"If you don't adopt AI now, you will be left behind".
I wonder how many of the people who say this kind of thing thought that it was a good idea to spend £££ on a database entry corresponding to a cartoon image of a bored ape?
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
mastodon
4.6.0-alpha.5+glitch
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm (https://decoded.legal) on Free software.
Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns.
He/him. Cishet, lucky husband.
#NoBot / #NoSearch / #NoIndex / #NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
0
Followers
0
Following
Joined February 21, 2018
My business:
Personal (mostly tech stuff):
Online Safety Act:
Online Safety Act onion:
Pronouns:
he/him/his
Posts
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
15h ago
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
1d ago
> Judge rejects claimant's evidence after it was found he was being coached in court through ‘smart glasses’
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/claimant-was-coached-in-court-through-smart-glasses/5126195.article
View on mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
1d ago
Killswitch?
Witches have rights too, you know...
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
2d ago
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
3d ago
"Neil, you don't have a cookie banner on your website".
There's a reason for that...
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
4d ago
If you are in the UK and have a working, no cracked screen, Pixel 3a XL in the back of a drawer, I'm looking to buy one for around £70.
Please do message me if you have one with which you wish to part.
(Only a Pixel 3a XL, I'm afraid.)
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
4d ago
Thanks goodness for RSS.
When I wake up, I get the joy of reading a while range of blogposts, distraction free, written by people whose writings I choose.
All there, in one place.
The best of the web, and an underrated technology.
(With many thanks to @freshrss@framapiaf.org!)
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
5d ago
Horses can't use laptops.
They use maneframes.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
6d ago
Mastodon has a new human-over-AI contribution policy.
tl;dr:
- The human contributor is the sole party responsible for the contribution.
- If AI was used to generate a significant portion of your contribution (i.e. beyond simple autocomplete), we require you to disclose it in the Pull Request description.
- If you cannot guarantee the provenance and legal safety of the AI-generated code, do not submit it.
- Cases of repeated violations of these ... guidelines could result in a ban from our repositories.
https://github.com/mastodon/.github/blob/main/AI_POLICY.md
#AI #Mastodon #fedimeta
View on mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 09, 2026
Open source DRM is still DRM.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 09, 2026
After a few years of being booked pretty solidly, I have some space in my diary to take on new clients / new legal work!
If you have English Internet, telecoms, data protection, or tech legal needs - small or large - please do just drop me a line.
Details here:
https://decoded.legal/hiring_us/
(I don't do AI-related stuff.)
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 08, 2026
For anyone wondering, the answer is 19 November.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 08, 2026
Today is International Women's Day.
Heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful women in the fediverse, who help create it, maintain it, advance it, and use it.
May we all - especially men - continue to work towards, and behave to ensure, a fediverse that is safe, enjoyable, and useful for women everywhere.
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Thread context
2 posts in path
Parent
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Open
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
From "your OS must enable you to declare your age" to "developers must attempt to verify your age" to "you must declare your age" to "you must prove your age" to "you must verify your identity to go o
Current reply
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 06, 2026
I can very much imagine giving a lecture, in a few years time, and students will ask, disbelievingly,
"What do you mean that you could just run a website from a computer in your home? For anyone in the world to access?"
or
"No, I don't believe it - you could run a server to exchange messages with other people, without a licence, and without verifying who they are?!"
or
"What do you mean that you fell in love with your wife without knowing her real name, because you chatted to her so much on the web before you ever met?! Surely you scanned her ID when you first started talking to her."
View full thread on mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 06, 2026
From "your OS must enable you to declare your age" to "developers must attempt to verify your age" to "you must declare your age" to "you must prove your age" to "you must verify your identity to go online" in how long?
View on mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 06, 2026
Apparently, if you buy Meta's spy glasses, people working for Meta get to see you having sex.
This is presumably quite the selling point for incels.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 02, 2026
Official announcement has dropped!
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Mar 02, 2026
# Landmark consultation seeks views on major measures to protect children on social media, gaming platforms and AI chatbots
With the Online Safety Act in place for only a short period, the UK government is consulting on more "online safety" measures.
Including, it seems, a digital "overnight curfew" for children.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 28, 2026
My washing machine doesn’t need Wi-Fi.
It's a feature that I would regret.
I just need a way to wash my pants.
Not show them to the Internet.
My oven doesn't need Wi-Fi.
I'd value that least of all.
It's already shielded from getting too hot.
It doesn't need another firewall.
My fridge does not need Wi-Fi.
That is just not useful for me.
I want a place to chill my food.
Not chat via TCP/IP.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 27, 2026
RE: @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
I would love to increase the diversity of the F-Droid board.
