wishgrantinglotus - Tumblr blog

[wishgrantinglotus]

// KOSA NEWS.

REFRESHER: KOSA IS A BILL THAT WANTS TO PUT A THIN BLANKET UNDER ALL OF THE US INTERNET. THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT SO MINORS CANNOT ACCESS CERTAIN MEDIA.

YOU MAY THINK, “OH THATS NOT BAD ITS PROTECTING MINORS!” WRONG.

THEY HAVE OPENLY CLAIMED THAT THEY WILL TARGET LGBTQIA+ MEDIA. THEY WANT TO SILENCE MINORITIES VOICES. THEY WANT CONTROL.

THEY ARE DESPERATE.

THEY ARE FIGHTING TO GET THE BILL THROUGH.

WE NEED *ONE* SENATOR TO OBJECT IT SO

PLEASE, KEEP CALLING SENATORS.

[wishgrantinglotus]

//TIME IS TICKING.

WE ONLY HAVE A FEW DAYS UNTIL KOSA IS DETERMINED. THERE IS A HUGE AUDIENCE OF PEOPLE TRYING TO PASS THIS BILL, BUT THE INTERNET IS BIGGER!

WE NEED ALL THE SUPPORT WE CAN GET.

CALL REPRESENTATIVES, TELL FAMILY, FRIENDS, MOOTS, LITERALLY EVERYONE YOU CAN.

IF THE BILL PASSES, THE INTERNET WILL BE CHANGED AS WE KNOW IT. IT WILL NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE OUT OF THE US. MANY FANDOM SPACES ARE IN AMERICAN DOMAIN.

YOU WILL NOT BE SAFE FROM USING A DIFFERENT EMAIL, ACCOUNT, ANYTHING. STOP BELIEVING THAT. THIS BILL WANTS CONTROL AS FAR BACK AS TRACING US BACK TO NAMES, AGES, GOVERNMENT IDS AND LICENSE PLATES.

YOU WILL NOT BE SAFE BECAUSE, “OH THIS BILL CAN’T PASS IT VIOLATES THE 1ST AMENDMENT!”. THEY HAVE PASSED UNCONSTITUTIONAL BILLS. YOU WILL NOT BE SAFE BECAUSE “OH, THIS BILL HASN’T PASSED FOR 2 YEARS!” THEY ARE AGGRAVATED. THEY ARE PUSHING FOR THIS BILL.

DO NOT FORGET KOSA MERELY BECAUSE A LACK OF UPDATES. I NEED YOU TO SIGN PETITIONS, CALL REPRESENTATIVES. DONT FORGET. I WANT YOU TO MAKE AS MUCH NOISE ABOUT KOSA POSSIBLE. DO NOT. FORGET. WE HAD THE TIME TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT KOSA, AND YET WE FORGOT BECAUSE OF A LACK OF UPDATES. THAT BRIEF TIME WAS NOT A COOLDOWN PERIOD. IT WAS A TIME TO KEEP KOSA TRENDING.

STOP GOING ON TIKTOK, COMMENTING “B00ST” AND THEN CALLING IT A DAY. YES THAT HELPS, BUT YOU NEED TO DO WHAT 90% OF THESE VIDEOS WANT YOU TO DO. SIGN PETITIONS. CALL REPRESENTATIVES. THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS POST ABOUT KOSA YOURSELF.

[wishgrantinglotus]

/ok so sorry this account basically only serves as a big ass PSA, ill get back to lotus content whenever i can figure out how asks work or i get ideas…….. how do i start up rp accounts gen??? Like ive never done anything like this before

[wishgrantinglotus]

//KOSA IS FIGHTING BACK. NOT ON THE INTERNET, BUT ON TV. A GROUP, “PROJECT LIBERTY ACTION NETWORK” THAT DIDNT EVEN EXIST UP UNTIL JULY 2023 HAS LAUNCHED A COMMERCIAL USING SEVERAL GRIEVING MOTHERS TO PUSH KOSA BEING PASSED. THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE THE ENEMY BY EXPLOITING MOTHERS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR CHILDREN INTO PUSHING THEIR NARRATIVE.

THAT IS BULLSHIT. IF KOSA PASSES MORE CHILDREN WILL KILL THEMSELVES. KOSA IS NOT A SAFETY ACT. IT IS A SURVEILLANCE AND CENSORSHIP ACT. IT WILL NOT MAKE YOUR CHILDREN MORE SAFE, IT WILL DO THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE. FOR CHILDREN IN UNSAFE/ABUSIVE HOMES, THEY WILL ALREADY BE GONE. FOR CLOSETED LGBTQ YOUTH IN CONSERVATIVE HOMES, THEY WILL BE GONE.

