#Fight For Privacy

[ivygorgon]

An open letter to the President & U.S. Congress

The DATA Act and the RESTRICT Act are un-American

518 so far! Help us get to 1,000 signers!

I'm alarmed by the Ban TikTok discussion & the RESTRICT Act. We're a democratic country with a First Amendment that guarantees free expression. How does banning a social media platform abide by that principle? Especially since the US government condemns authoritarian governments in other parts of the world for blocking US-based social networks. Examples:

When Nigeria banned Twitter for seven months in June 2021, the U.S. condemned it, reiterating its support for "the fundamental human right of free expression & access to information as a pillar of democracy."

Individuals responsible for the blocking of social media applications in Iran were condemned as "engaging in censorship activities that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly by citizens of Iran."

When American digital platforms have been banned or severely restricted by governments--including the Chinese Communist Party, Pakistan, & Uganda--seeking to silence & obstruct the open flow of communication & information, the US calls these entities out for it. So why are we doing the same?

TikTok is a red herring. The DATA Act & the RESTRICT Act are very broad & could lead to other apps or communications services with connections to foreign countries being banned in the US. The stated intention is to target apps/services that pose a threat to national security; the way it's currently written raises serious human & civil rights concerns that should be far more important to you.

Caitlin Vogus says: "Any bill that would allow the US government to ban an online service that facilitates Americans' speech raises serious First Amendment concerns…" And those concerns will impact marginalized & oppressed people & groups more.

The "reasoning" behind Ban TikTok is not sound. The racist fearmongering around China is bad enough. Worse is the core of the argument -- data being collected & shared & used against people -- is a problem with ALL social media. Why isn't Congress focusing on that? The apps on your phone (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Twitter) are constantly monitoring you & sending information about you to data brokers. Info that can be easily tied to you as an individual despite claims that all the data is "anonymized".

Congress should be addressing the larger problem & not one social network. Restricting what data they can collect about users & forbidding them from selling that data will address the issue with TikTok, too.

I urge you to kill the DATA Act & the RESTRICT Act. They need to be tossed out & more measured legislation proposed in their place that addresses the foundational problems of social media apps & services & the data they collect & who they share it with & how they & other entities use that data.

I know that's not as easy or sexy as Ban TikTok! It does address our Constitutional right to assemble & free expression. That's far more important than knee-jerk reactions & bandwagon jumping.

▶ Created on March 31, 2023 by K T

Text SIGN PNSIMC to 50409

[1doesnotsimplyhavejust1fandam]

This has most definitely been said before, but we were robbed of the core four quarantining on-screen together at Buck’s place. ROBBED I say

[al-luviec]

juvie buddies

[lale-txt]

the click of a tongue and a condescending “sweetheart” while you’re thigh riding sakusa, ruining his expensive suit pants in the back of a limo

[leafuxxtea]

another ivan sketch,,, he could've slayed in a shoujo as ml interest 😔

+ till extra (and HE could've slayed as shoujo protag)

[epickiya722]

You know what, I would rather embarrass myself and look like a baby deer trying to walk while learning how to ice skate than for some random guy grab me, hold me up against him like I'm his princess, ignore me telling him to let me go and then kiss me as some "parting gift".

[vigilskeep]

i need to wynnepost. somebody has to

[sugarcoatednightshade]

Israels actions against Palestine make me sick to my stomach. Every time I look at the news I see some new horror they are committing, and see how they are justifying the inexcusable, I feel sick to my stomach with rage. But now, in the heart of Ramadan, the word angry feels too small for the fire I feel in my chest.

Palestine will not be able to properly celebrate Ramadan this year. Trying to explain the situation to people who have never interacted with the community is difficult. Even when thinking to myself, I have the urge to compare it to what I know. "Imagine if there was no Christmas." "Imagine if someone took away Easter." "Imagine there was no food on Thanksgiving."

But Ramadan is not any of those things. The fact that there is no Ramadan in Palestine should be enough to make you angry.

I've been living in a muslim country for six months now. Ramadan is not nearly as festive as Eid was, but its presence is unmistakable. You can taste the joy in the air. Children here get out of school early this month. There is a school across from my home; I hear their laughter every day. String lights hang from the balconies of my neighbors, wrap around palm trees, dangle from streetlights. In the news I read that the Sheik has pardoned hundreds of prisoners, paying off their fines himself in the spirit of charity. Shops here are decorated to match, with cut out stars and crescent moons and streamers. Many shops offer discounts. "70% off home delivery."

