Politics

Starmer tries charm offensive to avoid trump tantrum over social media ban

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Ministers in Starmer’s government have apparently been hard at work lobbying the US President over fears. They worry they will see a backlash over the announced under-16s social media ban.

Rather than asking the billionaire owners of Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube to protect children and restrict harmful content for all users, our government is instead choosing to cut off access for the most vulnerable in society. In fact, Starmer is now heading to the G7 Summit to meet the President. He will no doubt try to win favour with Trump.

This signals another futile move by Labour to please the ultra-wealthy elites. Meanwhile, they continue to dodge their responsibilities to the British public.

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Big tech get a free ride from Starmer

This social media ban comes as yet another instance of ordinary people bearing the cost of powerful men and big tech not being held accountable.

These platforms are dangerous, that much is undeniable. But they also provide means of finding connection for increasingly isolated children. Moreover, these children are undersupported in schools. They also have poor access to green and safe places. Rather than holding toxic, abusive tech executives to account, it’s children who end up being ‘punished.’

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Starmer is doing his utmost to appease Trump to assure him that US tech in the UK market will not be restricted. However, this raises renewed concerns. People worry about the concessions Starmer may offer to the President for his ‘compliance.’

Obviously, US tech companies will undoubtedly be affected by these measures. However, we should not overlook the fact that the verification process could significantly expand their access to private data in the UK.

Reports indicate that companies have already implemented the necessary device updates. This casts doubt on claims that big tech opposes the policy. Furthermore, it raises the possibility that key concessions have already been made behind the scenes.

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With genocide-complicit Palantir embedded both in the US and UK, there is also unfettered access to our patient data in the NHS. Therefore, this data hoarding should worry all freedom-loving citizens both at home and abroad.

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‘Big Brother’ surveillance state

Numerous reports warn that ban could create a “Big Brother” Orwellian state. This would threaten privacy, restrict freedoms, and deepen surveillance of online spaces. Moreover, lest we forget, Shabana Mahmood has openly discussed her ‘dream’ of establishing a AI-empowered surveillance state inspired by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon.

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Therefore, the move to grant greater access to users’ personal data — through bank-account checks and email surveillance under the guise of ‘verification’ — is utterly frightening. It is all in the name of protecting children.

Surely this move will also require all adults to verify their age. This, in turn, could lead to further exploitation and control by the establishment, while placing the public under the boot of tech giants.

Let’s also remind ourselves of the kind of sinister men our government is working hard to ‘win over.’

We must also recognise that Google — which will have unencumbered access to user data — has played a significant role in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. In addition, the company has willingly aided Israel in its genocidal rampage.

How can handing them more data be a good thing for ordinary people, as Stanford students recently highlighted during a walkout ahead of an address from Google’s CEO:

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Ordinary people MUST stand up to billionaires

Billionaires are destroying Western society, with democracy vanishing from existence as they use their hoarded wealth — drawn from our pockets — to buy our corrupted politicians.

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Once private interests and wealthy donors have effectively “bought” politicians, those politicians will protect abusive behaviour to advance policies that benefit the wealthy. The ordinary masses will be left to deal with the fallout.

Needless to say, ordinary people, whether working class or middle class, are watching their money disappear. It no longer stretches as far as it used to, with wage packets barely meeting the cost of living. Hard-working people continuously are forced to tighten their belts, while the rich exploit ‘legal’ loopholes  inflate their profits at record-breaking speed. 

It is time to hold big tech and billionaires accountable for the harms they inflict on us all. The masses have had enough of living under the heel of the rich, and we are losing this class war.

Featured image via the Canary

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By Maddison Wheeldon

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