UK British News Megathread - aka CWCissey's news thread

https://news.sky.com/story/row-over-new-greggs-vegan-sausage-rolls-heats-up-11597679 (https://archive.ph/5Ba6o)

A heated row has broken out over a move by Britain's largest bakery chain to launch a vegan sausage roll.

The pastry, which is filled with a meat substitute and encased in 96 pastry layers, is available in 950 Greggs stores across the country.

It was promised after 20,000 people signed a petition calling for the snack to be launched to accommodate plant-based diet eaters.


But the vegan sausage roll's launch has been greeted by a mixed reaction: Some consumers welcomed it, while others voiced their objections.

View image on Twitter


spread happiness@p4leandp1nk
https://twitter.com/p4leandp1nk/status/1080767496569974785

#VEGANsausageroll thanks Greggs

7
10:07 AM - Jan 3, 2019
See spread happiness's other Tweets
Twitter Ads info and privacy


Cook and food poverty campaigner Jack Monroe declared she was "frantically googling to see what time my nearest opens tomorrow morning because I will be outside".

While TV writer Brydie Lee-Kennedy called herself "very pro the Greggs vegan sausage roll because anything that wrenches veganism back from the 'clean eating' wellness folk is a good thing".

One Twitter user wrote that finding vegan sausage rolls missing from a store in Corby had "ruined my morning".

Another said: "My son is allergic to dairy products which means I can't really go to Greggs when he's with me. Now I can. Thank you vegans."

View image on Twitter


pg often@pgofton
https://twitter.com/pgofton/status/1080772793774624768

The hype got me like #Greggs #Veganuary

42
10:28 AM - Jan 3, 2019
See pg often's other Tweets
Twitter Ads info and privacy


TV presenter Piers Morgan led the charge of those outraged by the new roll.

"Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns," he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Morgan later complained at receiving "howling abuse from vegans", adding: "I get it, you're all hangry. I would be too if I only ate plants and gruel."

Another Twitter user said: "I really struggle to believe that 20,000 vegans are that desperate to eat in a Greggs."

"You don't paint a mustach (sic) on the Mona Lisa and you don't mess with the perfect sausage roll," one quipped.

Journalist Nooruddean Choudry suggested Greggs introduce a halal steak bake to "crank the fume levels right up to 11".

The bakery chain told concerned customers that "change is good" and that there would "always be a classic sausage roll".

It comes on the same day McDonald's launched its first vegetarian "Happy Meal", designed for children.

The new dish comes with a "veggie wrap", instead of the usual chicken or beef option.

It should be noted that Piers Morgan and Greggs share the same PR firm, so I'm thinking this is some serious faux outrage and South Park KKK gambiting here.

 

[Overly Serious]

Just so you're aware, the user you're replying to has been accused on the capital I Internet of the production of child sexual abuse material. There's zero actual evidence of this, but tbh I think they need to be banned, for the sake of the children.

There's certainly something not quite right in their head. They're like someone trying to do the "When did you stop beating your wife" question who after having had people explain to them the problem still can't move on from their script of "But when? WHEN?" Just poses their trap question, nobody walks into it, they keep yelling "so you approve of CSAM!" as if you had.

 

[Product Placement]

I am not convinced there's any actual evidence of this happening. The only source I've seen cited in the complaints about Grok producing child porn was a charity saying they saw a post on a dark web forum where the user claimed they used Grok to generate "sexualised images", which was then denied by xAI. Even that source said the "hardcore" content was generated by other models.

Their main arguments seem to relate to users making deepfakes of people (the BBC cite ones of Keir Starmer in a bikini, showing where the priorities lie) and while that is an interesting point of concern, it's clearly not something that requires an immediate wholesale ban of the platform.

This is the same government that made it a crime to air subversive opinions in public, and have removed your right to a trial by jury if you are accused of doing so. It's quite clear that this is just the next step in their plans to silence all dissent. There is a reason they are going after Twitter and not the platforms where child harm is provably committed (Discord, Snapchat, Telegram, etc.)

You shouldn't forget but isn't just the UK investigating this but a number of countries.
Elon Musk’s X faces probes in Europe, India, Malaysia after Grok generated explicit images of women and children

https://archive.ph/wip/tEde7

While I get untrust in governments, not sure how you can trust Musk as well when he is unwilling to do the basic due diligence to make sure his AI isn't and unable to produce such images. As I said before, would be no need to ban the platform if he rolled back this feature until it is fixed but so far he is unwilling to do so. And not like removing this feature while it gets sorted is taking away the freedom of speech of anyone. And again should be on either or thing, can be against both.

