Its no secret that social media is taking a toll on teenagers, especially girls. Filters and photo editing create the facade of a seemingly perfect life and put an emphasis on unrealistic beauty standards and constant comparison. This often leads to decreased self-esteem and to body image concerns.

Having the ability to post, comment and share anonymously gives rise to bullying and rumors spreading at the touch of a button.

A study done by Pew Research Center found that 59% of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online. Even more stark is the association between social media and poor mental health among adolescents.

A 2016 University of Glasgow study found that greater social media use was linked with worse sleep quality and higher levels of anxiety and depression. While there is not enough research at this time to definitively state causation, there is a clear relationship between the rise of social media and the rising rates of anxiety and depression among teens.

In the United States, parents, teachers and even legislators work hard to censor the content that adolescents consume.

For example, Utah and Arizona have introduced legislation blocking access to online pornography. This year, states all over the country have limited how race can be taught in schools.

Now, many are pushing for Congress to update the 1998 Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act to increase the age children are legally allowed to give away their data to 16 years old from 13. But access isnt the issue here, and restriction wont solve anything.

Social media can do a lot of good. Social media allow teens to broaden their social networks, which can be especially beneficial for teens living in remote areas, those who identify with a minority group or those with a disability. This connection can be extremely positive and even empowering. Social media allow for exposure to new ideas, creativity and self-expression. They can simply be places to have fun or even spaces to find support and reach out for help. Not only teens, but everyone, can be exposed to positive role models, scientists, activists and educators all over the world via social media.

Yes, social media giants like Facebook (now Meta) can and should alter their apps to better protect their users. Instagram, for instance, can crack down on hate speech, and stop the shadow-banning the secret censorship of a person, topic or community that is deemed inappropriate of LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color for posting educational content while blatantly racist posts are not. Snapchat can stop promoting filters that distort peoples faces and bodies. TikTok can monitor and remove comments that harass and bully users.

These changes and others would make social media safer spaces for everyone. The responsibility to restrict access, however, doesnt fall solely on the companies, nor the government. The consumers of this content play a role in perpetuating the negative side of social media by fueling the algorithms and updates. So what happens then?

Adults are continually looking for ways to shield youths from issues that are an inevitable part of growing up in the 21st century. Its not to say that all teens should be given free access to the internet all day, every day. We all know adolescents can be impulsive and irrational, but they are also smarter and more capable than we give them credit for.

Its during this time that teens get to explore who they are, mistakes and all. It is in adolescence that they begin to have abstract thoughts, challenge the status quo, define their sense of self and create a sense of innovation. Adolescence is when we as human beings get to flourish, and social media have the power to magnify that important growth.

Instead of restricting social media usage or access to pornography, we should be cultivating open conversations about them. Because it is not the internet that is causing harm; its the lack of education. Teens need to be taught about healthy boundaries when it comes to social media and that responsibility lies with parents, teachers and anyone with a teen in their life.

Lets talk to teens about how social media platforms make them feel; about how what we see on the internet is not always the truth. Lets educate our teens on boundaries and online safety; on healthy and fulfilling sexual relationships. Teens want to be treated like adults, and we can provide them with that little bit of freedom by talking to them, not hiding things from them.

Emma McCarthy is a health communications writer and the creator of Public Health 4 All.

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Commentary: We are the ones failing our teens, not social media - The Sun Chronicle

The year started out on a hopeful note. The world was looking forward to getting past a dark period in America's leadership and the global COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden's administration and the rollout of vaccines brought some optimism to LGBTQ people globally.

However, conservatives and progressives continued their fights over LGBTQ rights. There were victories but violence against LGBTQs in Afghanistan, Ghana, Hungary, Myanmar, Poland, and Uganda dominated the headlines.

Queer people were on the frontline protesting against Myanmar's military coup in February, with many dying when the military violently shot demonstrators on the streets. In August, LGBTQ Afghans were left behind Taliban and ISIS-K (an Islamic State-affiliated group active in central Asia) lines after the United States and its allies rapidly withdrew from the country.

LGBTQ refugees were constantly attacked at Kenya's infamous Kakuma Refugee Camp, leading to the death of Ugandan gay refugee activist Chriton "Trinidad" Atuhwera in April. In the fall, a groundbreaking report about LGBTQ life at the camp was published by the Organization for Refuge, Asylum, and Migration and Rainbow Railroad.

Violence in Iran continued as reports of executions and honor killings of LGBTQs surfaced from inside the country. Reuters reported the country's queer community expressed no hope under President Ebrahim Raisi's new regime.

