Something that sits between the internet and the browser and alters the page before the browser sees it? Then Google can pound sand.

I hate puppies.

Because running a university is a business. Even a public university. They're going to admit x number of students. They'll choose the top x number of applicants, whether those students score well or poorly on the admission exams. If the top x applicants signed their applications with an "x" in crayon, they'd be admitted, because that's the best the pool has to offer. Because there are quotas.

And yet, we created (or didn't) covid, and the entire world panicked in the most insanely stupid, suicidal way possible for better than a year, causing economic damage that nobody alive today will live long enough to see the full recovery from.

It always comes down to who defines the terms. If a robot can't allow you to come to harm, who defines what constitutes harm? Even "not allowed to harm a human" is easily subverted, in the "Convert to (insert deity of your choice) or die!" "OK, I convert." "Now I have to kill you to keep from going back to your wicked ways and damning your soul for all eternity! It's for your own good!" sort of way.

I'm all for such rules, as long as I, and only I, get to define the terms.

Same could be said of Linux.

And has been.

Especially in light of recent laws requiring exactly that for all operating systems in quite a few jurisdictions.

That isn't actually true. The only one, perhaps (and I doubt that, but I haven't played with, for instance, BSD, in quite a while) that does so by default, but even Windows can be installed without providing any identifying information if you know how. (Using it, of course, is another matter.)

If you have a cell phone, every single movement you make is already tracked.

Realistically, this will affect very few people, because the overwhelming majority of people who have phones, which is nearly everyone, is already providing that personal data to the phone company. Most people simply don't care because they feel no need to hide anything.

Where it makes a difference is the very small number of people who do feel they have to hide something. Some for good reasons, some for bad reasons, and in many cases, which depends on who you ask.

Won't work. Mandate that all phones do not include a camera, and block the display of all images and video on all cameras.

Complying with this is trivially easy, and has the side benefit of showing how incredibly stupid and delusional it is.

Trivially easy. Block all images and all cameras on all phones, period.

And let millions of grandmas who can no longer video chat with their grandchildren on their phones deal with the morons in charge. I'm sure they'll have plenty of pitchforks and torches handy.

Not as funny, though.

Exactly.

In plain language?

BSA: "We hate open source because we can't make money from it."

Everyone else: "Yes, that's the point."

While there's an element of truth to that, it's also always been full of complete bullshit, propaganda, likes, trolls and sore losers. And that was before the bots took over.

As shown by the current box office, with the latest Star Wars regurgitation being pasted by not one but two indies.