#privacy without monopoly

[mostlysignssomeportents]

But HP is still in business. Apple is still in business. Google is still in business. Microsoft is still in business. IBM is still in business. Facebook is still in business.

We don’t have those controlled burns anymore. Yesterday’s giants tower over all, forming a thick canopy. The internet is “five giant websites, each filled with screenshots of the other four.”

These tech companies have produced a lot of fire-debt. Over and over, they erupt in flames—in this short decade alone, every one of our tech giants has experienced a privacy scandal that should have permanently disqualified it from continuing to enjoy our patronage (and I do mean every one of them, including the one that spends millions telling you that it’s the pro-privacy alternative to the others).

Privacy is just one way that these firms are enshittifying themselves. There are the ghastly moderation failures, the community betrayals, the frauds and the billions squandered on follies.

We hate these companies. We hate their products. They are always on fire. They can’t help it. It’s the curse of bigness.

Companies cannot unilaterally mediate the lives of hundreds of millions — or even billions — of people, speaking thousands of languages, living in hundreds of countries.

- Let the Platforms Burn: The Opposite of Good Fires is Wildfires

[sightseertrespasser]

Odds of Survival Part 8

Per usual, the tf mecha au was spawned by @keferon

Prowl and the flyt he said he didn’t want: “It’s not an ESA, it’s a tool for detective work that runs on food and affection.”

Anyways why do pets always look like their owners?

———————————————————————

Prowl had approximately 6 breems before Elita finished cleaning her skull.

The tactician added 4 additional breems to account for time spent in adding the piece to her skull throne. On average, Elita One spent between 8 to 13 breems total on “personal art projects” as a way to unwind after intense battles.

As soon as Prowl was within comms range, he had sent an encoded message to Red Alert suggesting Breakdown intended to plant listening devices on the exterior of the Lost Light.

Nevermind the fact they were working on the same damn side.

That trick would keep the mech busy for at least 5 breem.

Typically, Prowl was the first to defend Red Alert as an invaluable head of security. His paranoia secured their defenses so well, security chief had completely countered every infiltration attempt by the Functionalists to date. That said, the price of privacy for their ship was Red Alert having a total monopoly on it instead.

The distraction was not only so Prowl could have a single minute of peace, but also to ensure the security officer did not interrogate an injured and highly unpredictable mech.

Because Jazz might actually give Red Alert a spark attack. (;7%)

Prowl tried to rub away the ache between his optics. Tacnet thrumming angrily with pent up, unfinished calculations. Most of which were completely defunct now thanks to the violator of numerical probability sitting in the medbay.

Jazz…

Fragging Jazz.

Prowl shut the door to his office. He could feel his helm getting warm again. He’d need to take what time he could to sort his processor before the logic cascades that had been accumulating since he found the mech became too much to manually keep on pause.

Luckily, the tactician had discovered a secret technique to unraveling Tacnet build up without requiring a constant cycling of industrial grade coolant.

Prowl unlocked the wardrobe-like habitat next to his desk.

A faintly cool breeze sighed from within, as the thawing process completed. Uncurling in response to the change of stimuli, a flyt woke from brumation to look at her praxian with bleary eyes.

“Hello Green.” Prowl eased a servo beneath the flyt. “we have much to discuss.”

As Green tucked herself against the ambient warmth of his frame, Prowl activated the large screen built into the adjacent wall.

“I met someone today.”

Tapping away, creating categories, connection points and theories arranged by probability, Prowl slowly filled the screen with a tree of possibilities.

All the while, conferring with Green to ensure his thoughts stayed at a conversational pace, rather than whirl through the labyrinth of his mind at breakneck speeds.

“-and then, he gave me his designation number, except it’s just a completely nonsensical string of seven numbers!”

Green squawked at the audacity of the mech.

“He did space out the numbers while reciting it. Two eight four, pause, four three four, pause, five five zero eight.” The praxian typed in the numbers, adding dashes where appropriate.

He muttered, mostly to himself, “This had better not be some sort of prank.”

As Prowl continued to verbally filter through his mental evidence locker, Tacnet finally straightened out the concrete math of the situation.

“Jazz is either an alien or a lost government experiment. Alien 57%, cybertronian 43%” The screen automatically supplied a pie chart, superseding several lesser graphs beneath it.

Prowl tilted his helm back and sighed, expelling all the hot air he’d holding behind locked vents at once.

Tacnet had finally. Finally, attached a precentiall figure to Jazz’s existence. The sheer relief of that knot untangling was better than any oil bath. Rolling his shoulders and neck, Prowl continued.

“There are two schools of thought regarding The Jazz Situation.” Prowl divided the board in two beneath the chart.

“The first, was that Jazz is a wholly alien mechanical lifeform, and it is through convergent design that he happens to closely resemble a cybertronian. Albeit with various physical abnormalities.”

Green squawked.

“Precisely. Until the language barrier is further overcome, we cannot rule out the second theory either. That Jazz is a creation of the Functionalists. It would account for the physical abnormalities while removing a significant amount of uncertainty the Alien Theory comes with.”

Prowl gathered a small bit of skitter. Green didn’t have much appetite immediately after waking, but the prospect of food still served as positive reinforcement for her “help”.

Ostensibly, caring for the flyt was supposed to take Prowls processor off of work. Jokes on his government assigned therapist, Green was a fantastic assistant and confident.

While he did care for his brothers, Smokescreen was explicitly unhelpful when Prowl latched onto something intellectually stimulating. Constantly cajoling him into going to bars or casinos or wherever else the elder Praxian considered “actually stimulating”.

And Bluestreak, meanwhile, was a mech physically incapable of keeping a secret.

“You don’t try to get me overcharged or tell everybody about the Mesothulas Incident.” The tactician cooed while scritching the underside of Greens beak.

Nevermind it was the same night.

Green trilled happily at the attention and praise, waking up more thoroughly.

“I’ll see about introducing you later. Jazz shows no discomfort concerning organics and I predict a strong likelihood he will appreciate your work.”

Just as Prowl was about to close the theory board, a comm came through, making him pause with a servo still hovering over the screen.

[VELOCITY]: Update about the patient for you sir.]

Speak not of Unicron lest he appears.

[PROWL]: Go ahead. Do you need me to come back to the medbay?]

[VELOCITY]: No, he’s not displaying any adverse behavior you warned me about. His common is very rough though and he’s definitely struggling to understand my questions and clearly articulate his answers. Outside of that, the patient seems fairly relaxed actually.]

Rough? Jazz had been making steady progress with his language acquisition. He should be capable of understanding and answering Velocity’s questions with 76% accuracy.

[PROWL]: He did suffer a helm injury, though I am certain you’ve taken that into account already.]

[VELOCITY]: I already ran a simple cognitive test and he passed without issue. I’d have to open his helm up to make sure, but he otherwise seems completely fine mentally.]

Prowl settled himself at his desk, tapping the surface absent mindedly.

[VELOCITY]: His other vitals are what concerns me however. By cybertronian medical standards, you brought me a talking corpse.]

Prowl stopped tapping.

[PROWL]: Elaborate.]

[VELOCITY]: The patient has no energon, no nanites, and no spark signature. He’s absolutely covered in the tiniest welds I’ve ever seen, which I should not be able to see if he had even 5% of the nanites a healthy mech should have.]

[PROWL]: Does he require more intensive medical treatment?]

[VELOCITY]: That’s a bit complicated to answer. He’s an alien so I’m not sure what his baseline for healthy is supposed to be. And if what you say about prior medical abuse is true, I don’t think he knows either.]

[VELOCITY]: He’s taking repairs like a champ so far. I can see he’s had a ton of previous repairs that all look clean and well executed despite being done without anesthetic.]

There are other kinds of avoidance than just physical aversion. Jazz is being compliant to get through the repairs quickly but faking confusion to avoid deeper medical questioning 88%.

[PROWL]: Unless it is to ask for consent for a procedure, you may desist questioning the patient for medical information. Rely on your own observations and expertise to form any pertinent theories.]

[VELOCITY]: Understood. The patient has turned down any deeper scans around his helm and chassis and I don’t want to push it on a first time check up. I’ve finished fixing his feet and the replacement part for his shoulder is almost done being machined.]

[VELOCITY]: I want to deal with his visor and helm sooner rather than later, but that’ll take a much more thorough scan to deal with. That’s all I have to update so far. His arm won’t heal on its own so I need to concentrate on rewiring the sensory network manually now.]

[PROWL]: Understood. Contact me immediately if anything changes.]

