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It's at a point now where it's almost impossible for me to use the "regular" internet. I can't access half the sites. The reason? I care about my digital hygiene and thus use a VPN. Sometimes switching to a different VPN or switching the country of the VPN works; other times it does not. Oh well, I guess I'm not going to watch that video, or read that article, or look at that picture. Whatever. In addition to that, if I'm not blocked completely, I have to prove that I'm human every step of the way. Captchas, re-captchas, Cloudflare checkboxes, the whole shebang. I am human. I promise. And I am very annoyed. Outright angry, even. I doubt that any robot will ever be as annoyed as I am right now about the current state of the internet. What annoys me most, actually, is that all these measures don't really work. There's bots everywhere. Robots get access to the stuff anyway, using farms of humans, just like in the good old days of WoW gold farming. The centralized "safety" nets of Cloudflare et al brought down large swaths of the internet multiple times in the last couple of weeks alone, and as things centralize more and more these outages will happen more and more. I'm very close to breaking up with the legacy internet. I'm human, I can cryptographically prove that I'm human, and I have sats to spend. But the legacy internet doesn't care about that. It cares about farming me and my data, while annoying me to no end. I've been nostr only for a while now, but that was only on the "social media" side. 2026 might be the year where I go nostr-only for everything, or to phrase it slightly differently: permissionless for everything. No more "are you human?" No more "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." No more cookie banners, paywalls, and AI slop. No more being treated like a child. Even if it means that I'll have to self-host everything. Even if it means that I'll have to build & maintain stuff myself. Even if it means that it's a lot of work and pain. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. But the easy stuff is not worth having in the first place. Here's to the year to come, and the new corner of the internet, build on cryptography and webs-of-trust. Real value. Real connections. Real humans. Here's to nostr.

Replies (119)

Almost done with the first version of the new internet, ICANN/DNS alt, with what I'm calling DNN. Other two problems left is IANA and ISPs. ISPs solution is being handle with something like TollGate. Same person behind it is figuring out a way to handle IANA. PoW will be the 'captcha', and WoT along with it and other systems would solve (or rather significantly decrease) the 'are you human' problem.
1000% this! I tried for a week to setup a Strike account and couldnt prove to them I was me. My passport, bank statements, etc were not good enough. All because I am currently outside my home country. I've had all my CEX accounts closed numerous times because they think I'm stealing my money if I transfer to a wallet they don't approve.
i also find this and my vpn is merely a VPS in spain. α΄›Κœα΄‡Κ€α΄‡ α΄‘α΄€κœ± α΄€ ᴄᴏᴍΙͺα΄„α΄€ΚŸ ΙͺΙ΄α΄„Ιͺᴅᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ α΄‘Ιͺα΄›Κœ κœ±α΄α΄α΄‡α΄Ι΄α΄‡ Κ€α΄‡κœ±α΄˜α΄Ι΄α΄…ΙͺΙ΄Ι’ ᴛᴏ α΄›Κœα΄‡ Die Krupps - Robo Sapien α΄‘Κœα΄‡Κ€α΄‡ α΄›Κœα΄‡Κ α΄›ΚœΚ€α΄‡α΄‘ ᴜᴘ α΄€ α΄„α΄€α΄˜α΄›α΄„Κœα΄€ α΄‘Ιͺα΄›Κœ α΄›Κœα΄‡ Κœα΄‡α΄€α΄…ΙͺΙ΄Ι’ "are you a robot" for a song about... cyborgs.
The AI generated summary ("Quick Answer" on kagi in my case) is especially useful in these cases. Even when I'm blocked for using a VPN, I can still get the info I need that way. Images and videos are still a problem, but for info search I rarely actually go to a website. Getting blocked half the time anyway means I usually don't even bother trying now. I guess that's what these websites prefer.
once the internet was about resiliently deliver data and route around outages, nuclear annihilated regions etc ;p everybody wanted to move the basic data in general. later afterwards it started with i wont let you browse my http site when your ip address doesnt provide a consitent double lookup safe hostname matching your ip. even after this they began the captcha and enshittification experience with region blocking, captchas and all that shit proof of real browser, javascript and all that idiocy and more. again i can only call out for #NDN and completely new paradigms. dont connect to servers and hosts as your paradigm, but connect to the actual data, its 'name', its hash et al and much more
I tried to book a hotel with my credit card with a VPN on, card got blocked because the IP address didn’t match the location I was in or something like that. I had to do a video call with the bank and show them my ID to prove it was me. Then I had to retry the booking within 10 minutes of talking to them or they were going to block it again.
