mystic-blat

So any americans reading this, please call your reps. You do not need to call for each individual bill, just give them a list of bills you want them to say no to, which should be:

KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act)

IODA (Interstate Obscenity Definition Act)

SCREEN act

You're heading toward that fascist mindset, because the whole purity culture/anti-ship mindset is designed to do specifically that.

It's designed to make you feel like the Good Person doing the Good Things being the Good and Sensible One Standing Against all The Bad Things. And chances are part of it is because someone told you proshippers are pedophiles, or whatever - they might not have even said anything concrete and just let the implication hang there.

I'm not a fan of proship vs antiship just because stuff like that gets distilled down into very simple statements, and oftentimes simplicity loses the plot. But after a couple years I will say seeing "proshippers DNI" in someone's bio will cause me to either block them, or step back from them.

It makes me nervous because even if they're not actively being aggressive, they've got a foot on the slide and that's an easy slip. I've watched too many people go down that slide, and I've had my arm dislocated trying to help some of 'em.

And look, there's assholes everywhere. Every group, every ideal, every nook and cranny you can possibly find for people has assholes. If you're letting the assholes cause you to Other an entire group of people

You're On The Slide.

It's called "Extending Protections to More US-Based Teens" and it goes into effect on August 13, 2025.

Google states that on that date, they'll begin rolling out "an age estimation model to determine if a US-based user is under the age of 18." No way AI can fuck that up, right?

This will occur "regardless of the birthdate you entered when creating your account." So, a 33-year-old like myself, despite putting my accurate birthdate, will still be subjected to this AI model and cannot opt out. Great.

And then they'll use the model to market shit to teenagers, because that's always gone well--wait, I'm sorry, they'll use it to "extend age-appropriate product experiences and protections to more teens (like enabling digital wellbeing tools and only showing non-personalized ads)." Right.

Google claims they've used this model elsewhere and it's worked well. (I'm assuming they're referring to the age verification roll out in response to the UK’s Online Safety Act.)

The model in question uses "a variety of signals" like "YouTube activity and longevity of the account." Well that's not vague at all.

When ZDNet reached out, "a YouTube representative stressed that the age-estimation model 'does not collect any new information not already associated with the account'"--which is true... unless your account is anonymous. To revert an account wrongfully flagged as underage, you have to upload a government issued ID, selfie, or credit card. Which defeats the purpose of an anonymous account.

Like the op, I tried to voice my displeasure at the further encroachment of artificial intelligence onto internet platforms. And like op, my reply "failed to post."

What I want to know is what about the above reply or mine

violates community policy? Or does Google just have AI content filters set up to ping key phrases? This is particularly grating when community policy specifically prohibits spam comments and shit like this

makes it through but comments that disagree with policy decisions are automatically flagged as inappropriate.

Regardless, this is fucking bunk, on three levels.

Firstly, what a child consumes on the internet is not the responsibility of the internet--or its users. It is the responsibility of the parent of that child.

Parental controls exist not just on televisions, but on phones and computers as well. Not only is it available via the hardware we're using to access the platform, it's also already available on the fucking platform.

Secondly, with this AI age verification rollout, Google is telling its consumers that they get to decide what we consume. That we as consumers are not in control of our experience and that we clearly do not know what is in our own best interests.

This is a violation of the concept of consumer sovereignty.

Thirdly, this model is more or less the implementation of Google's own privatized version of KOSA. Which, as we've discussed ad nauseam here on Tumblr and on the internet at-large, is largely the first step toward internet censorship.

I don't think I need to remind anyone that censorship is bad. For lots of reasons.

And look, I know we're all tired. There are Things Happening and they just keep fucking happening. I know it's a lot.

But you and me? We're the boss in this situation. No company should ever feel comfortable enough to dictate what its consumers can and cannot access. Companies work for us. Without consumers, companies cease to exist. So we have a lot more power than it feels like we do in this situation.

For better or worse, Google and YouTube are part of the ecosystem of information on the internet. And access to information is important. The freedom to access information is a right that we must protect at all costs, regardless of the age of the person accessing that information.

So take a deep breath. And keep yelling at them about this.

You can:

Spam their social media.

Call their customer service line (1-650-253-0000).

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

(Politely) Yell at your local news media--if local news covers it, there's a chance that national news might.

Sign this petition (or another like it).

And if you're sick of Google's bullshit, you can also just... stop. Stop using their services. And let them know that's why you're leaving.

There are alternatives to Google services:

Proton has a VPN, email service, and also has a drive, similar to Google's, as well as a docs feature similar to Google docs.