One more horrifying concept to add to the list. He was completely and utterly reliant on potentially manipulative doctors to fix even the most minute scraps and pains. No wonder Jazz had the pain tolerance of a Titan.

Prowl went to pull his data pad from subspace to update his Jazz Theory Board and stopped short with a full body cringe.

He gingerly took out Jazz’s missing shoulder and placed it on the table.

Prowl shuttered his optics.

The fact he forgot he had another mechs shoulder on his person was a testament to how badly he needed to defrag tonight. He briefly considered comming Velocity, but didn’t want to interrupt her operation on delicate wiring. Besides, if Jazz lacked a self repair system, then it wouldn’t matter if the piece was original or machine made.

It was such a fundamentally wrong concept, Prowl was unsure whether he’d prefer that to be Jazz’s natural state (51%) or a condition inflicted on him by whatever sadists created him (49%).

The tapping sound of beak on metal pulled Prowl back into the room.

“Green, do not.” He said sternly, lifting the flyt away from her object of fascination. She looked at him with pitifully wet eyes at the unhappy tone.

The praxians wings drooped. With some difficulty, Prowl attempted to project his EM field in something like “Your actions displeased me but I harbor no ill will towards your being. I am simply under a significant mental load and find the prospect of you attempting to eat a piece of someone’s body fairly distressing and ask that you discontinue that behavior and not act on any future impulses to put foreign objects in your mouth.”

What he got was a wobbly Meehm-blah-sorry-sad.

Flyts were supposedly capable of picking up on EM fields (12%). Prowl suspected Green was simply quite good at interpreting his body language and tone (88%).

In either case, Green responded by attempting to groom his plating, cooing softly. Organic EM fields were small and alien, but with practice and exposure one could begin to map one’s field to cybertronian equivalents. Green radiated a lightly brushing sympathy of sad and want-happy.

Prowl gave up on his field projection practice, and idly returned Greens affection with physical pets. If that damn therapist asked, he’d count it towards his quarterly goals.

That mech bothered him. Not just because he put limits on his workflow or for the one sided glaring contests Prowl would enact during their sessions. But because for the life of him Prowl could never remember his name. And that missing data point drove Tacnet crazy.

Everytime Prowl tried to investigate where the therapist even came from, something always came up distracting him from the task.

In a moment of determination, Prowl reached for his pad to look up his own therapists name on the ship’s registry and paused mid action.

The tactician turned his gaze back to the morbid weight resting on the desk.

His brow furrowed.

Lifting the piece closer (where Green couldn’t get at it), Prowl inspected something odd along the surface of the shoulder.

It looked like a row of staples protruding from the metal.

It looked like ladder rungs.

A frantic banging on Prowls door interrupted his introspection. He quickly subspaced the shoulder joint.

The indignant voice of Red Alert carried through the door, yelling to be let in immediately.

Prowl sent a few consecutive pings to clear the board, reduce interior illumination by 40% and then finally allow the chief of security entry.

Red Alert stumbled in through the sudden opening, plating misting off the residue frost formed by the chill of outer space. His optics darted rapidly around the dimmed interior, landing on the stone faced mech seated behind the desk.

Impassive and unreadable, the only signs the tactician was alive were the cold glow of his optics and the servo lightly stroking his pet. The flyts beady eyes bored into Red Alerts. Silent and unwavering.

Mouth suddenly dry, the mech was unable to form words.

The desired effect was achieved.

“I’ve been expecting you.” Prowl did not offer him a seat, as there was none to offer.

Red Alert got a hold of himself and puffed up his plating.

“Why is there an unauthorized mech on board this ship and why did I only hear about through gossip?!” Red Alert’s voice cracking the last word into a higher register.

“Jazz is authorized to be here. By me.” He offered Green a bit of skitter. “And by our captain. I found him stranded in open space after he fell out of a Quintesson gate tear.”

The smaller mech blanched slightly at the sight of an organic feeding. Prowl estimated the presence of Green would speed their meeting along by a factor of 120%.

“So you’re just bringing home random mechs then.” Red Alert flapped his arms at his sides. “How do you know he isn’t a Functionalist spy? Or a High Command spy? Or a third party spy?!”

Prowl raised a single digit. “One, Velocity has confirmed Jazz is absolutely an alien lifeform and not cybertronian in origin.” He held up a second digit. “And two, he fell out of a quintesson gate tear in the middle of empty space.”

Red Alert began to pace the room. “Okay fine. He’s not a plant for any cybertronian factions. How do you know he isn’t some kind of twisted Quintesson creation? Maybe he was created to infiltrate our ranks, and then a sleeper agent switch flips and he kills us all!”

“He is not a quintesson creation.” Prowl plainly stated to Red Alerts increasing exasperation.

“And how do you know that?!” Throwing his servos in the air.

“He likes music.”

Red Alert reset his optics. “Come again?”

Prowl cleaned off his servo with a rag in his desk, and played a low quality snippet of Jazz’s music that he’d managed to capture.

Red Alert startled at the sudden unfamiliar sound.

When actually was the last time any of them had heard new music? Before the civil war at least.

Prowl continued, “Quintessons do not value nor comprehend alien aesthetics. Their culture revolves around expansion and material acquisition and whatever may qualify as “art” to them does not equate to our understanding of it. They have absolutely no records of partaking in sound based recreation nor of collecting samples from other cultures.”

The snippet cut short. “Simply put, quintessons don’t know good music. Jazz does.”

Red Alert was loosing steam, but still had one more point to contend with.

“Isn’t just too improbable though?” Hands on the desk, leaning as close as he dared. “That out of the entirety of the universe, Jazz just so happened to pop out exactly next to the shuttle you were riding on, conveniently alone, unconscious, unharmed AND he gets picked up by high ranking decepticon?” For once, it looked less like Red Alert was fighting him, rather than pleading with him.

Prowl tilted his helm slightly, “You are correct. The odds are unfathomably low. So low in fact, it is nearly statistically impossible to achieve such a scenario on purpose.”

Quintesson gates were finicky. They had a margin of error the breadth of planets. That was also usually their targets however, and quints weren’t picky where they touched down.

“But-“

“But what? I have addressed every concern you have presented.” Prowl flared his doorwings. “I found a lost mech of a new alien species that may very well be an invaluable ally in the war against the quintessons. It’s a valuable opportunity.”

Red Alert balled his fists, fear manifesting as a last burst of rage. “It’s a trap! It’s an Oil-Pot! It is so obviously a purposeful manipulation when you look at it from the outside!”

The security officer began counting on his digits, “Step one! Put a handsome mech somewhere in need of saving so the target feels like they’re in control and the hero. Step two! Ramp up the flirting and the codependency, they need you so you stay in touch and start giving in to more of their requests. Step three! The Oil-Pot gets you alone somewhere under false pretenses where they SPLIT OPEN YOUR PROCESSOR AND SCRAPE IT FOR SECRETS!”

Red Alerts fans blasted hot air around the room. The mech challenging the Praxian for whatever excuse he had this time.

Prowl stood. Taking his time to return Green to her habitat.

“What am I most known for?”

For not the first time since entering his office, Red Alert was knocked off balance.

“I..uh. Math?” He stammered. Knowing the answer but not wanting to say it.

Prowl lacked that reservation.

“Any spy worth their shanix would have done their research thoroughly before even attempting such a scam. If one were to sift through information on me organized by Decepticons, the most prominent word would be Efficient.”

Prowl leisurely shook out Greens cloth-mop nest of any remaining ice crystals.

“If they sourced their information from the Functionalists, that description would include the word Ruthless.”

Prowl gave the flyt one last scritch before closing the door.

“Other popular words I’ve cataloged in relation to my name include Cold, Severe, Sparkless, Unfeeling and Merciless.” The smaller mech shrunk a little with every addition.

Prowl stepped around the desk in the dimly lit room to stand directly before Red Alert, servos clasped behind his back. “With this information available, any spy would be an idiot to attempt an Oil-Pot against me specifically. Ask nearly any mech aboard this ship if they think I’d go out of my way to save a stranger for no apparent benefit and they’d tell you No.”

Red Alert fiddled with his servos, torn between a nervous tick and the pressure to be professional. “If that’s all true, then.”

He chanced a glance at Prowl face, which gave away nothing. “Then why did you save him?”

“Because they are wrong.”

The room brightened back to normal levels, as Prowl sent a ping first to the lights and then to open his office door. He held out a servo, gesturing to the exit.

