Tag: social media

California Opens Public Comment on Online Age Verification ID

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has launched the preliminary phase of rulemaking for Senate Bill 976, the “Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act.”

The legislation mandates that social media companies use “age assurance” systems to determine whether a California user is an adult or a minor.

The Attorney General has until January 1, 2027, to complete and adopt the final regulations.

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) will host a public meeting on November 5, 2025, to gather feedback from residents, experts, and organizations about how these rules should be structured.

The DOJ is seeking public comment on the potential effects of the proposed regulations.

Citizens can send their comments in written form to sb976@doj.ca.gov. Note that any information provided is subject to the Public Records Act. 

SB 976 was introduced to limit the impact of addictive online design features on minors. It requires the Attorney General to create standards for age assurance and parental consent that align with the Act’s stated purpose of child protection.

However, privacy advocates have raised alarms that the “age assurance” requirement could erode online anonymity, forcing individuals to hand over sensitive identification data to access social platforms.

Such systems could expose Californians to new risks of data collection, profiling, and potential misuse of personal information.

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German Authorities Search Conservative Commentator’s Home After Online Post

A police raid targeting retired media professor and conservative commentator Norbert Bolz has ignited discussion in Germany about how far the state is going in policing speech online.

Officers entered Bolz’s Berlin home on Thursday morning and questioned him about a social media post from early 2024 that included the phrase “Deutschland erwache!” a slogan once used by the Nazi Party.

Bolz told POLITICO he acknowledged writing the post himself, which prevented police from taking his computer. After the visit, he posted a sardonic comment on X: “The friendly police officers gave me the good advice to be more careful in the future. I’ll do that and only talk about trees from now on.”

Bolz is a regular contributor to WELT, part of the Axel Springer media group, and is known for his strong defense of open discussion.

Berlin prosecutors confirmed the search took place as part of an investigation under Section 86a of Germany’s criminal code, which prohibits the “use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations.”

The disputed post was a sarcastic reaction to an article from the newspaper taz that read, “Ban of the AfD and a petition against Höcke: Germany awakens.” Bolz added his own remark: “A good translation for ‘woke’: Germany awake!”

The issue first came to authorities’ attention after it was reported by “Hessen gegen Hetze,” a portal run by the Hessian Interior Ministry’s Cyber Competence Center.

The post was forwarded to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and then to the Central Reporting Office for Criminal Content on the Internet (ZMI), which passed the case to Berlin prosecutors because Bolz resides in the capital.

The ZMI, short for Zentrale Meldestelle für strafbare Inhalte im Internet (Central Reporting Office for Criminal Content on the Internet), is a unit within Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA).

A spokesperson for the Berlin prosecutor’s office told Apollo News that “the reporting office had passed the matter on to the ZMI.

“The ZMI reported the matter to Berlin because of where they live in Berlin. The investigation was then carried out by the Berlin public prosecutor’s office and the Berlin police, as this is where the responsibility lies.”

The BKA confirmed that the case originated from a report filed by “Hessen gegen Hetze” in November 2024.

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Popular YouTube personality ‘Mr. Crafty Pants’ busted for child porn

A popular influencer and YouTube creator known as “Mr. Crafty Pants” was busted for allegedly possessing and trading disturbing sexual images of children on social media, according to reports.

Michael David Booth — who has nearly 600,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel featuring arts and crafts tutorials with smart cutting machines — was arrested Wednesday in Kentucky after repeatedly sharing the sickening images on the social media messaging app Kik, Wave News reported.

The twisted online personality allegedly possessed six explicit photos — three showing children under the age of 12 and the others depicting teens — which he shared more than 15 times with other users between Aug. 4 and Aug. 7, according to an arrest report obtained by the outlet.

Police said they launched their probe into the depraved 39-year-old in August after the social app flagged his account, which was traced to an IP address linked to Booth’s Norton Commons home.

“It’s scary to think what he could have had access to,” his neighbor, Laura Nash, told the outlet, adding that she immediately asked her children if they had ever interacted with the creep after he was arrested.

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Chelsea Clinton’s Nasty Attack On President Trump’s White House Renovation Blows Up in Her Face When Social Media Users Deliver a Devastating Reminder to Her

Another member of the Clinton Crime Family has weighed in on President Trump’s White House renovation and got predictably humiliated.

