@aral @_elena @EUCommission
I didn't know the EU was doing this. I've always considered anonymity on social media one of the bigger flaws as it encourages unaccountable behavior.
I'm no fan of corporate tracking though.
I'm really curious to see how this shakes out. Hopefully better than Facebook.
Jul 20, 2026, 12:45 PM@kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission Anonymity is also what allows people to explore aspects of their identity without being tied down to their state-approved one. It’s also what allows whistleblowers to be whistleblowers.
Every dictator and wannabe dictator wants an end to anonymity online. Ideally, your words on social media will be tied to your passport (so we can revoke it if we don’t like what you’re saying to stop you from leaving) and to your home address (so we can drop by and have a few words with you about what you were writing) and to your bank account, etc., so we can show you how bad things can get if your social credit score doesn’t improve.
@aral @_elena @EUCommission
I mean, if you say something bad enough in public, that can get your passport revoked.
As for the other stuff, that anonymity is usually gotten by some extra effort in real life, not granted automatically, b/c we only have our own faces. Look, if you have a good reason to do something anonymously and it's not illegal, go through the extra effort.
But as far as I can tell, the VAST use case for anonymity right now is to say something inflammatory and then hide.
Jul 20, 2026, 12:59 PM@kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission And it takes how many seconds, exactly, to block such a person (either at a moderator level or personally?) We really have to be better at giving up our hard-earned human rights.
Just look at what the Nazis were able to do with just paper-based census information in the Netherlands.
@aral @_elena @EUCommission
Blocking and moderation was barely an answer on small scale topical forums, it's become almost pointless when scaled to pan regional social media like this, where actors just create a new disposable accounts when the old one is toxic enough.
The response can't always be "look what the Nazis did." The truth is you aren't anonymous on the internet. If a government actually wants to unmask your identity they will.
I'm more concerned with the interpersonal interactions
@kcarr2015 @aral @_elena @EUCommission
There's a ton of evidence that posting under one's _real_ identity doesn't stop people from posting hate speech or direct threats. Even some EU politicians had to experience that.
"Anonymity facilitates bad behavior" is a myth.
@oraculix @aral @_elena @EUCommission
Yeah, but there's more evidence that it does tho, and now you're just spouting nonesense.
@kcarr2015 @aral @_elena
Spend a little time on X if you're brave and then come back and tell me that nonsense thing again.
@aral @kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission
Isn't it weird that the oligarchs attacking democracy & frying the planet can remain anonymous, but they're demanding the identity of the 99% .
It's almost like 1% billionaires are afraid.
https://gizmodo.com/body-bags-found-outside-openai-hq-as-execs-increasingly-fear-for-their-lives-2000786605
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/technology-uk/article/peter-thiel-secret-society-dialog-58fgcv7dd
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/11/how-dangerous-is-peter-thiel/
https://www.ms.now/opinion/amid-musks-paranoia-u-s-marshals-deputized-his-unqualified-security-staff
@Npars01 @aral @kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission Well of course the corrupt don’t want you to know who is corrupting them, you might start getting ideas about stopping it.
Jul 20, 2026, 8:17 PM@aadeacon @Npars01 @kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission Tsk, tsk, we can’t be having that.
@aral @kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission Does this apply to us in Gaza?🤔
Jul 21, 2026, 9:06 AM@Layan2002 @kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission Layan, you, sadly, have a much worse threat model in Gaza. Gaza is under total surveillance by the occupying Israeli forces.
I would still strongly urge you to use Signal for private communication but you are faced with a malicious state-level entity and the means they have to use on a captive population.
A lot of what we’re discussing is for places where we’re trying to hold off such levels of government surveillance. Because, given half a chance, our own governments would use the exact same techniques and technologies on their own people. In fact, many of them are studying and learning from Israel’s actions in Gaza, and Israel is using Gaza as a human experimentation zone to prove the usefulness of its weapons and surveillance tech; which our governments in the west are very eager to buy.
It’s all very, very fucked up.
Sending you and your family all my love. Stay safe + here’s to finding a path towards brighter days together.
@aral @kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission Thank you so much, my dear friend @aral
Regarding the Signal app, I tried to use it, but I couldn’t manage to complete the process. Could you please help me or guide me on how to use it properly? I would truly appreciate your support.
As for surveillance in Gaza, privacy has almost completely disappeared. When a person’s life itself is no longer protected and death continues around us, talking about protecting our information becomes painfully difficult
@aral @kcarr2015 @_elena @EUCommission How can we safeguard our private data when our most basic right — the right to live safely — is still under threat?
We received your greetings, your love, and your solidarity.
Please know that we are proud of you, and we see your help and support as one of the greatest sources of hope that keeps us going and strengthens our resilience🤍🫂🕊️