Insert Title Here

[cadmiumflavoredsoju]

So if for some goddamn reason you still have tiktok? Maybe delete it

This shit is dystopian as fuck

Delete it as soon as you can do not fucking use the app at all

[crow-caller]

Yeah, so, "TikTok is officially under the control of a cadre of pro-Trump billionaires including Larry Ellison."

[ohnoitstbskyen]

OK, so while it is never a bad decision to delete social media from your devices (seriously, do it, get rid of as much of it as you can), this post is based on misinformation.

The terms of service everyone is freaking out about are more or less unchanged from what they were prior to the sale. The highlighted section in the pictures here is "Information You Provide" - which is to say, it is detailing how TikTok handles information that YOU PUBLISH on their app. If you post a video where you say something like "as a biracial New Yorker..." or "as a queer person," then you have personally and voluntarily published that information about yourself, and TikTok will store it alongside the rest of the data they have on you.

TikTok was already collecting all of that information, it was already selling all of that information to the highest bidder, and so are all of its competitors. If you're on Instagram, they are also tracking and selling that information, if you use any of Google's apps, it's the same deal. Hell, if you have installed a third party weather app or an app that identifies bird calls or a ticket app for your local public transport, or a period tracker or a news app or calendar or music player or literally any free-to-play mobile game, there's a better-than-average chance that they are collecting and selling that kind of data about you.

The major change now that TikTok has been purchased is not how much information it is extracting from you. The volume remains largely unchanged, ByteDance is a market leader in that regard. If the US government wanted to use TikTok data to identify dissenters, they could almost certainly simply purchase that data from ByteDance and feed it to Palantir the same as they do data from Meta and Google.

The greater worry about the US TikTok app is that the new government affiliated ownership will implement speech-control and heavy-handed algorithmic censorship on the US side of the app, since the gov't push to acquire the app seems to have been prompted in no small part by a panic that the app was used to disseminate information about the Gaza genocide in a way the US government couldn't easily control or interfere with.

It's also a sale that was heavily pushed for by Meta and Google, who have been extremely keen to both neuter TikTok as a competitor in the social video space, AND acquire their technical information and content serving algorithms to optimize their own products to be more competitive. Which, by the way, this is also relevant information: ONLY the US version of the app is now controlled by US billionaire interests, the global version used by everyone else in the world remains under the control of ByteDance, and by extension the Chinese government.

To be clear, I'm not recommending that anyone should be on TikTok, and I am not saying that the amount of identifying private data that these apps collect from you isn't fucking horrifying and invasive and dangerous.

I'm saying that people flying into a panic over supposedly "new" dystopian terms of service are either jumping at shadows, or else are rather cynically trying to farm engagement by playing on people's fears to prompt sharing and reposting. Panicking doesn't help anyone, and spreading misinformation doesn't help either.

Yes, everyone should be especially wary of the US branch of TikTok after the sale, but they didn't hide their nefarious doomsday plot in a ToS update like cartoon villains. They bought the app in part because it was already doing all the nefarious invasive data-collection we're afraid of, but it was under the ownership of a foreign authoritarian regime, and they wanted to cut out the middle-man.

If you want to start protecting your privacy online, deleting as much social media as possible from all of your devices is a very good place to start, but just panic-deleting TikTok is not going to make you any safer. At best it'll create a false sense of security while fourteen other apps on your phone harvest all the same data for all the same data-brokers. Yelling at other people for still being on the app won't help either, that is mostly just a way to draw a false demarcation line that you can feel better about being on the "right" side of.

Absolutely uninstall TikTok, but do it based on a factual understanding of what these apps are and how online privacy works, not because someone posted a breathless set of screenshots and the word "DYSTOPIAN!!!" on tumblr dot com.

[vague-humanoid]

For years, Japan tried to keep their existence a secret. But the Ainu people refuse to disappear

Japan's Ainu people have their own history, languages and culture. But, as the victims of colonialism, assimilation and discrimination, much

As a young boy in school, Masaki Sashima would be dragged out of his classroom and beaten by his fellow students.

Masaki, now 72, was different to the other kids. 

He was Ainu, an Indigenous people from the country's northern regions, most notably the large island of Hokkaido.

"During recess, the hallway door would open, and several guys would yell at me to come out," he said.

"I clung to my desk in the classroom and kept quiet.

"Everyone would surround me and beat me."

Japan has long portrayed itself as culturally and ethnically homogenous, something that some have even argued is a key to its success as a nation.