I do agree other platforms are harmful children such as the ones you listed, and is why I fully support a ban on anyone below 16 on them.

Anyway, thanks for a well thought out reply.

edit: Do want to say, I don't think most of you defending this are pedos, rather you are politically against those that want to ban X for this and have distrust of them, while you are politically allied with Musk, at least in the past. But as I said before, this shouldn't be a political thing, but a question if Musk is doing all he should to stop this, and right now he hasn't.

 

[FedPostalService]

Just so you're aware, the user you're replying to has been accused on the capital I Internet of the production of child sexual abuse material. There's zero actual evidence of this, but tbh I think they need to be banned, for the sake of the children.

I think we should go straight to the woodchipper. I mean, I understand there is no evidence but the safety of children comes first!

 

[Geoff Capes Vapes Apes]

I think we should go straight to the woodchipper. I mean, I understand there is no evidence but the safety of children comes first!

I agree completely, I'm so disgusted by such appalling misuse of the Internet I put my foot through the router, and I'm sending Ofcom the bill.

 

[The man The only man]

@Product Placement Adobe Photoshop can also create CP, shouldn't the UK ban that too with your logic?

 

[FedPostalService]

Maybe we should ban children? Once we are rid of them then no CP can be produced.

 

[Product Placement]

@Product Placement Adobe Photoshop can also create CP, shouldn't the UK ban that too with your logic?

Anyone who uses adobe to make CP should rot in jail. But photoshop tools are not the same as generative ai, and any companies that make generative ai tools, need to put measures in place to stop it being used for such reasons. Really sad, some here are upset over that idea.

 

[Vesperus]

photoshop tools are not the same as generative ai

Tell that to Adobe.

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/generative-fill.html

Generative Fill now delivers better results with Gemini 3 (with Nano Banana Pro) and FLUX.2 pro, plus a new Firefly Fill & Expand model (beta). Make precise edits with simple prompts and nondestructive tools.

It's almost as if you already have your conclusion, and are desperately trying to rationalise it.

 

[Made In Wales]

Paedo's and Nonce's ALL deserve the rope and drop.

Anyway, what an amazing story the FA Cup Third Round match between Macclesfield FC (were formerly Macclesfield Town until they went bust and had to reform under a new name) and Crystal Palace, the current FA Cup holders.

Conference North v Premier League - the hosts given no chance of victory...

Yet...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdnNaIjthV4

 

[Product Placement]

Tell that to Adobe.

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/generative-fill.html

It's almost as if you already have your conclusion, and are desperately trying to rationalise it.

I was unaware that Adobe photoshop had ai tools, but same as what I wrote about other generative ai applies here.

 

[femboy fart huffer]

TL;DR: I don't know if this is a pretext for banning Twitter or if politicians actually think this will cut down on CSAM.

I mean. I don't need to say much really. We all know the answer. Even if everyone posting child porn publicly through grok was arrested nothing would happen. We live in England you can walk out of a court room with a guilty verdict for possession and distribution of child porn and not spend a single second in prison. Maybe a controversial opinion but I do not give a shit about this until something with an actual direct victim is treated with the severity it should be. Idk I just care a tiny bit more about something produced by the actual rape of a child instead of an automated photoshop.

Also as someone with a fair bit of experience fucking around with ai stuff, you do not want anti child restrictions. Genuinely the largest ai website is incredibly fucking hard to use because specifying 'flat chest' will trigger those restrictions. Flat chested women are officially children, the fucking worst part is that most loras will give any character tits just by nature of the majority of training images being women. That includes men. You cannot tell the ai to not give a man massive anime tits because it is unable to differentiate between a normal man and an infant girl.

Idk if anyone remembers a bit over a decade ago now, when it was getting really common to have a home computer and they did more than just internet stuff. There was a big media storm with all these celebrities and stuff crying about people who took images of them and photoshopped them into porn. Then everyone forgot about it because it was fucking impossible to stop and just kinda retarded, that's just happening again basically.

Has there been any actual confirmed cases of grok being used to produce CSAM rather than legal but distasteful material of children in swimwear - none as far as I can make out

There have been people arrested for using ai to create child porn yes. I haven't heard of anyone using grok specifically but there have been arrests for similar.