If you are a woman, agender, non-binary, and you are keen but unsure about nominating yourself (e.g. you doubt that you have the credentials / experience), I will be more than happy to chat / exchange email / Signal messages etc.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 27, 2026
Do you care about Free software and mobile devices (particularly Android)?
Do you want to help drive and sustain the @fdroidorg@floss.social project?
Why not volunteer to join the board of F-Droid for a couple of years, and make a personal difference!
Nominations are open, closing 16 March.
https://f-droid.org/en/2026/02/26/board-of-directors-nominations.html
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 27, 2026
My new blog post might of interest to anyone running websites / developing apps for people in the UK:
# An overview of the UK's updated laws on storing information in someone's terminal equipment, and accessing information stored in someone's terminal equipment
Catchy. But useful (I hope).
I must admit that - as you'll see towards the end - some of this baffles me.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 24, 2026
I self-host a lot of stuff. Nearly everything that I use. FOSS and self-hosting is a massive part of my computing experience.
I love reading about people enjoying / exploring self-hosting stuff.
I struggle when people advocate "just self-host it", without giving due consideration to the costs, risks, security considerations, and so on.
I know that I've posted this a few times now, but this discussion seems to pop up quite a lot. So:
https://neilzone.co.uk/2022/07/self-host-it-is-not-the-answer/
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 24, 2026
The UK has announced a lot of new sanctions.
As far as I can tell, from a search of the UK's sanctions list this morning, there are no new Internet services sanctions. At least, none showing yet.
Here's my last update on sanctions, for UK ISPs:
https://decoded.legal/blog/2026/01/internet-services-sanctions-january-2026/
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 23, 2026
> I am a 15-year-old girl. Let me show you the vile misogyny that confronts me on social media every day
The examples included here are horrible. Not just the sex-shaming, but that too.
I'm far from convinced that a social media ban is the answer, but the comment is still well worth reading - especially by men.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 23, 2026
ss;dr: Substack; didn't read.
View on mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 20, 2026
It is a shame that we will never know who came up with the Chatham House rule.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 20, 2026
Just a normal Friday lunchtime here, upgrading the OS on my Linux-based watch...
With many thanks to everyone involved in AsteroidOS!
Updating my TicWatch to AsteroidOS 2.0
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 19, 2026
Google's disastrous imminent plan - to block Android apps from devs who don't hand over ID to Google - will not affect me directly, because I use GrapheneOS.
Nevertheless, this is pushing me away from Android. I don't want to be part of what Google is pushing.
My plan is to move to postmarketOS, a Free software, non-Android, mobile OS.
I have already started, but it will still take me some time.
(I have tried others, including Sailfish, without much luck.)
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 19, 2026
I spotted this T Rex in a charity shop.
She doesn't pose a threat; she's 'armless.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 19, 2026
If you are in the UK, do you have a UK Global Health Insurance Card?
I didn't know that they were a thing until recently, and I'm not entirely sure how useful they are (but I've applied for one anyway).
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 17, 2026
People should be able to write software for Android, and distribute it outside Google's Play store, without having to:
* pay Google
* give government ID to Google
* agree to Google terms and conditions
People should be able to install the software they want on their phone, from sources other than Google's Play store, without having to jump through Google-imposed hoops.
e.g. via F-Droid.
We've got until September this year to stop Google squeezing the open Android ecosystem.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Feb 09, 2026
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Dec 18, 2025
New blogpost: "A proposed legislative amendment to attempt to ban under 16s in the UK from common messaging services, sharing family photos, using Wikipedia, and doing much else online, by imposing age assurance on everyone"
I'd have my head in my hands, if that didn't make typing rather tricky.
Read and despair (and don't forget to like and subscribe), fellow Internet people.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Jul 26, 2025
tl;dr: too long; didn't read
ai;dr: contains AI slop; didn't read
av;dr: requested age verification; didn't read
451;dr: content unavailable for legal reasons; didn't read
js;dr: page required JavaScript; didn't read
ps;dr: problematic site; didn't read
dr;dr: I feel like a pair of curtains. Pull yourself together.
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Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
Neil Brown
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
English Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer, running a law firm ( https:// decoded.legal ) on Free software. Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, Airsoft, and puns. Terrible puns. He/him. Cishet, lucky husband. # NoBot / # NoSearch / # NoIndex / # NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit
mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk
·
Jan 14, 2023
I've seen a couple of "the fediverse is only used by nerds, so it won't survive - it needs the cool kids to arrive" hot takes recently.
I'm not sure the basic principle - that it is only used by nerds today - is correct anyway.
And even if it were, a small group of nerds is more than enough to keep a service running for themselves and their friends. The fediverse has already "survived" for years.
And who says nerds aren't the "cool kids" anyway?! Being nerdy is pretty cool, IMHO.
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