#Informed Consent Action Network

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jay Kuo at The Status Kuo:

During his interview with Time Magazine, which once again named him “Person of the Year,” Donald Trump unsurprisingly said many startling things between his usual ramblings. Today I want to focus on one of them in particular: vaccines. Trump declared he is “going to do what’s good for the country.” When asked whether that includes getting rid of some vaccinations, Trump responded, “It could if I think it’s dangerous, if I think they are not beneficial,” but then added, “I don’t think it’s going to be very controversial in the end.” This is a stark departure from earlier assurances by anti-vax nut job RFK, Jr., who promised earlier that he would not take vaccines away from anyone who wants them. Now it seems the team he hopes to gather at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will propose a review of vaccine safety and, depending on the results, could possibly pull some critical ones from the market.

But could and would they really do something so crazy as ban life-saving shots like the Hepatitis B, measles mumps and rubella, and polio vaccines? Trump’s interview set off alarms among health experts, especially epidemiologists. And it raises many questions, not the least of which is exactly how vaccines might be reviewed by the government to confirm if they are “dangerous” or “not beneficial,” if and when RFK, Jr. is confirmed as head of HHS. Adding fuel to this dumpster fire is a report out this morning by the New York Times that RFK, Jr.’s lawyer, Aaron Siri, is an anti-vax crusader who has previously petitioned the FDA to revoke approval for polio and other vaccines. Trump’s statements imply that he really meant what he said on the campaign trail about letting RFK, Jr. go “wild on health.” And with zealots like Siri helping to shape national health policy, we are dangerously close to returning to an era where childhood diseases, once considered largely eradicated, could make a deadly comeback.

[...]

Anyone familiar with the way anti-vax groups regularly challenge FDA approvals, Covid mandates, scientists and drug manufacturers likely feels a rock in their gut reading this. First, it appears that Trump has taken up a dangerous and false claim that purports to link childhood vaccinations to autism. That theory has been widely debunked, but it has managed to produce mass hysteria for two decades. And now it has the bully pulpit of the Oval Office behind it. The fact that the president-elect agrees with this discredited theory, and is appointing someone to head HHS who actively pushes it, is troubling in the extreme.

[...]

An anti-vax zealot gets his shot

Aaron Siri probably can’t believe his good fortune. He has made his legal career out of representing anti-vax clients, including a group called the Informed Consent Action Network, an organization whose founder is also a close Kennedy ally. In that capacity, as the Times reports, as recently as 2022 Siri petitioned the FDA to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. That’s right, he wants to see the polio vaccine withdrawn, even though it has saved countless children from death or lifetime disability. Siri has gone after 13 other vaccines, too, including the Hepatitis B vaccine, and has crusaded around the country to lift Covid mandates. His tactic is to impugn the integrity of the scientists responsible for developing the vaccines and poke as many holes as he can into their product development, safety studies and approvals. He does this by playing on the preconceptions and fears of the conspiracy-minded, making otherwise harmless errors or oversights appear as massive and even intentional frauds upon the public. One critic of Siri’s crusades is Dr. Stanley Plotkin, the inventor of the vaccine that eliminated rubella in the 1960s. Before the vaccine, it was a disease that killed thousands of newborns. Siri deposed Plotkin in a lawsuit Siri had brought. After spending nine hours being grilled by Siri, Dr. Plotkin believes that putting Siri in any position of influence “would be a disaster.” Dr. Plotkin added, “I find him laughable in many ways — except, of course, that he’s a danger to public health.”

Siri still managed to put a target on Dr. Plotkin, however, by publishing snippets of that deposition online, along with those of one Dr. Kathryn Edwards, another noted inventor of vaccines. Siri had the help of an anti-vax documentary maker and podcaster, Del Bigtree—who is also RFK, Jr.’s former campaign communications director and founder of the Informed Consent Action Network. As a result, Drs. Plotkin and Edwards have been vilified by anti-vaxxers instead of celebrated for their stunning accomplishments.

“You’re taking the leaders in vaccinology,” Dr. Edwards told the Times, “the people that have spent their whole lives studying these vaccines and seeing their impact, you’re marginalizing and making them look like they are prostitutes of pharma.” Of great concern is how Siri is now working with RFK, Jr. to actively vet candidates for top positions at HHS. According to the Times, Siri has asked candidates about their view on vaccines, potentially setting up HHS to have a uniformly anti-vax agenda. RFK, Jr. and his advisors, like Siri and Bigtree, could succeed in having vaccines actually pulled from the market based on the “studies” they are demanding, the conclusions of which we can assume are pre-ordained. But even short of actually yanking important vaccines, the platforming of anti-vax conspiracies and disinformation will create widespread vaccine hesitancy, which could result in serious and deadly outbreaks.

History could repeat on a huge scale

We need only look at what RFK, Jr. did in Samoa to understand the extent of the damage and even death his views can cause. In 2019, the small island nation experienced a deadly outbreak of measles, with 5,700 infections out of a population of 200,000. Hospitals were full, and the country was in a state of emergency. In the end, 83 people died, most of them young children. But what had caused this outbreak? Childhood measles vaccinations rates plummeted from 90 percent in 2013 to just a third of all infants by 2019 due to a health scandal where nurses had improperly mixed the measles vaccine with the wrong liquid, resulting in two deaths. That incident opened the floodgates for vaccine misinformation driven by RFK, Jr. and his anti-vaccine non-profit, the Children’s Health Defense. At one point RFK, Jr. even sent the Samoan prime minister a letter suggesting the measles vaccine itself may have caused the outbreak. He falsely asserted that it had “failed to produce antibodies” in mothers sufficient to provide infants with immunity, that it perhaps provoked “the evolution of more virulent measles strains” and even that children who received the vaccine may have inadvertently spread the virus to other children.

[...]

There is still an opportunity to stop RFK’s confirmation, if the GOP-controlled Senate finds enough backbone and common sense. But time is running out to change minds and stand up to Trump. Meanwhile, RFK Jr.’s allies in the anti-vax movement, like Siri and Bigtree, are gearing up to unleash a true nightmare upon our health system.

This is very disturbing: the anti-vaxxer extremist movement is on the prowl, as both Donald Trump and RFK Jr. are making moves to potentially yank some vaccines off the market-- including the polio-- and champion the debunked lie that vaccines “cause” autism.

See Also:

Daily Kos: We got rid of polio with vaccines. RFK's lawyer wants to bring it back

[feminist-space]

"The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death.

That campaign is just one front in the war that the lawyer, Aaron Siri, is waging against vaccines of all kinds.

Mr. Siri has also filed a petition seeking to pause the distribution of 13 other vaccines; challenged, and in some cases quashed, Covid vaccine mandates around the country; sued federal agencies for the disclosure of records related to vaccine approvals; and subjected prominent vaccine scientists to grueling videotaped depositions.

Much of Mr. Siri’s work — including the polio petition filed in 2022 — has been on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network, a nonprofit whose founder is a close ally of Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Siri also represented Mr. Kennedy during his presidential campaign.

Mr. Kennedy, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice for health secretary, has said that he does not want to take away access to any vaccines. But as he prepares for his confirmation hearing and plans a fresh health agenda, his continuing close partnership with Mr. Siri suggests that vaccine policy will be under sharp scrutiny. It is a chilling prospect to many public health leaders, especially those who recall the deadly toll of some vaccine-mediated diseases.

At the Trump transition headquarters in Florida, Mr. Siri has joined Mr. Kennedy in questioning and choosing candidates for top health positions, according to someone who observed the interactions but insisted on anonymity to disclose private conversations. They have asked candidates about their views of vaccines, the person said.

Mr. Kennedy has privately expressed interest in having Mr. Siri serve in the Health and Human Services Department’s top legal job, general counsel. However, Mr. Siri has suggested he may have more influence outside the administration. At his law firm, Siri & Glimstad, he oversees about 40 professionals working on vaccine cases and policy.