LETTING THIS BILL PASS WILL MAKE MANY CHILDREN IN AMERICA UNSAFE, WHETHER OFF OR ON THE INTERNET.

PLEASE, IF ANYONE YOU KNOW SEES THIS COMMERCIAL, TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT. TELL THEM HOW BAD KOSA COULD BE. TELL THEM HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE COMPLEMENTING SUICIDE ON IF THIS BILL WILL PASS OR NOT.

[wishgrantinglotus]

//KOSA HAS NOT PASSED COMPLETELY. IT HAS TO PASS TWO MORE TIMES(I THINK). THEY’LL GO ON BREAK IN AUGUST AND COME BACK TO VOTE IN SEPTEMBER. TWO SENATORS ARE AWARE OF HOW BAD KOSA CAN BE, SO LET THE OTHERS HEAR OUR VOICES! DO NOT FORGET KOSA IN THE TIME BEING. DO NOT FORGET ANY OTHER BILL IN THE TIME BEING. DO NOT FORGET THE FIGHT. KEEP CALLING OR EMAILING SENATORS, KEEP POSTING ABOUT IT ON SOCIALS. PLEASE.

[wishgrantinglotus]

//DO NOT FORGET KOSA AND OTHER BILLS EVEN IF THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THEY HAVE FUCKING ALIENS. ITS NOW OR NEVER TO STOP THIS, SO REMAIN STEADFAST AND KEEP FIGHTING!

[wishgrantinglotus]

Why is KOSA not trending? This bill aims to take down fandom related sites INCLUDING TUMBLR!!!?? Like we need to get this to #1 on trending and FAST! Please reblog posts on the tags with more resources and spread the word people, this is actually terrifying!!!

Also it doesn’t even end with KOSA, the Earn It Act and many more censorship bills are trying to slip through our legislature and I haven’t seen many people talk about it!

Remember everyone, this isn’t about “protecting children,” because if it was they’d go after actual R34 sites instead of queer people trying to live their damn lives!

[wishgrantinglotus]

while corporations like tumblr's parent or any other platform SHOULD use their corporate might to stand up to government or evangelical interference, they often won't or really can't, and i hope SOME of the ire people have for tumblr staff, whether warranted or not, goes towards the real culprits of MOST of our problems online right now - the US Evangelical White Nationalist Industrial Complex. THEY are the reason that everything mature (or just shit they don't like) is being shut down - they have created culture war campaigns against porn or to "save the children" or "save trafficking victims" that are not actually about nor do anything helpful to fix the problems with any of those things, in an attempt to CONTROL US ALL, usually for some very specific people's monetary gain as well.

because when they created a big public campaign that seemingly everyone could agree on (bad things happening to children is bad!), the CREDIT CARD COMPANIES were forced to act. and they don't give a fuck about anybody except themselves. and everyone is at the MERCY of the credit card companies bc they have chosen the capitalism house of cards - so when Visa and MasterCard say jump, Apple says HOW HIGH? and when Apple says jump, all the platforms like Tumblr, and Facebook/Instagram/Meta, and Twitter/X or whatever, and YouTube/Google say HOW HIGH, because they need their apps in the Apple store.

and that doesn't even take into account the lobbying and public push of US elected officials, across bipartisan lines, to enforce this as well. while you were complaining about Tumblr staff, have you educated yourself about the DANGER of KOSA, the Kids' Online Safety Act? these US senators and congress people can get reelected because they can say look! i cosponsored a bill that helps kids! and wipe their hands of the DOMINO effect this shit will have.

because whether it is the credit card companies or a law like KOSA, the way the platforms from Tumblr, to Apple, to Facebook will OVERCOMPENSATE to legally cover their ass will be DETRIMENTAL to us all, even outside the US. requiring ID information to CONFIRM someone is over 18 to access certain info or else the US government could sue them, shit like that. banning ANY sensitive content with inaccurate autoflagging technology and underpaid/staffed human moderation, as tumblr and tiktok have been struggling with, and even inadvertently suppressing speech (if you want to be charitable), all in the hopes that Apple won't remove their app from their store or the US government won't hold them liable for the things their users post. (PLEASE LEARN ABOUT SECTION 230).

yes, we should always call for the platforms we are on to do better but remember there are BIGGER reasons for what is going on and these are the symptoms of a larger DISEASE. pay ATTENTION.