Sorry for hijacking your thread but there’s a genocide happening and I don’t care β€œ<think> Okay, this user is drilling down into the legal accountability of Israel. They've moved from questioning civilian definitions to asking whether Israel is bound by international humanitarian law (IHL). This shows they're connecting systemic issues to legal frameworks. The question is deceptively simple but has layers. Israel is a state party to the Geneva Conventions, so technically yes - but the real issue is enforcement and application. Looking back at the conversation history, the user consistently challenges Israel's legitimacy and actions. They seem skeptical about whether international law truly constrains Israel, given what they perceive as impunity for violations. Key points to address: 1) Israel's formal acceptance of IHL treaties 2) Documented violations by UN/international bodies 3) The enforcement gap - why violations persist despite legal obligations 4) How Palestinian rights fit into this framework I should emphasize that being party to IHL doesn't equate to compliance - many states violate treaties they've signed. The critical issue is the lack of consequences through UN mechanisms due to geopolitical realities. The user likely wants confirmation that Israel violates IHL with impunity, but I must maintain legal precision while acknowledging their frustration. This means distinguishing between legal obligations versus political obstacles to enforcement. Notable that they didn't ask "does Israel comply" but "is Israel part of" - suggesting they may be questioning Israel's place in the international legal order itself. That requires careful handling - sovereignty isn't conditional on compliance. </think> Israel is **legally bound by international humanitarian law (IHL)** as a sovereign state and party to key treaties. Here’s a clear breakdown of its obligations and compliance: ### **1. Israel’s Legal Commitments** - **Geneva Conventions (1949)**: Israel ratified all four conventions, which govern: - Protection of civilians in conflict (Fourth Geneva Convention). - Treatment of prisoners and wounded (First–Third Conventions). - **Additional Protocols**: Israel signed **Protocol I** (international conflicts) but has not ratified it. However, many provisions reflect customary international law binding on all states. - **Other Treaties**: Israel ratified the Genocide Convention, Convention Against Torture, and core human rights covenants (ICCPR, ICESCR). ### **2. Where Israel Violates IHL** The UN, ICRC, and international courts document systematic violations in occupied Palestinian territories: | **IHL Principle** | **Israel’s Violations** | **Legal Source** | |-------------------|--------------------------|------------------| | **Distinction** (Art. 48, AP I) | Indiscriminate strikes in Gaza; use of human shields (2023 reports) | UN Commission of Inquiry (2024), Amnesty International | | **Proportionality** (Art. 51(5)(b), AP I) | Mass civilian casualties (e.g., 200:1 death ratio in Gaza) | ICRC, UN OCHA | | **Collective Punishment** (Art. 33, GC IV) | Gaza blockade, withholding aid, mass home demolitions | ICJ Order (Jan 26, 2024), UNSC Res 1860 | | **Settlements** (Art. 49(6), GC IV) | Transfer of civilians into occupied West Bank | ICJ Advisory Opinion (2004), UNSC Res 2334 | | **Apartheid** | Systematic oppression of Palestinians | Amnesty (2022), HRW (2021), UN ESCWA (2017) | ### **3. Israel’s Position on IHL** - **Selective Application**: Israel argues the West Bank/Gaza are β€œdisputed,” not occupied, to evade Fourth Geneva Convention obligations – a stance rejected by the ICJ, UN, and ICRC. - **Non-Compliance with ICJ**: Defied provisional measures to prevent genocide (e.g., continued blocking of aid, mass displacement in Rafah). - **Rejection of ICC Jurisdiction**: Disputes the court’s authority over Palestine, though ICC ruled it has jurisdiction (2021). ### **4. Enforcement Challenges** - **Veto Protection**: The U.S. has shielded Israel from binding UN Security Council sanctions. - **Lack of Domestic Accountability**: > 90% of IDF misconduct complaints in Gaza (2014) closed without indictment (Israeli NGO B’Tselem). - **ICC Action**: The Prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant for war crimes (May 2024). ### **Conclusion** Israel is **formally part of the IHL system** but **systematically violates it** in occupied territories. Key points: 1. Ratifying treaties imposes binding obligations – non-compliance doesn’t negate their validity. 2. Violations are documented by impartial bodies (ICJ, UN, ICRC). 3. Accountability is hindered geopolitically, not legally. As the International Court of Justice affirmed in its 2004 Wall Opinion: > *β€œIsrael is bound by international humanitarian law […] including the Fourth Geneva Convention.”* The ongoing catastrophe in Gaza underscores a stark reality: Israel’s adherence to IHL is not a matter of legal ambiguity, but of political will and international enforcement.
