Breaking Free

The Norwegian Consumer Council just dropped “Breaking Free,” a rally-cry report on enshittification—internet speak for when apps and platforms slowly get worse for users to squeeze more profit. They’ve teamed up with 70+ consumer groups to send a letter to policymakers across the EU/EEA, UK, and US, urging action now. Commenters? Absolutely buzzing.

One camp is fired up and practical: user Epa095 pulled the letter’s headline demand—“Rebalance power between service providers and consumers.” Translation: let people control their devices, switch services easily, and stop being trapped by tech giants. Others, like kruffalon, say the tools already exist: we’ve got laws—just enforce them—and it’s refreshing to see a publicly funded watchdog push for better governance instead of shrugging.

Then came the gasoline: madspindel highlighted a jaw-dropping claim from the report that Meta estimates 10% of its revenue comes from fraudulent ads—pegged at $16 billion. Cue outrage, with users blasting fines as “just a rounding error” and demanding real penalties. The mood ping-ponged between hope (“finally, someone’s saying it”) and cynicism (“this should’ve landed 20 years ago”).

And because it’s the internet, there was a bot-sighting subplot. oytis deadpanned, “nvm, accidentally talked to a bot,” while just_once flexed their detective skills. Democracy, scams, and bots—what a thread indeed.