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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 1d

And much of the Scottish North West lines are missing from the map!

Reposted by Ian Watt

Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · 1d

Note that Ofcom is actively encouraging sites to geoblock UK users if they don't want to absorb the costs of implementing age assurance or other regulatory demands. Effectively, population-wide censorship – but it gets those sites off Ofcom's plate, no court order required.

#openweb #techpolicy

Monitoring services which take steps to stop UK users from accessing them

In response to our enforcement action, providers of some services have taken steps to prevent people in the UK from accessing their sites – such as by 'geoblocking' access from UK IP addresses – instead of implementing the safety measures under our Codes. This has significantly reduced the likelihood that people in the UK will be exposed to any illegal or harmful content.

Four file-sharing services investigated under our CSAM enforcement programme – Krakenfiles, Nippydrive, Nippyshare, Nippyspace – have taken this approach in response to our investigations, and as a result we have decided to close these cases.

We will continue to monitor their availability in the UK and reserve the right to re-open our investigations if we have reason to do so. We are pursuing further lines of enquiry against file-sharing services Nippybox and Yolobit and these investigations remain ongoing.

Similarly, an online suicide forum – the target of our first investigation under the Online Safety Act – responded to our enforcement proceedings against it by implementing a geoblock to restrict access by people with UK IP addresses.

Following further engagement with the service, it later removed messaging from the landing page for UK users that promoted ways to circumvent the block. Ofcom is clear that services who choose to block access by people in the UK must not encourage or promote ways to avoid these restrictions.

This forum remains on Ofcom's watchlist and our investigation remains open while we check that the block is maintained and that the forum does not encourage or direct UK users to get around it.

More information on jurisdiction and our approach to enforcement in cases where services choose to restrict access to UK users is available on our website.

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Reposted by Ian Watt

Matt Owen @mjowen174.bsky.social · 2d

If you could please do us a favour and RT (or whatever it is on here) my writing CV I would be extremely grateful. I am a very capable writer of words, mainly “humorous”’ and if you have some PROPER paid work for me, please DM me. Thank you for your time www.mathew-owen.co.uk

Home | Matt Owen | Freelance Writer

I offer a broad and diverse range of writing services. Get in touch!

www.mathew-owen.co.uk

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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 2d

Closing today!

Code The City @codethecity.bsky.social · 3d

⏰ Applications close tomorrow. . Join Code the City's Board of Trustees. We're seeking individuals with skills in finance, fundraising, building management, and marketing. See drive.google.com/file/d/1fK5l.... See Graphic for contact details #TechForGood #CharityTrustee #Aberdeen

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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 2d

It was a great gig. As you say, a good selection of classic tunes. And the acoustic quartet format worked really well.

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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 3d

Going to see them in Aberdeen tonight. Wasn't expecting an acoustic line-up. But no bad thing at all! 40 years since my first Fairport gig!

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Adrian Teal @tealcartoons.bsky.social · 4d

Our new episode of Spitting Image has dropped, in which Trump finds out he didn't bag the Nobel Peace Prize, and Kim Jong Un performs at the Riyadh Comedy Festival.

Enjoy!

youtu.be/iERS42agaPg?...

Trump Finds Out He Hasn't Won The Nobel Peace Prize | The Rest Is Bulls*!t

YouTube video by Spitting Image

youtu.be

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noyb @noyb.eu · 4d

🎉 Big #WIN for student privacy! 🔒 Austria’s DPA has issued a decision finding that #Microsoft 365 Education illegally tracks pupils and uses student data for Microsoft's own purposes.

📰 Read the full blog post, including a comment by Max #Schrems 👉 noyb.eu/en/noyb-win-...

noyb win: Microsoft 365 Education tracks school children

Favorable decision by the Austrian DSB: Microsoft Education 365 may not track school kids and Microsoft is ordered to provide full access to kids' data.

noyb.eu

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 5d

“London hits 'historic' clean air milestone 184 years early…a 'truly remarkable turnaround for the city's air quality.”

Quite a leadership achievement for @london.gov.uk’s government! While nations talk, (some) cities act. And get results.

London hits clean air milestone 184 years early - ULEZ makes 'big difference'

A professor has branded the success a 'truly remarkable turnaround for the city's air quality'

www.mylondon.news

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Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 4d

This is why mandatory online age verification is bullshit.

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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 5d

Banner printed in Britian?

Repugs R Stinky @artfulscribe.bsky.social · 6d

Gotta luv them Red States, bless their pointed little heads.

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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 6d

very interesting what is not allowed these days. in this case, basic archiving of real videos

www.404media.co/apple-banned...

Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses

Eyes Up's purpose is to "preserve evidence until it can be used in court." But it has been swept up in Apple's crackdown on ICE-spotting apps.

www.404media.co

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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 7d

Splendid!

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Code The City @codethecity.bsky.social · 14d

📊 Aberdeen Data Meetup - Join Us on the 7th October! 📊

📅 Tuesday, 7th Oct 2025
🕖 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
📍 The Soap Factory, 111 Gallowgate, Aberdeen (online too)

Discover Wikidata, its licensing, and use SPARQL with Python.

👉 Book now: ti.to/code-the-cit...
Sign up for updates: bit.ly/ctc-news

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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 7d

This is on tonight in #Aberdeen. Still tickets available. There will be #pizza! And #beer!

#wikidata #sparql #opendata #linkedopendata

Code The City @codethecity.bsky.social · 12d

📅 Date: Tuesday 7th October 2025
🕖 Time: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
📍 Location: The Soap Factory, 111 Gallowgate, Aberdeen, AB25 1BU (& virtual attendance via Zoom)

🔗Haven't booked yet? We have a few spots left: ti.to/code-the-cit...

#Aberdeen #Wikidata #DataForGood #CodeTheCity #TechCommunity

Aberdeen Data Meetup 07 October 2025

"Make your data project sparkle with Wikidata!" - Ian Watt Wikidata is the world’s largest open knowledge graph, bringing together facts about people, places, culture, and science in a way that anyone...

ti.to

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Reposted by Ian Watt

fesshole 🧻 @fesshole.bsky.social · 8d

Elderly parents living on a pension - also very proud so I signed them up for a bonus card with the nearest supermarket. Every few weeks I put money on it and then they get asked if they'd like to use their balance - they think it's from points they've collected.

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 13d

Why is Starmer becoming more confident criticising Brexit? Because quietly, without any great drama, a consensus has been reached. It's a disaster inews.co.uk/opinion/brex...

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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 13d

Reform’s Russia connections are a danger to our national security.

It’s time for a public inquiry.

Nathan Gill’s treachery puts him in same league as the “Cambridge Five”

Reform’s Russia connections may endanger our security – time for a public inquiry

bylines.scot

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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 13d

“I would gently point out to Nigel Farage that before we left the EU we had a returns agreement with every country in the EU. He told the country it would make no difference if we left. He was wrong about that. These are Farage boats in many senses coming across the channel” 👏

PM Keir Starmer

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Stephen Harrison @stephenharrison.com · 14d

Wikipedia editors have put together a guide on signs of AI writing:

-Tone: vague attribution of opinion ("has been described as")

-Style: the now infamous em dashes; excessive use of boldface

-Communication intended for the user: "I hope this helps," "You're absolutely right," sycophantic chatter

Here’s a handy guide to help you spot AI writing.

Source image from Wikimedia Foundation It’s always a bit surprising to me how trusted Wikipedia has become, since I spent my entire childhood being told by adults to never, ever, trust it. But the …

lithub.com

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Reposted by Ian Watt

Patrick - Here for the craic 👍🏼 @patrickopatrick.bsky.social · 14d

During 14 years of Tory Government they raised the tax burden on us all to a 70 year high

Kemi BadEnoch who was part of that Govt is so supremely arrogant and thick she thinks we forgot that as she takes a pop with a pie chart the Tories made up that looks like a 5 year old did it 🙄🙄🤷🏼‍♂️

Kemi Badenoch says tax rises are coming with a shitty looking pie chart on X

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Open Data Camp @odcamp.uk · 14d

We’d like to thank our Silver sponsor, TPXimpact @tpximpact.com, for helping to make Open Data Camp 10 possible.

www.tpximpact.com

We had a great time, we hope you did too.

We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.

#odcamp #opendata

People-powered transformation | Digital Transformation Consultancy - TPXimpact

TPXimpact is a people-powered digital transformation consultancy helping public, private and third-sector organisations build better futures for people, places and the planet.

www.tpximpact.com

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Reposted by Ian Watt

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 14d

NEW: Rachel Maddow drops unseen bodycam footage of feds coordinating the arrest of Newark Mayor Baraka.

I REPEAT: the feds ordered his arrest even though he wasn’t breaking any laws.

Federal agent: “We are arresting the mayor right now per the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.”

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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 15d

Likewise, Pauline. Hope all goes well for you back over the water! 🍀

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Ian Watt @watty62.bsky.social · 15d

Great. Thanks. I think explicit expression helps both you control what happens with the drawings and the re-user know what's permitted.

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