They mean most of the internet for most people
Only the vast socially relevant parts of the internet

They're using children as human shields while they attack our human rights.

Lemmy is still very centralized,
sure there are many servers
and that takes care of the /u/spez problem
but very little else, most topic generally have one big community
and it's on the one big server

You can go elsewhere, if you like speaking into the void and nobody even hearing you.

Not a static target. What we consider a profile today is vastly more comprehensive than what was deemed sufficient a few decades ago. Ad networks today would put intelligence agencies back then to shame. They can always get more info. Adding biometric face data is useful to them. In a few more decades people might be talking about if Google and governments should be allowed to read your thoughts. The tech making this possible is already being developed and further along than many might expect.

The US government created the internet

Lemmy will be pressured into age verification also and most hosts will crumble.

Then just self host

ah ha! Guess that's how we beat the system.
People would need to sub to your instance though for you to post content right?

What would the pros and cons be?

No one needs the internet outside of work.

As someone with a disability (and no car), the internet has played a massive role in allowing me to live independently, which in turn has a profoundly positive impact on my mental health. There are a wide variety of circumstances in which the internet has enhanced life experience - let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Hahaha

Good luck doing that.

People can't even delay their non-essential shinies to make a statement against price gouging/raising bullshit.. You think they're gonna willingly sacrifice something like internet? for a month?

By proportion maybe?

(Just guessing, I’m not on there)

Yeah, it's all relative. It's like the www before corporate takeover. Like the old www, you need to have some sense on where to go and where to avoid.

Australians will soon be subjected to mandatory age checks across the internet landscape, in what has been described as a huge and unprecedented change.

Search engines are next in line for the same controversial age-assurance technology behind the teen social media ban, and other parts of the internet are likely to follow suit.

Australia is quietly rolling out age checks for search engines like Google

Just as Australians are adjusting to the idea of having their ages checked for social media, age assurance rules are being applied to search engines and many other corners of the internet.

(www.abc.net.au)

The purpose is to protect the mainstream media.

Yes, but the legislation specifically rules out that technology. The purpose is to remove anonymity.

elite nerds who use lemmy will be able to circumvent

if the snobs are fine, why care?

those people kvetching about how the endless September ruined everything will have their wish