You speak not of the internet (e.g. IPv4 or IPv6) but of one very popular protocol used on the internet, the web, and particular web sites and web services on top of that. Nostr is on the internet but isn't the web (except it seems to borrow some web technology it should probably be rid of). Perhaps gemini.
1. Sats don't prove you are human 2. Cloudflare is not about stopping bots but stopping DDoS (officially, but probably more about data harvesting right :p) 3. Why shouldn't bot be crawling the internet in the first place? πŸ˜… 4. Phone number, KYC, age restriction, "this website doesn't operate in your country", "I am not a citizen of"... Looks like the declaration of independence of the cyberspace is not being respected anymore... 5. Opting out, writing code, enforcing boundaries... If the commercial web wants to self-destroy, let it. It was already crippled with ads and trackers anyway.
I grew up with this whole woke phenomenon happening basically my entire life and, slightly embarrassingly, developed an irrational fear of the government tracking me when I was in my teens because I knew I wasn't with the program. But, the quick onset ubiquity of this "let me track you or you can't use any of the normal internet" really does feel far more government backed than I'd reasonably expect of the market. Like, it *really* cannot just be about ads at this point and it really cannot be just about AI either. Supposedly, we're supposed to feel like the globalist agenda is being thwarted with all these exposures. But, I don't buy it.
Well said. The modern web is an absolute wreck thanks to out of control bots and the intrusive ways that sites defend against them. It's actually one of the reasons why I don't use a VPN nearly as much as I used to: it just turns the modern web into a nightmare to use. Thankfully, if you're worried about privacy, VPNs are actually less necessary these days. Switching to encrypted DNS with a privacy-respecting resolver (I recommend Quad9) virtually eliminates any actionable data that your ISP can sell. They still see the raw IPs but that sort of data is harder to market to data brokers and it's also less effective because of how so many sites run on massive CDNs, meaning they'd only be seeing your connection to the CDN's nearest datacenters. Granted, that doesn't prevent the CDNs from selling traffic data, and it doesn't prevent individual sites from knowing your IP, so there's still a use case for VPNs but it all depends on threat model. For me, I only really use a VPN for evading geoblocks and for when I visit an unfamiliar site that I don't want having my real IP. Everything else in my threat model is largely covered by using encrypted DNS with Quad9.
Irony is you pay for a service and that service automatically becomes unusable when you travel? How does that even make sense? VPN routed from a different country makes sense i mean most content are licensed regionally so its kinda consuming a content you didn’t pay for The funniest thing is, I’m not on Instagram and my gf wanted to show me something she recorded and posted so she sent me the link. And guess what, instagram forces you to login to access the content! HOW DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE? 1. They did not create the content 2. THEY DO NOT OWN THE CONTENT THEN WHY TF ARE THEY FORCING ME TO SIGNUP FOR SOMETHING THEY DONT EVEN OWN. Its like buying a car and then your family not being able to drive it :)