“Until further notice, Jazz is to be treated the same as a rescued non combatant. He will be kept under observation but not interrogation. We can work out the details at a later-“

[VELOCITY]: Jazz is gone.]

Prowl closed his servo. His doorwings twitched once. Red Alert tensed.

[VELOCITY]: I just finished the last repair and when I turned around he disappeared from the medbay. The guards outside didn’t see him.]

Prowl marched out the door, pulling Red Alert along in the direction of the security office. “I require your assistance immediately, as Jazz is currently loose somewhere on the ship, unmonitored.”

The tactician endured the security chiefs well earned tirade the entire way. Prowl kept a steely grip on the situation, only barely convincing Red Alert not to raise every alarm on the premise that Jazz would be easier to find if he didn’t think they were looking for him.

Tacnet stubbornly held onto the 56% saying Jazz was experiencing a delayed negative reaction to his medical care and was acting out of fear.

A steadily growing percentage screamed sabotage in a voice annoyingly similar to Red Alerts.

Said mech was almost cheery with vindication, in between vehemently describing every way the Lost Light could explode with the next few breems.

Red Alert worked fast. Sifting through the camera feed at a dizzying speed. A camera caught Jazz quickly slipping out of the medbay. Barely escaping the notice of the two mechs tasked with keeping watch. Prowl noted their designations for later scathing admonishment.

“The port side door lock is time stamped as malfunctioning just before Velocity discovered Jazz’s disappearance. It looks like the lock experienced an extremely localized electromagnetic pulse, putting it in Safe Mode.”

Red Alert switched the camera feeds on the main screen. “After he rounds this corner he just vanishes. I can’t find him anywhere on my system.”

Prowl nodded. “Good. Then I know exactly where he has to be.”

There were very few places to hide upon the Lost Light. Red Alert made certain of that. Which by extension meant that someone desperate to stay out of any camera views would have an extremely limited amount of space to operate in.

That space would normally be un-traversable, unless the mech in question was in possession of incredibly powerful magnetic augments, allowing them to crawl along the ceilings.

Prowl sent out a flurry of comms, updating Elita and calling in trusted reinforcements. He set out down the hall.

[PROWL]: What rooms aboard this ship do you not have any cameras inside of?]

[Red Alert]: The war room. The Captains quarters, your office, the therapists office and the operating theater.]

[PROWL]: There’s a camera in my berthroom?]

[Red Alert]: I mean. It’s not like you use it?]

Prowl consistently removed any bugging attempts in his office. Half the reason he kept Green in there was to deter Red Alert from trying. The other half was because he legitimately spent more time there than in his quarters.

He mentally crossed off his office, Elita’s quarters, the operating theater and the therapists office from the list as each one had someone inside at the time of Jazz’s disappearance.

All that left was the war room. Windowless, minimalist and with only once entrance, Jazz would be cornered like an animal in a trap.

Prowl gathered several of the least impulsive guards he could summon on short notice. Lining them along the hallway, he ordered them to shoot to disable. Prowl added that he would make an attempt to talk the mech down before escalating further.

If Jazz was spec ops (44%), the only benefit of infiltrating the war room would be to plant listening devices in its purposefully sparse interior. If Jazz wasn’t acting out of malice, and simply having a panic attack (56%), he may still react violently to suddenly being cornered.

Matchup: Close quarters fight Jazz versus Prowl. Jazz victory 97%.

The 3% in Prowls favor mostly depended on Jazz having some kind of sudden health emergency.

Prowl carefully assumed a neutral pose, knocking on the door to the war room.

“This is officer Prowl speaking. Please exit the room peacefully, we do not want to hurt you.”

Silence, save for the shifting of many nervous peds behind him. Prowl risked opening the door a crack, keeping his body well out of the line of fire. “Jazz, it is Prowl speaking. I need you to say something. Otherwise we’re going to have to come in.”

When there was still no response, Prowl signaled for the gathered soldiers to come closer in preparation for a raid.

On the silent count of three, they entered the war room, blasters drawn and optics searching.

Prowl kept special focus on the ceiling. Fanning his doorwings, He created a real time 3D map of the room, tracking every mechs movements within.

Jazz wasn’t here.

Instantly, Prowl prepared to order a ship wide mech hunt. They’d already wasted so much time with their one sided negotiations. The tactician began rerunning his mental map of where Jazz could have disappeared.

Elita had already sent him several unhappy comms messages about what she was going to do to the alien and him if Prowl didn’t find them. Confirming between threats that Jazz hadn’t gotten into her room.

Velocity had Nautica and Nightbeat in the med bay with her, turning the place upside down in case Jazz doubled back.

He found the comm line for the therapists office.

[PROWL] We have a rogue, possibly unstable mech loose within the Lost Light. Are you inside your office?]

[RUNG] Ah Prowl! Good to see you reaching out to me first for a change. Just finished up a lovely talk with Jazz.]

[RUNG] I think he has something important to tell you.]

———————————————————————

I am generally intrigued by the concept of how being apart of the Decepticon’s pecking order messes a person up.

There’s references all over to how Prowls physical and mental well being got absolutely wrecked and is now in recovery from being apart of High Command. (Inspired partially by @glitchgh0sty’s Deception AU go check ‘em out they’re cool.)

I also wanted to explore the social side of things.

Prowl makes himself unapproachable on purpose, Elita makes acts of excessive violence on her enemies a prominent display and Red Alert is even more invasive than normal.

It’s all to ward off other Decepticons from sensing weakness and stabbing them in the backs. Younger mechs like Bluestreak and Velocity can get away with being much more relaxed and friendly because they’ve got scary ass mechs like Prowl and Elita behind them radiating the “I will fucking destroy you.” energy on their behalf.

We get to see the masks slip a bit here and there. Red Alert genuinely concerned for Prowls safety underneath the paranoia. Elita gives Jazz and Prowl a lot more freedom than an actual tyrant would, even if it’s granted with over the tops threats of physical violence. And of course we see a lot of what Prowl is actually like removed from the pressure of behaving like a “proper” Decepticon.

Wonder what will happen when a certain mecha pilot gets a crowbar under those masks.

-SSTP

<- First Next ->

[tomorrowusa]

Microblogging platform Mastodon is taking steps to make sure it never falls into the hands of some MAGA billionaire like Zuck or Musk.

Founder Eugen Rochko is transferring ownership to a nonprofit entity based in Europe. It is already located in the EU where it is free of any political or legal pressure from a Trump administration. Becoming nonprofit is a poison pill to deter any broligarchs who bend the knee to MAGA.

Mastodon announced Monday that it's shifting its structure over the next six months to become wholly owned by a European nonprofit organization—"affirming the intent that Mastodon should not be owned or controlled by a single individual." This takes control of the social network away from its previous "ultimate decision-maker," Eugen Rochko. As founder, Rochko initially took the reins to ensure the decentralized platform would never be for sale and "would be free of the control of a single wealthy individual." His grand vision remains to leave Mastodon users in control of the social network, making their own decisions about what content is allowed or what appears in their timelines. The news comes after leaders of other social networks, like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, have sparked backlash over sudden changes to popular apps like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). For years, Musk has drawn criticism for changing Twitter's hate speech policies through his X rebranding. And more recently, Zuckerberg this month defended Meta's decision to relax hate speech policies (permitting women to be called "property" and gay people to be called "mentally ill") by calling bans on such speech "out of touch with mainstream discourse." Mastodon is hoping to provide an alternative social network for users who are potentially frustrated with their lack of control over their timelines and content on other networks.

Mastadon is part of the Fediverse – which takes a little getting used to. And while not small, it doesn't yet have the enormous volume of broligarch-owned social media; though Elon Musk's transformation of Twitter/X into a playground for Nazis and Trumpsters has sparked growth at Mastodon.

Mastodon appears to be betting that even more users will seek alternative social networks in the future as popular apps enact unpopular policies. The blog discussed progress on a "privacy-respecting search tool" that could be used to explore the entire Fediverse, a collection of independent social media networks that Mastodon connects to. That could make it possible to discover more content without depending on a "For You" algorithm mining user data. And perhaps in a nod to Meta's recent changes, Mastodon also vowed to "invest deeply in trust and safety" and ensure "everyone, especially marginalized communities," feels "safe" on the platform.

Dominic Preston at The Verge writes...

