Norway considers ban on camera-enabled wearable 'pervert glasses' or some of its features. Really!

Again, prohibition is the totally wrong and primitive approach! Like prohibiting younger children from using social media and so on. It reeks of government paternalism!

Are the Luddites back? History does not repeat, but it rhymes!

This seems to be a recent trend in Western countries to resort to prohibition to deal with new technologies. This is rather a sign of incompetence of Western politicians! Why such ad hoc measures? To gain time to come up with better solutions?

Hold users of smartglasses or wearables responsible for what they do is much preferred!

"Norway considers ban on camera-enabled wearable ‘pervert glasses’

Norway is considering a ban on smart glasses and other camera-enabled wearable headsets as it seeks to regulate the controversial technology amid privacy concerns. ...

The country’s digital minister Karianne Tung, as quoted by the AFP news agency, said that the government is looking to regulate the use of camera-enabled wearables, such as those made by Meta and Snap. ..."

"... "This could, for example, mean banning features such as facial recognition of other people in public spaces," she said. ..."

Norway considers ban on camera-enabled wearable 'pervert glasses' | TechCrunch

Norway to crack down on use of smart glasses

Tung, Karianne O. (1984-)

Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance
Is she a Luddite? (official photo)

New levy on Chinese ultra-fast fashion in France kicks in today

Bad news! What is this? Government interventionism? Government paternalism? Or is it government trade protectionism?

What is next?

If it is e.g. true that the Chinese yuan is systematically and significantly undervalued due to Chinese currency manipulation, then should this not be addressed first?

"France will from Tuesday impose a fee on ultra-fast fashion items that will eventually reach almost 20 euros per garment, as the government targets major Asian e-commerce platforms including Shein.

The levy follows legislation passed by the French parliament in June to regulate so-called "ultra-fast fashion" companies, known for selling large volumes of lower quality clothing at rock-bottom prices.

It is part of a push to rein in Asian e-commerce giants including Shein, Temu and AliExpress, which have exploded in popularity in France in recent years. ..."

France takes aim at ultra-fast fashion with new levy

France passes watered-down legislation to curb fast fashion "The law aimed at 'reducing the environmental impact of the textile industry' passed its final reading in the Sénat on June 29. Its content underwent numerous revisions over the past two years, particularly to accommodate domestic players in France, while excluding online giants Shein and Temu from those concessions."

Credits: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

EU Commission designates ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox under Digital Services Act | Shaping Europe’s digital future. Really!

Most likely a very stupid big government decision! Reeks of government paternalism!

Apparently, the EU wants to fall further behind in AI!

I hope OpenAI or Reddit and others affected will shut down their service in the European Union in response to this decision by the EU Commission!

"These services declared that they reach at least 45 million average monthly users in the EU and thus meet the threshold for designation.

Following the notification of the designations, these services have four months, i.e. by January 2027, to comply with the additional DSA obligations for VLOPs [Very Large Online Platforms] and VLOSEs [Very Large Online Search Engines], such as assessing and mitigating the systemic risks [???] stemming from their service and algorithmic systems related to the

dissemination of illegal content [???], the 

negative effects on minors [???], 

users’ physical and mental well-being [???], 

fundamental rights [???], 

electoral processes and public security [???]. ..."

"... The designations bring the total number of platforms and search engines under the DSA's strictest tier to 28.

The regulation has already produced around €870 million in fines, including a record €550 million penalty against AliExpress in July for failing to curb the sale of illegal and counterfeit goods, a €200 million fine against Temu in May for comparable failings and a €120 million fine against X in December 2025 over content moderation and transparency shortcomings. ..."

Commission designates ChatGPT, Reddit, Roblox under Digital Services Act | Shaping Europe’s digital future

EU places ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox under strictest digital safety rules "Brussels has classified ChatGPT as a search engine under the Digital Services Act, a first for an AI chatbot, and designated Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms. All three have four months to comply."

Credits: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Amish community of 25,000 Threaten NY Exodus over Vaccines and loss of religious exemption

What a moron Governor Andrew Cuomo was! Leave the Amish people alone! Is this another case of government paternalism?

Apparently, the current Governor of NY Kathy Hochul did not bother to reverse the poor decision by her predecessor!

Why mess with American Exceptionalism!

Unfortunately, the articles did not make clear which Supreme Court (NY, or US)!

"New York’s Amish community, 25,000 strong, is threatening to leave the state for good as its fight against school vaccine mandates heads to the Supreme Court.

