#william the watchdog

[artquar1um]

angle (lie. all lawyers are devils) Willy

[ info under the cut ;) ]

And Fritz I GUESS!? EW

I want to confess something… All the mean and stupid anons that was ever sent to you are probably by Fritz. I'm so sorry!!!

[Also the funny thing I created Fritz like... a year ago. He have some sketches. And William was born a couple days ago...]

[fez-pwned]

oh my grop....

[brendanthebomber]

Sam and max,MF DOOM,SpongeBob have at least 2 degrees of separation via Pharell Willams

[icantbelieveitsnotbutler]

Sebastian's Use of Body Language to Assert Dominance

Manga spoilers.

Sebastian may be relatively tall (although not even in the top half of butlers in kuro when it comes to height), but he is not physically intimidating. Both Mey-Rin and Baldroy initially describe him as a 優男, basically a tall, slender man who looks gentle and delicate.

This is advantageous as a butler, who should fade into the background when serving. However, as a demon and an instrument of the Queen's Watchdog, Sebastian utilizes body language to assert dominance and control.

We can see this in his aggressive eye contact, physical touching, and invasion of personal space.

He's communicating that he's in control of the situation,

ensuring he gets what he wants with minimal fuss.

The only person I remember being uncowed is William.

Rarely, we see others use the same tactics on Sebastian himself. Sometimes successfully unsettling him:

Sometimes not:

Unsurprisingly, Sebastian's body language with Ciel contains enormous variation. In the beginning he has no respect for Ciel and communicates that, although he's temporarily in his service, Sebastian is the one in control.

Even after he settles into his role as a butler, Sebastian frequently shirks etiquette with his master.

Sometimes he uses authoritative body language to correct Ciel's childish or indecorous behavior.

At other times, the situation is so dire that Sebastian decides to immediately take charge, signaling this to Ciel by suddenly dropping any pretense of deference.

(Some of this is also clearly fanservice, but this post is attempting a Watsonian rather than Doylist explanation.)

Outside of these situations, and especially in front of others, Sebastian's body language toward Ciel is perfectly deferential (although sometimes at odds with his antagonistic or teasing words)

When acting as a butler, he refuses to sit in his master's presence, standing when Ciel enters a room and giving him the most authoritative chair.

He often waits for Ciel's signal before acting.

And when Ciel displays the strength that called to him across dimensions, Sebastian even humbles himself and bows to him on bended knee.

[lousypotatoes]

Only Fools Rush In

"So what? You've blown a fuse

Well, that happens to us all

Well, I come with great news

The day could change~"

Just A Cloud Away - Pharell Williams

--

Previous

Next

"Y-Y/N!? What-what the hell are you doing here?"

"H-Hello Lucifer, it's lovely to see you again."

The room was deathly quiet, you could hear the tiniest of pins drop. Everybody was staring at the King of Hell and the angel, their eyes wide and mouths agape. Even Alastor was surprised.

The two stared at each other from across the dining room table. He hadn't changed much since Y/N last saw him, all those eons ago. He still had the same fierce glint in his eye, and he still carried himself the same way, with that combination of elegance and danger that seemed impossible to pull off when you were in a place like Heaven.

But there he was, still the fallen angel that Heaven decided was too dangerous and unpredictable.

A troublemaker.

"You, you two know each other?" Charlie asked, surprise very evident in her voice.

"Yes, we were....acquaintances before he fell," Y/N replied, keeping her voice calm and steady.

"Acquaintances is an understatement" Lucifer said under his breath. "I didn't think they'd actually send someone down here, let alone you."

"Yes, well there is a first time for everything," Y/N shot back, still keeping her voice calm and steady.

Lucifer laughed dryly. "Out of all the angels, they send you? I didn't know Heaven was feeling so...generous."

Y/N forced herself to take a deep breath. She had a job to do, and whatever ancient history that was lingering between her and Lucifer was as relevant as an old scar.

"I am here on Heaven's orders," she replied crisply. "Nothing more."

“Orders.” Lucifer repeated the word with a quiet, almost pitying chuckle. “They’ve sent one of Heaven’s own to monitor me, then? How very…quaint.”

"Still as prideful as ever, I seem," Y/N said, coming out a bit more coldly than intentioned. "Unless you're running this hotel directly, my business here does not involve you."

"Doesn't involve me?" he laughed. "I might not be managing day-to-day, and unless you forgot that my daughter owns this hotel. I'm here to keep my eye on things and support her."