Hungary and Poland continued to follow Russia's lead by ignoring European Union, German and French sanctions and legal pressures to abide by human rights standards as the countries continued to oppress LGBTQ citizens. Hungary pushed its anti-propaganda law banning queer books and films for minors while Poland considered a similar law. Russia caught and returned Chechen gay brothers Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev to the country to face persecution and a trial. The country also opened its trial against feminist and LGBTQ activist and artist Yulia Tsvetkova in April. Tsvetkova is charged with alleged pornography and violating the anti-gay propaganda law for distributing her drawings celebrating female bodies. Tsvetkova and the brothers launched hunger strikes protesting Russia.

The European Court of Human Rights ordered Russia to recognize same-sex relationships and transgender parents in two separate court rulings. Additionally, Germany charged five of Chechnya's top leaders with torture for their roles in state-sanctioned "gay purge" that was revealed in 2017.

Russia's response to Europe's pushback was to officially shut down LGBTQ organizations, labeling them as "foreign agents." Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the existence of transgender and gender-variant Russians and banned same-sex marriage at the end of 2021.

The Taliban used social media to hunt down LGBTQ Afghans. China wiped out LGBTQ and feminist activists' social media accounts and blocked internet access.

OutRight Action International, a global LGBTQ advocacy organization, highlighted the online silencing of queer voices in "No Access: LGBTIQ Website Censorship in Six Countries." The report was published in partnership with the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab and the Open Observatory of Network Interference in September.

Social media dating apps were targeted by hackers. Israel's popular gay dating app Atraf was allegedly hacked by Black Shadow, a group of Iran-linked hackers that claimed responsibility. Information from an estimated 1 million users was leaked.

Setting an example to social media companies to adhere to privacy laws and protect users, Norway's Data Protection Authority slapped Grindr with a $7.16 million fine for a major privacy breach. The gay dating app was caught sending personal data to hundreds of potential advertising partners without users' consent against European Union privacy rules, reported the Associated Press.

At the beginning of the year, the governments of Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Tunisia, and Uganda used less high-tech methods to attack the LGBTQ community.

Ghanian police raided the country's first and only LGBTQ center in its capital city, Accra, sending its leaders and queer community members into hiding. Police raided alleged queer parties and an LGBTQ activist training. Then eight members of parliament proposed a draconian anti-LGBTQ bill in July, which is making its way through Ghana's parliament.

Senegal followed suit, proposing to criminalize homosexuality earlier this month.

Uganda's Sexual Offenses bill further criminalized the East African country's hard-hit LGBTQ community. The community continued to rally against the bill, despite losing the battle.

Trans killings continueCountries' attacks on LGBTQ citizens were on the rise this year, fueling hate crimes against LGBTQ people. It was another record-breaking year with 375 recorded transgender killings globally.

Italy and South Korea failed to pass anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ citizens. Italy faced large protests on both sides of the issue criticizing the government. South Korean legislators were criticized for not passing a landmark anti-discrimination act introduced by Park Joo-min, a legislator of the Ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The law would have included protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Human rights activists raised alarms about the rise of anti-LGBTQ hate in Eastern Europe as a conservative wave spread across the region coinciding with a rise in anti-LGBTQ sentiments, such as in Latvia. Activists pointed out Latvia was experiencing a rise in nationalism and homophobia.

Governing bodies pushed back hard, implementing laws and issuing groundbreaking rulings on LGBTQ rights, especially transgender rights. The EU cited Romania for violating the European Convention on Human Rights for "a lack of proper legal framework for legal gender recognition."

ProgressMarriage equality and recognition of same-sex couples' relationships continued to march down aisles around the world. Same-sex families made major legal advancements. Bans against conversion therapy made big strides and decriminalization began to make moves. Transgender rights made some significant gains with some countries recognizing the need to simplify gender change laws.

Chile and Switzerland ushered in same-sex marriage as well as Mexico's Yucatan and Sonora states.

Taiwanese binational couples fought for marriage rights. Taiwanese-Macanese couple Ting Tse-yen and Leong Chin-fai won their legal battle and tied the knot in May. This month another binational couple, 34-year-old Taiwanese man Lu Yin-jen and his 42-year-old Japanese partner, Ariyoshi Eizaburo, continued to push for binational same-sex marriage rights in Taiwan, filing a lawsuit against the Taipei municipal government December 24.

Indian couples continued to wait for a decision from the country's supreme court, but that didn't stop same-sex couples from saying "I do" throughout the year, legal or not.

Marriage cases in the Caribbean were stalled. Bermuda and Cayman Islands' same-sex marriage cases went to the Privy Court in the United Kingdom, but there was no ruling before the year was out. Jamacia's supreme court delayed gay activist Maurice Tomlinson's same-sex marriage and decriminalization cases against the island nation.

The Czech Republic's same-sex marriage bill moved one step forward after years of being stalled in parliament.

