this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
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Privacy

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cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/59424100

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for an end to widespread anonymity on the internet, saying users should post under their real names.

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[–] SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Hmm. Perhaps requiring PGP public / private keys could be used to show provenance without leaking PII helter skelter?

As in - you don't need to sign your name per se but it can be traced back to you.

I might be talking out of my (r)ear, but that might be a middle ground (if at all technologically possible).

[–] Shayeta@feddit.org 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The goal is mass surveilance. Sensible solutions are unwelcome. The current politicians need to be voted out.

[–] SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

A grim analysis...but one I fear has merit, based on priors.

To pivot briefly though: what are people's feeling towards pseudonymous PGP?

Sometimes I think Mike Tyson had a point: "Social media made y'all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it"

There has to be a privacy respecting, non-surveillance state, yet "own it or retract it" method to posting on line. What we have right now... has not worked out so well for us.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The vast vast majority of human history had no social media and people were disrespecting others and not getting punched

[–] SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

We maybe have a different recollection of human history. "Talk shit, get hit" was pretty popular across the ages.

Perhaps I should have said "...disrespecting others ANONYMOUSLY". I think that last little bit makes all the difference.

[–] hector@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago

There is no middle ground to be found here because the reasons the government gives are ad hoc, they are to accomplish other goals they can't be honest about.

They are the purveyors, and protectors, of many influence operations on the internet, and use their influence to help ban accounts those influence operations identify as hostile to their operations.

This is about crushing dissent, and controlling the population, and logging everything said or done or looked at and having ai threat detection parse it all and promulgate half baked conclusions to business and government to use against you secretly without you knowing, done for them by Palantir and their ilk at that.

Israel first always, but also climate and environmental protesters already, but there is no limit to it. They want to entrench powerful interests in power.