"Okay, um maybe we should move on to dessert," Charlie intervened. "Niffty made a really good apple pie an-"

"Are you sure Heaven didn't send you here to see if Hell's changed me?" Lucifer interrupted, a smirk on his face

"From what I've seen, you're still the same arrogant troublemaker that doesn't care about anybody but himself," Y/N said, getting angry.

"That's rich coming from you," Lucifer sneered. "Tell me, do you enjoy being Heaven's little watchdog? It must be scary being down here all by yourself."

"Do not say such things about me!" Y/N yelled, finally tired of Lucifer and his remarks. She stood up from her chair so fast that her chair fell over.

Everybody stared at Y/N, including Lucifer. They weren't prepared to see the proper and poised angel get so angry. And normally, Y/N wouldn't allow herself to get this angry, but she had had enough of Lucifer and his insults.

"I am not scared of you, and I am not scared of being here in Hell!" Y/N snapped. "I am not a watchdog, and I am certainly not here for you! So don't you dare say anything different! You know nothing about me, so stop pretending that you do!"

Y/N huffed and looked around the room at everyone, now starting to feel embarrassed for her outburst.

"I apologize for my outburst," Y/N said, looking down. "I'm terribly sorry Charlie, but I don't think I'm hungry for dessert."

"Oh no that's fine, you don't have to apologize!" Charlie immediately said. "I'll make sure to save you a slice."

"I appreciate that, thank you," Y/N said. "I think I'll be heading to bed now. Again, I apologize for my rudeness."

Y/N turned to walk out of the dining room after she picked up the chair off the floor.

"Goodnight, everyone," she said as she walked out of the room.

Walking out of the room, tears began to prick at her eyes.

This wasn't how she imagined seeing Lucifer again.

She thought it would be more heartfelt and lovely.

But, she was wrong.

And she wouldn't make that mistake in assuming something like that again.

Especially when it came to someone like Lucifer Morningstar.

im thinking about doing one of those notes things

what do you think??

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Izzy

[psych3-delic]

Hello! I adore your family AU and I'm curious about the events that led to Charlotte's birth? Did Undertaker manage to bring back R!Ciel in this AU but it was a less public appearance? Also, do Sebaciel and their baby eventually leave the spotlight to live their immortal lives on their own terms?

And if this prompt idea interests you: Since Charlotte's lover is Grelle's prodege, how about her making a big scene of her and "Bassy" being in laws now and Sebaciel dreading it?

In my head, the whole Undertaker thing was over and done with: o!Ciel proved himself once and for all that he was the one knighted by the Queen, and that he was the one performing all watchdog duty.

It also helps that r!Ciel is already dead. To prove one's alive is easier and it proved also that the dead can be manipulated, thus, can be used as an instrument of lies.

The Phantomhive left the spotlight when they departed from London to America to avoid the Great War in 1914. Afterwards, none really knew where they were, or what happened to them. Funtom continue to grow under regional management, but the owner can only be contacted via mail or telegram. Once, taking advantage of the owner not being around, an executive attempted to funnel company's money into his own pocket. A week later, he's found dead in the office. Reason of death: cannot be determined; his body looked to have suffered no harm. Frozen on his face was an expression of utter terror. On his desk was one single Funtom lollipop.

The Reapers was around when Charlottes was born. The whole dispatch, including Grell, William, Ronald (but not Max though, he hadn't died yet) perched outside the manor on tree branches like vulture, ready to pounce. None had expected Ciel Phantomhive to survive; not even Sebastian. A half-blood child between human and demon had never before existed; her warring natures too might yet not survive the outside world. And seeing as demons drain human life forces, it might very well be that the halfling would kill her mother the moment she was no longer in need of a host body.

But then Sebastian emerged from the manor, in his human form but it looked quite off, beastly even if you looked close enough, followed by his dark tendrils... and a baby girl in his arms.

He showed her off to the prowling death gods:

"She's alive," he said, "and so is her sirer. You are no longer needed here, Grim Reapers."

William adjusted his glasses: "You don't know that, Collapsar. Ciel Phantomhive is not yet out of danger." At this, the demon bares his fang; ill winds picked up; the shadows that enveloped the mansion became impossibly darker:

"He is mine. The boy has been mine ever since our contract. Death hath no claim on his soul."