“When founder Eugen Rochko started working on Mastodon, his focus was on creating the code and conditions for the kind of social media he envisioned,” Mastodon says. “The legal setup was a means to an end, a quick fix to allow him to continue operations. From the start, he declared that Mastodon would not be for sale and would be free of the control of a single wealthy individual, and he could ensure that because he was the person in control, the only ultimate decision-maker.” In the short term, nothing should change for users. Mastodon will continue to host the mastodon.social and mastodon.online servers and support its federated network. Routine code development and bug fixes are ongoing, though the announcement adds that “changes are definitely in the pipeline.” “Our core mission remains the same: to create the tools and digital spaces where people can build authentic, constructive online communities free from ads, data exploitation, manipulative algorithms or corporate monopolies,” Mastodon says.

What's not to like about a platform for Twitter refugees which doesn't Zuck?

[axelsagewrites]

HotD Modern Boyfriend Headcannons

Includes: Aemond, Aegon, Jace, and Lucerys

Word count: 794

Masterlist Here

Aemond

Aemond is defiantly very shy in the initial stages but not so much a blushing mess than an overly stoic character who’s afraid to get hurt

He’s really bad at saying how he feels but he expresses it in different ways

He’ll pick you up your favourite candy when your sad

Or buy a book that reminds him of you

He also always wants to solve your problems

So, if you’re ill he’s already ubered your favourite food to your house

And is also already in his car to hand deliver your favourite snacks

He was reserved about PDA to begin with

He didn’t want you to think he was being possessive or anything

But now he refuses to not be holding your hand in public

Also, he isn’t possessive

But he defiantly has a jealous streak

He isn’t afraid to glare at someone who hugs you for a little too long

Or will drop into the conversation by wrapping his arm tightly around your waist

Aegon

Aegon is the type of guy where neither one of you really know if you’re dating

Till one day he just randomly kisses you goodbye without thinking

Then suddenly boom dating

He’d definitely be all touchy feely about things

He likes to hold your hand, twirl you around, show you off

He wouldn’t get jealous often and instead take a secret pride in knowing he has you and they don’t

But he can get insecure at times and will need to be the little spoon

He loves being the little spoon

He just loves to be held

He also will name drop you into every conversation and deliberately check the time to see his lock screen of you

He is also your biggest hype man and loves to take photos of you

Like you’ll go on a date, and he’ll have done a full photo shoot of you the whole time

Even when he has no clue what you’re talking about he just loves to listen to your voice

Defiantly wants to call every night to say goodnight or even fall asleep on face time

Jace

Jace is a romantic through and through

He’ll set up weekly movie nights whether at home or out with all the snacks and its always a rom com

The type of boyfriend to always be cold cause he’s gave you his jacket

He would give you his shoes and walk back bare foot if your feet hurt

He’d also set you up your own drawer, if not multiple, for when you come over filled with snacks

Jace would love to have sleep overs filled with sheet masks and cuddles

He is very affectionate even around his family his arms always over your shoulder

He’d defiantly treat you like a passenger princess and drive you everywhere

However, despite his wholesome side this man gets jealous easily

Defiantly the type to pout when you leave but ends up feeling guilty cause he doesn’t want to hurt you

Much prefers a casual night in with you than anything else

Especially if it’s a family night where you dominate him in monopoly and hang out with Luke

He’s had your kids’ names picked out since your second date

And don’t ask to look at his Pinterest cause that’s where your weddings already planned

Luke

He is so the type to have a crush on his best friend and be terrified to ask you out

However, once you start dating and he’s more comfortable the ‘bullying’ aka flirting starts

If he’s taller than you, or able to get on a chair, he would hold your stuff out your reach

He would also make you play the Xbox with him just so he could win

However, he’d also end up feeling bad and then play the sims with you instead

He’d defiantly get a Minecraft realm for you to share so he can go out mining and you can just build pretty houses

Luke is also so chuffed when he sees you in one of his hoodies

Like it’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen so he buys more so you can steal them

He’d probably be shyer with PDA but in privacy he’d curl up in your arms

Loves to go on dates to the bowling alley or laser tag but especially the arcade

He will spend 20 minutes trying to win you a teddy

Speaking of he defiantly considers your stuffed animals that he buys you your children

His friends always tease him for being a simp and he pretends to be annoyed but secretly loves it

His camera roll is filled with horrible pictures of you that he refuses to delete cause ‘you look cute babe. Like a gremlin,’

Taglist: @clairacassidy @valeskafics @starkleila

[thoughtportal]

Here's everything you need to know about the tariffs. Why they're happening, why now, and what to do as a lowly little peasant with no power. First off, you need to know that it has nothing to do with bringing manufacturing back to the US. Tariffs are happening because the US empire is crumbling. Basically Trump is doing the work of the financial and tech elite who are trying to claw their way back into the center of global finance. How? By reasserting dominance by state-backed protectionism. Really since the 70s, the US has been the global reserve currency because of a deal that we made with OPEC. That deal said that oil would be priced exclusively in US dollars and that oil profits would be reinvested into US assets and in exchange that would get US military protection and weapons. This petrodollar system let the US run massive deficits without crashing the currency. This artificial dollar demand meant that we could print money infinitely. Waging wars, tax cuts, bailouts, without worries of immediate inflation. Meanwhile, all that oil profit that was being funneled into the US economy meant that we could keep interest rates low, feed all these speculative bubbles, and support stagnant wages with increasing consumer debt. But quite possibly the most important thing this did was give the US incredible power on the global stage. We could discipline and control entire nations through access to the IMF and World Bank or sanctions. This is how we have destroyed or stunted the development of socialist nations across the world. But now that system is unraveling. China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran are de-dollarizing. They're trading oil and other currencies, they have alternative payment systems, and they're rapidly dumping US assets. If the dollar loses its reserve status, the US loses its exorbitant privilege, the ability to spend without consequences and bully others through financial dominance. How the US and US capitalists are trying to reconstitute their hegemony, and that's where the tariffs come in. Tariffs are a power play to shield the US from the consequences of its own decay. Through tariffs, trade policy, and military threats, the US government is trying to force the world to play by the rules of American tech and financial institutions. This new strategy has a goal to make US tech the infrastructure for the global economy. If we can't rule because of oil and debt, we can try and rule through cloud storage or payment facilitation or surveillance infrastructure. The government wants US companies like Apple, Google, Stripe, PayPal, or MasterCard or whatever be indispensable nodes in the circuits of global commerce. These tariffs also punish other countries like China or India or the European Union for passing data privacy laws, anti-monopoly rules that cut into the profits of US tech companies. The US is both protection but also coercion, make them both back off and pay up. So will it work? Probably not. But that doesn't mean you're not going to feel the effects of it. Higher prices and more instability are going to become the norm. So what do we do? The biggest thing is to reduce consumption wherever possible. The less you feed the beast, the less it feeds on you. Cut off US companies from your data and your dollars. Delete the apps, quit the brands, starve the machine. Build solidarity networks. Support your friends materially and emotionally. Strengthen the relationships that capitalism has hollowed out. Join a union, join a community organization, join a mutual aid group. Broaden your relationships into your larger community. And definitely join a political party that isn't the Democrats. Remember, AOC and Bernie won't save us. We save us. I wish there was more we could do right now, but that's at least stuff we can do right now.

Video by Means TV

[ecrivainsolitaire]

We need to open more conversations about software, intellectual property and tech literacy because every time something new happens on the internet everyone enters into crisis mode without actually knowing what to do about it. A lot of the moral panic over AI is this: nitpicking about names and scaremongering about art theft without really understanding any of the technology or legal frameworks they're discussing. (This is not to say AI is without its criticisms but people have been dropping the ball on this because they're focused on the wrong part of the equation.) A lot of the talk about NFTs and Twitter has been the same: dunking on technological changes without really understanding the root of the problem, mostly for clout and virtue signalling. We need to bring back the discussions of the early internet: freedom of information, privacy rights, right to repair, open source and public domain sustainability. Tumblr is mostly worried about moral righteousness and support, and those are all good things, but in this cyberpunk dystopia it's more important than ever to have a handle on the way technology influences our lives and how we can control it. Freedom of information is mutual aid. Digital autonomy is fighting the tech monopolies. Data gathering is the first step of capitalist propaganda. We can only crush our oppressors if we learn how to stop depending on them.

[bridgertonbabe]

Bridgerton Spouses Support Group Chat #?

BSSG Group Chat

Kate: Guys can I ask you all a question?

Michael: Shoot.

Kate: Did you all go paintballing without me last week?

Message seen by everyone ✔✔

Kate: Ok it's been 24 hours since my last message and I know for a fact you've ALL seen it so what fucking gives?