Montenegro legalized same-sex civil partnerships in July. At the same time, same-sex partners' love was denied in Bolivia and Thailand.

The United Nations spoke out against criminalizing same-sex unions in July, stating it was a violation of human rights. In September, a change in Cuba's family code opened the door to same-sex marriage in the country.

Rainbow familiesSame-sex families had major legal wins in Europe and the U.S., yet there were some setbacks in other countries.

In Europe, big wins allowed same-sex parents to confer their citizenship to their children. Courts in France and Israel granted the use of reproductive technologies for lesbian and gay couples to create their families using IVF and surrogacy, respectively.

A Croatian court ruling paved the way for same-sex couples to adopt children. Lesbian mothers in Germany flooded the courts demanding parental rights.

Yet, there were some setbacks in Europe and Africa. Separate court rulings in the Czech Republic closed all registered same-sex couples' adoptions both domestic and foreign. A Namibian court ruled against a gay couple in their fight to take their newborn daughters home.

Criminal casesConvictions were obtained in the 2016 killings of Bangladeshi gay activists Xulhaz Mannan, 35, and Mahbub Rabby Tonoy, 26. In September, six of eight men were sentenced to death for the murders.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Court ordered the government in Honduras to implement laws protecting LGBTQ people after the killing of transgender activist Vicky Hernandez, 26. The court also ordered the government to provide a scholarship fund for trans Hondurans.

Political strides and lossesThis year saw the U.S. reposition itself as an LGBTQ leader. Biden put LGBTQ rights at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy, though the administration has come up short in some areas, such as assistance in relocating LGBTQ Afghans.

Some members of Congress and LGBTQ rights activists were angered that the U.S. left so many queer Afghan refugees behind at the mercy of the Taliban after its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and no pledge or plan to get them out. In August, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was questioned by gay Congressmember Chris Pappas (D-New Hampshire) and 64 members of Congress in a letter about prioritizing the evacuation of LGBTQ Afghans. The letter followed a similar letter sent by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and 12 Democratic Senate colleagues questioning the State Department's protection of LGBTQ asylum seekers earlier in the month.

A coalition of LGBTQ organizations working on queer global rights submitted a 10-point action plan to evacuate and resettle LGBTQ Afghans to Biden.

Canada was the only country to publicly announce it would help evacuate and resettle LGBTQ Afghan refugees.

Queer activists criticized Biden, first for not appointing any openly LGBTQ ambassadors then for a lack of diversity among LGBTQ diplomats there were no women or people of color.

Biden appointed lesbian Jessica Stern, former OutRight Action International executive director, as the second U.S. special envoy to advance the human rights of LGBTQI persons. She began the post in September.

Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) reintroduced the Global Respect Act to Congress in July. According to a summary, the bill imposes visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons responsible for or complicit in violating the human rights of individuals due to actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.

Despite criticism, LGBTQ activists began seeing symbolic and concrete changes by the end of the year. The White House and State Department's momentum putting LGBTQ rights at the forefront of foreign policy began to become visible. Biden put anti-LGBTQ nations on notice at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September.

Before the year was out, Christopher John Lamora, a gay man and career Foreign Service officer, was nominated as ambassador to Cameroon, one of Africa's anti-LGBTQ hot spots. USAID appointed Jay Gilliam, a gay man, to lead the agency's efforts to promote LGBTQ rights around the world. Gilliam was formerly director of the Human Rights Campaign's global program.

Chile delivered the next biggest political win of the year electing progressive Congressmember Gabriel Boric as the South American country's new president December 19. Boric is an LGBTQ ally and will enter office as Chile's new same-sex marriage law comes into effect.

Greece appointed its first openly gay minister Nicholas Yatromanolakis as deputy minister for Issues of Contemporary Culture in January. In November, Honduras elected Vctor Grajeda, a gay man, to Congress, a first for the country.

Guatemala's Sandra Moran and Peru's Susel Paredes were ushered in as the countries' first out lesbian members of congress. Moran became Guatemala's second out member of congress after gay Congressman Aldo Davila, who is the country's first out politician.

Mexico saw a record number of LGBTQ candidates run for office. More than 100 queer candidates, among them more than 20 who identified as transgender, campaigned for political seats in the June elections. Mexico gained two openly transgender congress members: Maria Clemente Garcia and Salma Luvano.

Germany also elected two transgender women, Tessa Ganserer and Nyke Slawik, to parliament. Yulia Alishina became Russia's first elected president of the Altai Republic in Siberia in November.

Transgender employees gained rights in Argentina with employment protections and quotas, and Bangladesh announced providing incentives for companies that hire transgender employees.