Will and the Demon exchanged a long look. In the end, Will reluctantly ordered the dispatch to call the mission off. One reaper protested:

“But sir…” “There’s nothing we can do now, or do you fancy being snuffed out of existence by Collapsar?” He spared the speaker a look.

When they all left, Ronald get close and whistled upon seeing the baby, and said: "You sure that adorable babes came from your gene, pop?". And Grell just :)) sighed exasperatedly like when you found out your kpop idol bias is getting married.

I also think the dynamic between the Phantomhive-Michaelis and the Reapers would be like:

Will on a mission in the midst of London > feeling something tugged at his leg > Look down and see Charlotte being tearful mouth quivering: "I lost my papa and dada, Mister. You're their friends right? You're around all the time" > Will reluctantly returned the demon child to her demon parents 🤣

So yes, when they met again in 2020s, there there isn't a lot of animosity left; just a sort of playful annoyance (?)

As I have said before, Max initially hated this grown "Lottie" because of his prejudice against demon and his perception that she deceived him somehow. They had an enemies to lovers arc. The moment it started to shift more toward "lover", Sebastian was horrified. The "Sebas-chan" still makes him shiver even to this day 🤣 meanwhile, Grell is just behind Max giving him (terrible) date gifts ideal and trying to match make.

[dayangaytransman]

So Sebastian x Ciel

We all knew why we shouldn't ship those two. There are many reasons, but I think other fans have talked about them enough. I just want to add one thing. Black Butler has so many other great ships! For example:

Sebastian x Undertaker (Who wouldn't want to ship the two most attractive characters?)

Grell x Madam Red (Both red, both wanted children but can't have them. The sad ending makes it such a great ship! Also, gay! Why not?)

William x Sebastian (I don't actually ship them. I only do when I need to write something dark, because they hate each other. However, it can be a good one if you're into something like this. Both of them are so serious and hardworking. Just go for it. It's better than "that one"!)

Sebastian x Grell (It doesn't matter if it's a one-shot, smut, or anything else; this ship is great! They are both hot and can be villains. Imagine them committing murder together or Grell helping him eat souls. I could talk about them until the day I die!)

Undertaker x Grell (This is the ship I focus on the most. I see their queerness (in both senses) as similar. Additionally, Undertaker's vibe is both mysterious and silly. I imagine him to be incredibly loyal.They can do each other's hair!)

William x Grell (This one is more canon. Yana once said that Grell actually loves William and not Sebastian. Also, it's nice to see William grow from an asshole and a transphobe to a kinder person. Or he can remain himself but still be better for Grell. Once, I read a fanfic where William was asexual, and it's so good to imagine! It even makes sense because William always denies Grell. Maybe he thinks it's for her own sake)

Undertaker x William (It seems a little odd, but since William (at least in the anime) is kind of a fanboy for Undertaker, why not? Undertaker will tease him, and he will be annoyed. It's fun)

Undertaker x William x Grell (f you want a poly ship, it could work for you. I think William is more suitable here than Sebastian because Sebastian is more likely to be sexually shippable. Romantic toward both people? He can't. But if that's what you want, then go for it.)

Claudia x Undertaker (This one is probably canon. We don't know, but it's so good, especially because of the sad ending. I even think that Undertaker wants to bring her back to life. And Claudia was the Queen's Watchdog. (Was she, or am I remembering a fanfic?) So, a brave woman and a Shinigami lover? Hell yeah!)

Of course, there are other ships too. But ships with Grell, Undertaker, Sebastian, and William in them, or at least the first three, are the best ships. When they are not human and exhibit villainy like Grell, it makes it even better. I don't know about you guys, but I love a ship with lots of blood and violence. Whether it's with each other or toward other people, it doesn't matter. And since we don't know anything about the past of these characters, there is a lot to create.

Also, something very important: I'm not saying that dark, sexual, or other themes aren't usable for the two mains (Sebby and Ciel). We all love something that hurts. Personally, I hate Ciel. I'll probably let Sebastian harm him in my next fanfic. Not shipping them doesn't mean you can't make them sexual. It's the freedom of a writer to do it. Just like people write about war and other ugly things. Why not rape? (I know it is bad in real life, but it also happens. By writing about it (as long as you don't present it in a normalizing way), you can educate others about it)Sebastian is a demon, so he would probably do that.

I also dislike the way some people say their relationship is like that of a father and son. What the heck?! Did you see Sebastian's memories? He hated that little bastard! Well, at least it's better than shipping them.

