Paul Bernal
@paulbernal.bsky.social
Professor of IT Law at UEA Law School. Geek. Privacy, Politics. Wolves. Irish and British.
Pinned
Paul Bernal
@paulbernal.bsky.social
· Dec 3
Banning kids from social media? A very bad idea…
As the idea of banning kids from social media is spreading round the globe – the new ban of under-16s from social media in Australia comes into action in a week or so – it is worth look…
paulbernal.wordpress.com
I've written something about why banning kids from social media could be a terrible idea.
paulbernal.wordpress.com/2025/12/03/b...
paulbernal.wordpress.com/2025/12/03/b...
Reposted by Paul Bernal
You have to laugh really. It’s like discovering that the government believes that “pee is stored in the balls”.
If there is an argument then this is the argument. But lol I can’t find where this obviously false stat is coming from. And if the government does believe more than half the families in the UK are using it as their primary news source then woah maybe time to up the scrutiny of it!
January 5, 2026 at 8:45 PM
You have to laugh really. It’s like discovering that the government believes that “pee is stored in the balls”.
Reposted by Paul Bernal
This guy here is dead 👇
January 5, 2026 at 7:15 PM
This guy here is dead 👇
Reposted by Paul Bernal
Once again, Trump wants to take Greenland. And once again, IT’S PRIVATE EYE WEEK!
New edition in shops and with subscribers from Wednesday.
(From Eye 1503, August 2019)
New edition in shops and with subscribers from Wednesday.
(From Eye 1503, August 2019)
January 5, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Once again, Trump wants to take Greenland. And once again, IT’S PRIVATE EYE WEEK!
New edition in shops and with subscribers from Wednesday.
(From Eye 1503, August 2019)
New edition in shops and with subscribers from Wednesday.
(From Eye 1503, August 2019)
Mumsnet has been a pretty radical place for many, many years… #JustSaying
January 5, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Mumsnet has been a pretty radical place for many, many years… #JustSaying
To be clear, I hope I’m wrong, and Ofcom surprises me by doing their job properly.
Just a reminder: a lot of us told you at the start that the Online Safety Act would do nothing to address the real problems with social media.
Watch Ofcom flail around uselessly and do nothing to address Grok for confirmation.
And maybe listen to us next time?
Watch Ofcom flail around uselessly and do nothing to address Grok for confirmation.
And maybe listen to us next time?
January 5, 2026 at 8:22 PM
To be clear, I hope I’m wrong, and Ofcom surprises me by doing their job properly.
Just a reminder: a lot of us told you at the start that the Online Safety Act would do nothing to address the real problems with social media.
Watch Ofcom flail around uselessly and do nothing to address Grok for confirmation.
And maybe listen to us next time?
Watch Ofcom flail around uselessly and do nothing to address Grok for confirmation.
And maybe listen to us next time?
January 5, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Just a reminder: a lot of us told you at the start that the Online Safety Act would do nothing to address the real problems with social media.
Watch Ofcom flail around uselessly and do nothing to address Grok for confirmation.
And maybe listen to us next time?
Watch Ofcom flail around uselessly and do nothing to address Grok for confirmation.
And maybe listen to us next time?
Who'd've guessed that a Brexit businessman would make a pig's ear out of owning a football club?
January 5, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Who'd've guessed that a Brexit businessman would make a pig's ear out of owning a football club?
Reposted by Paul Bernal
BREAKING
"US attack on Greenland would mean end of NATO"
- Mette Frederiksen, Danish PM
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
"US attack on Greenland would mean end of NATO"
- Mette Frederiksen, Danish PM
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
US attack on Greenland would mean end of Nato, says Danish PM
Mette Frederiksen criticises Donald Trump’s ‘unacceptable pressure’ as Greenland counterpart condemns ‘fantasies’
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:50 PM
BREAKING
"US attack on Greenland would mean end of NATO"
- Mette Frederiksen, Danish PM
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
"US attack on Greenland would mean end of NATO"
- Mette Frederiksen, Danish PM
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Oooh, I bet Musk is terrified.
OFCOM has put out this statement about X creating sexualised images of children on X, (but not BlueSky.)
January 5, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Oooh, I bet Musk is terrified.
I'm still astounded by people who think I have a negative view of Starmer because I read the Mail.
Err.
Err.
January 5, 2026 at 5:25 PM
I'm still astounded by people who think I have a negative view of Starmer because I read the Mail.
Err.
Err.
Cambridge market earlier today…
January 5, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Cambridge market earlier today…
Reposted by Paul Bernal
I like how basically every poll, even on the most trivial of issues like 'who was the baddie in 90s CGI adventure ReBoot' is a repudiation of Labour's strategy of trying to win over Reform voters.
British public opposes the US action to capture Venezuela's President.
21% support (8% strongly)
51% oppose (34% strongly)
By party
Labour: 12-63 oppose
LibDem: 12-69 oppose
Green: 5-77 oppose
Conservative: 31-47 oppose
Reform (49-22 support) are different, with half supporting.
21% support (8% strongly)
51% oppose (34% strongly)
By party
Labour: 12-63 oppose
LibDem: 12-69 oppose
Green: 5-77 oppose
Conservative: 31-47 oppose
Reform (49-22 support) are different, with half supporting.
