[HacktionLab] Police crackdown on free speech

[ben]

Hey Ben,

I think you make good point about the Palestine Action issue, in particular, and the related article.

My concern is not just about the brazen proscription of Palestine Action, but also stuff like the repercussions of the Online Safety Act (people now being asked for an ID or face scan in order to access websites) and the actions of Trump in the US (with similar movements rising in popularity in the UK also).
As a result of all of these things (and more) I am personally am feeling very concerned about the future of the open web.

And while people might not feel concerned, I think it is concerned that political activists are currently still using platforms like Reddit, Discord or Bluesky for their online communications. All three of those platforms are now doing ID/face scan checks to block off certain content that is being shared.

I'm also concerned that bad information will lead people towards using the wrong tools to protect their privacy. I myself am unsure about which tools are okay and which aren't.

I dunno. Am I making more sense with my concerns now?

In solidarity,
Ben X

Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.

On Sunday, 5 October 2025 at 22:18, Ben Green <ben at bristolwireless.net> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I believe this has nothing to do with Free Speech which as the article claims. It's poor journalism to pull the events in that category I think. Right to protest, right to gather peaceably are the more visible issues. The problem is here that Palestine Action are a proscribed organisation. Once an organisation is proscribed, they cannot legally be promoted. It seems like a good idea to have certain groups proscribed, given the paradox of tolerance.
>
> We then come to the underlying problem that there's no substantial justification for the proscription of Palestine Action. That's the thing we should be taking on I believe. The other groups proscribed in July 2025 were the ultranationalist Russian Imperial Movement and white supremacist Maniacs Murder Cult, strange company for some people with red paint and some caring elders. As I mentioned at lunch, this seems particularly stark now the UN has confirmed it considered Israel actively genocidal. Does anyone know what measures are being taken to deal with this?
>
> I think, well know for sure really, if there's a real problem with activist group communication there's plenty of people who'll tell me/us, we've had and publicised them. I feel we're OK on that point.
>
> I like Mark's suggestions. With regard to the TOR links: Do we have any kind of gateway that could take an HTTPS site and pipe to within TOR?
>
> Cheers,
> Ben
>
> On 10/5/25 19:24, ben wrote:
>
>> *Maybe folks can chime in on the list with their thoughts?
>>
>> Sent from [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) for Android.
>>
>> -------- Original Message --------
>> On Sunday, 10/05/25 at 19:20 ben [<benxxxx at protonmail.com>](mailto:benxxxx at protonmail.com) wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> Thanks for a great weekend with much beautiful food for thought and food for eating.
>>>
>>> During brunch I realised there was a topic I forgot to add that I thought was important to talk about.
>>>
>>> In response to crack downs on free speech in the UK (e.g. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-police-get-new-powers-after-latest-pro-palestinian-protest-2025-10-05/ ), the need for alternative secure media channels is gonna be more vital than ever.
>>>
>>> A refresh on the current best (and preferably accessible) practices for doing this would be good.
>>>
>>> Making folks can chime on on the list with their thoughts.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Ben X
>>
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>>
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