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Comment by NetStrikeForce | Hacker News Reader

UK's best shot at surviving Brexit is become stronger on value added industries. They have a very good head start over any other EU country in IT and in some research areas.

Amber Rudd seems hell bent on destroying their only chance.

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They all are intent on crippling any chance the UK has at becoming stronger in high tech industries.

I'm so sick of getting "this is an adult resource and you can't view it" anytime I search for information about a drug (pharmaceutical, not just "weed LSD and lols").

Great fucking way to encourage your future chemists. Maybe ban keywords like JavaScript, PHP and SQL while at it, them's the powerful drugs maaan.

> I'm so sick of getting "this is an adult resource and you can't view it" anytime I search for information

Switch ISP, or contact your current one to disable this. They don't all do it by default, or at all.

As far as I'm aware all new accounts in the U.K. do this unless you call to have it disabled (and give personal information). I mean, how else would you protect the children...

>> As far as I'm aware all new accounts in the U.K. do this unless you call to have it disabled (and give personal information).

Usually you can have it disabled while you sign up (and they usually ask if you want it). As for giving personal info - they're you're ISP. They have your name, address, billing details, have done a credit check...what else are they going to ask for that you haven't already supplied?

I can buy a 'burner' SIM when landing at Heathrow without giving any information - paying in cash. However, to disable the content filter requires giving up personal information.

I think all mobile providers do, but the filters are not required on all ISPs, only the big 7 IIRC.

You can find MVNOs without filtering, such as Andrews & Arnold

I was going to suggest them as well. My boss used to use them back when I was in the UK ten years ago and now I would definitely pay the extra for what they provide. Unfortunately I am in Spain now and the choice of ISP's is far more limited.

Andrews & Arnold is unfortunately many times more expensive than the more "mainstream" ISPs. Much cheaper to get a Sky/Virgin connection, and then route all your traffic off their networks over a VPN to a cheap couple of quid VPS per month.

they aren't "many times more expensive"

compare BT[1] (£44.99 for 12 months, then £53.99) with AAISP[2] (£45)

once you add on "a couple of quid VPS a month", you could even go for the AAISP 1TB package at £60/month

[1]: https://www.productsandservices.bt.com/products/broadband-pa...

[2]: http://www.aaisp.net.uk/broadband-home1.html

My point was more about them offering a mobile service - many here know of them as a good ISP, but it is less well known that they offer the same quality of Internet access via mobile.

I certainly fall into that bucket. Thanks for the note, I had no idea they did mobile stuff too.

Or use a VPN service.

> "this is an adult resource and you can't view it"

Those filters, if they're ISP supplied, are optional. You can turn them off.

It's completely optional, turn it off. It also tends to only be mobile networks that do that kind of filtering by default, ISP's ask you when you sign up if you want 'parental controls' or not.

Funnily enough, I just signed up to 3 mobile broadband last week, and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to call and get it turned off (always have before)

One word, my friend: VPN.

> One word, my friend: VPN.

A VPN is a way to circumvent surveillance but make no mistake: We must press with all our power for legislation which guarantees privacy, all over the world. This is a battle that in the long run, we can't win with tech. We need to become more privacy-aware.

"Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."

+1. I agree with this.

With the current trend, how long until VPNs are made illegal? "For the children!"

To circumvent bad policy like encryption... Use encryption?

Being ahead of all other EU countries in some field can be something significant while they're inside the EU, in those cases when an investment or purchase needs to be made inside the EU for any reason. But when they're out, what difference does that make?

My point is that in case British businesses have to overcome barriers (e.g. tariffs), their best bet at not going bankrupt is selling non-physical goods and services with as much added value as possible. That implies high technology and investment in research.

Non-physical so selling to America, Africa or Asia is as cheap as selling to Europe and added value to absorb the new cost of doing businesses (in case the UK does not remain in the Single Market).

If e22 encryption is outlawed in the UK, their businesses would be less trusted (harder to sell expensive things) and will be at the mercy of other countries' intelligence and espionage services.

It's not like relations with other European countries will immediately cease on leaving the EU.

That's not what I meant or wish. But it's a (for me sad) fact that at that point the expression "compared to the other EU countries" won't have any sense anymore. And if May will go with hard Brexit, as many predict, it will even become easier to trade with eg Canada than with the UK.

You can say "compared to the other European countries" instead. It has the bonus of being more inclusive! No longer will your statement exclude Norway, Switzerland etc.

Depending on context, this comparison may or may not make sense. Keep in mind that Norway and Switzerland are both part of the single market, which the UK will probably opt out of (as it would require the free movement of workers).

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