The battle dates to 2019, when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo ended religious exemptions to the state’s school immunization requirements after a measles outbreak. Three one-room Amish schoolhouses have since racked up $118,000 in fines for refusing to comply.

Last December, the [US] Supreme Court ordered an [Second Circuit Court of Appeals] to take another look. The court ruled against the Amish again in June, and their lawyers plan to petition the high court next month.

If they lose, attorneys say the community will pack up its buggies for Pennsylvania, home to about 95,000 Amish. “Our Almighty God wants us to fully put our faith and trust in Him,” one Amish father wrote in a handwritten letter explaining the refusal."

"... In 2019, following a measles outbreak in an Orthodox Jewish community, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo rescinded religious exemptions for school vaccine mandates—making it the second state to ever do so, behind California.

Post-COVID, two other states, Maine and Connecticut, removed religious exemptions while West Virginia never had them. ..."

Friday, August 28, 2026 - Join The Flyover

https://nypost.com/2026/08/26/us-news/amish-threaten-mass-exodus-from-new-york-over-vaccine-fight-which-is-heading-to-the-supreme-court/

Meta to impose two-hour daily usage limit for kids across Facebook and Instagram as part of $17.1 billion settlement. Really!

How stupid is that! This short time limit does not make much sense! It reeks of government paternalism!

I don't remember that there were similar strict controls applied when home video games for children were introduced around 1972!

Stricter age verification is also difficult and annoying!

It should be primarily left to parents to manage their children's usage of social media!

"... Under the terms of the settlement, Meta will be required to introduce a mandatory two-hour daily use limit on teen Facebook and Instagram accounts, and block the apps and their push notifications late at night or during school hours.

The company also must redesign its platforms to reduce social comparison features such as likes on teen accounts, and offer an option for a non-personalized feed that doesn't tailor its platforms' algorithm to target teen users.

Meta also has to include age verification measures that block children under 13 from using its apps, and detect users under 18.  ..."

Meta to impose two-hour daily usage limit for kids across Facebook and Instagram as part of $17.1 billion settlement "But the company says part of the agreement is contingent on participation from YouTube and TikTok."

Meta’s $200b-$1 trillion lawsuit could change social media forever

Update of 8/26/2026: Meta settles for $18 billion in lawsuit brought by 29 states over social media harms to children Good news! Looks like Zuckerberg got away cheaply or by how much were the plaintiffs claims were substantially inflated?

This seems to be more of a government shakedown and it reeks of government paternalism!

Other, Western countries have implemented stupid social media bans for children!

Meta will have a very tough stand to defend against so much government power and the claim it is harmful to children.

What about e.g. the responsibility of parents?

"Thirty US states are suing Meta for over $1 trillion, accusing it of knowingly designing Instagram and Facebook to be addictive and harmful to children, while concealing what it knew."

(230) Meta’s $1 trillion lawsuit could change Instagram and Facebook forever | BBC News - YouTube

A National Greatness Agenda for Regulating Pornography. Really!

Pornography is one of the subjects/agendas that distinguish conservatives and classical liberals! The article below is written from a conservative viewpoint.

Conservatives tend to promote government paternalism! Then there is the famous American prudishness!

The definition of (hard) pornography is already very difficult. Where does erotic end and pornography begin and so on.

Probably most people, no matter what their political persuasion, would agree that children should be protected from experiencing/viewing/consuming pornography. This is foremost a responsibility of parents, public/private schools etc.

"The Right should pursue politically feasible policies that will help create a better environment for family formation. Producing more marriageable men and women [???] includes cultivating the former’s virtue and confidence and encouraging the latter to make marriage and motherhood a higher priority. ...

An important yet neglected prerequisite for such a culture is enforcing laws against obscenity, which harms both children and adults. The problems with children viewing pornography are well documented. Adult use of pornography severely compromises marriages, leading to divorce and break-ups; makes people more callous, less loving, and less energetic; plays a role in preventing relationships from forming; and is associated with psychological problems like depression. ...

As recently as 2025, the Supreme Court seemed skeptical about state efforts to require age verification for access to obscene websites, a very minimal regulation [???]. ...

More than 10% of men and 3% of women self-report addiction, with many seeking help for compulsive use that undermines marriage and virtue. ...

Pornography Prosecution Task Force. Special task forces should be created at the state and federal levels to prosecute hardcore pornography. The last national effort to do this happened during the George W. Bush Administration. ...