Gareth: look if i send a cute video of george and you guys all flood the chat with comments and stuff then hopefully we can drown her out and lowkey gaslight her into forgetting all about it

Kate: What?!

Gareth: oh fu

Gareth sent a video

Michael: Awwwwwwwwww bless he's so adorable

Lucy: he has the cutest laugh!!! 🥰

Sophie: I can't believe he's getting so big already! 💗💗

Phillip: Cute x

Penelope: omg I love the onesie do you know where it's from?

Simon: See I told you he'd love the crawling crab.

Gareth: @ Penelope i'll ask hy

Gareth: @ Simon he can't get enough of it, it's his favourite thing atm

Kate: @ Penelope Well I got it from Bambino

Kate: And I fucking saw the message you obviously sent to the wrong GC @ Gareth , so you can all quit trying to GASLIGHT me!

Kate: Now I'll ask you again; did you or did you not all go paintballing without me?!

Simon: Ok fine we did.

Kate: AHA! I KNEW IT!

Penelope: How did you find out?

Kate: Greg asked me if I enjoyed the spouses paintballing afternoon when he came to pick Katie up yesterday.

Gareth: omfg wtf @ Lucy

Michael: Yeah rare L from you Lulu

Lucy: guys I'm sorry I forgot to take the wristband off before I got home and he instantly recognised where it was from so I had to fess up

Gareth: dammit you've jeopardised our entire set up

Lucy: no no no it's fine I swear! I know some of you guys don't have any trust in your partners but greg can keep a secret and respect our spouse group privacy! it won't get back to any of the other bridgertons, you've got to believe me!

Phillip: He literally blabbed to Kate.

Lucy: yes but only because I didn't tell him that she wasn't invited!

Kate: And why was I not invited?!

Sophie: Because you would have ruined it! You would have turned a fun afternoon into anything but just like you do with every other game and activity we've played before! You're just as bad as the Bridgertons when it comes to anything vaguely competitive and the rest of us just wanted some lighthearted fun without everything descending into chaos and the world burning around us, ok? And that is why we didn't invite you!

Phillip: Yep

Simon: Very that.

Kate: Wow.

Michael: Look Kate you've got to understand it's not you. It's just the psychopathic competitive Mr Hyde in you that scares the bajeebus out of us.

Penelope: yeah it really isn't personal

Gareth: except it is

Kate: For god's sake I'm not that bad! Sure I have my moments but that doesn't mean I should be excluded from your group activities! I can control myself! I've never done anything to cross the line enough to be compared to Mr Hyde for crying out loud!

Sophie: You accused me of faking going into labour with Alex and refused to call me an ambulance when we played Cluedo.

Simon: You keyed my car after Daph pissed you off in Monopoly.

Michael: And you threw Newton's poo on mine when I won charades.

Phillip: You've always mocked me for having panic attacks during game nights.

Penelope: You pushed Colin down the stairs.

Lucy:

Kate: Oh boo fricking hoo! I'm so sorry you're all a bunch of whiny oversensitive little babies who can't take the slightest bit of heat from some perfectly healthy competition!

Gareth:

Lucy: is the perfectly healthy competition in the room with us?

Phillip: I dread to think what you consider to be unhealthy competition.

Kate: Oh go have one of your little anxiety attacks about it then you weakling

Michael has removed Kate from the chat

Sophie: I would say I'm surprised she can stoop to a new low but I'm really not.

Lucy: and this is why I also don't regret not inviting her to laser tag or the escape room

[string-queen]

Would you be willing to write us a Makaria and Shadowheart kiss for #31 after a small rejection, please? <3

Home Is Where Your Teeth Sink, Love

Series this is from is here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Great, Makaria thought to herself as she picked up the little black idol. Just what we need, another godsdamn statue.

It wasn't as if there was any shortage of the things around Grymforge. Everywhere the party went around the fortress, there seemed to be a statue of Shar or one of her Justiciars glaring down at them. Even Shadowheart seemed unsettled by them, acting like a guilty child caught misbehaving whenever they were near one.

Weighing the idol in her hand, she aimed at a spot in the lava below. No one would mind one less of these stupid things lying around.

Well, Shadowheart might.

The thought made her freeze mid-windup.

"Stupid thing better not be cursed," Makaria muttered as she stuffed the idol into her pack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I found something earlier," Makaria told the cleric when they finally had a moment of privacy. "It's stupid, but you seem to like stupid things, so...here."

Shadowheart's eyes went wide when Makaria brought out the statue from behind her back.

"You thought of me?" Shadowheart asked, as if she didn't have a monopoly over Makaria's musings. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

Shadowheart beamed down at the little idol for a few moments, before apprehension clouded her expression.

"Nobody's ever given me anything before...What do I owe you in return?"

Laughing, Makaria replied, "It's a gift, Shadowheart. You don't have to repay me."

"Well, perhaps I can come up with something, all the same."

"How about a kiss?" Makaria blurted without thinking.

It was foolish to hope for and selfish to ask, but Makaria voiced the thing she had been longing for these past tendays.

"Kiss me like the first time. Like we're just two idiots falling for one another, and nothing else matters."

"I–I can't," Shadowheart replied, worry and guilt etching themselves into her face.

Makaria looked over the woman's shoulder to glare momentarily at the statue of the Dark Betrayer that seemed to watch them, a slight smile on it's face.

"Alright," Makaria said, hoping her fracturing heart wasn't too evident. "Then, kiss me like you hate me."

Surprise sent Shadowheart's eyebrows upward, almost disappearing underneath her bangs, as her eyes searched Makaria's face. Whatever she found there, the cleric recovered quickly and pulled her face into a predatory smirk.

"Easily done," She said finally, green eyes flashing dangerously in the light of the forge.

Before Makaria had time to reconsider her request, the cleric had closed the distance between them with deliberate strides. Shadowheart reached up, wrapping her fingers around one of Makaria's horns and the paladin felt herself being pulled slowly but firmly down to the Sharran's level so that Shadowheart's lips could reach her own.

Makaria had thought about that first kiss on the cliff side nearly every day since its occurrence. It had been sweet and earnest and almost chaste. The kiss Shadowheart was inflicting upon her now was anything but.

Makaria helplessly wrapped her arms around her companion's waist as Shadowheart's lips greedily bore into hers, ravenous and demanding. The cleric's free hand wound it's way into Makaria's hair, the slight tension dragging an involuntary moan from Makaria's chest.

She felt Shadowheart's teeth sink into her lip, both in punishment and reward. The taste of blood filled Makaria's mouth, but it didn't matter. For this moment, the entire universe was Shadowheart's body pressed against her own, their hands tangling in one another's hair, ragged breaths shared between their lips and teeth.

Agonizingly slowly, and still all too soon, Shadowheart pulled away, wiping blood from her lips. A cold emptiness rushed into the void between the two women, despite the sweltering heat in the space.

"Thank you–for the idol, I mean," Shadowheart said breathlessly. "I'll find it a place of honor in camp."

"Right," Makaria answered, sobering as reality punched through her chest.

As Shadowheart turned to leave, Makaria caught a whisper from the cleric.

"How am I ever going to explain this in my prayers?"

[sleepdeprivedespressoandvinyl]

Hey, Americans who are pissed at Google for the BS about the Gulf of Mexico, use Firefox instead!!

So you heard or saw the fuckery regarding the "renaming" of the Gulf of Mexico and want to tell Google to fix it's shit? Well you go to report the "error" but what's this? You can't??? Why, they've turned off the reporting function for the Gulf renaming idiocy! So you go to leave a scathing review as your next step. But lo, the review you left had been deleted!!! Absurdity at it's finest. Google won't listen to us, and won't accept criticism. So how about "Fuck Off Google" and go with a tried and true alternative?

Behold, I present to you ✨ MOZILLA'S FIREFOX ✨

Firefox has been around since the Browser Wars. And while Chrome was declared the supposed victor, Firefox still persists doing good work. Firefox has customizability like dark modes, syncing across devices, and loads of extensions, but a big plus is that Firefox also allows you to actually utilize ad blockers AND doesn't sell your information all over like Google does.

"But Wyrm, I have so many bookmarks and tabs open in Chrome" WORRY NOT, FRIENDS! Mozilla is aware of this and ready to help! They have a whole page with step-by-step processes on how to switch over and it's really easy. I did it myself years ago and they continue to update the page. You can access it here.

