[wtcactus]

I find it funny that right at the start the author claims he wants "privacy and data sovereignty" and then he comes into the EU.

Now, Proton is based in Switzerland (thank god for some sane countries in Europe that still remain), but EU is not friend to your "privacy and data sovereignty".

Countries in EU are going after you (and demanding that external platforms disclosure your anonymous identity so that they can put you in prison) because you write "wrong" stuff on the internet. Like, simply calling a - morbidly obese - politician fat. Imagine if that platform was based in the EU. [1]

So, no. EU is not the solution for your privacy. Unless you only care for businesses using your data (which is still bad, of course), but appreciate having the government (and the unelected European Commission) Big Brother watching over you and policing your words.

They are both bad, but they aren't both equally bad. Sure, the businesses can use what I write and see to put even more silly ads in front of me or even train some LLM. But, at least, they won't put me in a Gulag for re-education because I committed some thought crime.

[1] https://www.foxnews.com/media/germany-started-criminal-inves...

[shaky-carrousel]

Yes, countries in EU prosecute crime. This may be a surprise to some people, but for a long time publicly insulting someone has been a crime in Germany.

In America they don't wait for you to commit a thought crime, they throw you into a gulag right after trying to enter the country: https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/03/13/bc-woman-us-detenti...

But they're practicing the thought crime part by requiring your social media history on entry.

[scrollaway]

I started watching YouTuber Evan Edinger recently and it’s been a breath of fresh air because he’s been saying things I understood to be true a long time ago, but never quite verified until now.

One of those being about American exceptionalism and how Americans will only ever make judgement about other countries (including the EU) from the highly deformed perspective of their local news. And they’ll do this, knowingly, with no remorse, because they’ve been taught all their life America is the best so there are no reasons to doubt or consider that things aren’t quite right.

Being a continent away, with no idea what is going on over here, americans don’t understand EU culture, nor how it relates to German culture. Fox News does not understand what exactly happened in that particular case you linked, let alone you who is reading a ragebait-fueled summary of it.

You also clearly don’t understand how the European Commission works and what it is able to actually do.

Should I bother correcting you? Of course not: you are most likely not interested otherwise we wouldn’t be in this situation. The information is available freely online if you so desire and if you are willing to get out of your comfortable bubbles that constantly prioritise the aforementioned American exceptionalism.

[carlosjobim]

> EU culture

There is no such thing, and has never been. Europeans are different people with different cultures. No matter how much hackers and global projects want to exterminate those cultures and those people.

The equivalent would be to talk about "Mercosul culture" or "NAFTA culture". Or why not "NATO culture", or "BRICS culture"?

[scrollaway]

As someone who's lived in 7 different european countries throughout my life, I feel like I can confidently speak on the matter and yes, there is an EU culture. This does not mean there isn't also cultures individual to the countries, just like the latter doesn't mean there aren't cultures individual to regions or cities.

(You'd think this last part is obvious, and yet it seems it has to be spelled out for some, who'd rather pick random acronyms to strawman a culture question onto, than use common sense.)

PS- For the sake of your mental health, work on popping that bubble of yours you seem to live inside of.

[carlosjobim]

There's something of a common European culture, which has existed for centuries. Note: "European", not "EU". The EU is a steel tariffs union which has grown in scope to become an attempt of making member countries states in a federation.

The common European culture is foremost christianity, and secondly renaissance values, as well as nationalism. The latter mostly in domestic matters, such as welfare. But those values aren't exclusively European.

> For the sake of your mental health

Are you proud of expressing yourself in this way? Probably you're blowing off steam online anonymously, but if you rage and insult like this in real life whenever somebody doesn't agree with your opinions, you're not going to have fruitful interactions with other people.

[scrollaway]

There is no rage in my comments — I have better things to do than get upset at things online. I took a look at your own comment history however and it is … scary. Hence the “for the sake of your mental health”.

And yes there is an EU culture as well; just like there is a US culture not just a North American culture.

[carlosjobim]

I'll let you end your year on a high note, without further comment.

[wtcactus]

As someone that lived in 4 different European countries, I can tell you, you only talk nonsense.

Go tell a Spanish or an Italian, that is normal for the authorities to go and investigate him and put him in jail for calling someone fat.

It's fascinating the amount of bullocks that comes out of your keyboard with an aura of self-righteous intellectuality, as if you are preaching some universal acepted gospel.

[oktoberpaard]

Have you actually seen the contents of the comment? Do you actually have an example of anyone that went to jail for calling someone fat? Also: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/18/tennessee-ch....

[scrollaway]

Buddy all you’re trying to do with all the screeching in this thread is pick an online fight with someone who doesn’t care about you. You haven’t answered any of the other people who contradicted you. Go tell someone else on a noisier forum they’re self-righteous if you want to elicit a reaction, cause I’m not interested.

[wtcactus]

For someone that doesn’t care, your really went out of your way - several times - to answer me with your lengthy, and funnily empty, dogmatic texts.

[cromka]

Bravo!

[lostmsu]

So many words with 0 useful information.

[wtcactus]

I’m European, you self righteous authoritarian lover.

[scrollaway]

And? You're linking a US media website, one famous for having its head way up the american exceptionalism hole.

Also, didn't you vote to not call yourself European or something-something?

[wtcactus]

> You're linking a US media website, one famous for having its head way up the american exceptionalism hole.

Oh, I didn’t notice we are already in the censorship phase and we can’t even link Fox News. It’s a factual news (but you are free to contest it) and if Fox is the only one willing to publish it, it says more about European descent into madness than you think.

> Also, didn't you vote to not call yourself European or something-something?

What are you even talking about? You people are insane. You need to be stopped before you destroy us all.

[zipy124]

If Fox is the only one willing to publish it, it says a lot about the news story itself.... Whilst they may time to time have some journalism I'm sure, it's not a respectable news organisation in the same way as AP or Reuters and such. If it was a decent story it would be picked up on and re-reported by other outlets. There is not some conspiracy where all other journalists refuse to publish the 'truth'...

[carlosjobim]

> it says a lot about the news story itself

What does it say then about the news story itself?

[wtcactus]

When your only problem with a news, is who is willing to give it instead of the facts on the news, says a lot about your notion of "truth".

[shaky-carrousel]

You're British, so you're European when it suits you, and American when it matters. Two steps from the 51st state.

[wtcactus]

Is this HN now? Some kids going around name-calling?

What do you know of what I am or am not? What a silly thing to escape the actual discussion.

[shaky-carrousel]

This is a lot of pearl-clutching for someone who opened with an insult and then ran out of substance. If you have an actual counterargument, try that. Otherwise, spare us the theatrics.