[talonabraxas]

"No Eye Clover" Kremena Chipilova

Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen, We daren’t go a-hunting For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl’s feather! Down along the rocky shore Some make their home, They live on crispy pancakes Of yellow tide-foam; Some in the reeds Of the black mountain-lake, With frogs for their watchdogs, All night awake. High on the hill-top The old King sits; He is now so old and grey He’s nigh lost his wits. With a bridge of white mist Columbkill he crosses, On his stately journeys From Slieveleague to Rosses; Or going up with music On cold starry nights, To sup with the Queen Of the gay Northern Lights. They stole little Bridget For seven years long; When she came down again Her friends were all gone. They took her lightly back, Between the night and morrow, They thought that she was fast asleep, But she was dead with sorrow. They have kept her ever since Deep within the lake, On a bed of flag-leaves, Watching till she wake. By the craggy hillside, Through the mosses bare, They have planted thorn trees For pleasure, here and there. Is any man so daring As dig them up in spite, He shall find their sharpest thorns In his bed at night. Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen, We daren’t go a-hunting For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl’s feather! The Fairies By William Allingham

[fancyfeathers]

I love your blog! Your darlings are so well written, you want to be mad at them for accepting their fates but their backstories are so complex that you actually cant get mad?!

And Eloise is my favorite of the kids.

In one of your posts you compared the noble boy she meets to a Young Vincent Phantomhive… but how messed up would it be for the Moriarty plan if she met O!Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian instead… Eloise is very smart - O!Ciel is too, as well as very determined and a manipulative little shit (which we love).

Good luck Moriarthree dealing with this Queen’s Watchdog and his pet demon.

I know black butler is not in your possible requests but I found the idea pretty entertaining.

Keep up the gréât writing!

*Turns to Kitty*

“Wanna help?”

“Oh yes I do.”

Co-writers on this one baby!

Father Like Daughter (Yandere William James Moriarty and his darling having a genius daughter)

While this would definitely be an AU but it is definitely fun together, if they ever met it would be during the public school arc and I imagine even through it is a boy’s school that all the children in the Moriarty family would be sent due to them needing to be away and safe during a particularly dangerous mission that could take awhile, the girls’ enrollment is managed through Albert and William pulling a few strings with a few friends who work there, along with Eloise’s high IQ, Hyacinth’s high literacy level, and Madeline’s and Marguerite’s high physical performances.

Andrei would be placed in Red House at age seventeen, Hyacinth in Purple House at age fourteen, Marguerite and Madeline in Green House at ages fourteen, and Eloise in Blue House at age sixteen which would place her in along with Ciel.

Due to the the special circumstances I believe one of the members of the crime gang would be keeping an eye on the children, James Bonde and or Miss Moneypenny. Of course Eloise’s circumstances would draw attention especially because she is a lady, but not just a lady but a lady with an insanely high IQ, and any stupid welcome house traditions will be stopped immediately by James Bonde who is posing as the caretaker of the Moriarty children due to their special circumstances which is another curious thing about this family.

Both Sebastian and Ciel notice her lack of effort in her classes and personal studies but still having extremely high marks even in the most difficult of studies. When Sebastian checks up on her as housemaster during quiet time she is reading her own personal fiction literature, and Mr. Bonde has to explain to him that little Eloise had always excelled since she was a little girl, studying Shakespeare and advanced sciences when she was barely five years old, and her cousins and sister were just as talented but in different ways, her sister Madeline of Green House being a top tier fencer and mathematician, her cousin Marguerite of Green House being a skilled markswoman and equestrian, her cousin Hyacinth of Purple House being a talent in the theater along with having a deft hand in sewing and art, and then her eldest cousin Andrei of Red House being the heir to the title of Earl of the Moriarty family and being skilled in the psychological sciences.

When Ciel is late to tea, he spotted Eloise and and Andrei in the gazebo as well which quickly shows the quick favor the Moriarties had won from the prefects. That evening when Ciel is complaining to Sebastian, Eloise comes knocking with her little charming smile but when the door closes her little act fades away.

“You have no actual intentions as a student here do you? You are up to something and that is painfully obvious.”

“How did you-“

“Know? You have no idea what my family life is like, you learn a thing or two in the Moriarty Estate. I have a proposal for you, I can help you if you help me eventually, and need I remind you I have a relative in each of the houses. So do we have a deal?”