Also for search engines, Duck Duck Go is GREAT instead of Google

Duck Duck Go also values privacy and is very easy to use and it can easily be changed to Firefox's default search engine (or another search engine if you wish) following these steps here.

What about Google Maps and Apple Maps? (Unfortunately Apple is also renaming the Gulf it seems, so there goes using Apple too) While those navigation apps are really convenient (that's how Google and Apple have gotten so powerful. Well, that and reeeeeally good PR teams), there are options (not Waze unfortunately, that's owned by Google) but you can check out MapFactor (a bit clunky, but free and streamlined) or, for the really Olde Ones here, MapQuest is still alive and kicking (and even has an app on both Google Play AND the App Store and it works great! Only complaint I have is the ads, but a small thing to ignore so we can spite the monopolies in power) and it has the correct name for the Gulf of Mexico still.

Unfortunately Google owns a lot of shit, but it's still worth the effort to switch off where you can!

Alright, now you have some easy steps to tell Google (and Apple!) to fuck off massively without Google shutting you out. Shut Google out first!

Go forth and fight for what's good and right in this world however you can

[jjkbambi]

I’m not an American so I don’t know much about the prison system there…would they be able to get away with hurting him physically? He has great lawyers, so surely that’s a deterrent for the guards? The idea of him suffering behind bars makes me sad. He’s in enough pain without being roughed up by sadistic guards.

here is an article —

In New York Prisons, Guards Who Brutalize Prisoners Rarely Get Fired

+ we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, obviously, but the nypd has made it obvious they have a lot of resentment toward him. luigi allegedly ran away from a crime scene on a bike, left a backpack full of monopoly money in central park, and disappeared during the day. he made the nypd look like idiots on a national scale.

it’s clear they sought revenge on him—exacerbated by a dramatic perp walk where the city’s mayor stared him down. (typically, in high-profile perp walks, the accused wears a bulletproof vest to protect against potential vengeance seekers. this courtesy, however, was denied to luigi.)

the excessive number of guards backfired, making the nypd appear intimidated by him.

also, he had a weird amount of guards surrounding him during his court appearance. the guards constantly looking over his shoulder and standing uncomfortably close were clear violations of attorney-client privilege. this is significant because attorney-client privilege ensures defendants can communicate confidentially with their lawyers, even in high-security situations, and any compromise of that privacy could have legal implications.

[wagecagelocations]

Here’s a refined breakdown of the negative impacts associated with the listed companies and the accusations tied to them:

Google

Google is one of the most powerful technology companies in the world, with significant influence over internet search, digital advertising, and data collection. The key negative impacts include:

垄断 (Monopoly):

Google has faced antitrust lawsuits in multiple countries, including the U.S. and EU, for allegedly using its dominant position in search and digital advertising to suppress competition.

Examples include prioritizing its own services (like Google Shopping or YouTube) in search results, disadvantaging competitors.

侵犯隐私 (Privacy Invasion):

Google has been repeatedly accused of violating user privacy through extensive data collection practices.

Issues like tracking users across websites (even in private browsing) and selling targeted ads based on sensitive user data have raised concerns.

Some governments have penalized Google for non-compliance with privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU.

滥用权力 (Abuse of Power):

Google’s control over the digital advertising market has led to allegations of unfair practices, such as charging advertisers high fees or giving preferential treatment to its own ad platforms.

Critics argue this dominance stifles innovation and undermines smaller competitors.

Alchemy Technologies

Alchemy Technologies, a digital marketing company, has been accused of engaging in deceptive practices that manipulate user behavior:

Manipulation and Deception:

The company has been accused of misleading consumers through fake advertisements, false claims, or unethical digital marketing strategies.

Allegations include using dark patterns (design choices that trick users into actions they didn’t intend, such as subscriptions) and targeting vulnerable populations with exploitative tactics.

Erosion of Trust:

By misleading consumers and clients, companies like Alchemy Technologies contribute to widespread distrust in digital marketing practices, undermining the credibility of the broader advertising ecosystem.

Apple

Apple is known for its innovation and market leadership but has faced serious accusations regarding its business and labor practices:

垄断 (Monopoly):

Apple has been accused of monopolistic behavior, particularly regarding its App Store policies.

Developers are required to use Apple’s in-app payment system, for which Apple charges up to 30% commission, leading to accusations of anticompetitive behavior.

Legal battles, like the high-profile lawsuit with Epic Games, highlight claims that Apple unfairly limits competition within its ecosystem.

侵犯隐私 (Privacy Invasion):

Despite its public stance on user privacy, Apple has been accused of enabling surveillance, particularly in cases where it complied with government requests for user data.

Concerns about the AirTags product, which has been misused for stalking and tracking people without consent, further dent Apple’s privacy reputation.

强迫劳动 (Forced Labor):

Apple has faced allegations of forced labor within its supply chain, particularly involving factories in China and other countries.

Investigations have linked Apple’s suppliers to Uyghur forced labor in China, where workers are allegedly coerced into producing components for Apple products.

Reports of abusive working conditions, including long hours, low pay, and unsafe environments, persist, despite Apple’s claims of enforcing ethical supplier standards.

Summary of Impacts:

Google: Dominance in tech markets, privacy violations, and abuse of its powerful position have led to antitrust scrutiny and fines worldwide.

Alchemy Technologies: Manipulative and deceptive marketing practices harm consumer trust and foster unethical advertising environments.

Apple: Allegations of monopolistic practices, breaches of privacy, and labor rights violations cast a shadow over its reputation as a tech innovator.

Each company’s actions have far-reaching consequences, affecting industries, consumers, and global labor markets. Addressing these issues would require stricter regulations, transparency, and corporate accountability.

Here’s a refined breakdown of the negative impacts associated with the listed companies and the accusations tied to them:

Google

Google is one of the most powerful technology companies in the world, with significant influence over internet search, digital advertising, and data collection. The key negative impacts include:

垄断 (Monopoly):

Google has faced antitrust lawsuits in multiple countries, including the U.S. and EU, for allegedly using its dominant position in search and digital advertising to suppress competition.

Examples include prioritizing its own services (like Google Shopping or YouTube) in search results, disadvantaging competitors.

侵犯隐私 (Privacy Invasion):

Google has been repeatedly accused of violating user privacy through extensive data collection practices.

Issues like tracking users across websites (even in private browsing) and selling targeted ads based on sensitive user data have raised concerns.

Some governments have penalized Google for non-compliance with privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU.

滥用权力 (Abuse of Power):

Google’s control over the digital advertising market has led to allegations of unfair practices, such as charging advertisers high fees or giving preferential treatment to its own ad platforms.

Critics argue this dominance stifles innovation and undermines smaller competitors.

Alchemy Technologies

Alchemy Technologies, a digital marketing company, has been accused of engaging in deceptive practices that manipulate user behavior:

Manipulation and Deception:

The company has been accused of misleading consumers through fake advertisements, false claims, or unethical digital marketing strategies.

Allegations include using dark patterns (design choices that trick users into actions they didn’t intend, such as subscriptions) and targeting vulnerable populations with exploitative tactics.

Erosion of Trust:

By misleading consumers and clients, companies like Alchemy Technologies contribute to widespread distrust in digital marketing practices, undermining the credibility of the broader advertising ecosystem.

Apple

Apple is known for its innovation and market leadership but has faced serious accusations regarding its business and labor practices:

垄断 (Monopoly):

Apple has been accused of monopolistic behavior, particularly regarding its App Store policies.

Developers are required to use Apple’s in-app payment system, for which Apple charges up to 30% commission, leading to accusations of anticompetitive behavior.

Legal battles, like the high-profile lawsuit with Epic Games, highlight claims that Apple unfairly limits competition within its ecosystem.

侵犯隐私 (Privacy Invasion):

Despite its public stance on user privacy, Apple has been accused of enabling surveillance, particularly in cases where it complied with government requests for user data.

Concerns about the AirTags product, which has been misused for stalking and tracking people without consent, further dent Apple’s privacy reputation.

强迫劳动 (Forced Labor):

Apple has faced allegations of forced labor within its supply chain, particularly involving factories in China and other countries.

Investigations have linked Apple’s suppliers to Uyghur forced labor in China, where workers are allegedly coerced into producing components for Apple products.

Reports of abusive working conditions, including long hours, low pay, and unsafe environments, persist, despite Apple’s claims of enforcing ethical supplier standards.

Summary of Impacts:

Google: Dominance in tech markets, privacy violations, and abuse of its powerful position have led to antitrust scrutiny and fines worldwide.