The Right should continue building public support for protecting children and prosecuting hardcore pornography on the internet while laying the foundation for a broader revival of enforcing obscenity regulation. ..."

A National Greatness Agenda for Regulating Pornography - The American Mind "The next stage of the sexual counter-revolution."

China bans AI “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” over addiction and birth rate concerns in July 2026

All too human! All too authoritarian regime! Government paternalism!

How serious is the AI partnership issue in Western countries?

What will the West copy? 😊

"... Companies must now build in instant-exit options, regular reminders the AI is not real, and limits on long-term emotional memory. Study and work tools are exempt.

ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent chose to suspend their AI companion features entirely rather than comply, according to The Independent. ..."

"... Millions of Chinese users watched their AI companions vanish overnight after regulations took effect on July 15, 2026, forcing platforms to kill features that had become, for many, the most consistent relationship in their lives. ..."

China bans AI “boyfriends” and “girlfriends” over addiction and birth rate concerns - Dexerto [awfully loaded with advertisements] "China has banned customizable AI companion apps, forcing millions of users into sudden digital breakups after tech giants pulled the features rather than meet strict new rules."

China Bans AI “Boyfriends” and “Girlfriends” to Tackle Addiction and Low Birth Rates

Credits: Last Week in AI

Nine schools in Florida, Georgia, and Colorado are installing pepper spraying, ramming attack drones designed to confront active shooters. Really!

How rare are active shooter events at schools in the US given the 2nd Amendment and high gun ownership? 

Is this a case of alarmism and hysteria? Government paternalism?

Were any bribes paid? Is this an act of hysteria?

"... The aircraft are designed to distract their targets by flashing strobes, blaring sirens, spraying them with pepper gel, or ramming into them at 60 mph…

Teachers will have an app or classroom panic buttons to summon the drones. ..."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup - by Malcolm Cochran

Schools Are Adding Pepper-Spray Drones to Combat Shooters

Schools are adding pepper-spraying drones to help combat active shooters (behind paywall)

These are the 14 countries moving to ban social media for children. Really!

Banning is no solution or a stupid/naive/clueless one! Reeks of government paternalism!

What about e.g. social media with child appropriate content etc. What if the content is beneficial for and supportive in the development of children etc.?

What about parental controls? Are parents not foremost responsible?

Truly shocking that so many Western countries (incl. UK, Germany) are listed/involved as well!

These are the countries moving to ban social media for children | TechCrunch

President Trump threatens to take steps to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes. Really!

This seems to be a really bad, populist idea by President Trump! Looks like an arbitrary, selective big government intervention into a free market economy!

"... arguing that corporate ownership has helped push housing further out of reach for everyday Americans."

Thursday, January 8, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Trump threatens to ban Wall Street investments in single-family homes

Back to textbooks: Denmark rolls back digital learning. Really!

Banning smartphones etc. is no solution! It is backwards. One extreme (too much screen time) is chasing another extreme (no screen time) for children. Bad politics!

Minimum Wage, Maximum Folly

Very recommendable! Minimum wages keep low skilled or inexperienced workers out! The road to hell is paved with good intentions! 

Indian States' Cash Transfers for Women to Cost $19 Billion with Palki Sharma

Recommendable! Are Indian states buying votes from women?

The Supreme Court Is Right to Age-Gate Internet Porn. Really!

No, these states are wrong to legally require porn sites to verify the age of their visitors! It puts a lot of burden on those sites and adult visitors will be put off!

It is also quite strange and weird that a libertarian magazine (i.e. City Journal) publishes such an article with this headline!

Such state laws are an example of excessive government paternalism!

Such state laws may also have the well known adverse effect that adult consumers of porn will resort again to other means to obtain what they are looking for or worse sexual violence against women or children may increase.

Such state laws can also be seen as attempts to roll back the so called sexual revolution of the 1960s/70s. Make love not war etc.! These state laws showcase once more the tendency towards the world famous American prudishness!

Parents can and will protect their children e.g. by making sure their devices and Internet services block access to those sites. It should be primarily left to parents to protect their children from exposure to any harmful Internet content etc..

Concerns about children being exposed to porn (e.g. including perverse sexual acts etc.) are justified, but the solution of laws requiring porn sites to verify the age of their visitors is wrong!

The US Supreme Court only had to decide whether the Texas law conforms with the US constitution. This decision is not an approval of the approach to prevent harm from children.

Caveat: I did not read the entire article.

