Florida is considering a law that would ban people under 16 years old from making accounts on some sorts of platforms, if they have addictive design features.

The law says this applies if a social media platform "utilizes addictive, harmful, or deceptive design features, or any other feature that is designed to cause an account holder to have an excessive or compulsive need to use or engage with the social media platform."

It is going to be hard for courts to decide what sites that law does or doesn't apply to.

Such dis-services are unjust, and harmful to people of any age. I would suggest simply prohibiting such features.

Like many others, I am concerned that this law will result in a requirement for users to identify themselves, for age verification. There are systems which make it possible to verify someone's age without being able to learn per identity -- GNU Taler can be used that way. But we can't take for granted that the platforms will implement it that way.

Hostile urban architecture, designed to eliminate all opportunities to comfortably rest or pause, makes cities unpleasant for doing anything other than rushing through to the next purchase or errand.

This fits perfectly with the spirit that criminalizes homelessness and, in some US cities, spends far more to persecute homeless people than it would cost to give them homes.

Governor DeMentis has one year left to attack freedom in Florida. Citizens wonder what more they will lose.

How could people who want to make Britain just, kind and welcoming possibly get past Starmer? This article suggests ways.

Oil and gas utilities, and electric utilities that use fossil fuels, spend customer' payments on climate crisis denial. California is looking at prohibiting this.