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Comment by spaqin | Hacker News Reader

Funny how the worry of "digital exclusion" of the elders who would never be able to use a smartphone has been thrown out of the window in recent years.

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And the youths who just... don't like smartphones. We exist

Some years ago I had deliberate weeks in my life where I just went back to my old 2G brick phone from like 2001. I was amazed how it was still working perfectly. I mean, yes, 2G will be shutdown even in Germany soon, so the old phone isn't an option either way anymore. But there are 4G brick phones which I'd like to use then. But this won't be possible. My bus ticket is digital and can't be screenshotted or printed, my student card too, same with the "Deutschlandticket" (rail ticket in Germany). Hell, even my sauna sends me a QR code to get in via Email now. I mean, at least I can print it out. But this trend will only continue.

I've done the same. I have a 4G flip phone from some brand (I think it's AGM?) and it's fine. I've recently thought about going back to a 2G phone while I still can, as my phone carrier still has 2G where I live (they've talked about shutting it down many times, and have begun doing so)

Don't worry the focus is on the youth with this legislation. I have the suspicion it's about indoctrination of surveillance as normal.

Additionally the amount of elderly that don't have or can't use a phone or don't have anyone that can help them with it will decrease rapidly anyway. In my experience it's mostly the same generation as the people that remember WWII.

They probably think that they do not use "social media" either, so it does not affect them. But elders are not the only category. In any case, it is fundamentally wrong to be forced to use a specific platform, American or European, mobile or desktop, for Internet service access.

That's because they are lying to the people here. Just look at the "we must protect the children" lobbyists. It has never been about the children in the first place, that is just the convenient lie to force an authoritarian system in place.

I don't think this is relevant for them by definition, so that's an odd point to raise. It's hard to be encumbered by having to manage a digital identity, when you don't do anything digitally in the first place.

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