As The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft reported, Construction began this week on the new Big Beautiful White House Ballroom that will have room for nearly 1,000 guests for future White House social events and state dinners with world leaders.

Trump previously announced that he was planning to build the new ballroom at the White House and told reporters that he’s paying for the $200 million project.

President Trump added, “They’ve wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years, but there’s never been a President that was good at ballrooms.

I’m really good. “I’m good at building things, and we’ll get it built quickly and on time.”

Crooked Hillary Clinton, famous for stealing the White House dinnerware during her time as First Lady, melted down over Trump’s latest project to Make America Great Again.

First son Eric Trump shut Hillary down with one tweet.

Hillary Clinton: It’s not his house. It’s our house. And he’s destroying it.

Eric Trump: The ballroom will be spectacular… unlike your work in Haiti.

Chelsea Clinton decided to chime in on Thursday with an article in left-wing USA Today, whining about the much-needed renovation. She tried to pretend that her parents treated the White House as sacred ground while instilling in her a valuable lesson about what it meant.

“The White House became my home when I was twelve years old. I always understood that it wasn’t my ‘house’; it was The People’s House,” she wrote.

She then attacked Trump, saying the “erasure” of the East Wing is just part of Trump’s determination to take “a wrecking ball” to America.

The erasure of the East Wing isn’t just about marble or plaster — it’s about President Trump again taking a wrecking ball to our heritage, while targeting our democracy, and the rule-of-law,” she added.

It seems Chelsea has obtained selective amnesia over the years. Not only did her dad have oral sex in the Oval Office with an intern and lie about it, but her mom tried to steal furniture right before they left the White House for good.

Social media users were more than happy to deliver this devastating reminder to Chelsea.

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UK Expands Online Safety Act to Enforce Preemptive Censorship For “Priority” Offenses

The UK government is preparing to expand the reach of its already controversial censorship law, the Online Safety Act (OSA), with a new set of rules that push platforms toward preemptive censorship.

The changes would compel tech companies to block material before users can even see it, under the claim of stopping “cyberflashing” and content “encouraging or assisting serious self-harm.”

On October 21, the government laid before Parliament a Statutory Instrument titled The Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2025.

This legal mechanism, used to amend existing legislation without requiring a full new Act, adds two additional “priority offences” to Schedule 7 of the OSA:

By classifying these as “priority illegal content” under Section 59 of the OSA, the government triggers the law’s strictest obligations for online platforms.

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Researchers expose large-scale YouTube malware distribution network

Check Point researchers have uncovered, mapped and helped set back a stealthy, large-scale malware distribution operation on YouTube they dubbed the “YouTube Ghost Network.”

The network published more than 3,000 videos across compromised or fake channels, luring viewers with game cheats, cracked software, or pirated tools, but instead delivering malware or phishing pages. 

The YouTube Ghost Network

The YouTube Ghost Network is strikingly similar to the Stargazers Ghost Network, a previously uncovered network of fake or hijacked GitHub accounts that served as a malware and phishing link Distribution-as-a-Service.

In the Stargazers Ghost Network, different accounts filled different roles. Some accounts directed targets to malicious downloads, others served malware, and others still starred, forked, and subscribed to malicious repositories, in an obvious attempt to make the other accounts appear legitimate to potential victims.

Similarly, the YouTube Ghost Network consists of video accounts, post accounts, and interact accounts.

Video accounts, which are either hijacked or created by the malware peddlers, upload videos that promise something appealing, e.g., a free/cracked version of Adobe Photoshop, or game hacks for popular games like Roblox. The descriptions contain download links or direct viewers to password-protected archives on services like Dropbox, Google Drive or MediaFire, and they often tell users to temporarily disable Windows Defender before installing the downloaded cracked software.

Post accounts publish community posts with the same links and passwords, and interact accounts flood comment sections with fake endorsements, creating a false sense of trust.

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Countries Call on the EU to Enforce “Values” Through Speech Rules

European governments are intensifying pressure on Brussels to tighten control over which organizations receive EU funding, using the language of “combating hate” to justify measures that could sharply restrict free expression.

France, Austria, and the Netherlands have jointly circulated a paper calling on the European Commission to withdraw financial support from any group that does not conform to “European values.”