Sadly, as 2021 wrapped up, the world lost a major LGBTQ advocate - Archbishop Desmond Tutu died December 26. Britain and Israel lost their first out lesbian members of parliament, Maureen Colquhoun and Marcia Freedman, respectively.

Several prominent lesbian and transgender activists also passed away, including Colombia's leading transgender rights activist Laura Weinstein, Russian feminist activist Tatiana Nikonova, and the United Kingdom's pioneering lesbian campaigner Mary Cunningham Simpson.

Got international LGBTQ news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at WhatsApp/Signal: 415-517-7239, or oitwnews@gmail.com

Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.

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Out in the World: Mixed record on LGBTQ rights across the world in 2021 - Bay Area Reporter, America's highest circulation LGBT newspaper

Happy New Year 2022: New Year celebrations globally are likely to be muted under COVID-19 shadow.

New Year celebrations historically have been a time to unwind and welcome the future with open arms. After two years of the pandemic, with its intermittent waves that caused immense pain across the globe, it was hoped that the coming year would herald a new beginning. Yet, the coronavirus seems to have persisted, riding the Omicron variant that is frighteningly virulent even if less fatal for now. The result: New Year celebrations globally are likely to be muted under the COVID-19 shadow.

Governments have urged people to avoid large gatherings and keep celebrations restricted to family members and close friends as they tighten the loose ends in their health infrastructure. Travel restrictions and mask mandates are back as many cities move either to ban or pare down New Year's Eve events.

India

In New Delhi, the city government has declared lockdown-like restrictions under a yellow alert, meaning night curfew is back, offices will open with 50 percent staff and curbs are back on weddings and other social and religious gatherings. Last week, the government banned all gatherings to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

Similarly, states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, too, have announced several restrictions, including night curfew starting at 10 pm and ending at 5 am and banning large gatherings.

United States

Authorities in the US, where Omicron has led to new Covid cases expanding alarmingly, have ordered organisers to cancel several events. But the annual celebration in Times Square in New York has been allowed with participation capped at 15,000. Attendees will have to wear masks and show proof of full vaccination. The New Year countdown in Grand Park in Los Angeles will now be streamed online.

United Kingdom

Several parts of the United Kingdom Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have put limits on social gatherings and mass events after England reported a new high of Covid cases on Christmas Day. London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced last week that the New Year's Eve event in Trafalgar Square was cancelled. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said no new curbs will be imposed before 2022, allowing nightclubs and pubs to open for New Year's Eve celebrations.

Europe

This is one of the regions which have been hit the hardest by Omicron. Several countries in the EU have decided to roll back or ban the celebrations. French Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced that large public parties would be banned on New Year's Eve. The French capital Paris has cancelled major celebrations, which would have included fireworks over the Champs-Elysees. Italian cities Rome and Venice too have announced similar curbs. The major event in Germany's Berlin will be broadcast live on television.

Greece

There will be no fireworks show over the Acropolis this year in Athens. Greece has announced that all public events planned by municipalities across the country for Christmas and New Year's Eve have been cancelled. Masks have been made mandatory. Authorities are planning more restrictions in the first week of January.

Thailand

The Thai capital, Bangkok, will allow celebrations but with some riders. Only open-air venues have been allowed to host guests. Those attending these events must be fully vaccinated and registered to attend as no walk-ins will be allowed.

Japan

Tokyo holds one of the biggest New Year's Eve celebrations in the world. However, like last year, the event at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo has been cancelled.

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Happy New Year 2022: Amid Omicron, Celebrations In India And Across The World Likely To Be Muted - NDTV

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid died Tuesday after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 82.

Reid began his political career in Nevada, starting in the state assembly before becoming Lieutenant Governor in 1971.

In 1977, he took on the role of Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission. In that role and in that era he often battled organized crime, even once becoming the target of a car bomb. That would be the start of a career that frequently placed Reid at the center of debates over gaming policy, both in Nevada and on a national level.

In 1983, Reid entered Congress, joining the House of Representatives from Nevadas 1st district. In 1987, he would become a Senator representing Nevada, a position he would hold until his retirement in 2017. He was the leading Democrat in Congress from 2005 through the end of his career, serving as Senate Majority Leader for the Democratic majority between 2007-2015, and as Senate Minority Leader on both sides of that tenure while Republicans controlled the Senate.

Reid worked on a variety of issues that were important to him throughout his time in Congress, from environmental conservation to the defense of programs like Social Security. Throughout his long career, he also helped shape decades of gambling policy.

From his days as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission to tenure as Majority Leader, Senator Reids impact on Nevada and the gaming industry is unparalleled. He was the ultimate gaming champion, American Gaming Association President and CEO Bill Miller said in a statement. Im grateful for having known the Senator throughout my career in Washington, DC. Without a shadow of a doubt, Senator Reid was one of the sharpest, most effective political minds to ever enter the arena.