“Somebody on the outside needs to be petitioning them,” he said on a podcast in late November.

Either way, it’s clear that his voice will be heard at the highest levels."

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/health/aaron-siri-rfk-jr-vaccines.html

[evil-peanut-butter-addict-sam]

I was gonna say this on twt to puppy but I got scared.

Yes, I support Wilbur.

more simple explanation without legal stuff:

Shelby has had many other allegations of abuse towards some of her other exes, more so when she couldn't gain to much money, and her abuse story has came up on the Wilbur one with it changing almost seemingly every stream she would speak about such topic. I understand the importance to support the victim but I personally believe the victim here is lying and doing it for the fame. But one they I don't find ok is people 1 nit supporting him and 2 on the same page speak about many sexual commentary about CC! NOT C!, when will has spoken before he is not ok himself being used for sexual desires, sexual art ,etc.

Law stuff:

Me though as someone who enjoys law, enjoys looking to legal cases, I found this as a time to do a legal study on it [might not be the best idea] but have looked into many different websites, many different youtubers, I have looked on practically every edge of the internet for more fact on this topic, I went as far as to asking my friends who don't support him if they know anything I don't, I went as far as going to the poll to cancel Shelby to find any facts, here's what I found with my own looking and the poll.

"« Article 188 - Libel (administrative violation) Article 189 - Insult inflicted in a public speech, or in a printed or publicly displayed work, or in the media (administrative violation) Article 203-1 - Illegal actions regarding information about private life and personal data. (administrative violation) Article 352 - Unlawful acquisition of computer information (Wilbur's personal data). (administrative violation) Article 355 - Violation of the rules for operating a computer system or network. (administrative violation) »Article 188 - Libel, administrative violation Article 203-1 - Illegal actions regarding information about private life and personal data. Administrative violation. Article 343 - Distribution of pornographic material (intimate photos and videos of Wilbur). Criminal article. Article 189 - Insult inflicted in a public speech, or in a printed or publicly displayed work, or in the media. Administrative violation. Article 355 - Violation of the rules for operating a computer system or network. Administrative violation. Article 352 - Unlawful acquisition of computer information (Wilbur’s personal data). Administrative violation or criminal for up to two years. The list could take a long time, believe me. Also, based on information on the Internet, libel in the United States is severely punished (up to $250,000 or 10 years in prison).  Also, taking into account USA laws, Shelby violates: Chapter 2 Article 3 - Disrespect for Wilbur's Life Article 5 of Chapter 2 - Dissemination of Wilbur Soot's personal information without his mutual consent to these actions, thereby violating his integrity Article 11 of chapters 1-2 - disrespect for the honor and dignity of William Gold, distributing purely personal information and supporting doxxing towards Wil. Article 12 of Chapter 2 - condemnation of Wilbur Soot for his thoughts and beliefs, which have the right to be expressed"

I understand I post these alot but it is needed to be shown.

[darkmaga-returns]

As of October 15, 2024, CDC has released more than half of the anticipated 7.8 million entries of V-safe free-text entries. ICAN’s analysis of the entries released so far reveals almost 12,000 reports of kidney pain, kidney stones, or kidney infections.

As many of you already know, V-safe was developed by CDC for individuals to report symptoms after COVID-19 vaccination. This month, we decided to look at V-safe reports of kidney issues.

We know from other vaccines that vaccination can negatively affect kidney function, causing harm far from the injection site. Sadly, it doesn’t occur to most people that an injection in their arm can harm a distant system of their body. But as ICAN has reported again and again, all body systems can be impacted by vaccination.

A 2024 study found a “strong causal relationship” between COVID-19 vaccination and kidney diseases such as acute interstitial nephritis (inflammation of kidneys) and podocytopathy (injury to special cells in the kidney). A 2022 study found a correlation between acute kidney injury (AKI) and COVID-19 vaccination and that “AKI following the COVID-19 vaccines led to poor prognosis, with 19.78% death in the Pfizer-BNT group, 17.78% in MODERNA, and 12.36% in JANSSEN.”

The V-safe app entries—most made in just the first few days and weeks following vaccination—reveal many reports of kidney pain, the abrupt development of kidney stones, and hospitalization for kidney infections. Here are a few examples:

“Infection of Kidneys and UTI. Blood in urine and kidney stone on left kidney.”

“I’m in the hospital right now Because I’m still peeing blood they think it’s kidney stones.”

“Kidney stone requiring emergency surgery, ureteral stent placement and subsequent removal; UTI.”

“Intermittent stabbing, pulsing pain around left kidney.”

“Severe flank pain (I think it’s a kidney stone) I’m in the ER”

“Diagnosis with new onset kidney stone”

“Severe kidney infection back pain fever”

Readers will not be surprised to learn CDC doesn’t recognize kidney issues as adverse events related to COVID-19 vaccination, despite CDC’s access to this same V-safe data in real time as the vaccines were rolled out. ICAN will continue to do CDC’s job for it and bring attention to these dangerous and sometimes life-threatening conditions.

[adarinas]

(WIP) Resources Masterlist

*Note: a lot of these are geared toward American and/or English-speaking populations, my apologies, but plenty of them are global!

GENERAL

End Global Genocides Master Document | Another Master Doc | Tumblr Post - Links to Informational Articles/Websites

Donations: Fundraisers - Gaza, Sudan, Congo, and more | Doctors Without Borders | Care.org | World Central Kitchen | Operation Olive Branch | Islamic Relief USA

Discord: Global Strikes Against Genocide Discord Server

SUDAN

Eyes on Sudan | Sudan Solidarity Collective | Linktree - Sudanese Diaspora Network

Info: 500 days of war... | Sudan War Explained - Interview

Petitions/Letters: Stop Sudan War | Justice for Human Rights Abuse Victims in Chad and Sudan | Stop Arming Saudi Arabia and the UAE to stop the Sudan genocide

Donations: Sudan Funds | Tumblr Masterpost - Sudan Orgs/Fundraisers | Water for South Sudan

ROHINGYA

Free Rohingya Coalition

Info: CNN - Hundreds of Rohingya face drone strikes / ethnic cleansing in Myanmar

Spotify - Rohingya Culture Interview

Petitions:

Donations: Mutual Emergency Aid 4 Rohingya | Emergency Aid for Rohingya Orphans and Disabled Families

TIGRAY

Tigray Action Committee

Info: Omna Tigray - What's happening in Tigray? | Tghat News | UN Article from Sept 2023

Petitions/Letters: Petition - Demand Aid to Tigray | Stop the Tigray Genocide

Donations: Places to Donate for Tigray Tumblr Post | Ahwatna Relief

DRC

Friends of the Congo | Focus Congo | Congo Resources Tumblr Post

Info: DRC: Inside the world's forgotten war | Congo Genocide Explained - Interview

Petitions: No Tax Dollars to Fund Congo Genocide | Halt the Ongoing Genocide in Congo

Donations: SOS Congo (organized by Goma Actif) | IRC in Congo | Action Kivu

KASHMIR

Stand with Kashmir | Kashmir Masterlist Tumblr Post

Info: Kashmir - Paradise Lost (BBC)

Petitions/Letters: Stop Arming Indian Occupation of Kashmir

Donations: KASHMER

EAST TURKESTAN

Campaign for Uyghurs | Uyghur Truth Project | Camp Album Project

Info: Persecution of Uyghurs in China - Wikipedia

Petitions/Letters: Change.org - Uyghur Muslims

PALESTINE

Jewish Voice for Peace | USPCR Stop Gaza Genocide Toolkit

Info: Wizard Bisan, a Palestinian journalist

Petitions/Letters: Not Another Bomb | Amnesty - Demand a Ceasefire | Tumblr Post with Petitions | Ceasefire Now | (JVP) Tell Congress - Arms Embargo Now

Donations: Gaza Funds | Low on Funds Palestinians Fundraisers | Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraisers | Arab.org Daily Click | Middle East Children's Alliance

ARMENIA

Learn for Artsakh | Help Armenians Carrd | Artsakh Genocide Action Toolkit

Info: Denying Your History - Armenian Genocide

Petitions/Letters: Petition - Stop Erasing Armenian Culture | International Recognition of Artsakh

Donations: Fund for Armenian Relief | Armenia Fund | CARITAS Armenia | ARS of Eastern USA inc.