Ellipsus is an alternative to Google docs.

Obsidian is another.

There's also Dropbox Paper.

LibreOffice is an alternative to the Google suite/Microsoft Office suite and storage is local to your device rather than the cloud.

DuckDuckGo is a great alternative to Google search, with an easy opt-out for AI features.

Firefox is a good alternative browser for Chrome.

Twitch, Vimeo and DailyMotion, are viable alternatives for YouTube, depending on what you use it for.

There is, unfortunately, no perfect solution. Google has a monopoly on many of the services it offers, including video-sharing.

But that's another great reason to contact your reps! If you want to keep using YouTube and other Google products, or you don't want other companies to follow Google's lead, go yell at your representatives about it. They have the power to demand action on a state and federal level to protect their constituents.

Call and demand they protect their constituents from predatory business practices (which demanding an ID or credit card, when they have a history of data breaches, most certainly is). Tell your reps that it's against your freedom as a consumer for Google to decide what is and is not appropriate for its consumers to consume, and nowhere in the Constitution does it say that Google is arbiter of our access to information. And let them know that their action or lack thereof will directly impact your voting decisions during the next election.

The only way we can get companies like Google to stop doing stupid shit like this is to get loud about it and to stop using their services.

---

For the curious, here are the links I used in my attempted reply:

This one is from 2021, when they were sued for allegedly selling user data to third parties: https://www.tampabay.com/news/2021/05/07/google-selling-users-personal-data-despite-promise-federal-court-lawsuit-claims/

Every time you ask Copilot to write you a PowerShell script to stroke your boss' ego, a city experiences a brownout.

Every time you chat with your AI "girlfriend" a farmer doesn't get to water their animals.

ever since that right wing religious extremist organization Collective Shout targeted and manipulated payment processors (that are already run by right wing nutjobs) to go after steam and itchio, all this shit is starting to happen at the same time

it may be a tactical "overwhelm bomb" to make people feel powerless, and yeah it may not be that, but it's kinda strange that it's happening all at once

regardless, people need to start calling the shit out of mastercard and visa's phone lines even more

yall in the US need to start calling your representatives about KOSA especially

and people in the EU need to start calling whatever equivalent of a representative they have about all this bullshit as well

companies are now going to start trying to capitalize on invading privacy that has literally been protected for so goddamn long all because of these evil fuckwads that honestly need to get a nail put through their skulls

"Sen. Mike Lee has introduced the SCREEN ACT, a bill that applies the "harmful to minors" standard used to ban LGBTQ+ books and resources in schools and libraries and apply it nationally to the internet.

Any site that has any amount of material "harmful to minors" would be forced to employ surveillance tech (biometric scans, ID uploads, background checks) to prevent minors from accessing "pornography."

You will not be surprised to learn that this is backed by the Heritage Foundation.

Unlike some of the state age-verification laws, many of which are being challenged in court, SC will be enforced by the FTC, which has the ability to levy fines, raid business and freeze bank accounts. Yes, meaning that even non-for-profits like Ao3 will suffer.

This is something for all US users to keep on their radar. Call your reps, call your senators, and spread the word to protect our archive!"

- When talking with Republicans play up the fact that this would force Elon to implement age verification systems on X (yes do call it X during the call). Elon's been threatening to primary Republicans who stand in his way so there's fear of him. Also play up concerns about "Liberals" doxxing people or Chinese hackers.

- When talking with Democrats, play up the connections to Project 2025 and suggest voters will not be happy to see Democrats siding with it.

Republicans:

Ted Cruz, Texas (Chairman) - Phone: (202) 224-5922

John Thune, South Dakota - Phone: (202) 224-2321

Roger Wicker, Mississippi - Phone: (202) 224-6253

Deb Fischer, Nebraska - Phone: (202) 224-6551

Jerry Moran, Kansas - Phone: (202) 224-6521

Dan Sullivan, Alaska - Phone: (202) 224-3004

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee - Phone: (202) 224-3344

Todd Young, Indiana - Phone: (202) 224-5623

Ted Budd, North Carolina - (202) 224-3154

Eric Schmitt, Missouri - (202) 224-5721

John Curtis, Utah - Phone: (202) 224-5251

Bernie Moreno, Ohio - Phone: 202-224-2315

Tim Sheehy, Montana - Phone: (202) 224-2644

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia - Phone: (202) 224-6472

Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming - Phone: (202) 224-3424

Democrats:

Maria Cantwell, Washington (Ranking Member) - Phone: (202) 224-3441

Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota - Phone: (202) 224-3244

Brian Schatz, Hawaii - Phone: (202) 224-3934

Ed Markey, Massachusetts - Phone: (202) 224-2742

Gary Peters, Michigan - Phone: (202) 224-6221

Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin - Phone: (202) 224-5653

Tammy Duckworth, Illinois - Phone: (202) 224-2854

Jacky Rosen, Nevada - Phone: (202) 224-6244

Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico - Phone: (202) 224-6621

John Hickenlooper, Colorado - Phone: (202) 224-5941

John Fetterman, Pennsylvania - Phone: (202) 224-4254

Andy Kim, New Jersey - Phone: (202) 224-4744

Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware - Phone: (202) 224-2441

SCRIPT

Hi, my name is [], and I am one of Senator []’s constituents. I live in [city, zip code - leave your full address if leaving a voicemail].

I am calling in regards to a bill that was recently introduced in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transport: the SCREEN act.

Right now, you can submit a comment for consideration on the proposed changes to US Passport law that will include requiring a change from "Gender" to "Sex" on all passports and require that people identify with their sex assigned at birth.

THIS IS THE LAW THAT WOULD BAN TRANS PEOPLE FROM UPDATING THEIR IDENTIFICATION

Please take a moment to click through and submit a comment. This kind of thing is fast, easy, and is one of the many ways to show your support of the trans community to the people that need to know how many of us there are.

This is an excellent low effort way to make a clear statement to the government that you do NOT support the unnecessary and expensive process of changing everyone's passport just so that a tiny population that has done no measurable harm to society can feel afraid.

A. Go to https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/25/2025-03014/removal-of-national-environmental-policy-act-implementing-regulations

B. Click on the green rectangle in the upper right corner ("SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT") .

The comment period ends March 27, not March 30!!!

I strongly suggest (in your own words) couching your dissent in Trump's (and followers') own rhetoric. Here's what I said:

Why the hell would you rescind a national policy meant “to use all practicable means and measures, including financial and technical assistance, in a manner calculated to foster and promote the general welfare, to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and [to] fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans.”

If you have a google account, first go to gemini.google.com/extensions and turn everything off.

Then you need to go to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini and turn off all Gemini activity tracking. You do have to do them in that order to make sure it works.

Honestly, I'm not sure how long this will last, but this should keep Gemini off your projects for a bit.

Writers, make sure you have copies of all the fics you have posted on Ao3.

I don’t want to be alarming, but things could get really bad really fast. OTW shared this today on Twitter, and I'm a bit worried about it 😅

Ao3 is a non-profit organisation. If they have to start paying taxes, I have no idea what will happen.

The House will vote THIS WEEK to determine whether the incoming Trump administration will have the power to shut down non-profit organizations with no due process.

Congress has already tried to fast-track this legislation once and failed because of the onslaught of calls to their offices. We can’t let them do this quietly. Congress giving Trump the power to crush dissent and target organizations fighting for justice is a betrayal. Tell your representatives to vote NO on this dangerous bill!

fftf.link/no9495

"Absolutely no one comes to save us but us."

anyway yeah DELETE YOUR FUCKING ADVERTISING IDS

Android:

Settings ➡️ Google ➡️ all services ➡️ Ads ➡️ Delete advertising ID

(may differ slightly depending on android version and manufacturer firmware. you can't just search settings for "advertising ID" of course 🔪)

iOS:

Settings ➡️ privacy ➡️ tracking ➡️ toggle "allow apps to request to track" to OFF

and ALSO settings ➡️ privacy ➡️ Apple advertising ➡️ toggle "personalized ads" to OFF

Senator Bob Casey’s race is now at a margin of 0.53%.

An automatic recount in PA is triggered with a margin of 0.5%. That’s a difference of 0.03% or a little over 2,000 votes. We need to make sure every ballot is counted here, and there’s thousands of uncounted ballots right now due to voter error.

Did you mail in a ballot? Check to see it was accepted here:

If it says anything other than accepted/counted/etc, your ballot needs your attention. A mistake in filling it out means that your ballot will not count unless you “cure” it. Check your county’s curing policies:

See full instructions for curing by county here.

You have until November 12 to cure your ballot in PA.

Do you know someone who mailed in a PA ballot? Please pass these links on to them. You may be the difference between their vote counting or not in a super close race.

Everyone else, you can help PA voters cure their ballots. If you live in Pennsylvania, you can help canvass in your county (see links in this thread). If you are in another state, you can sign up to call voters and help them cure by phone.

Good article by David Hunter on how to survive the Trump presidency, both on the personal and on the political plane.