More than 98 per cent of Japanese people are descendants of the Yamato people. 

But the Ainu are distinct, with their own history, languages, and culture.

But, as the victims of colonialism, assimilation, and discrimination, much of that identity has been lost. 

[andnowanowl-deactivated20260413]

An Ainu woman named Chiri Yukie wrote down some of her people's oral traditions into Japanese because, as a child, her people were being displaced by Japanese settlers in Hokkaido. Her language was disappearing, so she (ironically) saw translating the stories into Japanese as a way to preserve them. She died at age 19.

[rumade]

Some of the objects from the Ainu exhibition at Japan House in London this year, showcasing traditional Ainu skills and culture. There is a campaign to get Ainu recognised as an official language, at least in Hokkaido, and small steps are happening, for example, bilingual bus stops. It reminds me of the struggle for Welsh to be revived after suppression for centuries.

[snow-nose]

second image ID: the cover of The Song The Owl God Sang: The collected Ainu legends of Chiri Yukie, Translated into English by Benjamin Peterson. end ID

[mizoguchi]

Also, this is a good short ~25 minute documentary that shows Ainu people fighting to recover their ancestral bones and bodies from Hokkaido University that's worth a watch.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

This is something which it is extremely important to understand about Japan as a nation. It has a national and international narrative about itself as a unified, geographically and culturally consistent polity, but from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south, to the Ryukyuan island chain near Taiwan (and well beyond at various times), the Japanese have undertaken imperial conquest and colonization of their nearby territories, and have attempted brutal assimilation or eradication of the indigenous people of those places, and the Japanese government has historically been wildly resistant to recognizing those minority groups as minority groups, likely in part because it would commit the country to offering them appropriate legal protections.

Japan IS ethnically diverse, Japan IS linguistically diverse, it IS culturally diverse, and the portrayal of Japan as a homogenous society is a portrayal which serves the political aims of particular groups, often the far right and conservative wings of Japanese society, and certainly the apologists for empire.

To grab a quote from Wikipedia:

Initially, to justify Imperial Japan's conquest of Continental Asia, Imperial Japanese propaganda espoused the ideas of Japanese supremacy by claiming that the Japanese represented a combination of all East Asian peoples and cultures, emphasizing heterogeneous traits. Imperial Japanese propaganda started to place an emphasis on the ideas of racial purity and the supremacy of the Yamato race when the Second Sino-Japanese War intensified. Fuelled by the ideology of racial supremacy, racial purity, and national unity between 1868 and 1945, the Meiji and Imperial Japanese government carefully identified and forcefully assimilated marginalized populations, which included Okinawans, the Ainu, and other underrepresented non-Yamato groups, imposing assimilation programs in language, culture and religion.

[depsidase]

[lilliephoenix]

autumntides

10h

"In the instance an employer makes an illegal request for a photograph as part of a job application, you may submit a complaint to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission." Successful violation fee collections are paid partially to the one who suffered the violation, which in many cases exceeds a year of work at these shit jobs. There's only two weak points to a corporation, and those are in the budget and in the supply chain. Hit them where it hurts.

[kamikaze-kumquat]

Fucking word.

Learn your rights!

[ms-cellanies]

AUTO REBLOG IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS THE 1ST TIME AROUND.  It is important to KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.

[sadgirlautumn]

“kids spend too much time on their devices” well what else are they supposed to do? there’s no corner shops with pinball machines in them on every corner anymore. there’s no malls or stores in small towns for teens to hang out in without being suspected of shoplifting or kicked out for loitering. sidewalks are too broken for them to ride their bikes and there’s no bike lane in the street to make it safe for them. i just don’t understand where they expect these kids to go when they keep taking places away from them. and yes having no safe public places for them is what leads a lot of teens into addiction if they end up at a place where people aren’t truly looking out for them.

[khaledjehad]

"Mama, Are We Next?" – The Reality of War on a Family 🥺🍉

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #523 )

✅️Vetted by @90-ghost

I never thought I’d hear my child ask me, “Mama, are we next?” But here we are.

In Gaza, survival is not guaranteed. Hospitals are gone. Medicine is rare. Clean water is a privilege. But through all the pain, we still believe in kindness.

What We Need to Start Again:

💔 $5,000 for the father.

💔 $5,000 for the mother.

💔 $2,500 for Khaled.

💔 $2,500 for Intesar.

📌 The rest is for the basics of life—shelter, food, and safety.