“…I-“

“I will let you sleep on it, it is the only fair since I am your senior. You can let me or Mr. Bonde know, or perhaps Miss Moneypenny… but she is looking after Hyacinth in Purple House.”

So the next day when Ciel goes to speak to her, he catches her at a time where Mr. Bonde is at her side, but speaking to her in a tone in much more of a scolding than his usual tone to her, showing that he is no servant of the Moriarty family that he was led to believe, much on how Sebastian is not an actual housemaster.

“Eloise, you cannot have others dragged into the affairs of your family, your father and uncle sent you lot here to keep you safe.”

“I am sorry alright, but something is not right about any of this, that Ciel boy is not hear for school, something is clearly wrong-“

“Stay out of it, or else I will alert your father, do I make myself clear?”

“…Very.”

When Bonde steps out, giving Ciel a smile as he walks off to check up on the other Moriarty children in the other houses. Ciel steps into her room and sees her in pure anger.

“Who is your father exactly-“

“And who is your butler? It seems we find ourselves in a stalemate of secrets.”

After the incident with Cole, I think Andrei would be the one to take his place due to his high level of manners and being the heir to the Moriarty name. Putting more Moriarties in Ciel’s radar, and honestly why he does not really need help from Eloise anymore, he is now curious about what she wants and who exactly her family is. So when speaking to Andrei one day and bringing the topic of Eloise.

“Number one, my cousin is far too old for you to court if that is what you are after, but then again she is already being courted by that gentleman at the university. Number two, if you are trying to find out about our family, we would be fools to tell the Queen’s guard dog, now wouldn’t we? Leave family affairs to the ones who bear the Moriarty name.”

Then he tries his luck with trying to talk to shy, little Hyacinth, but she just hides behind the other students or Purple House.

Then with Madeline and Marguerite in Green House but the two of them refuse to give him any of the answers he seeks.

Their family is so secretive is as if they were related to the Lord of Crime himself

(Both Kitty and I doubt Eloise and Ciel would be friends, rivals at best, enemies at worst since their personalities would clash rather easily)

(Kitty honestly had the idea of Ciel meeting Eloise’s lover and immediately remembering his father and also the idea that her lover could be the reincarnation of his father but that really wouldn’t work because of their ages)

(Also just imagine when the Moriarty kids are all at the gazebo and their father’s pay them a visit and the bunch all just are surprised and slightly yet clearly worried and distressed at the sudden visit, Eloise especially)

[beardedmrbean]

Cornell University gets an F in research.

School president Michael Kotlikoff claimed the upstate Ivy League school wasn’t aware of Jew-bashing musician Kehlani’s anti-Israel stance — despite the information being available with a simple online search.

Kotlikoff told the Cornell Student Assembly it was now “too late” to dump the singer-songwriter and switch to another performer for Slope Day, the university’s end-of-year celebration to be held on May 7.

“We found out about the social media of this performer roughly three weeks ago,” Kotlikoff said, according to the The Cornell Daily Sun.

“It’s too late to secure another performer that will be acceptable or appropriate for Slope Day,” he told students.

Kotlikoff claimed that university brass and organizers were unaware of Kehlani’s political views when beginning negotiations for her to perform last October.

But even basic research would have turned up her views on social media supporting violence against Israel, outraged students and faculty said Monday.

In a sign of mounting backlash, members of the student group Cornellians for Israel have launched a petition and GoFundMe drive demanding that the school replace Kehlani with another performer — or they will boycott the event and select their own entertainer to headline a unifying counter-concert on the Ithaca campus.

The furor comes after President Trump’s administration froze $1 billion in federal funding to the elite school amid a civil-rights probe over whether it failed to prevent antisemitic discrimination and harassment on campus.

“It’s honestly laughable that they claim they were unaware of her glorification of violence, endorsement of an intifada, or demonization of Jews,” said Amanda Silberstein, a 21-year-old junior who is president of the school’s Chabad Center and vice president of Cornellians for Israel.

“It doesn’t take a private investigator to uncover that—just a quick look at her social media.”

As the Post reported Sunday, the watchdog group StopAntisemitism exposed Kehlani anti-Israel and antisemitic views in a July 12, 2024 post.

A single google search with the words “Kehlani” and “Israel” provides scores of Instagram hits about her hostility toward the Jewish state.