INDIGENOUS AMERICANS

MMIWG2S | Indigenous Action | NDN Collective

Petitions/Letters: Stop sterilizing Indigenous women without consent | Free Leonard Peltier

HAWAII

Info: Tourism's Negative Impact on Native Hawaiians | Noho Hewa Film (2008)

Donations: Hawaii Community Foundation

HAITI

Haiti Liberation Google Doc

Donations: Hands Together for Haitians | Haiti Outreach | Hope for Haiti | Twitter Thread of GoFundMes/Donation Links

WEST PAPUA

Free West Papua Website | West Papua Resources/Info Tumblr Post | We Need to Talk about Papua Carrd (last updated 2021 but has good info)

Info: United Nations - Indonesia: Shocking abuses against indigenous Papuans | Twitter Thread of Helpful Articles

Petitions/Letters:

ALSO:

The Kurdish Project

KEEP BOYCOTTING, PROTESTING, AND DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN! FREE ALL OPPRESSED PEOPLES OF THE WORLD!

If you can't donate, share!

If you have any concerns with the links I've posted, please share! I tried my best to verify everything but please let me know if you are doubtful of something! Also, please please share other resources from people who are directly impacted by these genocides!!

LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 16 2024.

[mcytcontent]

(4/4) over parts on my profile

Shelby's Instagram

Despite the fact that Shelby said that she and Wilbur started dating in 2022, it seems to me that this is slightly wrong. And their relationship began at the end of 2021. I think so because of the photos of Wilbur and Shelby together on her Instagram. (1-1,5, 2, 3)

In all the photographs (except the last one) absolutely everyone is marked except her and Wilbur.

Sudden facts

Smajor was the very first of Shelby’s close friends to announce himself; he claimed that he saw abuse in their relationship, but for some reason remained silent. The reason for his silence is unknown. ‌

Billzo appears, emerging from his year-long silence with a statement that he, too, saw how Wilbur manipulated him and his friends. At the same time, Billzo, like Smajor, did not talk about this until the persecution against Sut began. The reason for his silence is also unknown.

‌After this, Tubbo liked Bilzo and Freddie's answer

Wilbur's moments

Wilbur and others have repeatedly confirmed and joked about the fact that Wilbur has an addiction to alcohol. Wilbur himself admitted this on Quackity's stream.

Amid Wilbur and Shelby's relationship, Technoblade died. Techno's death could have made Wilbur very depressed, especially considering that Wilbur had frequent panic attacks as a child, as well as severe anxiety.

Wilbur more than once asked not to idealize him, he said a lot about the fact that he was a bad person.

He said that he had been mentally ill since childhood and that he would soon undergo therapy. And for some time Will was so apathetic and depressed that he didn’t even get out of bed and the only one who was at least somehow worried about him and forced him to look after him was Tommy, who was 17 at that time.

Also one of the streams from 2023, where he mentions his problems with mental health and that it has become worse

"Wilbur, if you weren't a little bit handsome, everyone would think you're wrongun" - Tommy's joke (6:25)

Shelby also said that Will doesn't care about his fans, and he only wants fame and money from them. Officially, tickets for his concert cost from 49+ pennies. Tommy talked about this when he went to the cmwyl concert. And Bilzo himself said on Twitter that he would buy Will’s ttrack «The "Nice Guy" Ballad» if he put it up, and Bilzo replied that he could listen to it for free.

Wilbur also supports feminism.

Shelby's cousin

Cousin Shelby said that it was not Wilbur who abused Shelby, but she who abused him. (There is no evidence that this is Shelby’s cousin, so the information is not accurate)

Shelby responded to this within 40 minutes, but at this point, her reply has been deleted.

What Shelby violated

You can read more about Shelby's violations from VikaVivii (RIP♡) on Twitter.

Article 188 - Libel, administrative violation

Article 189 - Insult inflicted in a public speech, or in a printed or publicly displayed work, or in the media. Administrative violation.

Article 203-1 - Illegal actions regarding information about private life and personal data. Administrative violation.

Article 343 - Distribution of pornographic material (intimate photos and videos of Wilbur). Criminal article.

Im actually not sure about this

Article 352 - Unlawful acquisition of computer information (Wilbur’s personal data). Administrative violation or criminal for up to two years.

Article 355 - Violation of the rules for operating a computer system or network. Administrative violation.

Chapter 2 Article 3 - Disrespect for Wilbur's Life

Chapter 2 Article 5 - Dissemination of Wilbur Sweat's personal information without his mutual consent to these actions, thereby violating his integrity

Chapter 1-2 Article 11 - disrespect for the honor and dignity of William Gold, distributing purely personal information and supporting doxxing towards Wil.

Chapter 2 Article 12 - condemnation of Wilbur Soot for his thoughts and beliefs, which have the right to be expressed.

Victims from SupportShubleSquad

Aiden (@VikaVivii) is a 15-year-old child who was subjected to domestic violence and who was one of Wilbur's active supports. He actively looked into the situation, talked about the holes in Shubble's story, and covered the petition (authored by @kinokonyai) which outlines the laws that Shelby violated. Due to bullying and threats of doxxing, on 03/07/24, I jumped from the balcony, before that I wrote a couple of posts on my Twitter account, saying goodbye. Afterwards, Aiden's close friend (@ZaneDeYala) confirmed his death and said that Aiden's mother would speak out about it later.

Miles (@Wilbees_xx) - 16 years old, tried to commit suicide with an overdose of pills. Based on his brother's statement, we know that Miles is currently in the hospital and getting help.

M (@weirdobur) - wanted to commit suicide, but luckily he couldn’t, now he’s decided to step away from the Internet for an indefinite period.

⬆️

Shelby left her Twitter account for the purpose of “resting.” At the same time, deleting messages and banning those people who talk about Aiden and Miles. ‌

“I didn’t ask for threats on my behalf.” Didn’t stop her fans from bullying, but also supported it herself. It has long been known that she liked wishes for the death of Wilbur and leaking his personal information, but as soon as this was noticed, she removed the likes.

On TinaKiten, Shelby was pressured by the supports, forcing her to speak out about the situation and take sides, despite the fact that she was not even Wilbur’s friend, but an acquaintance.

3rd Shelby's stream

On March 24, Shelby streamed after a break of 2 weeks.

16:30 she began to talk about how you can’t trust the words of others, about how people wish death to each other, and how they wish death to her every day. After that, she began to talk about the trust “adult kids” have in adults, and how she felt in the company of such adults.

23:17 she said that children are stupid: “cause they are kids, they are stupid,” and then immediately qualified her statement with how unfairly the younger generation is treated. She then began to talk about brotherly relationships between teenagers and adults, clearly alluding to the relationship between Wilbur and Tommy, but without directly saying so, she talked about the manipulation of children by adults. That when a teenager needs help, this adult will never come. She said that friendships with age differences should be more respectful, especially towards children.

Later she mentions Philza saying that he is a great person and we should follow his example. In “brotherly” relationships there should not be any friendly blows or jabs (More than half of the relationships between brothers and sisters are exactly like that. Especially when someone is older).

She later said that it was terrible to deal with teenagers in friendships: “because they are so young and you are so fucking old. What are you doing."