Reid wasnt always on the side of gaming expansion, particularly when it went against the interests of his home state. In 2015, he spoke out against the explosion of the daily fantasy sports industry, pushing for regulation of what he considered a new form of gambling.

Fantasy sports is the worst of the worst, Reid once told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. I know people have fun playing, good luck to them. But it should be controlled and there should be some enforcement.

Reid also opposed the expansion of online gambling, supporting bills that would limit states to offering online poker or even outright banning all internet betting. He also opposed the expansion of sports betting, something Nevada held a virtual monopoly on until the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018.

On balance, however, Reid supported the gaming industry, provided it conformed to regulation and government oversight. Beyond his efforts in the world of gambling, other prominent politicians remember Reid for his strength and effectiveness as a legislator, along with his assistance in building their own careers.

You were a great leader in the Senate, and early on you were more generous to me than I had any right to expect, former President Barack Obama wrote in a letter prior to Reids death. I wouldnt have been President had it not been for your encouragement and support, and I wouldnt have gotten most of what I got done without your skill and determination. Most of all, youve been a good friend.

Reid is survived by his wife, Landra, as well as five children and 19 grandchildren.

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Longtime Senator Harry Reid, Key Voice in Gaming Legislation and Expansion, Dies at... - OnlineGambling.com

In February, China will open the 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing under the shadow of the pandemic and, now, of a diplomatic boycott too, said Steven Lee Myers and Steven Erlanger in The New York Times. Last week, the US announced that it will send no official delegation to the Games. It cited concerns over Chinas human rights record, in particular the abuse of Uyghur Muslims and crackdowns in Tibet and Hong Kong. Several other countries including Britain, Australia and Canada quickly followed suit. Others, such as Japan, are weighing up their options (although France, the host of the 2024 Games, said it had no such plans and called the move insignificant). The boycotting countries stopped short of banning athletes from attending. Even so, their decision still drew an angry reaction from Beijing, which declared that these nations will pay the price for their mistaken acts.

The Games are supposed to be a time when nations come together for competition, camaraderie and friendship, said the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong). Diplomatic boycotts are entirely contrary to that spirit. Besides, this kind of political grandstanding simply does not work. The last time the US refused to participate in an Olympics was when it led the 66-country boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games, in protest against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. This clearly failed to attain its goal: the Soviets stayed for almost another decade. Instead of putting the spotlight on themselves, politicians should step aside and let athletes shine.

On the contrary, said Nancy Armour in USA Today (Tysons, Virginia); its great news that, finally, somebody has the guts to stand up to China and its propaganda-fest. Their decision will cast an inescapable shadow over what President Xi Jinping planned as a celebration of Chinas wealth, power and status as a global heavyweight, and it will ensure that Beijings many human rights abuses remain front and centre. If only the organising International Olympic Committee were brave enough to follow suit: it spinelessly insists the organisation isnt political. The EU, too, has failed to take a stand, said Clemens Wergin in Die Welt (Berlin). Shouldnt Brussels, which is always trumpeting its liberal values, be leading a boycott? Its true that a diplomatic boycott wont really hurt China, and seems inadequate in the face of Beijings attempts to erase the identity of minority peoples, but its surely still better to make some small gesture of condemnation than to do nothing at all.

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The Olympic boycott: a small gesture of condemnation - The Week UK

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In the last three years, conservatives have lodged a series complaints with the Federal Election Commission charging social media companies with anti-conservative bias over content moderation that have seemingly affected Republican politicians more than Democrats.

But they've been unanimously rebuked each time.

"We just kind of got a flurry of complaints, and we considered a bunch of them together," said Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub in a telephone interview with Insider. Alongside five other commissioners, she's been in charge of weighing the merits of each case and ultimately taking a vote.

As the agency tasked with overseeing the nation's campaign finance laws, the FEC has been asked by a myriad of conservatives to decide whether these content moderation decisions can be classified as corporate in-kind contributions, which are illegal under federal election laws.

In the Trump era especially, these companies became a primary venue for political rhetoric and debate, with growing concerns that they could be a mouthpiece for then-President Donald Trump and others who promoted conspiracy theories and raised the risk of violence.

But whether it's temporarily shadow-banning Rep. Matt Gaetz, affixing a fact-check label to Trump's tweets, removing Trump's content from a curated Snapchat news feed, or refusing to verify a candidate with a history of extreme statements, the commission has continually sided with social media companies.

Among the more high-profile cases involved Twitter's throttling of a New York Post story about Hunter Biden. Lawyers for the Republican National Committee argued that the social media giant had broken federal election laws by essentially making a corporate in-kind contribution to then-candidate Joe Biden.