[wishgrantinglotus]

BAD UPDATE

40 SENATORS ARE BACKING KOSA

KEEP FIGHTING

[wishgrantinglotus]

//THIS IS OOC, BUT STILL IMPORTANT.

PLEASE. AND I MEAN PLEASE DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE KOSA.

Although unconstitutional, there is always the possibility the bill can pass, even as unconstitutional bills have been passed. Don’t take the chance.

[wishgrantinglotus]

Why is KOSA not trending? This bill aims to take down fandom related sites INCLUDING TUMBLR!!!?? Like we need to get this to #1 on trending and FAST! Please reblog posts on the tags with more resources and spread the word people, this is actually terrifying!!!

Also it doesn’t even end with KOSA, the Earn It Act and many more censorship bills are trying to slip through our legislature and I haven’t seen many people talk about it!

Remember everyone, this isn’t about “protecting children,” because if it was they’d go after actual R34 sites instead of queer people trying to live their damn lives!

[wishgrantinglotus]

BILLS LIKE STOP CSAM ARE TRYING TO BE SNUCK INTO THE NDAA, WHICH IS A MUST PASS BILL. THIS WILL NOT ONLY REMOVE ANY CHANCE OF PRIVACY, ENCRYPTION, AND FREE SPEECH, BUT IT WILL GUT THE INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT. THIS WILL NOT PROTECT CHILDREN AT ALL, IT WILL ONLY CENSOR THEM AND GIVE THEM NO SECURITY OR PRIVACY. CALL YOUR SENATORS AND SIGN PETITIONS!!

[wishgrantinglotus]

ATTENTION MINORS

I know you guys have been seeing the posts going around about Earn-It and KOSA and things of the like, and talking about how bad those things are. And you're right, they're really, really bad. But, you're not old enough to help participate in helping out, right, since you're a minor? 

WRONG.

Minors out there who are concerned about these issues: YOU CAN HELP US. KOSA and CSAM specifically are acts to create widespread censorship and invasion of privacy to "protect kids," so if anything, your younger voices are stronger than ours! 

I've compiled some resources for you guys to help out. Note that if you sound old enough, you do not have to disclose your age if you don't want to. The point is that there is a public outcry, not that you're under 18.

If you don't know what the bills are or what they do, here's a Doc that explains all that with links to different reading material where you can learn all about it there (note: as of posting this, the Restrict Act is not currently updated. Check back in the future for updates to the doc). 

The two we really need to worry about right now are KOSA and CSAM. 

KOSA is a bill being passed that would effectively let the government censor anything they want online, which can and will include minority voices, LGBTQ content, and anything they deem "unsafe" for kids (such as the suicide hotline).  

CSAM is another law that preaches about protecting kids, but would actually be used to spy on everyone. It's a trojan horse. 

There are a couple more, which are all covered more in-depth here on this site (scroll down):

Here's a few more resources for you guys, and then I'll get into how you guys can help!

KOSA

CSAM

EARN-It

(Light flash warning for this one, just in case)

RESTRICT Act

Alright, with all the reading out of the way, let's get into what to do.

How YOU can help!

Minors: you are not helpless. You are not powerless. The point is that there is a public outcry, and the fact that you are so young could be an advantage to stopping bills like KOSA and CSAM. 

If your voice can pass as an adult's, YOU CAN CALL. If you don't think your voice can pass, YOU CAN EMAIL, TEXT, SIGN PETITIONS, and honestly, you MAY STILL be able to call. 

Here's how calling works. It's gonna be scary the first time around, I know, but you've got this.

First: find out who your representatives are. This website right here makes that very easy. Go to the dropdown for your state and find it, and your two reps should automatically pop up.

Next, see if they're a Republican or a Democrat. This should be in parenthesis next to their names. Here's Michigan's and Mississippi's reps as examples of what that looks like:

How you phrase your words will differ depending on the party they're in, this is important.

Next, you'll see under their names an address, phone number, and some bibliography. (I kept using the Michigan ones cuz I was already on their page, so if you're from Michigan, here's the numbers right here.)

Let's get ready to call now.

Now, when I say "call," I don't mean exclusively by phone. You can also fax them or email them. 

Here's a website you can use to fax them.

To find their email address, google it. [Name] email, and if they've got one, it should pop up there. 