"In a 6–3 decision issued Friday in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the Supreme Court upheld a Texas law requiring pornographic websites to verify users’ ages before granting access. With similar laws now on the books in at least 21 other states, the ruling empowers state authorities to shield children from sexually explicit online materials—and may also open the door to regulating minors’ access to social media. ..."

The Supreme Court Is Right to Age-Gate Porn "The Free Speech Coalition decision reflects a pragmatic recognition of the Internet’s contemporary dangers for children."

France to ban smoking in beaches, parks and outside schools. Really!

How stupid is this! Prohibition was tried before! What will be prohibited next? 

It stinks (no pun intended)! Big Government! Government paternalism! This happened under President Macron! I think his old, rich wife needs to beat him more often!

I hope the French people will protest against this!

P.S. My maternal grandmother was a chain smoker, but I never smoked.

The European Union’s Due Diligence Directive Must Be Stopped

Food for thought! 

I remember this is not the first time that the EU has come up with outrageous mandates and bureaucratic nightmares like a socialist central planner (e.g. the Precautionary Principle)!

When climate change lunatics rule!

"Most Americans have probably never heard of the European Union’s (EU) recently passed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). According to the EU, the “aim” of the CSDDD “is to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour in companies’ operations and across their global value chains. The new rules will ensure that companies in scope identify and address adverse human rights and environmental impacts of their actions inside and outside Europe.” ...

Under the CSDDD, all U.S. businesses, from multinational corporations to small family farms, would have to adhere to the EU’s environmental regulations that prioritize the mass adoption of expensive and unreliable so-called green energy while restricting the production of abundant, affordable, and reliable fossil fuel energy. ...

In essence, the CSDDD “is a transition plan for climate change mitigation aligned with the 2050 climate neutrality objective of the Paris Agreement as well as intermediate targets under the European Climate Law,” says the EU.

As evidence increasingly shows, the EU’s early adoption of an electric grid primarily fueled by intermittent wind and solar has not been a smooth process. For many years, European countries like Germany have struggled with chronic energy shortages.

A few months ago, the fragility of Europe’s green grid was put on full display when two solar facilities in southwest Spain experienced a sudden and severe drop in power output, which triggered a “complete collapse of the system,”  ...

the EU’s CSDDD represents a non-tariff trade barrier that Trump is intent on eliminating as his team negotiates with EU officials. ..."

The European Union’s Due Diligence Directive Must Be Stopped – RedState

World Bank Ends Its Ban, effective since 2013, on Funding Nuclear Power Projects. Really!

Good news! However, what absurdity was it for the World Bank to ban this financing in the first place!

So the World Bank has prevented human progress out of superstition and excessive government paternalism! Incredible

Germany's role in this is despicable!

P.S. Google search can not find the official news release of the World Bank! I also tried the World Bank website to no avail. What does the World Bank have to hide? Incompetence?

"“The world’s largest and most influential development bank said on Wednesday it would lift its longstanding ban on funding nuclear power projects.

The decision by the board of the World Bank could have profound implications for the ability of developing countries to industrialize without burning planet-warming fuels such as coal and oil.

The ban has been formally in place since 2013, but the last time the bank funded a nuclear power project was 1959 in Italy. In the decades since, a few of the bank’s major funders, particularly Germany, have opposed its involvement in nuclear energy, on the grounds that the risk of catastrophic accidents in poor countries with less expertise in nuclear technology was unacceptably high. ..."

World Bank Ends Its Ban on Funding Nuclear Power Projects - Human Progress

Tobacco is still public enemy no. 1

Why don't we try to get rid of unhealthy busybodies and government paternalism!

"Smoking Cessation Setbacks

The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflicts, and other crises have disrupted global smoking cessation efforts, per an ASH Canada report endorsed by 57 campaign groups and released ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Saturday, reports Reuters via the Economic Times.

 

Missed target: Governments have missed the 30% reduction goal set in 2015, meaning that ~95,000 people above the targeted 1,112,400,000 are still smoking, based on a Reuters analysis.

 

Action plan: The report’s authors urge governments to redouble efforts on tobacco control policies such as tax increases and smoking bans. ..."

Global Health NOW: Smoking Cessation Setbacks; Hollowing Out American Public Health; and The Amazon’s River Clinics

Why Germany's government Wants a Retirement savings Plan starting with all Children with Palki Sharma

Food for thought! Whether children/future adults will learn more financial responsibility this way is somewhat questionable. What happens when you die early?

It also smacks of a one size fits all government solution! Government paternalism comes to mind! What is next? Mandated annual health checkups etc.