January 5, 2026 at 5:17 PM
I like how basically every poll, even on the most trivial of issues like 'who was the baddie in 90s CGI adventure ReBoot' is a repudiation of Labour's strategy of trying to win over Reform voters.
Just a reminder, if you're going to reply to me with bollocks, it's highly likely that I'll just block you without even a discussion. That's the biggest lesson from the last few years of Twitter. There's no point in that kind of engagement.
January 5, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Just a reminder, if you're going to reply to me with bollocks, it's highly likely that I'll just block you without even a discussion. That's the biggest lesson from the last few years of Twitter. There's no point in that kind of engagement.
I don't think that either the UK or the EU has the power to shut down X in their territories. There are powers under the OSA and DSA respectively that they *do* have, including temporary suspensions that are available - e.g. OSA's 'business disruption measures' www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/5...
Online Safety Act 2023
www.legislation.gov.uk
January 5, 2026 at 5:03 PM
I don't think that either the UK or the EU has the power to shut down X in their territories. There are powers under the OSA and DSA respectively that they *do* have, including temporary suspensions that are available - e.g. OSA's 'business disruption measures' www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/5...
Ah, Nancy has gone too.
January 5, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Ah, Nancy has gone too.
My personal view is that it all went wrong for Starmer when he couldn't bring himself to say that cutting off power and water to Gaza wasn't OK. He lost his credibility as a humanitarian and a human rights lawyer. He knew the answer. He couldn't say so. That was his moment.
January 5, 2026 at 3:19 PM
My personal view is that it all went wrong for Starmer when he couldn't bring himself to say that cutting off power and water to Gaza wasn't OK. He lost his credibility as a humanitarian and a human rights lawyer. He knew the answer. He couldn't say so. That was his moment.
It’ll be the soft cushions…
Ofcom has made "urgent contact" to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users. As Lizzie Dearden notes, the site is itself generating at vast scale + pace images that are often v likely to be unlawful (non-consensual pictures stripping women of clothes)
Ofcom, which enforces the UK's Online Safety Act, says it is aware of "serious concerns" about Grok undressing people including children on X
“We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK," it says
“We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK," it says
January 5, 2026 at 2:49 PM
It’ll be the soft cushions…
Reposted by Paul Bernal
We’re a decade into this farce and he still doesn’t understand that “asylum seekers” are not, in fact, people from insane asylums.
Q: You've talked about returning some control to American companies. Did that play at all into your decision to capture Maduro?
TRUMP: No. What really played is the fact he sent millions of people into our country from prisons and mental institutions
TRUMP: No. What really played is the fact he sent millions of people into our country from prisons and mental institutions
January 5, 2026 at 1:22 AM
We’re a decade into this farce and he still doesn’t understand that “asylum seekers” are not, in fact, people from insane asylums.
Mill Road cemetery…
January 5, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Mill Road cemetery…
The other ‘grown up’ line that bugs me is ‘diplomacy happens in the background, not on social media’.
It happens on both. Social media matters - and as it’s the primary communication method used by Trump, it matters even more.
If not, what excuse does the government have for being on X?
It happens on both. Social media matters - and as it’s the primary communication method used by Trump, it matters even more.
If not, what excuse does the government have for being on X?
January 5, 2026 at 2:10 PM
The other ‘grown up’ line that bugs me is ‘diplomacy happens in the background, not on social media’.
It happens on both. Social media matters - and as it’s the primary communication method used by Trump, it matters even more.
If not, what excuse does the government have for being on X?
It happens on both. Social media matters - and as it’s the primary communication method used by Trump, it matters even more.
If not, what excuse does the government have for being on X?
Why does it feel as though Starmer always has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into doing the right thing?
January 5, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Why does it feel as though Starmer always has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into doing the right thing?
“Of course Starmer can’t call out Trump. That would be idiotic and unstatesmanlike”
Starmer calls out Trump over Greenland.
“You see, that’s Starmer being statesmanlike.”
Starmer calls out Trump over Greenland.
“You see, that’s Starmer being statesmanlike.”
January 5, 2026 at 1:17 PM
“Of course Starmer can’t call out Trump. That would be idiotic and unstatesmanlike”
Starmer calls out Trump over Greenland.
“You see, that’s Starmer being statesmanlike.”
Starmer calls out Trump over Greenland.
“You see, that’s Starmer being statesmanlike.”
Reposted by Paul Bernal
Congestion pricing is an unqualified success in NYC. It would be great to see it expanded to every city with decent public transit options. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Congestion pricing after one year: How life has changed.
How life has changed in the New York area, according to data on traffic, transit and the responses of 600 readers.
www.nytimes.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:23 AM
Congestion pricing is an unqualified success in NYC. It would be great to see it expanded to every city with decent public transit options. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Paul Bernal
Hegelly Blonde
A decision was made to make Hegel wonderfully, unnecessarily blonde and I support it.
January 5, 2026 at 11:28 AM
Hegelly Blonde
Pathetic
Keir Starmer's spokesman asked if Government will still use X now it posts indecent images of children, replies "we always keep communication channels under review to reach public in most appropriate way possible”
"Operators are under obligation to act appropriately. We always hope they would do"
"Operators are under obligation to act appropriately. We always hope they would do"
January 5, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Pathetic