But in response, Twitter cited their 2018-era "Distribution of Hacked Materials Policy," and the commission bought their argument.

Republican Commissioner Trey Trainor appeared on Glenn Beck's talk show a few days after the rulings were first reported by the New York Timeswhere he sought to explain his decision in conservative terms.

"If we were to say that the decision to throttle the Hunter Biden story was a violation of campaign finance, then we would have a flood of complaints," said Trainor, who serves with two other Republican commissioners. "Everybody on the right would've gotten a complaint filed against them immediately."

At the heart of each of these disputes is a portion of federal campaign finance law governing how politicians, parties, and PACs can interact with corporations a category that now includes social media companies, despite the fact that the law was designed for more traditional providers of goods and services.

"Corporations are prohibited from making contributions to candidates or political parties, but corporations interact with campaigns and political parties in any number of different ways," said Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at Campaign Legal Center.

That dynamic, he says, makes the question of whether a corporation is making a decision for legitimate commercial reasons rather than simply influencing an election an especially important one.

Charlie Spies, a prominent GOP lawyer who represented Florida Republican congressional candidate Anna Paulina Luna in an FEC complaint over Twitter's refusal to verify her, told Insider that he believes that social media platforms are obligated to give candidates equal access to corporate resources in this case, a blue check on Twitter lest they run afoul of those rules.

"You can't pick and choose who you're going to give corporate resources to," said Spies.

But Weintraub disputed Spies's assertion, pointing to FEC precedents that ensure companies can take actions that may sway an election as long as they have a legitimate business reason to do so.

"What he's talking about are situations where there isn't a bona fide commercial reason and it's just a purely political call, that they only want to support one side," she said. "We generally will not second-guess the business purpose of a business entity. That's not what we do."

What's new in these cases, says Fischer, is the application of decades-old laws to "social media companies that are increasingly adopting stricter content moderation policies."

Social media companies have come under pressure from both sides, given their outsize role in shaping public debate.

While liberals have pushed for tighter regulation around hate speech, extreme content and conspiracy theories, conservatives have increasingly come to view social media platforms and Big Tech generally as being biased towards the left. As platforms have opted to take more responsibility for content published on their sites, conservatives have cried foul.

"I'm not sure the issue was raised before with respect to social media companies," said Weintraub.

Trainor told Beck that it's understandable for conservatives to be calling on the FEC to help, noting that it's "easiest to go after." But, he cautions, federal campaign finance law hasn't been updated in nearly 20 years.

"They're trying to apply a statute that deals with technologies that no longer exist, and apply them to technologies where today, people get all of their news," said Trainor.

Spies, the prominent Republican attorney in seeking to illustrate his point further, posed a hypothetical situation in which a liberal files a complaint against an openly right-wing social media network think Parler, Gab, or Trump's forthcoming "TRUTH Social" that relies on ad revenue from fossil fuel companies, an industry that benefits from Republican rule.

"They could say, well, we think allowing Democrats to have accounts on our site is against our commercial interests," said Spies. "We'll see what kind of reaction that gets."

But the reaction, it seems, would likely be a simple thumbs-up from the commission.

"If they had a business reason for leaning one way or the other, we would probably respect that," said Weintraub, again referring to a passage in the commissioner's statement of reasons in Luna's case clarifying that the FEC doesn't care if the outcome of a legitimate business practice is nonpartisan.

"They can have a partisan slant," she said.

"Parler or Gab could likely make a similar commercial argument that their business model is premised on appealing to particular audiences with a particular ethos," said Fischer, echoing Weintraub. "Then their application of these pre-existing rules against a Democratic candidate would be made for commercial reasons, rather than political reasons."

Trainor, who is otherwise sympathetic to conservatives when it comes to claims that the 2020 election was illegitimate, underscored that it's just not the FEC's job to get involved with how social media platforms are governed.

"We don't want to be in the business of regulating how businesses are run and what editorial decisions they make," he told Beck. "It really is the wrong vehicle to go after social media companies."

With the FEC taking an agnostic approach to social media platforms' content moderation practices, and the prospects for any successful bipartisan initiatives on Big Tech remaining dim, the status quo seem likely to maintain intact despite simmering conservative anger over perceived mistreatment by tech platforms.

And it may only get more tense, given intensifying conservative suspicion of Twitter's new CEO, Parag Agrawal, after an 11-year old tweet condemning Islamophobia surfaced on Twitter this week.

Trump, fully banned from Twitter, is now attempting to create a successful right-wing alternative to the company that Spies deemed a "new public square" in his complaint on behalf of Luna last year.

But at any rate, Spies says he sees Twitter's "bona fide commercial reasons" justification as nothing more than a "post-hoc rationalization" by a company run by liberals.

