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the only thing that can really stop it IMO is mainstreaming decentralized social media and messaging services.

You'd need to effectively replace Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Whatsapp etc.. The only thing that totally keeps us from 1984 is that all these platforms for now have decided to be relatively free and impartial (compared to how bad it could be). But that could change at any time if the powers that be decide to on a whim. They could completely ban all privacy, pacificsm or any kind of political opposition tomorrow.

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 month ago

No it won't stop it. Blood and violence is needed but we are sheep.

[–] banazir@lemmy.ml 80 points 1 month ago (1 children)

From the fact Britain produced Orwell, Huxley's Brave New World, and Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, I figure the UK has always been some shade of "Orwellian".

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago

Historically, the UK has always been very self assured in their goals and never looked for outside input while disregarding the people that they were upending. Anyone who wasn't helping them was viewed as an enemy to be controlled, oppressed , or destroyed. If that isn't a non-political explanation of rightwing authoritarianism, I'm not sure what is.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 30 points 1 month ago (24 children)

Old enough to remember how Europeans smugly thought that they lived in some sort of an enlightened and free society.

load more comments (24 replies)
[–] vane@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago (1 children)

We are living in Orwellian society, it's just the news catching up with reality.

[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The news has been trying to obfuscate this awareness for as long as possible.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] onion@sopuli.xyz 27 points 1 month ago (5 children)

The UK ain't part of the EU mate

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] acute_kernel_panic@lemmygrad.ml 16 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I am not aware of any western country that isn't a police state.

The reason the police state gets worse and worse is simply that our glouriouss western countries shift closer and closer to fascism every day.

Unfortunately that doesn't only impact privacy but also stuff like state repression or presence of state thugs.

To quote very smart people:

OOONEEE SOLLUTION
REEEVOLUTION

[–] andazzo_generale@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 month ago

I hope for a revolution, but as for my country (Italy), too many people have been brainwashed by mainstream media's pro-European and Atlanticist propaganda. We call them "euroinomani" ("euro "drug" addicts")

[–] ALiteralCabbage@feddit.uk 13 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The UK would be one if anyone could be bothered to run it properly.

[–] banazir@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They're looking to install Nigel Farage as their prime minister. The island is derelict.

[–] Tangentism@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Not quite.

Farage keeps running around saying "Pick me! Pick me!" and the press keep asking "Is farage a viable candidate?" while not offering the same credence to anyone else.

The British public are "We're fucking sick of this bollocks from the establishment" and a lot of them are falling for the privately educated ex city trader Farages nonsense that he's a "man of the people" because all the centrist parties are saying "aren't immigrants awful?" in an attempt to distract from their own incompetence and quite frankly, the left is 10 years behind in offering a coherent alternative to all the bullshit.

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

a lot of them are falling for the privately educated ex city trader Farages nonsense that he’s a “man of the people”

This parallels Trump, but I think it's mostly not that people are really fooled into believing these wealthy politicians are just like them. I think the attraction is more that the current system isn't working for a lot of people and hasn't been for a long time. Someone who offers to tear it down can attract a large following even if they don't have a good proposal for what to replace it with.

It took a while for me to see that because I find the racist and nationalist beliefs of the likes of Trump, Farage, and the AFD so appalling it's hard to see anything else.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Not even close to the horrors of an Orwellian society and saying it is is an insult to the characters in those books. It isn't great though, and it's heading in a troubling direction

[–] unabart@sh.itjust.works 39 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think the characters in the book will forgive as that's a work of fiction and they are not real. That's like saying I insulted Bugs Bunny for having big teeth. We'll get through this calamity. ✌🏻

[–] DrDystopia@lemy.lol 7 points 1 month ago

I'm the guy that gets offended on behalf of what ever I want.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 17 points 1 month ago

and it’s heading in a troubling direction

I'd say it's heading in an orwellian direction...

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 month ago

The EU is using genocide censorship as an excuse to abort all "freedom" laws. A hillarious twist.

[–] artyom@piefed.social 9 points 1 month ago

Orwell never could have imagined society as it exists currently.

[–] upstroke4448@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

As an American it's nice to see were not the only ones in a complete downward spiral.

EDIT: wild that there are users pretending to be butthurt by this obviously joke comment so they can farm upvotes from the tens of users on Lemmy

[–] fubbernuckin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 1 month ago (2 children)

As an American, no it's not nice. Why would I want more of this shit elsewhere?

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] lemmyknow@lemmy.today 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Wishing ill on people, eh?

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] belated_frog_pants@beehaw.org 7 points 1 month ago

Nice? I wish it was just the US so getting to another country would make it safe for us. This is awful.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 month ago

how will this "client side scanning" be implemented?

it's, not only worrying, but very confusing.

[–] inna 6 points 1 month ago

For the age verification is it possible to sign a petition? I think is not too late to join forces… or anything but not letting them go further.. as of the chat control probably only contacting the representatives. I really hope lawyers and businessmen try to fight it…

load more comments
view more: next ›