27:19 “If you ever been one of this people, (cause we saw this happen before too), where you were caught, (where you in massive platform), of violence, over a lot of teenagers and children. And in privet you are being an abusing people, manipulating and abusing teenagers. I just think, if you are one of these people who are caught and say: “I'm sorry, I'm gonna work on myself” - I think that is a lie if you ever come back. I think if you have been caught clearly irresponsible with this position of power over teenagers, that if you actually out of them working in a sorry, you'd voluntarily never come back, if you really were sorry. I just couldn’t ever believe it if you put yourself right back into the same shoes...” At this point, she was clearly talking about Wilbur, accusing him of manipulating and abusing teenagers.

31:08 she started talking about teenagers who commit suicide. She started laughing at them, covering it up with the words that she was laughing at herself, at her situation. She said that these children are lying, because you can look up their phone number and use it to find information or find their parents. And finally ask them about this situation. She said that she found all this and checked it out. But she did not provide any evidence.

32:37 “Because it is a crime to tell people kiil themselves” (She herself does nothing with her team ShelbySupporSquad, who wish people kys (kill themselves) every day)

39:50 “You are waiting for more information, maybe before you call someone a lying bitch”

(I’ve been waiting for more information for more than a month)

At 41 minutes, she began to talk about how many people began to share their stories and that she was proud of them, and that she was glad that many of them found a way out of the situation.

44:22 «I've seen so many excuses, I've just seen so many excuses that I think that not okay and I think that actually disrespect, I've seen people use excuses of depression to excuse some behavior, I think that such disrespect to anyone who felt depressed, because feeling depressed is not a pass to abuse people, because that are you sealing to imply. It's just not an excuse for abuse, no one of this excuse for abuse, mental illness not is excuse for abuse, because for forgetting part that took it to a level where they were abusing somebody else. And that's not okay, that's not.»

Many people began to get angry at this statement, it seems to me that basically there is nothing wrong here, but she still cannot judge depression, since she is not a professional.

55:45 Aimsey joined via Discord call until 1:09:34 (they were discussing cartoons)

1:11:17 she started talking about safety on the Internet (don’t tell your age, if you’re being bullied, tell your loved ones, etc.)

1:12:53 “Important to have a slightly adult to go to, because you don’t want to go to your parents and they can never be able to understand...”

Deleted post

I would also like to note that this post has been deleted from the «Wilbur music» channel.

Tupac posters

A moment that fans noticed. Shelby has a poster of Tupac, the rapper convicted of rape, on his wall.

I checked this and can finally confirm the information. It would be fine if she had only one poster hanging out of ignorance, but the fact that she has two posters is suggestive.

Sorry boys

On March 30, Sorry boys posted a post in which, on behalf of Tommy, they declare that they will go on a break, but before that they will release one video, he also wrote that they have as many as 5 filmed videos, but they will not post them.

Wilbur in Brighton?

On April 9, a video from a LoveJoy fan appeared on TikTok, in which he filmed Wilbur congratulating him (someone) on his birthday: «Just birth, happy birthday to “name”» (I didn’t fully understand what he said, because spoke quickly). This happened at the airport.

They also began to say that Wilbur had become visible again in Brighton. Most likely Wilbur came from New York where he temporarily lived with LoveJoy.

The owner of the video posted a verification post that he had recently meet Wilbur. The video was filmed back in December 2023. And it was filmed by a friend who was flying with LoveJoy on the same rail.

Spotify UK & Ireland

[jackmedwn]

Gates Foundation, NIH, Big Pharma discussed COVID shots before ‘pandemic’ was declared: emails - LifeSite

The pandemic was all theater. The government collaborated with big pharma to pull the biggest con in history.

[claret-may]

For the record, here is Donald Trump's official stance on transgender people, taken from his campaign website.

Most notably, he's said this: "I will ask congress to pass a bill establishing that the only genders recognized by the United States government are male and female. And they are assigned at birth."

And here is the full quote...<3 please stay alive, drink water, stay well-fed, and just fucking THRIVE to spite this man:

"The left wing gender insanity being pushed on our children is an act of child abuse. Very simple. Here's my plan to stop the chemical, physical, and emotional mutilation of our youth.

On day one I will revoke Joe Biden's cruel policies on so-called gender-affirming-care. Ridiculous. A process that includes giving kids puberty blockers, mutating their physical appearance, and ultimately performing surgery on minor children. Can you believe this?

I will sign a new executive order instructing every federal agency to cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age. I will then ask congress to permanently stop federal taxpayer dollars from being used to promote or pay for these procedures, and pass a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states. It will go very quickly.

I will declare that any hospital or healthcare provider that participates in the chemical or physical mutilation of minor youths will no longer meet federal health and safety standards for medicaid and medicare. And will be terminated from the program immediately. Furthermore I will support the creation of a private right of action for victims to sue doctors who have unforgivably performed these procedures on minor children.

The department of justice will investigate big pharma and the big hospital networks to determine whether they have deliberately covered up horrific long term side-effects of sex transitions in order to get rich at the expense of vulnerable patients. In this case, very vulnerable. We will also investigate whether big pharma or others have illegally marketed hormones and puberty blockers which are in no way licensed or approved for this use.

My department of education will inform states and school districts that if any teacher or school official suggests to a child that they could be trapped in the wrong body, they will be faced with severe consequences including potential civil rights violations for sex discrimination, and the elimination of federal funding. As part of our new credential body for teachers (?), we will promote positive education about the nuclear family, the roles of mothers and fathers, and celebrating rather than erasing the things that make men and women different and unique.

I will ask congress to pass a bill establishing that the only genders recognized by the United States government are male and female. And they are assigned at birth. The bill will also make clear that title 9 prohibits men from participating in women's sports, and we will protect the rights of parents from being forced to allow their minor child to assume a gender which is new, and an identity without the parents' consent. The identity will not be new, and it will not be without parental consent.

No serious country should be telling its children that they were born with the wrong gender. A concept that was never heard of in all of human history no one's ever heard of this what's happening today. It was all when the radical left invented it just a few years ago. Under my leadership this madness will end. Thank you very much."

[starseedpatriot]

SHOCKING: Every childhood vaxx fraudulently got approved by cutting corners on required safety testing.

The Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) has detailed how all 17 FDA-licensed shots, recommended for kids by the CDC, were called safe and effective without ever going through ANY long-term, placebo-controlled trials.

No wonder kids are getting hurt!

[bunniisms]

Amity is the absolute world to me, and it's funny cause she doesn't feel sorry at all for being an all-watching, consuming insect monster (I mean, maybe she's sorry for herself, but non-apologetic as a whole). like she has a beef with a friend of mine's vampire character - they run vampire speak easy's and try to move the population around and facilitate underground human-cattle esc blood networks and keep the vamps going to avoid getting noticed by the big dogs like Hellsing.

But Amity's the bitch that keeps getting them busted - and they call her a traitor - she has to live off of the living just like them, so why side with them. And she finds it funny, stupid, stupid vampires to imagine there's some fictional familial network connecting them. This isn't how life works, nor how the world works. SHE'D eat them all alive if not for the fact that their dead flesh is useless to her swarm. Her loyalty is only to hers and her own

Peace was never on the table for Lady Pestilence. She's a corrupter, a rotter, her voice infiltrating and infesting far before you notice how endemic she's become. How many of their men became HER men? Do they want to tally and count? Games like these feed into the Sadism inherent in the Jorōgumo. She's just a little wicked

(ALSO FUN HISTORIC CONTEXT, the word Pestilence started seeing use in Old English and is a borrowed word from Old French, and it essentially translates to 'The morally corrupting/rotting/general moral entropy' because Medieval Europeans viewed the plague as a moral failing (because, for much of human history, morality and disease and faith were allllll interconnected and viewed as one singular thing) )

As a tangent, though, how this impacts Amity and the dynamics she forms with her informants is interesting - especially around the artificial vampire issue. Cause, Amity, as wicked and scrupleless a minx as she is, even with her heart at its coldest, does hold fondness and respect for her informants, and while manipulative, she does want to honour her end of the agreement made with them in exchange for their information. It's not her desire to treat them as tools or disposable, though ultimately, her actions do cross this boundary frequently.