New hatespeech emoji combo for the chuds

Smh clown emojis have been hatespeech for years now. Someone's clearly a fake racist.

But photoshop tools are not the same as generative ai

No they're not. There is no functional difference between the product of photoshop and ai other than time. What you are saying here is that you're fine with people turning normal images into child porn as long as they put in the effort. I'm fine with child porn I just think you should have to work for it, child porn is good and fine I just don't like ai. You do realise that every day thousands of people use photoshop to create loli/shotacon pornography which is still classed as child porn right?

 

[SirCliveSinclairdabbing]

I’ll give you an idea of how hard product placement is astroturfing.

A while ago Corbyn’s party came up with an orange logo.

“Your party”

“For the people”

Or something like that.
I tried to get grok to change the wording to

“Your panties”

“In a twist”

Nothing could do it, it would make garbage, link to none existent files, lie, then finally admit it wasn’t allowed to.

You’re telling me a computer that can’t even type the word panties can willingly produce child porn? Bullshit.

 

[Product Placement]

No they're not. There is no functional difference between the product of photoshop and ai other than time. What you are saying here is that you're fine with people turning normal images into child porn as long as they put in the effort. I'm fine with child porn I just think you should have to work for it, child porn is good and fine I just don't like ai. You do realise that every day thousands of people use photoshop to create loli/shotacon pornography which is still classed as child porn right?

It is more so I'm not sure how you can limit the use of photoshop for that, while with AI you can limit prompts that would lead to such images being made and sure there is a way to train the algorithm to not allow for such things as well. If there is a way for photoshop to be stopped from being used to create such images, I would be all for that, but I really not sure what that could be but if you have any ideas would be happy to hear them from you or anyone else.

It is also unfair to say I'm fine with photoshop being used for that, when I state anyone who uses it to create child porn should be put in jail but you selectively removed that part in your reply. Here is the line you remove, also very first one in my post

Anyone who uses adobe to make CP should rot in jail.

It is rather funny how many are you are willing to die on this hill, rather than admitting Musk should just take down his gen ai until he sorts out the issue. All you have to defend it is weak what aboutisms.

 

[femboy fart huffer]

It is also unfair to say I'm fine with photoshop being used for that, when I state anyone who uses it to create child porn should be put in jail but you selectively removed that part in your reply. Here is the line you remove, also very first one in my post

So who's your favourite loli then? I bet it's that dragon girl one. Can't even make this joke properly because I don't fucking know enough anime children Or actually considering the logic and rhetoric, guy's probably a failed politician, I bet your favourite loli is the one mohammed raped.

I'm actually going down to London tomorrow to protest the sale of pencils to prevent people drawing child porn and stabbing each other if you'd like to join me. It's a bit hard, I keep trying to make a sign for it but, well, I've not got anything I can write with anymore, threw all my pens away to prove I don't rape children. Thinking maybe I can scrunch up paper and make like a 3d writing like paper mache type shit but I heard Jimmy once did a segment doing paper mache crafts so I'm a bit nervous the police might get the wrong idea when I start buying pva glue.

 

[Otterly]

I was unaware that Adobe photoshop had ai tools, but same as what I wrote about other generative ai applies here.

By this logic the generative AI is what should be banned. What the government want to do is ban the public square.
Mods can nuke any account that generates such a request. Anything that falls foul of law can be prosecuted. They’re not doing that though, they’re after the platform itself. We’ve had cases in the last month on here where a man with hundreds of thousands of images of Child abuse was let go because he was ‘of otherwise good character’ by a British judge.
None of the other platforms abuse is carried out on are up for a ban. Only x. Why is that?

 

[Made In Wales]

By this logic the generative AI is what should be banned. What the government want to do is ban the public square.
Mods can nuke any account that generates such a request. Anything that falls foul of law can be prosecuted. They’re not doing that though, they’re after the platform itself. We’ve had cases in the last month on here where a man with hundreds of thousands of images of Child abuse was let go because he was ‘of otherwise good character’ by a British judge.
None of the other platforms abuse is carried out on are up for a ban. Only x. Why is that?

Couldn't have something to do with Elon being pals with Trump, could it?

 

[Otterly]

Couldn't have something to do with Elon being pals with Trump, could it?