If you can donate or share, you’re giving us more than money. You’re giving us hope.

💙 Donate here:

Donate to Please Save Khaled and Nana’s Family In Gaza, organized by Jess Rapoza

Hello all, my name is Jess Rapoza from the USA. I am raising money on behalf … Jess Rapoza needs your support for Please Save Khaled and Nan

[adambinali]

Support a Family in Need ❤️

Mohamad has endured immense loss and is now burdened with debt while trying to protect his sister and her five children. He desperately needs our help to secure their safety and give them a fresh start.

We’ve reached 19% of our goal (€3,715/€20,000), but there’s still a long way to go. Every euro makes a difference. Every share spreads hope.

This isn’t about names, backgrounds, or beliefs. It’s about humanity.

✅ Verified by Association:

@bilal-salah0 Here

🔗 Donate & share: Donation Link (gofundme.com)

Donate to Help Mohamad reunite his family and clear his debt, organized by Adam Bin Ali

I am reaching out on behalf of my dear friend, Mohamad S., who is faci… Adam Bin Ali needs your support for Help Mohamad reunite his family

[anneofgreengaybles]

I am fucking BEGGING people to stop treating the EOs like they’re foregone conclusions because they aren’t but they fucking WILL be if people keep quote tweeting news articles and adding quotes from fucking handmaids tale!!!!!!!!! like ENOUGH of that garbage!!!!!!!!! because like I get it!!!!!! it sucks!!!!!!! It’s scary!!!!!!! It’s all extremely bad!!!!!!!!! It’s illegal and unconstitutional and racist and transphobic and xenophobic and dangerous to national security and dehumanizing and deeply deeply cruel and all the rest of it!!!!! but you need to NAME it as that and then FIGHT back against it!!!!!! And I’m SO TIRED of people saying “well we can’t, what do we even dooooooooo, it’s too haaaaaaaaaaaard” like idk, lots of things bitch!!!!!! Are there grassroots organizations in your community? Are there protests happening? Can you write your reps? Do you have money to donate anywhere? Are there places that support vulnerable communities where you can volunteer? Get the fuck out there and find a place where you can help, and if you’re not going to do that then you quite literally need to shut your fucking mouth about how we’re all doomed because although you may be happy to seal your own casket I will not be joining in, thanks!!!!!! Like GODDAMN!!!!!!!!!!

[anneofgreengaybles]

like I have straight up seen people say shit like “I can’t believe the department of education is gone 😢” and MEAN IT!!!!!!!! when it is NOT!!!!!!! it DECIDEDLY is not!!!!!!!!! AND IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE!!!!!!!

(like even putting aside that it’s actually a very unpopular position, only congress can get rid of it and that would require a supermajority aka multiple democrats would have to vote in favor, which will almost certainly not happen, and I can already hear some of y’all jamokes being like “he’s just going to do whatever he wants, you’re sooooooo dumb to think anyone can stop him, you’re so naive, democracy is dead” and like I MEAN YEAH IF WE ACT THAT WAY IT SURE AS FUCK MAKES IT MUCH EASIER FOR HIM TO DO THOSE THINGS.)

to use an example from history: like do you genuinely think the Act Up movement really thought Reagan was going to change his position on AIDS???? I doubt it!!!!!! They stood up and took action and took to the streets and made themselves seen and heard to make it that much fucking harder for people to look away from what was happening

AND AGAIN i can hear some of y’all about to be like “okay but lots of people DIED during the AIDS crisis you know, and so many people won’t survive this too!!!!!” as if that’s a reason to not fight, as if accepting defeat is somehow noble, as if the greatest way to honor people who’ve died at the hands of tyranny isn’t fighting back relentlessly against that tyranny, battered and bruised and spitting blood onto the ground and still standing back up for more

[anneofgreengaybles]

Thousands mass at Treasury Department to demand end to Musk coup

WASHINGTON—A mass protest, which grew in just over an hour from one hundred people to thousands stretching over three city blocks in downtow

This is the exact way should all be responding, like we’re mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore. As people have pointed out in the notes, a major pillar of fascism is obedience in advance. Do not fucking let them do what they’re trying to do without fighting tooth and nail against it

[liberalsarecool]

More Musk poison.

[thestuckylibrary]

Elon Musk is spreading lies to distract from the fact that he is a treasonous Russia backed Nazi fascist carrying out an illegal coup. He belongs in a jail cell. He is stealing the people’s money and data in defiance of the law and the constitution and multiple court orders and he’s trying to deflect blame with lies.