But the reason for this, honestly? Lies in the fact Amity KNOWS an unfortunate truth, a LOT of her informants from these underground clubs and rings aren't there by choice - they're not the rich kid lovers or the Luke and Jan sort.

They're more like Helena. They are people in positions without power who had choices made for them without their consent by people abusing power over them, and currently, they're just as much trapped as the people they have to feed off. And, while Amity leverages their desire to get out for information she can't always gather herself, she doesn't WANT to abandon them to their fate or let their service be returned with betrayal and murder. Think of what that would do for her reputation! (she says, while truthfully caring less about that fact than about the memory in the back of her mind of these people relying on her so rawly, presenting their wounds at her feet and asking 'help me,')

So, when it comes to the matter of 'dealing' with them, Amity leans more on the side of hope and dreams and personally champions ( read as. pushes) Integra and the Round Table to probe further into the chips and learn to reverse them - if only because she wants to see a lot of her informants be able to be unshackled from their ailment (or at least reduced to a human condition to face punishment). Which Integra bawks at the logistics of, but Amity compares it to victims trapped under rubble by a tsunami.

YES, their condition is worsening, and they're losing humanity. Yes, it would be labour intensive to free them to the point some could argue it's a waste of time because 'what if they're too far gone, they'll die eventually anyways, ' but she argues any efforts to save and salvage souls are worthwhile, if only to honour the hope Hellsing gave them.

This being said, Amity KNOWS the likelihood of being able to reverse, or at least disable, the artificial effects is next to nil. After all, how many can boast that they've raised the dead? But Amity's doesn't want to leave that book, or it's potential untracked. But either way, dead or alive, she won't lose sleep. She's served her role*.

(*Amity is entirely ethically on board with putting them down if there's no other choice, and she knows that it's just the hope- if they CAN do something and make them half-artificial-vamp-half-human like Mina, or just fully revert 'em, that's the dream but if not she doesn't think it hurts to try.)

[rjthirsty]

Chapter Eleven (Deceit and Decay)

Words: 3.5k

Tags: Self-Harm, Angst, Abduction

A/N: You can find my previous chapters on my masterlist, or on ao3. For a complete set of tags, please visit ao3.

What if Belle didn't fall in love with the Conqueror Beast? What if his last hope abandoned him, simply because she didn't know he existed? Would his black heart break and crack, or grow as hard as stone? An AU where Chevalier is crowned for Rhodolite, Gilbert lost his last shred of humanity, and MC (Dahlia) is thrust into a nightmare world where deceit and decay are everyday occurrences.

Rhodolite had not been idle during the last five days, though to say that a plan was underway to secure Dahlia’s safe return would also be oversimplifying a very complex set of decisions that may prove to ultimately be fruitless. King Chevalier had his kingdom to consider, and the actions of waging a war for a woman of common birth leading to Obsidian to overtake Rhodolite was likely a future that Gilbert had hoped would come to pass. And that was only one possible outcome. There were countless others that Chevalier could see, and finding the one that Gilbert had predicted would be difficult.

They had been entered into a game of chess without their consent, and now Chevalier had to keep his pieces from eagerly sacrificing themselves. His brothers didn’t have the foresight he did, and most of them could be hasty in their actions. They were more than pawns, they were worthy to carry their royal titles and all of them had something they excelled in. But they were all still far too emotional with a lack of concern for their own wellbeing and what their actions could ultimately lead to for the kingdom they were born to protect.

After the Obsidian Prince departed, his brothers inserted themselves immediately. First it was Clavis who refused to work until Chev confirmed Gilbert was responsible. Informing him did nothing to ease Clavis’ tumultuous emotions and he was the first that Chev had to warn from doing anything rash. He also barely functioned for the rest of the day, neglecting his work in lieu of spreading the information to his other brothers.

And thus, the parade of concerned princes who approached King Chevalier at every hour began. Most were still managing themselves and their designated tasks, but some were more constantly buzzing around as if Chev wasn’t attempting to find a way to bring Dahlia home himself. He hadn’t forgotten her. He wouldn’t give up on her. It was simply pointless to rush into something of this nature, especially with his duty to prolong the life of his kingdom resting on his shoulders.

There were also other issues that needed to be addressed before he could bring Dahlia back. Prince Gilbert had left Chevalier a crucial piece of information referencing ‘gifts’ that he had left for Chev’s coronation. Chev was certain it was meant to be an obstacle to prevent a swift recovery of Dahlia, and while he hated to admit it, it was going to prove to be a hefty project to clean up. If Prince Gilbert was involved, it likely had to do with weaponry, and if it was meant to cause discourse, it would be provided to the Anti-Monarchy Faction - a group that had assembled after Bloodstained Rose Day but hadn’t gained much traction until the last few years.

Most of the citizens that participated in the faction despised royalty, and Chevalier most of all. Clavis often set up ‘parties’ where they would gather and air their grievances, it also proved beneficial to keep an eye on the group in order to prevent them from becoming a problem to the crown. Clavis was all too happy to allow those with a grudge against Chevalier to network and hone their edge aimed at Chev’s throat. As long as Clavis didn’t personally provide support or involve himself in any misguided attacks, he was allowed to do as he pleased. Chev saw his worth even if Clavis did not.

Arranging an event took time, however, and there was no way to hurry that time along. Clavis had set it up, as ordered, but the party wouldn’t be held for another week. In the meantime, Chevalier had the Domestic Affairs Faction scoping out illegal sales and attempting to pinpoint Anti-Monarchy meeting places and warehouses. They were effectively down two members as Yves was not ideal for this sort of work, and Licht was under Yves care, forced into taking a leave of absence. Nokto had his hands full trying to identify smuggling lines from Obsidian, and Clavis was barely maintaining the Foreign Affairs Faction.

On the fourth day of Dahlia’s absence, King Chevalier met with a foreigner who operated a bookstore in Rhodolite. Mr. Akatsuki had no blood relation to Dahlia, however, he had functioned as a father figure to Dahlia since she was a young child. Dahlia’s disappearance wasn’t something that needed to be made public, but it had been brought to Chevalier’s attention several times that Dahlia’s family should be made aware. And so, a summons was sent, and Mr. Akatsuki, who had experience with royalty, princes, and Chevalier many, many years ago, arrived to be given the news.

It went about as well as expected when one is informed their adopted child has been abducted and everyone knew of the culprit but no one was able to do anything about it. In other words, it was a very tiresome meeting. Even with Clavis and Leon in attendance, there was very little anyone could say to assure Mr. Akatsuki that Dahlia would be brought home swiftly. She was not the highest priority at the moment for Rhodolite, and even if she were, Chevalier’s hands were currently tied by the lack of proof more than anything.

While Gilbert had given Chevalier enough to conclude that Dahlia was in Obsidian, he had not expressly stated it. Furthermore, Gilbert’s position as a prince of a neighboring country would offer significant protections for something as small as abduction of a commoner, even if she had been training to be a court minister. She offered no value as a political hostage, either. No one but those who care for her would care that she had been abducted.

Mr. Akatsuki leveled some insults about how useless Rhodolite’s palace full of princes was, driving the dagger deeper in the hearts of all three men and cracking the divide wider between Chevalier and his brothers. They already thought of Chev as heartless, and his steadfastness in handling things above board did nothing to lessen his cold character. Chevalier didn’t refute. He would not be shaken by words, having experienced harsher ones in his past. He could allow others their outbursts and insults and he would continue as he saw best… for Rhodolite.

Their guest stormed out of the meeting, yelling that he would collect his daughter himself. Clavis and Leon traded a look, and Chev understood what the both of them were considering. He knew it would be best to caution with another warning. He knew neither of them were a match for Gilbert’s intellect and strategic planning. He knew that even if both of them crossed into Obsidian, neither would return with Dahlia, and it was likely neither would return at all. He knew what was best. He knew what choice he’d make. But he hesitated.