That and the fact that the user base is allowed to speak more freely than our current crop of despots wants. My loathing of these people reaches new depths daily, it’s quite remarkable. You don’t think you can hate them any more and then you wake up and read the news and they’ve just casually slapped down another bit of utterly despotic nonsense

 

[Product Placement]

By this logic the generative AI is what should be banned. What the government want to do is ban the public square.
Mods can nuke any account that generates such a request. Anything that falls foul of law can be prosecuted. They’re not doing that though, they’re after the platform itself. We’ve had cases in the last month on here where a man with hundreds of thousands of images of Child abuse was let go because he was ‘of otherwise good character’ by a British judge.
None of the other platforms abuse is carried out on are up for a ban. Only x. Why is that?

The generative AI is tied to his social media platform, so unsure how you can ban one without the other, unless Musk takes the steps to remove it from twitter. As I said before likely is political, but Musk has given them a legit reason to go after him due to his unwilling to fix shit, if he just sorted his shit out they would have this legit reason to use.

That case you brought up, it is fucked up and unacceptable, the judge should be removed and have his hard drive checked. But that shouldn't give anyone else a free pass.

 

[FedPostalService]

Couldn't have something to do with Elon being pals with Trump, could it?

They've fallen out, they have been no longer BFF for a while, which is why they're probably going after Twitter now.

 

[Overly Serious]

Maybe a controversial opinion but I do not give a shit about this until something with an actual direct victim is treated with the severity it should be. Idk I just care a tiny bit more about something produced by the actual rape of a child instead of an automated photoshop.

Pretty controversial, yes - most of us starting getting angry about CSAM before it gets to the point of actual child molestation. We get pissed with a child is edited into porn whether the child was actually molested or if it's using the child's likeness. We find the entirety of CSAM repugnant and want to stop it even if it is drawn from scratch. And most of us think that spreading around that material normalizes the sexualization of children and we do not like it one bit. So yeah, you may not "give a shit about it" but the rest of us do.

But that's not something I really have to argue a case for and it's better done elsewhere. The on-topic part is the UK government threatening to ban Twitter over it being generated by Grok which makes the only relevant part of your weird post this:

There have been people arrested for using ai to create child porn yes. I haven't heard of anyone using grok specifically but there have been arrests for similar.

IF so then the UK govt. is, as I said, either subject to its own tech-ignorance or using this as a pretext. Likely some combination of both.

Also as someone with a fair bit of experience fucking around with ai stuff, you do not want anti child restrictions. Genuinely the largest ai website is incredibly fucking hard to use because specifying 'flat chest' will trigger those restrictions.

Funnily enough I've never found AI image generation difficult to use because of my inability to use the term "flat chest" in my image requests.

And I know AI pretty well, thanks, so please don't talk down to me. I listed out approaches to preventing the generation of CSAM on public services earlier.

You cannot tell the ai to not give a man massive anime tits because it is unable to differentiate between a normal man and an infant girl.

Again, not a problem I have ever run into.

No they're not. There is no functional difference between the product of photoshop and ai other than time.

And why is time a meaningless difference? Why is ease of use meaningless? Why is the ability to do things en masse a meaningless difference? Why is the ability to do things to a degree of realism beyond the reach of most people up until now a meaningless difference? You affect some kind of superior knowledge of "AI" but the principles of photoshop and generateive AI are quite different. The principles of generative AI and photoshopping a few images together are also quite different. You'll likely reply in a moment that they're not but you'll be wrong. Photoshop is compositing images together. Generative AI is not and it is not simply compositing its training images together on a larger scale. Once the model is trained there is no resevoir of training images it is cutting bits and pieces from. If someone tried to make CSAM in photoshop they're starting from real naked bodies. Generative AI doesn't need a single naked child in its training data to produce one in its output. That's not how Generative AI works. And that difference is being used by some to try and re-open an ethical debate about CSAM. Such as people saying they "don't give a shit about it" if it's not actual rape of a real child. There's no debate. It's disgusting.

What I think is that you don't know that much what you're talking about. But I do believe that you use Generative AI a lot to make porn. That part you convinced me of. They're not the same thing though. A rat can press a button to get a treat. Doesn't mean it understands the mechanism. Just that it will defend that mechanism.

What you are saying here is that you're fine with people turning normal images into child porn as long as they put in the effort. I'm fine with child porn I just think you should have to work for it,

It would be delightful to think you're only a troll.