Alchemy Technologies: Manipulative and deceptive marketing practices harm consumer trust and foster unethical advertising environments.

Apple: Allegations of monopolistic practices, breaches of privacy, and labor rights violations cast a shadow over its reputation as a tech innovator.

Each company’s actions have far-reaching consequences, affecting industries, consumers, and global labor markets. Addressing these issues would require stricter regulations, transparency, and corporate accountability.

https://chatgpt.com/share/6752f369-7f9c-800c-8ef8-c927a0069dc6

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Frank Wilhoit described conservativism as “exactly one proposition”:

There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.This is likewise the project of corporatism. Tech platforms are urgently committed to ensuring that they can do anything they want on their platforms — and they’re even more dedicated to the proposition that you must not do anything they don’t want on their platforms.

They can lock you in. You can’t unlock yourself. Facebook attained network-effects growth by giving its users bots that logged into Myspace on their behalf, scraped the contents of their inboxes for the messages from the friends they left behind, and plunked them in their Facebook inboxes.

Facebook then sued a company that did the same thing to Facebook, who wanted to make it as easy for Facebook users to leave Facebook as it had been to get started there.

Apple reverse-engineered Microsoft’s crown jewels — the Office file-formats that kept users locked to its operating systems — so it could clone them and let users change OSes.

Try to do that today — say, to make a runtime so you can use your iOS apps and media on an Android device or a non-Apple desktop — and Apple will reduce you to radioactive rubble.

- Let the Platforms Burn: The Opposite of Good Fires is Wildfires

[oceansssblue]

SW REQUESTS–PART1

GONNA LINK ALL YOUR CUTE OR FILTHY REQUESTS HERE LOVES!

1. ON YOUR KNEES –ECHO/FREADER 📩🔥💖

Graphic detailed smut with submissive cute Echo and dom female reader.

2. NUMBER ONE –FIVES/FREADER 📩💖

Little fluffy oneshot with fives/pregnant freader

3. ONE POWERFUL BITE –TBB&FREADER (no romantic pairing) 📩💔💖

Alternative universe where the Batch are monster hunters. Tragedy ensues when freader get's bitten and turns to one. (Happy ending).

4. FIFTEEN MINUTES OF PRIVACY – HUNTER/F READER 📩🔥

Short sexy Hunter smut where our poor sarge gets caught red-handed.

5. NIGHTMARES – HUNTER/FREADER 📩💔💖

Small melancholic drabble where female reader is woken up by a nightmare and Hunter arrives to give a little comfort.

6. "BED REST" – WRECKER/GN READER & "TO PLAN A FAMILY" – ECHO/(F) READER 📩💖

First part: short drabble where Wrecker gets sicks and has to get used to not being always the strong one.

Second part: short drabble where reader discovers Echo's longing to have a family of his own and chat with him about it.

7. "FLAVORS" –FIVES/(F) READER 📩💖

Small fluffy oneshot. Fives has always been a player. Now he has a change of heart.

8. JEDI WARRIOR –TECH/F READER 📩💔💖

You get separated in battle. As a result, you end up with a collection of scars. Tech doesn't think you any less.

(First kiss fluff)

9. COLD WITHOUT YOU –MAYDAY/GN READER 📩💔💖

Mayday survives Barton IV w Cross and you get worried asf.

10. QUIET NIGHTS –NONROMANTIC ECHO&OMEGA 📩💔💖

Omega opens up about her experiences of Kamino and Tantiss.

--

Check out the list for part 2 of this requests in my main masterlist!!

&more to come!

[reyaint]

futuristic dr | the villains

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

date: june 6 2025. my dad's birthday is tomorrow. i didn't go in much detail in my script at right now i'm focusing on my teammates lol.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Perfection is compliance.”

✧˖*°࿐orbis corporation

a mega-corporation at the heart of cybernetic augmentation, genetic manipulation, and AI technology, Orbis stands as one of the largest and most powerful entities in Neovista. they’re responsible for illegal experimentation, the creation of bio-hacked soldiers, and are engaged in various nefarious schemes to maintain control over the city. they have a complete monopoly over bioengineering and technology, pushing their influence into the military-industrial complex, governance, and the population's social fabric. the corporation’s influence extends to several key figures in government, law enforcement, and the black market.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ leader. CEO visa "mother" alden

☆ 𓂃 › a charismatic, ruthless leader with a reputation for being able to turn the tide of public opinion in Orbis’s favor with a single press conference. she views the augmentation of humanity as the next step in evolution and is known to silence anyone who disagrees. ☆ 𓂃 › personal goal: complete the integration of mind and machine, creating a fully controlled society under Orbis's influence.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ key figures. ☆ 𓂃 › dr. zane korr : chief scientist in the cybernetics division. He pioneered the technology behind neural dampening and the augmentation programs. korr is cold, calculating, and believes his experiments will lead to the next stage of human evolution.

☆ 𓂃 › the blackwatch division : an elite covert ops team responsible for dealing with dissidents, rogue AIs, and corporate enemies. their tactics are brutal, and they are known to engage in blackmail and extreme surveillance.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ what orbis corp does. ☆ 𓂃 › cybernetic enhancements: they manufacture most of the city’s cyberware, controlling what modifications are “legal.” ☆ 𓂃 › HALO surveillance system: they designed and maintain HALO, the AI overseeing all of Neovista’s security. While it prevents basic crimes, Orbis can manipulate it to erase evidence, frame people, or ignore corruption. ☆ 𓂃 › data privacy & censorship: they monitor citizens' online activity under the guise of “protecting society.” Anyone deemed a threat to stability is blacklisted, disappearing without a trace. ☆ 𓂃 › medical & bioengineering: orbis is pioneering lifespan-enhancing augmentations, organ regrowth, and even neural implants. The catch? only the wealthy and corporate elites can afford them. ☆ 𓂃 › energy & infrastructure: their influence extends to power grids, public transportation, and even the food supply.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ why they're dangerous. ☆ 𓂃 › exploit the working class through cybernetic contracts (where they “own” enhanced workers). ☆ 𓂃 › cover up illegal experiments—testing new cyberware and AI tech on unwilling subjects. ☆ 𓂃 › assassinate or disappear whistleblowers, making sure no one exposes their darker secrets. ☆ 𓂃 › manipulate elections and laws, ensuring they always stay on top.

“Peace through preemptive power.”

✧˖*°࿐VEC (virelia enforcement coalition)

a militarized faction originally formed for citywide peacekeeping and law enforcement, the VEC has since become a corrupt and oppressive organization. its agenda has shifted toward control, suppression, and serving the interests of the elites, particularly Orbis. VEC employs harsh military tactics, surveillance, and a sophisticated AI system called HALO to monitor and control the population. the VEC’s Peacekeeper force is deeply entrenched in the military and corporate alliances, making them a direct force to be reckoned with for GreyRaven.

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ leader. general darius malgrave

☆ 𓂃 › a high-ranking officer in the VEC, known for his unshakable loyalty to the state and his brutal tactics. malgrave is a cold, tactical mind who believes that force is the only way to maintain control over Neovista's increasingly chaotic society. ☆ 𓂃 › personal goal: to preserve the VEC's control over Neovista and to ensure his place as the ultimate authority in the city

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ key figures. ☆ 𓂃 › captain talas korrigan : a former ally of Blade, now a major adversary. korrigan betrayed his fellow soldiers for personal gain, resulting in a rift with Blade’s past. now a VEC captain, he serves as one of Blade’s greatest foes. ☆ 𓂃 › the peacekeeper unit : elite VEC soldiers known for their heavy armor, high-tech weaponry, and precise execution of orders. they are often dispatched to handle uprisings or rebellions, and their presence is a clear signal of the VEC’s oppressive control. think juggernauts but better or the things from cod advanced warfare

დ࿐ ‎˗ˋ what orbis corp does. ☆ 𓂃 › implements "stability laws"—essentially limiting citizen freedoms under the guise of protecting them. ☆ 𓂃 › has a direct partnership with Orbis, making sure their policies align with corporate interests. ☆ 𓂃 › uses "Peacekeepers" instead of police—an elite task force with military-grade cybernetic soldiers trained to eliminate threats without question. ☆ 𓂃 › approves experimental AI programs, creating autonomous war machines and predictive crime algorithms.