Nobody voted for him. He wasn’t appointed and he wasn’t hired. He has no right to be there. This is a coup. He needs to be removed.

Keep calling your representatives and keep protesting. He is stealing your money and your data. He must be held accountable like any other thief.

[wiisagi-maiingan]

Hiding government and public services to reduce how much they're used and "prove" that they're unneeded is a tried and true Republican technique. It's not a conspiracy, these things are deliberately made difficult to access to discourage people from using them because "more use = more funding" and "less use = less funding" is how public service funding is generally decided.

Musk outright lying about "deleting" a whole IRS program for low income tax filing is just a progression of common Republican tactics. Don't fall for it.

[tea-and-charcoal]

I can confirm that I filed using the irs direct file several days after Musk claimed it was gone. It's still there.

People have been fighting for this option for years, and while it's limited in many ways I found it easy to use and didn't require some random other company to have access to all my information.

https://www.irs.gov/filing/irs-direct-file-for-free

[bedupolker]

Sharing for US followers: 5 Calls is a great website that makes calling your reps easy. Put in your city or zipcode and it will generate a short list of your representatives and senators with both DC and local numbers.

There are several short scripts you can copy verbatim, whether you are passionate about a certain billionaire's overreach, dismantling of US agencies, reproductive rights, trans/LGBT rights, immigration protection, etc.

(If you have phone anxiety, I just did my five calls and got nothing but voicemail. Took me less than ten minutes. Fill their inboxes!!!)

[anneofgreengaybles]

every time you see a headline like this

I want you to remember these ones

[anneofgreengaybles]

And these ones

[our-queer-experience]

make sure to choose the “deliver” option!!! girl scouts as a whole has been trans inclusive for a while, of trans girls and trans boys and nonbinary people, and this is a really great option to support these kids and their troops

[dawnanddorisqna]

Choose "ship to me" to have them mailed out!

[meshugenist]

Thailand makes hormone therapy free for trans people just after legalizing marriage equality - LGBTQ Nation

The move follows enactment of the country's new marriage equality law.

hell yeah

[voltaspistol]

It's an open notes test and some dense motherfuckers still can't figure out the answers.

[magnificentkoaladelusion]

PLEASE DON'T SKIP WITHOUT SHARING! I'm going to be kicked out by next month. I really need to raise funds for myself and my cats.

Donate to survival funds and a car, organized by Ashley marie

Hello. I'm finally trying to get back on my feet again. I went though a bad Sexual assault three… Ashley marie needs your support for surviv

[impsynia]

tiktok stunt haha funny. please talk about the ice raids

[impsynia]

even though theyre officially starting on tueaday once trump is in office the raids have already started in central california since sunday and idk where else. people havent been able to go to work becuz ice is literally patroling the streets and targeting places where majority brown people work. please keep aware and talk to ppl in your life who might not be

[impsynia]

just to clarify because a lot of ppl reblogged this post

78 immigrants detained by Border Patrol throughout the Central Valley, officials say

This week, U.S. Customs conducted unannounced raids in the Central Valley, detaining 78 undocumented immigrants from Fresno and Kern County.

it was border patrol and not technically ice raids that happened in my city but it happened so suddenly there was a lot of confusion. this is just what has happened in my city and nearby, so i don't want to spread misinformation and i can't say what has happened in other places. but it is important to watch for these things regardless. i live in california but i dont live anywhere near the border so border patrol isnt normally seen here!

[steakplissken]

Reminder: Border Patrol is allowed to operate within 100 miles of any part of the US border. This includes 75% of major cities in the USA, including NYC, LA, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Baltimore, Seattle, both Portlands, Detroit, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Milwaukee.

[all-things-are-nothing-to-me]

They've started in central and southern California already. Family members there have been telling me about it. Other relatives in Chicago have said the same.

[ancientstone]

Do you hate ai? Are you a British citizen or UK resident? Then here's a nice petition for you!

Regulate Generative AI Imagery

Petition: Regulate Generative AI imagery

We think Generative AI for commercial use like advertising must be banned and companies must disclose using AI and list the prompts used. We

Description: We think Generative AI for commercial use like advertising must be banned and companies must disclose using AI and list the prompts used. We think it must be made illegal to access AI "nudify" apps and websites, and AI generated imagery must require a watermark disclosing that it is AI generated.

Deadline: 13th July 2025

At 10,000 signatures, government will respond to this petition

At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.