I don’t think it’s anything as sinister from the current government. I’m not saying it’s a good idea, but they’re more stupid and weak than they are totalitarian. British Labour has had an obsession with “tech” solutions for social issues since the start of the Blair years. Sometimes it works, but as often it’s mired in incompetency and corruption.

I suspect that this recent spate of apparent puritanism is because they recognise that gender-based and sexual violence are “issues” after the discourse around Adolescence, but they can’t/don’t want to do anything actually meaningful (improve welfare, job opportunities, life prospects) so are latching onto what they believe are “easy” solutions. No-one with power actually understands how net infrastructure works, or cares about privacy as a principle, but they do have a group think that also leads them to think that this might make some inroads with “the right.”

It’s all absolute garbage being slapped together by career politicians who don’t understand anything and are primarily interested either in their next election or their post-parliament careers.