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A new age of computing

When I first started playing with computers back in the 1970s, life was easy.

There was no internet, hell, there weren't even any dial-up services.

You got yourself an 8-bit CPU, some really expensive memory, a bunch of switches and LEDs all powered by a linear power supply based on a big transformer and a three-terminal regulator.

If you could hand-code a bunch of instructions that resulted in the LEDs flashing in a clever sequence then you were doing okay and could rightfully feel a sense of accomplishment that I doubt many experience today.

Just like today however, the age-range of people playing with these early computers was quite wide. Everyone from school kids to old-age-pensioners were tinkering with their primitive microprocessor-based systems and having a ball.

At no stage did we dream that a few short decades later, the issue of age would become a huge challenge to the use of these machines.

Even when the 80's rolled around and we began connecting modems to our (now far more capable) computers so that we could exchange messages with friends across the town, across the country or even across the globe, age wasn't an issue.

By the 1990s the internet had arrived and this not only increased the scope and reach of our ability to communicate but also added different forms of media such as JPEGs, MP3s and such.

However, age was still not an issue. Computers and the internet were age-agnostic.

Twenty years later, by the 2010s, the internet was a much faster, always-connected service that was now able to deliver videos and even livestreaming in HD quality.

Yet, even then, nobody cared about how old you were.

Another decade later however (today), we find ourselves at a turning point. Governments all over the planet have decided to roll out "won't someone think of the children" as justification for introducing far-reaching age-gating in ways that would have been unthinkable even a short while ago.

Plans are now afoot in almost every country on the planet, to significantly restrict access to the internet and even computer hardware, based on a user's age.

Now while it's easy to understand the merits in limiting underage access to things such as pornography or extreme violence, only the most dim-witted amongst us would fail to recognise that this "won't someone think of the children" claim is far more about intrusive monitoring and control than it is about saving kids from harm.

When it comes to protecting children from potential harm there are two strategies:

The first is to simply cosset them in cotton wool and make sure they're never exposed to anything that might harm them in any way. Sure, this may reduce rates of harm but it also leaves these kids totally unprepared for "the real world" once they reach an age where the age-based restrictions are lifted. They enter the adult world naive and unprepared for what's about to hit them.

This strategy simply delays the harm for a few years but it doesn't prevent it.

The second strategy is to educate kids to such an extent that they can recognise when they're at risk and act accordingly. Teach them to deal with the dangers of the online world and equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to ensure they can protect themselves.

Sadly, because the real goal here is not so much to protect the kids as it is to empower governments and big-tech corporations, we seem to be forcing the first option on the world.

In order to enjoy anything but a very limited access to the wonders of the computer world, everyone will have to surrender crucial personal information, such as government issued IDs or biometrics such as facial scans etc. When correlated with the huge cookie-based surveilance history that most big-tech companies already carry on every Net user, this becomes a hugely valuable addition to their ability to target advertising and perform other privacy-invading tasks.

Now I read that in some places there are moves to not only restrict online access by way of age-gating but that authorities are demanding that operating systems must demand to know the age of anyone using a computer -- regardless of whether it's "connected" or not. Even open source OSes such as Linux will be required to comply if these initiatives are turned into law.

Even smartphones may soon require users to verify their age before they will "connect" you to the rest of the world -- so that this data can be passed on to services you might wish to access, that they can ensure you aren't exposed to content deemed unsuitable for you.

What's more, app stores and other software repositories will be required to verify the age and perhaps the indentity of anyone looking to download almost all types of software.

What the hell is going on?

This level of intrusion and surveilance is not what our forebears risked and sometimes gave their lives for in a world-war against facism. That so many died to ensure our freedoms yet we now willingly toss away those freedoms is a disgrace.

Perhaps it's time to go back to those old 8-bit systems and the modern-day equivalent of dial-up connectivity (nesh networking) so we can say "to hell with this" in a very demonstrable fashion to those who would show such contempt to the sacrifices of those brave men.

Carpe Diem folks!

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