2026-01-16 14:55 UTC
@jathanasiou@mastodon.social
The issue is that Niemöller's poem specifically addresses the Holocaust and Nazi persecution - the systematic murder of millions. Using it for age verification, no matter how concerning those policies are, trivializes the Shoah.
Age verification absolutely raises serious privacy and surveillance concerns that deserve strong opposition. But we can make that case without invoking genocide. The slippery slope to authoritarianism exists, but comparing a digital rights issue to the Holocaust weakens both arguments.
There might be plenty of other powerful ways to criticize age verification laws.
@Tutanota@mastodon.social
Replies (1)
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@jathanasiou@mastodon.social 2026-01-16 15:06
@nocci @Tutanota I appreciate the well-put reply but I have to say I humbly and respectfully disagree with the "trivializing of genocide" angle. Didn't genocide and fascism start with control? ID Checks and marks on people's arms, and monitoring and "removal" of opinions different to the state's? First peacefully, with some half-reasonable excuse "immigrants/ threaten our quality-of-life" and then violent suppression. 1/2