reclaimthenet on Nostr: Five Eyes, the spy alliance of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, is ...

Five Eyes, the spy alliance of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, is turning up the heat on encryption and online anonymity. Their first public paper, “Young People and Violent Extremism: A Call for Collective Action,” frames privacy and encryption as a tool for criminals and a gateway for child exploitation and radicalization.

The paper leans hard on the “think of the children” narrative while ignoring the vital role encryption plays in protecting everything from personal privacy to global banking systems. Instead, it paints encrypted platforms and anonymous spaces as breeding grounds for extremism and crime.

Gaming and social platforms like Discord, Roblox, and TikTok are called out as risks for “violent extremism content,” despite their largely innocuous uses. The proposed fix? A “whole-of-society response” that blends stronger government surveillance powers with increased tech industry policing of speech.

This is about control. Encryption and anonymity don’t only protect criminals; they protect everyone. Without them, the internet becomes a tool for surveillance, censorship, and unchecked power.