He missed her.

If his life was so affected by her absence, surely his brothers with more human hearts were fighting something much harder than he was.

“Clavis,” Chev’s words were a rope that twisted around Clavis, tying him in place. “You are required for your gathering.” With that, Clavis was bound and tethered from any other foolish action.

With a faint hope that Leon would manage something impossible, Chevalier kept his eyes on Clavis, purposefully ignoring Leon’s hard stare as his brother tried to puzzle out Chev’s actions. It seemed like Leon was considering his own next move. Of all times for Leon to finally think things through and not act rashly, this was not the moment Chevalier expected nor wanted it to happen. Perhaps Leon was waiting to be shackled as well, for he waited much longer than necessary before he quickly followed after their retreating guest.

Chevalier knew he would live to regret this. This is what happens to kings in love.

Leon caught up to Mr. Akatsuki before he had left the palace proper. Jogging to get in front of the older man, Leon held up his hands placatingly. “Would you hang on for a minute? Give me just a little more of your time. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

The man from Ruby narrowed his eyes at Leon. “Spit it out. But you have two minutes before I walk out of here.”

Leon gave his best charismatic grin. “I won’t need two minutes. Allow me to go with you.”

Mr. Akatsuki remained silent, crossing his arms over his chest but allowing Leon his two minutes (or less, as he claimed). Leon had at least expected him to refute or deny him outright, however, it seemed that he was going to wait to cast his decision.

“Not as a prince of Rhodolite. You know I love your daughter, right? Dahlia means more to me than anything, even my title. I would do anything to protect her– and I was willing to fight everyone inside the palace the night she was taken from me– from us.” Leon swallowed hard, fighting the anger, frustration, and pain that came with this confession. But he knew that in order to convince Mr. Akatsuki, he needed to be honest. He had to lay his feelings bare.

“I get it– not to the same degree. I didn’t raise her. I have only spent a year by her side. But, please, if there’s even a chance I can get her back, I want to take it. I want to bring her home. I want to keep her safe.” Leon paused, waiting for some sort of sign from Mr. Akatsuki. The elder man pursed his lips and frowned, eyeing Leon.

“Will you take me with you? That's all I’m asking.” He kept his amber eyes locked on Mr. Akatsuki, showing his determination and his sincerity.

“You’ll need a change of clothes,” Mr. Akatsuki stated pointedly before he looked away towards the grand entrance, the main gate, and beyond to where Obsidian laid far, far away. “Dress for colder weather. Bring enough for a few weeks. Come to my shop before sunrise tomorrow.”

Leon clapped a heavy hand on Mr. Akatsuki’s shoulder, wanting to hug the man he had only met a handful of times, but restraining himself. “Thank you.” He met Mr. Akatsuki’s eyes once again to show how meaningful his approval was to him, then jogged off through the palace to set about gathering enough clothes for his trip.

He knew he couldn’t tell anyone he was leaving or else he’d be facing other obstacles outside of Chevalier. Sariel would surely find some way to tie him down, and Jin might just lock him in a cell to keep him from making a stupid mistake - like attempting to rescue his girlfriend from a foreign nation. Yves would tell everyone, and Licht would beg to come with him. It was a little ridiculous that Chevalier was the one who allowed him the opportunity to pursue his own choice. It really wasn’t like him.

Finishing his work for the rest of the day like nothing was wrong was easy enough. Leon felt no shame in his choice, and despite knowing he was lying to Jin and would be saddling everything with him come tomorrow, it wasn’t the first time he had kept things from his brothers and it wasn’t likely going to be the last.

The sun set on Rhodolite in blazing reds and oranges. The stars appeared in the sky, shining brightly, only dwarfed by the silver moon.

Clavis sat in his room on the sofa he slept on clutching at his chest. He hadn’t felt like this since he was a young child. It hadn’t hurt this badly since that day so many years ago when it rained and he began to hate the smell of wet roses. He hadn’t tinkered or created anything in days. He hadn’t dug a pitfall or planted any traps since before Chev’s coronation. Instead he sat in the darkness of his cluttered room, barely able to drag himself through the motions of his work. Even Chevalier had been giving him less errands to run. He was truly worthless, Clavis thought to himself.

Jin drank alone in the large sitting room. Drinking with company was always better than none, but company sounded like it’d be more trouble than it was worth tonight. Glass after glass, he tipped the liquor back, trying to rid himself of the worry that held fast to his thoughts. He was more perceptive than most people, he saw how his brothers were all hiding their dark thoughts of Dahlia being gone and never returning. Knowing she was in Obsidian did nothing to rid them of anxieties, because there was no way to easily retrieve her. His reach wasn’t that far. Not even Sariel could manage that.

Licht dragged the knife across his skin. The familiar burn of his flesh slicing and blood rushing to the wound seemed to be the only sensation he could feel beyond the numbness. He kept a blank face as he watched the dark red seep from inside him to fill the void he had made. The pain was nothing. Inconsequential. Perhaps he’d cut deeper tonight. Perhaps he’d add a new scar on top of old ones lined up in their rows. What did it matter anyways? No one would care if he took care of himself any longer.

Chevalier sat in the wooden chair positioned on one side of the chess board that decorated his room. None of the pieces had been moved, and there was no partner for Chev to play against. However, that didn’t stop him from moving pieces in his head. As he ran through strategies and tactics of every book he had ever read, he fought himself in a battle of wits on the chess board in his mind. He purposely busied himself so as to not put a stop to Leon’s misguided rescue attempt. If he gave himself enough time to reconsider his negligence in caging Leon, he knew he’d succumb to the logic and reasonable decision to keep him in Rhodolite.

Nokto stared into the darkness of the night, leaning against the window in his room. The roses several stories below were colored so dark, it looked like they had all been painted black. The dark circles under his eyes mirrored the deep shade of the flowers. He hadn’t been sleeping well. He never slept well without someone next to him. It had only been four days since she was taken, but those four days continued to stretch from evening to morning to another sleepless night to putting on another mask for the day. How was the world colored so plainly without her here?

Before the sun had risen, when the staff was waking to start their morning shifts, Leon discretely left the castle full of lonely beasts to meet with a foreigner who owned a bookstore. He walked the whole way on foot, not wanting to leave a palace horse as evidence for Sariel or Jin to find where he had gone. When he arrived at the bookstore that Dahlia had once worked at, he found a small but sturdy covered wagon hitched and Mr. Akatsuki had already loaded books and other supplies into it.

“You’re one of those that shows up right when you ought to and not a moment sooner.” Mr. Akatsuki eyed Leon and glanced at the thinning shadows on the horizon.

“That’s what a hero does, and Dahlia believes I’m one.” Leon grinned, tossing his clothing into the wagon and hopping onboard.

“Wouldn’t have hurt to get out of here before first light. It’s a long trip to Obsidian Castle.” The older man climbed onto the driver’s bench, collecting the reins for the harnessed horses.

“And you’ve got a way through, right? We’re not going to have to sneak across the border, are we? I don’t think this wagon will make it if we did.” Leon chuckled, ribbing the old man who seemed perpetually grumpy.

“I’ve got a way. You’re my apprentice, understand? Training to pick up the store once I give up traveling. You look young enough to pass for it.” Mr. Akatsuki gave the signal to the horses and the wagon began its bumpy journey through the streets of Rhodolite’s capital.

“Does that mean I call you Master?”

Mr. Akatsuki huffed, cutting a glance to Leon. “Mr. Akatsuki.”

“Alright, Mr. Akatsuki it is.” Leon watched Mr. Akatsuki for several minutes in silence, trying to come up with something to express his gratitude for allowing him to come along. But every time he grasped for a word or a sentiment that might come close, it didn’t feel like enough. There were no words to say how much this meant to him. So he said the only thing that he could manage, a sincere and firm “Thank you.”