The document, seen by Politico, urges member states to “redouble their efforts to combat racism, antisemitism, xenophobia and anti-Muslim hatred” and to ensure “no support is given to entities hostile to European values, in particular through funding.”

Behind the rhetoric of tolerance, the plan lays out a system that ties access to EU money directly to ideological loyalty.

Under the proposal, beneficiaries of programs such as Erasmus+ and CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values) would be required to sign pledges confirming that they “respect and promote EU rights and values.”

The Commission would also be instructed to apply existing budget rules that allow for excluding groups accused of “inciting hatred.”

The initiative arrives just ahead of a European Council meeting in Brussels, where leaders are set to discuss a range of topics, including Ukraine, migration, defense, and Europe’s digital and environmental goals.

A draft of the Council’s conclusions adds another layer by insisting that “EU values apply equally in the digital sphere,” with the “protection of minors” highlighted as a key aim.

What looks like a defense of European ideals increasingly resembles an effort to police opinions.

By expanding the concept of hate speech both online and offline, the document could allow EU institutions to label controversial or dissenting views as violations of European values. This would effectively hand Brussels the power to determine which voices are acceptable in public debate.

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Newsom Signs Bill Pointing Kids Toward LGBT Site with Possible Predators

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new legislation pointing children in government schools toward an LGBT online forum that some in the state believe is likely a hotbed for predators.

Newsom signed Assembly Bill 727 on Oct. 10, which was World Mental Health Day, mandating that school IDs for public middle schools, high schools, and colleges have contact information for The Trevor Project on the back.

The group purports to prevent suicide for self-proclaimed homosexual and transgender young people, but their online forum, TrevorSpace, lacks age verification and moderation standards, according to The Christian Post.

Brenda Lebsack, a Santa Ana Unified School District trustee, said that The Trevor Project allows for easy predation on children.

“I saw with my own eyes that Trevor Project is putting kids in harm’s way through TrevorSpace by connecting minors with unfettered random adults on an international virtual platform to explore their genders and sexualities, and this is dangerous for our most vulnerable kids who identify as LGBTQ,” Lebsack wrote in a recent article, according to a release from the California Family Council.

TrevorSpace is advertised as a “welcoming online social community for LGBTQ+ young people between the ages of 13-24 years old.”

There are over 400,000 members on the forum, where young people can “find support groups and make friends.”

The California Family Council wrote that “multiple investigations, including those cited by law enforcement and school officials, reveal that anyone can create an account, set their age, and directly message minors.”

“There is no reliable age verification, and moderation is limited,” the organization said.

Kevin Brown, a retired police officer who launched the anti-trafficking entity Lives Worth Saving, said that his experience in law enforcement led him to believe that TrevorSpace could be easily compromised.

“I understand the strategies used by child predators and traffickers to lure their victims,” Brown said in written testimony against Assembly Bill 727.

“Because TrevorSpace readily admits it does not constantly monitor the site, and there are people of all ages online, the opportunity for a child to be manipulated by a predator is an exponential threat.”

Brown testified that he had even tested the site himself, creating a fake account designed to resemble a 15-year-old boy.

“Within minutes, I was able to connect with several others via a ‘club’ that is actually a chat room,” he continued.

“One person was of particular interest, as he wanted to take our chat from TrevorSpace and move it to Discord, another social media site I’m familiar with. In an undercover capacity, I have made contact with people on Discord who sell and distribute Child Sexual Abuse Materials.”

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Hillary Clinton Really Should Keep Quiet On This Topic…

Presidential loser Hillary Clinton is big mad about President Trump improving the White House, so mad that she fired off another tweet with replies closed so no one can comment.

As we highlighted earlier, the new leftist software update includes a talking point about Trump now literally ‘destroying’ the White House because work has begun on demolishing and remodelling parts of the East Wing of the building where a grand ballroom is being constructed.

All of this is being paid for by Trump and other private investors, and it’s a much needed upgrade given that events currently have to be held in makeshift tents.

Add to this the fact that the part being demolished was only installed in the 1940s and is not an original feature of the building.

No matter, the screeching hath commenced.

Enter Hillary with her usual complete lies.

If anyone were allowed to reply to her stupid remark, aside from the one rainbow trans flag person on there, it might go something like this…

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