"Twitter's not charging their favorite liberals to have blue checkmarks that expand their reach," he said. "They're giving them out for free, but they're just picking and choosing who they give them to."

But again, Weintraub insisted that it's not the FEC's job to make that call.

"We're not going to weigh in on that," she said, laughing.

See the rest here:

Trump and Gaetz's rejected FEC complaints show the perils of taking on Big Tech for conservatives - Business Insider

Chelsea thrashed Arsenal 3-0 to win the 2020-21 Women's FA Cup at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, completing the English treble for the first time after winning the League Cup and Women's Super League title earlier this year.

Fran Kirby scored the opening goal after only two minutes and Sam Kerr netted a second-half brace, the latter a delightful chipped finish, to seal a third FA Cup for Emma Hayes's side and a third trophy of 2021.

Last season's FA Cup was interrupted, then postponed to this campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chelsea began the game second to Arsenal in the league standings, having lost to them on the opening day of the season.

However, they got off to the best possible start when Kirby pounced on a defensive lapse by the Gunners defence, who failed to clear their lines, and hit the ball into the bottom corner.

Chelsea dominated the first half in front of almost 41,000 fans while Arsenal looked a shadow of the side who were so far unbeaten in all competitions this campaign. They were not helped by the absence of England defender Leah Williamson through injury.

The Blues were incredibly wasteful in front of goal, though, with Kirby having efforts saved by goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger and Australia striker Kerr hitting the bar when clear through one on one.

Kerr made up for that miss shortly after halftime, however, when she ran on to a long ball and cut inside the penalty area, toying with defender Lotte Wubben-Moy before firing a low shot inside the near post.

Jonas Eidevall, in his first season as Arsenal manager, urged his side forward but they were always crowded out by the Chelsea defence who expertly marked key Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema out of the game. Arsenal failed to have a shot on target.

The result was sealed for Chelsea in the 77th minute when player of the match Kerr chipped the ball over Zinsberger from the right-hand side of the penalty area.

After making up for her misses in the first half, Kerr became the second Australian to lift the FA Cup after former Matilda Taryn Rockall who won it with Arsenal in 1999.

"It wouldnt go in in the first half - it could have been 4-0 or 5-0 but they defended well. We knew that if we kept pushing at some point they would go in and they did," Kerr told the BBC.

"I'm paid to score goals but our defence was amazing and it was a team effort I can't wait to party!"

The match was played on the 100th anniversary of the English FA banning professional women's football in 1921. The ban lasted nearly 50 years until it was rescinded in January 1970.

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Chelsea women thump Arsenal to win FA Cup and seal domestic treble - WION

Amid the ongoing debate to regulate cryptocurrency in India, a shadow of fear and uncertainty looms large over Indias crypto ecosystem, as the government has indicated it is likely to table the Cryptocurrency Bill in the Winter Session.

India today has over 10 crore cryptocurrency investors, who have collectively poured in over $10 billion dollars, according to broker discovery and comparison platform BrokerChooser. The prices of a number of cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, have been soaring. At present, the value of 1 Bitcoin stands at Rs 44.92 lakh. However, it is important to note that India currently has no law to regulate cryptocurrency. But there is also nothing that says dealing in the same is illegal.

If the proposed Bill deems cryptocurrencies illegal tender, it will stop investors from trading in any crypto class.

The existing traders and investors will have to book losses, opening the floodgates for huge financial claims and disputes. All of this, will eventually lead to legal recourse with numerous court cases because of the huge investments already made, with a couple of court rulings already having been passed on the subject matter, said Professor Padmanabha Ramanujam, Dean at IFIM Law School and a cryptocurrency expert.

But the cryptocurrencies are global and will not be affected by any particular country taking a decision. Shivam Thakral, CEO of BuyUcoin, a homegrown cryptocurrency exchange, told indianexpress.com, that the global crypto market is too big to be banned and regulators are expected to respect peoples choices allowing them to choose their investment products. Indias crypto investments have crossed the $10 billion mark which reflects the mood of institutional and retail investors.

Any ban on cryptocurrency trading or holding would be a massive setback to the ecosystem of startups that have bloomed in India recently.

A quick search on LinkedIn with the keyword cryptocurrency shows more than 10,000 job listings in India. Apart from these new vacancies, there are several thousands of people currently employed in this sector. Banning cryptocurrencies would be a regressive step for any government, asserted Edul Patel, CEO and co-founder of Mudrex, a global crypto investment platform.

When Chinas top regulators banned crypto trading, there was an immediate change in coin prices, wiping at least $400 billion off the market. This is because China is one of the largest cryptocurrency markets.