It was several hours after the sun had taken its spot in the sky, slowly traversing over Rhodolite Castle when Jin poked his head inside the Foreign Affairs office. He had been running throughout the palace in search of Leon, unable to find the head of the Domestic Affairs Faction. Meanwhile, he was also picking up the slack for every other member who was missing, and now Leon hadn’t shown.

Clavis was sitting at the single desk, head down as if reading paperwork, but he sat there staring at the same page for far longer than would have been needed. Jin’s eyebrows knitted together and he frowned, watching Clavis who hadn’t even heard him come in. In an attempt to make himself known, he rapped loudly on the door he had already opened, startling Clavis from his inner thoughts.

“Hey, Clavis, is everyone else out?” Jin shoved his hands in his pockets and lazily strolled into the empty office.

“Oh, you know how it is. We’re not much for working together. Nokto is probably still sleeping, and Chev is handling kingly duties.” Clavis smiled the same smile he always had.

“And Luke?” Jin asked as he peeked out a window, attempting to keep the conversation casual.

“Who can say? Ahaha. He has never volunteered to show up to work.” Clavis shuffled the papers on his desk, the dark circles under his eyes giving away how many restless nights he had been experiencing.

“He’s still not interested in being a prince, it’s gotta be hard for him.” Jin agreed, circling back towards the door from the far end of the room. “Speaking of hard work, have you seen Leon? I’m swamped in Domestic Affairs all by myself. With Yves and Licht out of commission, it’s just me and Leon.”

Clavis paused in his organizing of his paperwork and looked up at Jin. Something about the way his smile fell and his eyes blinked wide for a moment didn’t sit right with Jin. Clavis slapped his mask back on and was smiling like he always did, his hands folding together on top of his desk. “Ah, I see. Of course he wouldn’t have told you. Chev all but gave him permission to force his way into Obsidian and gallantly bring our dear Dahlia back.”

“That’s not funny, Clavis.” Jin stopped moving, his feet frozen to the floor.

“I’m not laughing.” Clavis clenched his hands together tighter, squeezing his own emotions down, his white knuckles safely hidden under his gloves. “And I’m not lying.”

Jin sprang into a run and darted out of the room. He had to find Chevalier to verify where Leon had gone– No, he had to find Sariel to stop Leon from crossing the border. Shit. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

[vavuska]

Seems that EA is now allegedly accused of a mayor privacy violation, having used tracking tools on The Sims FreePlay app to secretly gather and transmit players’ personal information to Facebook for advertising purposes. This data potentially includes unique Facebook IDs, which can be used to match players’ in-game activities to their individual Facebook profiles. Attorneys suspect that these potential data-sharing practices may violate a federal privacy law and are now gathering players to take action.

So, there are at least two class action against EA, because it seems to collect data from players using the Meta Pixel software to harness data from players and sell it to the Meta company, who owns Instagram, Facebook and other social networks.

It would be interesting to learn if this allegations are true and how this would be seen in the eyes of GDPR, European Regulation 679/2016, which allows the processing of personal data only with consent given by the data subjects and also in the context of (online) games.

Consent in the context of the GDPR must be understood as an unambiguous indication of an informed and freely given choice by the data subject, relating to specific processing activities. The burden of proof that these criteria are fulfilled falls upon the controller (i.e., the game developer).

Google Play list the privacy condition of EA for its games, including The Sims Freeplay. Basically EA claims to use players data only to give them "better game experience", which seems vague but not less legit. The only less transparent thing I noticed is that the instructions to opt out of targeted marketing of in-game ads are in English and not in Italian: downloading the game, players allows EA to share their account information with third-party partners to customize advertising experience, which is basically all app developers do, but it's weird that the instruction to opt out doesn't have been translated at all!

This is not the first time EA is accused of, well, unethical commercial practice, since EA has been sentenced to pay fines by Austrian (2023) and Belgian (2018) civil court, because their FIFA loot boxes violated local gambling laws.

Moreover, it's important to notice that in January 2023, the European Parliament adopted a report calling for harmonized EU rules to achieve better player protection in the online video game sector.

The Parliament called for greater transparency from developers about in-game purchases: player should be aware of the type of content before starting to play and during the game. Also, players should be informed on the probabilities in loot box mechanisms, including information in plain language about what algorithms are devised to achieve.

The Parliament further stressed that the proposed legislation should assess whether an obligation to disable in-game payments and loot boxes mechanisms by default or a ban on paid loot boxes should be proposed to protect minors, avoid the fragmentation of the single market and ensure that consumers benefit from the same level of protection, no matter of their place of residence.

The Parliament highlighted problematic practices, including exploiting cognitive biases and vulnerabilities of consumers through deceptive design and marketing, using layers of virtual currencies to mask/distort real-world monetary costs, and targeting loot boxes and manipulative practices towards minors.

[mariacallous]

Conspiracy theories and the people creating them have overwhelmed the US political process, and they’re becoming only more prevalent with each passing year. 2024 will be no different, if not worse: We’re already uncovering all kinds here on the WIRED Politics desk, from election conspiracy groups to claims that Boeing planes were made faulty on purpose. In the past few days alone, we’ve seen theories swirl online about the Baltimore bridge collapse and Kate Middleton’s cancer announcement.

A number of conspiracies were also given a boost this week by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s long-shot presidential campaign. Let’s talk about them!

The Longest VP Announcement

On Tuesday, RFK Jr. officially announced his VP choice: Nicole Shanahan, a tech entrepreneur, lawyer, and very wealthy ex-wife of Google cofounder Sergey Brin. I checked in with WIRED contributor Anna Merlan to debrief what was probably the longest veep announcement in recent history, and to talk about the conspiracies, digital campaign strategies, and vaccine skeptics driving Kennedy’s campaign. I’ve been taking a hard look at how the campaign is reaching voters online, and Anna covered the announcement for WIRED. She’s also been reporting on RFK Jr. and the anti-vax conspiracy ecosystem for years.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

MK: Ok. Nicole Shanahan. When they played her introductory video at the RFK Jr. event, I wasn’t expecting her to come off so conspiratorial. Were you surprised by what she said at all?

AM: Obviously, Shanahan was widely reported to be the VP pick. I did not know her stance on medical conspiracy theories, but I figured there had to be something there because you probably wouldn't agree to appear on a ticket with RFK without that.

So in her introductory video, she said that her daughter started showing signs of autism spectrum disorder in her infancy, and then she segued into making a series of claims that are very legible to people in the anti-vaccine movement. She claimed that chronic illnesses and conditions like autism can be caused by environmental exposure, wireless technology, and medication. And then she added that science can't assess the cumulative effects of multiple childhood vaccines—which is not true. The childhood vaccine schedule is very, very, very studied. Vaccines are some of the safest, most tested medical products on earth. It's not true, but as a talking point, it is again incredibly recognizable to the anti-vaccine movement. So for me, hearing her saying that stuff solved a little bit of a mystery of why she's involved.

MK: There were a lot of other people on stage yesterday and I didn’t recognize all of them. Who were those people?

AM: This was obviously a very long event—I think you even tweeted that it was only slightly shorter than Dune 2, which is true. There was a parade of speakers: Some of the bigger ones were Del Bigtree, who is really well known among anti-vaccine activists and is currently serving as the Kennedy campaign’s communications director; Jay Bhattacharya, who is a very prominent anti-lockdown figure; a former border patrol agent; and a couple of people who are active, if not super well known, in the natural health space. Basically, these speakers were each meant to speak to a slightly different constituency, because RFK Jr.’s main focus for so long has been anti-vaccine activism.

MK: Let’s talk about Bigtree. I’m curious about the space he occupies in the online conspiracy world.