The multi-Grammy Award-nominated R&B artist herself posted a music video last spring that starts with “Long live the Intifada” — an inflammatory phrase that critics say promotes violence against Israelis and Jews. She also shared a map online that eliminates the state of Israel and refused to condemn Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

“What’s most frustrating is the hypocrisy at play. If she had a track record of attacking any other marginalized group, there’s no doubt Cornell would have moved quickly to find a replacement,” Silberstein pointed out.

“But when it comes to antisemitism, the bar is somehow lower. All we’re asking for is to be afforded the same level of care and protection as every other student on this campus.”

Silberstein said Slope Day is a festival that is supposed to unite the student body.

“Instead,” she said, “this decision has fractured it — leaving many Jewish students like myself feeling abandoned by the very school that claims to prioritize inclusion and safety for all.”

If Cornell doesn’t cancel Kehlani’s performance, Silberstein said the pro-Israel group will find a “non-political, unifying” voice to be featured at a counter-event somewhere on campus.

Faculty members were also disgusted by the divisive controversy.

“Selection of a performer who openly supports an Intifada and war against Israel reflects a toxic campus culture that the administration has ignored,” said Cornell law professor William Jacobson, founder of the civil rights group EqualProtect.org.

StopAntisemitism, a Jewish advocacy group, urged Cornell brass to do the right thing by not promoting or condoning a hate-mongering entertainer.

“President Kotlikoff’s excuse that it’s `too late to cancel’ is a cowardly abdication of leadership. There is never a deadline on doing what is right,” said StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez.

“If the performer held views targeting any other minority group, the university would act swiftly. Jewish students deserve the same protection and respect.”

Kolitkoff said the administration inserted a clause in Kehlani’s contract prohibiting her from discussing her her political views during the performance.

He also said Kehlani didn’t voice her opinions during performances on her recent “Crash World Tour,” which included a finale at Northeastern University.

“That was a sold-out concert that had no political events,” Kotlikoff said, according to the Cornell Sun. “And by all accounts, a very successful performance.”

Cornell has been roiled by numerous anti-Israel protests over the past year and Jewish students’ lives have been threatened.

Student Patrick Da pleaded guilty last year to threatening to kill Jews in posts on the university’s website.

[artquar1um]

Fish eye.

MSPaint.

[fez-pwned]

lol

[dertaglichedan]

Boeing's stranded astronaut fiasco takes sickening twist that could leave NASA duo stuck in space for even longer

A fiery explosion of a Space X rocket this week could spell even more misery for the two NASA astronauts stranded in space.

The unmanned Falcon 9 rocket failed to land successfully after launching satellites into space, bursting into flames before toppling over on its side. 

This is bad news for the two astronauts that Boeing's faulty Starliner left stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for almost three months.

Their only hope is to return to Earth on SpaceX's Dragon capsule, which will take off using the Falcon 9 rocket, and is supposed to get them home by February 2025.

But the latest setback threatens to push that date back even further.

...

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore launched toward the ISS aboard Boeing's Starliner on June 5.

The scandal-laden Starliner - which was built and developed using over $4 billion of taxpayer money - had been plagued by helium leaks and thruster issues in the weeks leading up to launch, and even on the day of. 

The spacecraft safely delivered Williams and Wilmore to the ISS, but by the time it got there, it had sprung more helium leaks and five of its 28 thrusters had failed.

*** And why can't we pay the Russians to get them out? Oh, that's right, we HATE the Russians.. You know, Trump and all.. So stupid

[pscottm]

Trump Paralyzes Independent Rights Watchdog, Firing Members Selected by Democrats - The New York Times

President Trump on Monday fired the three Democratic-selected members of an independent civil liberties watchdog agency, leaving it paralyzed as Mr. Trump’s administration starts to put its stamp on the F.B.I. and intelligence community.

Last week, the day after Mr. Trump’s inauguration, Mr. Morse sent emails to the agency, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, ordering the three members — Sharon Bradford Franklin, Edward W. Felten and Travis LeBlanc — to submit their resignations by that deadline, saying Mr. Trump would terminate them if they did not.

But the deadline came and went. Having received no further word, the three remained in their positions on Friday, when the board released a long-in-the-works study of terrorism watchlists, which keep people off planes or subject them to extra screening at airports.

On Monday afternoon, however, a White House official, Trent Morse, sent emails to the three members of the board, informing them of their dismissals. The New York Times reviewed one of the emails, and Ms. Franklin and Mr. LeBlanc confirmed that all three had been fired.

Mr. Trump did not remove the sole Republican-selected member, Beth Williams, and a fifth seat was already vacant.