Now, the hard part: actually calling.

Before we go any further, reminder that these people are just that: people. They're not idols, they're not gods, they're not worth any more than you are. Dehumanize them as much as you need to in your head. They're not scary, they're human. 

Now, for each bill, you can either make it all separate or keep all your words in one email, as it were. How you want to do this is up to you. But, if you're feeling lost for words, there are also scripts you can use as a base. 

Here's an email to a Democrat about KOSA, for example:

And this one has emails for both sides:

The long and short of it goes like this:

Your name and something about you (I'm a retail worker) (I'm a minor) (I go to [name] school)

Explain why you're calling (I urge you to stop [bill])

Explain why the issue matters to YOU. (I am a minor, and pushing this law would do irreparable damage, not help us. Here's a bit of why.)

Ask the representative you're calling to help 

Thank them for listening. 

Keep it courteous- they'll be more likely to listen to you if you're calm and collected. I know emotions are high right now, and it's okay to let desperation in, but don't yell or scream at them, you'll only drive them away from trying to stop anything. 

More than likely, you won't be speaking to that rep directly, but the message should still be clear and reach them. 

If you're faxing or emailing, there's more room to go off about issues in more depth, since there isn't someone on the other end of the line. You can say as much as you'd like, but still try to keep it polite. 

You guys are powerful, and your young voices can add to this fight. You do not have to be an adult to call something unjust. Stand with us. Together, your voices will make us stronger.

[wishgrantinglotus]

KOSA 101

Let’s talk about this. This is something I haven’t seen a lot of in my end, and this new bill may be troubling to not just us as a whole, but content creators. So, this isn’t just exclusive to AO3 anymore. This can go as far as places like Wattpad, Quotev, DeviantArt, and here.

So, to put it bluntly, if you give a fuck, listen.

What is KOSA?

KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act,) is a bill within the United States that was initially created last year with the aim of protecting youth (considerably age 16 and under,) from viewing harmful content online. It has since been updated and reintroduced by Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN.) Now, on surface level, it may seem like this has a good outlook, right? Not in the slightest. This bill, while it may not be passed yet rather introduced, may take an extreme to protect youth and monitor all. Yes, I said monitor.

Not only is NSFW content bound to be flagged, which may totally censor a lot of creators not just on this platform but others, a wider band that is under this new bill is LGBT+ content. According to Senator Blackburn of Tennessee, who is KOSA’s co-author, even education on race discrimination was viewed as “dangerous to kids,” and this soon branches out to race, gender, and sexuality discrimination. This also extends out to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, etc. The bill puts itself in the hands of State Attorney Generals in order for them to use tools of censorship against our rights and safety— not just for the youth, but for adults too, as we may face (giving an example,) hurdles trying to obtain things like legal documents.

How does KOSA work?

KOSA works by acting as a censor and self filter for the internet. By the hands of Attorney State Generals, they ultimately decide what is harmful to kids online. Though, this is a dual edged sword. This would also present the loss of access to information that a large sum of people may not deem dangerous. This again extends outward towards things like depression, substance abuse, etc— complex topics without a clear agreement on causes or solutions. This means that it could also filter, and possibly censor medical information, extending outward to trans medical care as well, which may lead on to silence the transgender community further. This is a very bad thing.

There would still be features like Age Verification, but it also filters legal speech. What I mean by “there will still be features,” to give an example, Tumblr has a tab in settings where you can add your birthday, which in turn verifies how old you are. Tiktok has this feature as well. About filtering legal speech, any kind of media or information that has to do with societal ills that is held on a platform, for example, Tumblr, will enable that platform to be held liable for holding that information. But… it may seem like I’m getting off topic, aren’t I?

So let’s swing back around…

KOSA has the ability to hurt creators on several different platforms. This gives the United States Government unlimited range of control over the internet.

This linktree has at least four different petitions open for you to take action against the bill, and to contact your congressmen and women. There’s also a discord server that’s dedicated to stopping KOSA from passing.

By doing this, you are spreading your voice. You are helping millions of people nationally— creators, artists, writers, everyone.

And finally, don’t just like this post. Reblog it— it helps it spread and gain exposure.

Let’s put an end to KOSA.

[wishgrantinglotus]

My cats are fucking obese

[wishgrantinglotus]

Legendary Dragon Cookies keyblades

[wishgrantinglotus]

Got busy with war preparations. Beautiful men need to stay out of my sight.