There are festivals in the streets and lectures in the colleges.

It is wonderful. And the people of Palestine do not have this. Their fasting is forced, their children out of school by force, their houses lit by firebombs and not crescent moon LEDs, homes that smell of gunsmoke instead of oud.

I hate Israel. It feels childish to admit this. It feels like a shortcoming; hate is what causes this crisis, I should be able to focus on loving Palestine instead of adding more hate to the world. But it is a word I can't help but feel when I think about what Isreal has done, is doing, will do to the people of Palestine. What injustices they will force upon them next. Hate. It's not something I say lightly, but it is something I feel I must say.

I am not disappointed in Israel. I am not sympathetic to their 'cause.' I will not censor myself to sound more moderate, to convince the undecided. I hate Israel. I hate Israel. I hate Israel.

[cathalbravecog]

was gonna use windows movie maker but i was too tired to convert mp4 to wav. should i make this a full video. do you guys see my vision

(apologies to the toons who had to see me record myself)

[screamingwiththewolves]

I generally don't make posts like this, cause I don't wanna start an argument or disagreement, but I do find the "Is Hyde really a person?" discourse, a bit odd...I know it's a comic, and maybe I'll be proved horribly incorrect but...

Does he have emotions, with personality traits and preferences? Yes.

Does he insist he's a person? Yes.

Then he is, in fact, a person.

[trekkele]

I just had this weird epiphany and don‘t know what to do with it. So I‘m leaving it at your doorstep. It‘s nothing groundbreaking, but it bothers me.

Control freak. Respecting other peoples privacy is optional. Non humane contingency plans for friends in case of emergencies. Can be VERY overbearing.

Who does that describe?

The most hated parts of Bruce

BUT ALSO-

Tim -the fan favorite itty bitty baby boy who can do no wrong.

And it just??? Pisses me off??? Is being a dysfunctional human being cute so long as you’re not an adult???

Straight up- it feels like the writers turned him into a mini Bruce (with Ra‘s treatment of him and everything) and people who literally hate Bruce for being a controling, overbearing character adore Tim for the exact same reasons.

it‘s just so frustrating to me >:(

I mean, yeah.

I dont know enough about Tims canon character to say its 100% the same, but its similar enough that its frustrating. And tbh all of the batkids have aspects of Bruce that are villainized when Bruce does it but absolutely ok when the kids do it. Its A Thing.

I do want to push back on the idea of Bruce’s contingency plans being inhumane, simply because I dont think there is evidence of that?

Afaik, Ra’s is the only one who has implemented those and since he is just as smart as Bruce and has literal centuries of experience, and his goal was to fully neutralize the league, modifying them to be crueler would work for him. And (im pretty sure) Bruce’s entire thinking behind the contingency plans is that someone who cares if the hero makes it out whole should be the one preparing those plans, instead of, you know, the government. Nitpicking, i know, but the contingency plans are a continuously misunderstood part of his character.

Also i just noticed the “writers turn him into a mini-bruce” and i wanted to add: the “character flaws” are assigned to Tim but cutesy, the “positive character traits” are assigned to Dick and removed from Bruce for no fucking reason. They can have similar character traits i promise.

[mxystan]

i love going to my for you tab on twitter its like seeing smoke in the distance from discourse i never knew was taking place until this exact moment. like yes random user i absolutely agree but where on earth have you been hearing people saying the opposite. are you like twitter mutuals with yu ziyuan or something

[fadeintolight]

.

[birdyverdie]

School is starting soon!! I can't believe I'm excited for the stressors of classes OURGH...

[starbuck]

ya know… I may be delusional, but I feel like I actually have a decent shot at my dream internship this summer… Come the new year, I am going to reach out to my contacts in the organization and see if they can put me in touch with the hiring manager so I can introduce myself… And, since they are not a well-known location, I doubt that they have many applicants, which also gives me a better shot… AND I have a few tricks up my sleeve for #ShowingNotTelling how committed I am to working with them specifically… JUST perhaps it could all work out…