[mariacallous]

On March 9, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, tweeted a video that purported to show former US president Donald Trump encouraging “all South Africans to vote for uMkhonto WeSizwe,” her father’s party, in the country’s May 29 elections. In another post, just days before the elections, Zuma-Sambudla, who has more than 300,000 followers, shared videos and photos of what appeared to be paper ballots. The accompanying text accused the African National Congress (ANC), the party currently leading the government, of stealing votes. That post has been viewed nearly 650,000 times.

Experts who spoke to WIRED say that X, formerly Twitter, was a major source of election-related mis- and disinformation in the lead-up to the vote, which dealt a major blow to the ANC. And Zuma-Sambudla was a super-spreader.

“We’ve seen clear campaigns to undermine the [election commission],” says William Bird, director of Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), a media and human rights watchdog. “It's been driven in no small part by [Jacob] Zuma's daughter.”

In the days following the elections, Zuma-Sambudla has continued to imply that the election was rigged in the ANC’s favor, even though the party lost its long-held parliamentary majority. Bird sees Zuma-Sambudla and her massive platform on X as symptomatic of a larger problem—there’s no one home at the company to curtail content that undermines trust in the elections or threatens election-related violence.

“When Elon took over, he just completely trashed the whole thing,” says Bird. As part of its work, MMA runs a platform called Real411 in collaboration with South Africa’s election commission, known as the IEC. The platform allows regular South Africans to report instances of mis- and disinformation around the election. MMA can then flag these pieces of content to Meta, TikTok, and Google, all of which work with the IEC to protect elections. X, according to Bird, “didn’t want to engage” in conversations to help shape digital and social media guidelines for elections on the continent during 2024 and 2025.

“That's not just one small country, South Africa,” says Bird. “That was the entire continent that they refused to engage with.”

Following the insurrection in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, the company then known as Twitter beefed up its trust and safety staff—the people keeping hate speech, disinformation, and illegal content off the platform—around elections, to ensure that its platform couldn’t be used to foment civil unrest. In the lead-up to the US midterm elections and the 2022 Brazilian presidential elections, the company was particularly vigilant around mis- and disinformation that questioned the electoral process or the validity of an election’s outcome. (Brazil, like the US, also saw an insurrection in the months following then president Jair Bolsonaro’s loss). After Elon Musk took over the company, however, he laid off most of the people working on trust and safety. As part of this, the entire Twitter Africa staff was cut.

“A lot of times it's sort of blamed on, you know, ‘We're undergoing a lot of changes because of layoffs,’” says Bulanda Nkhowani, sub-Saharan Africa campaigns director at the tech accountability nonprofit Digital Action, which has tried to engage with X about its approach to elections on the continent. “It's as if they don't know who to point you to.”

X did not respond to a request for comment.

Though only about 55 percent of South Africa’s 26 million social media users use X, the platform appears to be vastly overrepresented when it comes to the spread of mis- and disinformation. In a report prepared for the IEC and shared with WIRED, MMA found that a vast majority—68 percent—of 200 pieces of content reported through the Real411 portal that were ultimately found to be disinformation came from X. And a great deal of that content was tied to Zuma-Sambudla.

“We've noticed that a lot of the complaints are being generated through her account or accounts of her supporters,” says Sherylle Dass, regional director at Legal Resources Center, a public interest law center and human rights organization, which helped monitor the tip line.

Dass believes that X’s lack of moderation has been a boon to Zuma-Sambudla and her supporters, potentially laying the groundwork for future election-related violence. “I think they've been using this and leveraging this to promote divisive content, to engage in disinformation and incitement to violence,” she says.

Fears of the latter are well founded. In 2021, Zuma—who was recently barred from running for Parliament—was imprisoned for contempt after refusing to testify before a commission investigating claims of corruption in his administration. This sparked riots in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Zuma-Sambudla “was very instrumental at that time,” Dass says. In the lead-up to last week’s elections, the country faced a spate of violence against local politicians and activists. Now, Dass and others worry that Zuma-Sambudla’s attacks on the country’s election integrity could lead to more unrest.

“We are very concerned that these calls for anarchy and calls for violence on Twitter might spill over to offline violence,” says Dass.

And Nkhowani says that even if the country avoids postelection unrest, “an attack on the electoral processes is part of an overall attack on democracy.”

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The Scouts and Britain's Watchdogs by William Barnes Wollen

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