✧˖*°࿐other factions

factions i don't have much on and aren't like as major as the two previously stated above. lol

*ೃ༄the shadow council

a secretive group of Neovista’s most powerful individuals, including politicians, corporate executives, and military leaders. they pull the strings behind both Orbis and the VEC, ensuring that the elite retain their control over the city. GreyRaven has been able to strike at them on occasion, but they remain largely untouchable.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ leader: unknown, though rumors persist that visa alden holds significant sway over the council.

*ೃ༄the warden (leader of the blacksite prison network)

the Warden oversees the largest blacksite prison network in Neovista, where political dissidents, activists, and anyone deemed a threat to the powers that be are held in secret. the prisoners are often subjected to horrific experiments in biological and cybernetic augmentations.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ personal goal: to turn Neovista into a city controlled by fear, where every citizen knows that defying the system will result in being disappeared.

*ೃ༄the shattermen

a radical, anarchist group opposed to all forms of control, both corporate and governmental. they believe that chaos is the only true form of freedom and seek to tear down all of Neovista’s power structures. the Shattermen are unpredictable and violent, often committing acts of terrorism to prove their point.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ leader: seraph - an enigmatic leader whose identity is unknown. seraph’s ability to inspire chaos and destruction has made them a dangerous figure in the city’s underworld.

*ೃ༄the augment syndicate

a dangerous underground group that deals in illegal cybernetics and human augmentations. they are primarily concerned with making large profits from people who want to enhance themselves beyond the law. though not inherently evil, the syndicate operates in the grey zone between criminal and corporate, and their actions often have disastrous consequences for their customers.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ leader: vegas - a former Orbis scientist who was expelled after experimenting with illegal augmentations. vegas now runs the Augment Syndicate with a mix of cold business acumen and a twisted obsession with human perfection.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ☆ personal goal: to create the "ultimate human" by pushing the boundaries of cybernetic enhancements and manipulating society to accept augmentation as the norm.

[lexygabe]

northquido headcanons

disclaimer: i was bored af lately so i decided to write down all of my thought about this stupid assholes

tw: use of slurs (it's fucking liquido and north come on you know they would) and nsfw content but this is under a cut

• this one is for the veterans that followed me on wattpad, the 🎀💋🤩💌👯‍♀️bread 💌❤️‍🔥❤️❤️, to be more specific brioche bread is liquido's equivalent of giving someone chocolate box,

• their relationship doesn't get in the way when it comes to their rivalry,

• their love language is using the most fucked-up insults you've ever heard of. liquido calls north 'dirty dumb blonde fag' and north tells liquido that he is the biggest stupid cunt he ever dated. they love each other 🥰🥰,

• to everybody's surprise this relationship is good for them. since they are dating, both north and liquido spend more time on training,

• liquido is much of an attention seeker so it's very hard to see them being apart,

• when they are in the same room with other people and liquido starts to acting up, north is like: "oh my god, sit the fuck down🙄🙄". at first liquido haven't listen to what north was telling him but over time as north was telling liquido, for example, to shut up: liquido shut up. "hold it": liquido holds it. "tell him": liquido tells him,

• when it comes to north, liquido always mocks him. when something happens liquido says things like that to north: "say you are sorry", "thank me now", "😜😜say: please liquido😵‍💫 i can't live 🥺🤭 without you". unfortunately, north knows he needs to say all of these things because otherwise liquido will be offended at him a whole day,

• type of couple that was shipped by fans long before they started dating,

• when it comes to being romantic, they are romantic on the level of a third grade student. north gives liquido some 'awesome, diabolical, fun as hell rocks' he found on the beach and liquido sends him pictures of drawings that he made on some documents or nda's (del aqua was pissed off) (those drawing looked like if they were made by preschooler),

• the most romantic thing they've done was placing receipt with written love confession into an empty alcohol bottle and they throw it to the ocean. soon after that beach guard reported them to police and they have to pay a fine💀💀,

• north sends liquido every "blue haired girl" meme,

• another easter egg for my wattpad followers: north teaches liquido how to ice skate (it ended up horrible),

• liquido is the master of making the scene in public. he is sitting on north's lap in the most random moments and places, he gives north a slap on the ass when there are cameras everywhere, etc.,

• north on the other hand, hits liquido in the shoulder, elbows him in the stomach or pokes him between the ribs with his fingers.

"it wasn't funny😐😐😦😬"

"good😠😤"

• north is crocs and liquido is flip-flops,

• they don't care about privacy in the bathroom. when one of them is washing their teeth - the other is peeing, etc.,

• don't let them play uno or monopoly,

• btw they are playing a lot of traditional games when they have lazy days,

• the couple that wouldn't marry each other til their 60s

• they are drawing dicks on a cast if one of them broke any bone.

nsfw:

• when they are making out there is a lot of saliva, teeth and blood (because they bite each others lips every time),

• if you see them during a quickie, you didn't predict. just go away,

• someone already mentioned it but breath play, liquido likes it especially. yeah it also applies to swallowing,

• dirty talk and i mean a lot,

• tbh liquido is the one that is doing blow jobs and giving hand jobs to north, this is my man's cup of tea,

• north is one wild mf, my man is searching for that g spot inside those hydra cheeks (im sorry, pls forgive me),

• THEY ARE LOUD AS FUCK, OMG SHUT THE FUCK UP,

• hickeys💋💋💋.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT SEO & MARKETING NEWS FOR ECOMMERCE, AUGUST 2024

Hello, and welcome to my very last Marketing News update here on Tumblr.

After today, these reports will now be found at least twice a week on my Patreon, available to all paid members. See more about this change here on my website blog: https://www.cindylouwho2.com/blog/2024/8/12/a-new-way-to-get-ecommerce-news-and-help-welcome-to-my-patreon-page

Don't worry! I will still be posting some short pieces here on Tumblr (as well as some free pieces on my Patreon, plus longer posts on my website blog). However, the news updates and some other posts will be moving to Patreon permanently.

Please follow me there! https://www.patreon.com/CindyLouWho2

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

A US court ruled that Google is a monopoly, and has broken antitrust laws. This decision will be appealed, but in the meantime, could affect similar cases against large tech giants. 

Did you violate a Facebook policy? Meta is now offering a “training course” in lieu of having the page’s reach limited for Professional Mode users. 

Google Ads shown in Canada will have a 2.5% surcharge applied as of October 1, due to new Canadian tax laws.

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Search Engine Roundtable’s Google report for July is out; we’re still waiting for the next core update. 

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

Meta’s latest legal development: a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas over facial recognition and privacy.  

Instagram

Instagram is highlighting “Views” in its metrics in an attempt to get creators to focus on reach instead of follower numbers. 

Pinterest

Pinterest is testing outside ads on the site. The ad auction system would include revenue sharing. 

Reddit

Reddit confirmed that anyone who wants to use Reddit posts for AI training and other data collection will need to pay for them, just as Google and OpenAI did. 

Second quarter 2024 was great for Reddit, with revenue growth of 54%. Like almost every other platform, they are planning on using AI in their search results, perhaps to summarize content. 

Threads

Threads now claims over 200 million active users.

TikTok

TikTok is now adding group chats, which can include up to 32 people.

TikTok is being sued by the US Federal Trade Commission, for allowing children under 13 to sign up and have their data harvested. 

Twitter

Twitter seems to be working on the payments option Musk promised last year. Tweets by users in the EU will at least temporarily be pulled from the AI-training for “Grok”, in line with EU law.

CONTENT MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Email software Mad Mimi is shutting down as of August 30. Owner GoDaddy is hoping to move users to its GoDaddy Digital Marketing setup. 

Content ideas for September include National Dog Week. 

You can now post on Substack without having an actual newsletter, as the platform tries to become more like a social media site. 

As of November, Patreon memberships started in the iOS app will be subject to a 30% surcharge from Apple. Patreon is giving creators the ability to add that charge to the member's bill, or pay it themselves.

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

Google worked with Meta to break the search engine’s rules on advertising to children through a loophole that showed ads for Instagram to YouTube viewers in the 13-17 year old demographic. Google says they have stopped the campaign, and that “We prohibit ads being personalized to people under-18, period”.

Google’s Performance Max ads now have new tools, including some with AI. 

Microsoft’s search and news advertising revenue was up 19% in the second quarter, a very good result for them. 

One of the interesting tidbits from the recent Google antitrust decision is that Amazon sells more advertising than either Google or Meta’s slice of retail ads. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

More than half of Gen Z claim to have bought items while spending time on social media in the past half year, higher than other generations. 

Shopify’s president claimed that Christmas shopping started in July on their millions of sites, with holiday decor and ornament sales doubling, and advent calendar sales going up a whopping 4,463%.