AM: Bigtree was definitely the biggest speaker who was on the stage. He’s a very well-known anti-vaccine activist and is the CEO of a group called Informed Consent Action Network that is funded by billionaire foreign donors. He was the producer of an extremely famous and successful vaccine movie called Vaxxed, with Andrew Wakefield, who is the father of the modern anti-vaccine movement. And he’s the person who first falsely claimed that there might be a link between vaccines and autism, and set off a huge panic. So, Bigtree is incredibly well known. He’s incredibly popular and his place on the Kennedy campaign, I would opine, is meant to signal to RFK Jr. supporters in the anti-vaccine community that it’s still going to be a concern for a theoretical Kennedy administration.

MK: It did feel like the campaign was trying to thread the needle between the left and the right.

AM: It’s an awkward fit, isn’t it? I mean, RFK Jr.’s campaign had a YouTube livestream where you could watch the announcement, and if you looked at the comments during the land acknowledgement for the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, they were pretty, unsurprisingly, racist. This is not a reflection on his campaign necessarily, but it's a reflection on some people who might have been inclined to support him. The sort of tug between having a Bay Area tribe on stage to get the land acknowledgement and then having somebody come on stage to talk about his history as a border patrol agent is awkward. Is that actually going to work on a large number of undecided voters? I don't know, but clearly that was what it was meant to do.

MK: Earlier today, I saw an ad on Twitter promoting an RFK Jr. documentary. It feels like such an investment in highly produced storytelling for the campaign. And this announcement event being so highly produced, it read like the campaign is trying really hard to make all of this pseudoscience appear legitimate. What did you think?

AM: RFK Jr.’s campaign, as you wrote about, has been very aware of sort of appealing to online spaces. One of those ways that you do that are these highly produced, slick little videos that look good on social media. So I wasn’t surprised.

But I was surprised that the announcement event was so long. I was surprised that there wasn't a little bit of attention to what the attention span is for an internet audience. I would definitely expect to see things that are highly produced, that are sort of media savvy, and that are also completely focused on burnishing RFK’s individual reputation. Because ultimately, in a long-shot candidacy like this, which may or may not be a sincere run for the White House, candidates are seeking to burnish their reputations in the worlds that they come from, and to even grow their market or their audience and become better known to a consumer base that they might not be known by already. Marianne Williamson, for example, had huge success with that.

MK: Another reason I can imagine why it was so long is because they knew how many eyes were going to be on this, and that it was probably one of their last big announcements and attempts to convince people to vote for him.

AM: The last big announcement. It's the last big chance to raise money, really. And they need money to get on the ballot. You’re trying to appeal to everybody, and you’re trying to make the most of what is probably your last moment.

The Chatroom

Occam’s razor doesn’t really exist on the internet. Or with conspiracy theorists. That couldn’t have been more apparent after a cargo ship tragically crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore this week, resulting in the presumed deaths of six people. Instead of assuming that the collision was due to a systems failure on the cargo ship, online conspiracy theorists have taken to blaming everyone from Nickelodeon to the CIA to DEI initiatives, as reported by my colleague David Gilbert.

We still don’t know too much about how and why the Tuesday morning collision took place, but if one were to guess—it’s unlikely that wokeness is the primary culprit.

But hey, maybe you know better than me. Leave a comment or send me an email at mail@wired.com and let me know.

[darkmaga-returns]

Each month, ICAN analyzes the “free text” V-safe data released by CDC. In our latest analysis, we’ve found over 160,000 entries concerning skin issues that V-safe users developed after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

When the COVID-19 vaccines rolled out, CDC provided a V-safe app where people could record their symptoms. The attorneys who represent ICAN sued CDC to release this data. The V-safe data revealed over 124,000 reports of rashes; 22,000 reports of hives; 11,000 reports of blisters; 3,000 reports of eczema; 2,500 reports of psoriasis; and 1,500 reports of lesions. Some examples in the vaccine recipients’ own words:

“Severe hives. Started the morning of 1/11 went to urgent care 1/12 at 3am. Raised and red hives. Started on thighs and arms. Eventually covered 90% of my body.”

“Bullous lesions on hands. Slow healing process. Had a biopsy of one of the lesions.”

“6 silver dollar sized psoriasis like patches on my chest and ive [sic] never had any skin issues in my life”

“Had very unusual rapid growing lesion, biopsy done 1/15/21. Suspecting autoimmune process. Requires topical and systemic pain meds.”

“Painful blisters on my hands, feet, wrists and elbows as well as in my nostril.”

“Ulcers on roof of mouth and down throat (not something that has ever happened to me before)”

“Rash all over, hive like bumps on palms of feet and hands, back, stomach, legs, arms, its every where [sic] and very itchy.”

Scientific literature includes many reports of cutaneous (skin) reactions after COVID-19 vaccination. Most skin reactions to drugs are considered to be a hypersensitive immune response involving mast cells, and the preferred treatment is to discontinue the drug.

How does CDC treat these reactions? It blithely instructs people that even if they develop a “red, itchy, swollen, or painful rash” that they can “likely receive another dose” of the vaccine. The only rash it considers to be a concern is one that “required hospitalization.”

ICAN will continue our V-safe analysis and alert you to vaccine adverse reaction patterns that CDC would rather keep secret. We will not stop until all data is publicly available.

[redditreceipts]

The trans movement at large doesn't give a single damn about TiF bodily (even transitional) or reproductive autonomy and no one's fucking saying it but it's true.

Rape is "just getting laid" and sometimes "hole is owed" for career maneuvers and for "having societal power over trans women." Nonconsensual and unaware detransitioning of TiFs during bdsm isn't considered rape or transphobia or misogyny and can't be discussed even when no information about the perpetrator is given at all beyond their action because it's supposedly "transmisogynistic" to even say that it happened (way to tell on yourselves, TiMs and transmisogynistic TiF white knights) and it's supposedly "transmisogynistic" to share cautious and preventative measures against being hormonally detransitioned without consent or awareness for "safer" bdsm.

Prostitution is great ✨ except when it's to "use" a cis man (mutualistically) for networking purposes.

I'm processing all of the shit they put me through and all of the exact opposite of support that the trans community has for survivors, transmen included, transandrophobia bloggers and baeddels and irl trans community are all the same, and feel like I'm bleeding out on the inside but no I have to go work an over ten hour shift for pennies.

I hate them. I hate them so much. Left libertarian and liberal "queers" are the same as the rightwing religious fanatics regarding females, only virtue signaling.

hey :)

first of all, sorry for the late answer, I am trying to give a thought-out answer to an ask and sometimes, that takes a bit

and secondly yes, they don't care about bodily autonomy in the sense that they don't care about addressing the root of the issue. Most genderists do say verbally that they support the right to an abortion, but the issue won't be resolved unless it it understood that the female body is seen as a factory for new workers and soldiers in a patriarchal capitalist state. Women, the only ones who have control over this process, actually have an immense leverage if given control over their own bodies because they are inseperable from the means of production and have to be convinced and consenting to give pleasure to a male or new workers to a capitalist. That's why female bodily autonomy is incredibly threatening for a capitalist and patriarchal state, and that is also the reason for taking away that very right, be it by making it extremely expensive or outlawing it completely.

But gender identity believers can't admit that the subjugation of the woman is because of her body, because that would invalidate trans identity.

Politics are about our bodies. Work is performed by our bodies, and we can't identify into or out of a female body just as a worker can't identify into a capitalist* or a Black person can identify into a white person.

But genderists will never solve this issue, because they are allergic to material reality and because of that, every talk about "bodily autonomy for women" is just some sad echo from the days when feminism was interested in women's liberation.

It's actually good that you're angry, and you have every right to be! I don't know your personal history, but being angry can be a reason to change the world for good :)

*Yes, a worker can become a capitalist because the mechanics of capitalist vs. worker are different from the mechanics of woman vs. man, but my point is that identity alone is not a relevant factor in material reality.