However, Indias share in the trading business is much smaller compared to China. Ramanujam believes the crackdown will not dent cryptocurrency prices, as long as the global companies continue to adopt crypto related products and services.

Interestingly, crypto exchanges did not witness any significant dip in trading activity during the 2017 ban by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The coin prices are not affected by the decision taken by any particular country as crypto assets are decentralized in nature, noted Thakral.

Any ban by the Indian government would impact India-based cryptocurrency exchanges and platforms. However, the prices of the coins would not gain or lose any movement.

When a ban is imposed it means that the transactions between the bank and your crypto exchanges will be completely stopped. Users will not be able to convert local currency to buy any kind of cryptocurrency or be able to liquidate existing investment.

But, Ramanujam said investors will still be able to find buyers where cryptocurrency is still legal. while leveraging is still possible, the transaction costs of liquidating crypto coins would be much higher in that scenario.

Thakral pointed out that investors will be free to withdraw their funds in every situation by following the policies and procedures of the platform they are trading on.

In the case of a blanket ban, there will be a time period given to all investors to withdraw the funds. During this period, investors would be able to sell off their holdings as usual, Patel added.

Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency is an unregulated space and digital currencies are not backed by any sovereign authority. Investing in cryptocurrency comes with market risks. This article does not claim to provide any kind of financial advice for trading or buying cryptocurrency.

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With Cryptocurrency Bill in offing, experts list options for worst case scenario - The Indian Express

Tulip Siddiq told MPs she was becoming increasingly frustrated with the government as they ignored the elephant in the room that the debt had become linked to Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes detention in Iran, and needed to be paid to secure her release.

During a packed Westminster Hall debate which saw MPs of all parties vying for space in the room, Siddiq also read out a letter from Zaghari-Ratcliffes husband Richard, in which he revealed the prime minister passed him one day during his 21-day hunger strike outside the Foreign Office.

Siddiq said: In six years of dealing with our government I am getting increasingly frustrated with the fact that when I deal with ministers from government they ignore the elephant in the room which is the fact that this case is now linked to the 400m that we as a country owe Iran.

She added: We have seen that it is not a coincidence that any time there is movement on the IMS (International Military Services) court hearing, we see some movement on Nazanins case. When the IMS court hearing was delayed earlier this year, Nazanin received a call to say Come to court because we need to speak to you.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, said other countries had managed to secure the release of their citizens from Iran, asking: How is it the United States, Australia, France and Germany have all successfully now negotiated their citizens arbitrarily detained in Iran and yet we have made no progress?

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said the UK should call the bluff of the Iranians, adding: If the Iranian government said the debt removes the barrier and then if they still do not release these hostages we show the Iranian government for the wicked regime it is. I do not see the downside.

Foreign Office minister James Cleverly told MPs that the government shared the frustration they felt about the detention of Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British nationals in Iran.

He added: A number of members have raised the issue of the International Military Services debt. As I have said to the House of a number of occasions the UK government recognises we have a duty legally to repay this debt and we continue to explore all legal options to resolve this 40-year-old case.

But we have always been clear that we do not accept British dual nationals being used as diplomatic leverage.

Continued here:

Boris Johnson backs ban on MPs working as paid consultants as it happened - The Guardian

A key reason filmmaker Denis Villeneuve was so successful in constructing the cinematic world of Dune, blueprinted from his own vision of the story while still honoring the famed sci-fi tomes author Frank Herbert, was his partnering once again with two veteran collaborators, production designer Patrice Vermette and editor Joe Walker, along with cinematographer Greig Fraser, a new member of his inner circle. When Denis asked me to do the movie, we were having breakfast together in a restaurant, on a cold, snowy February day, recalls Vermette, who previously worked with Villeneuve on Enemy, Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival. I knew how important that book [Dune] was for him so I needed to treat it with respect. But, I also enjoyed the worlds that Frank Herbert had created.

Design inspiration for Vermettes mood boards came from Ziggurat and Brutalist architecture found in Eastern Europe and Brazil. I had an ongoing discussion with Denis for seven months, he says. Dune is a book that as we know was considered unadaptable in cinema. That was a good challenge.

Complicating the films world building was the fact that blockbuster franchises such as Star Wars were also inspired by the seminal science fiction novel. Many years before Dune was set there was an uprising that led to banning of all computers and technology, notes cinematographer Greig Fraser, who worked with Villeneuve for the first time on Dune and previously shot Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The people doing the calculations for the spaceships are the Mentats, who use the spice to enhance their brain. When you talk about it like that, Dune is the opposite of what Star Wars is. Star Wars is about computers and high tech. So, its got to start with the production design, otherwise it doesnt matter what I do with the camera.

Various planets populate the Dune universe, from Caladan, with its abundance of water and vegetation, to the scorched arid desert wasteland of Arrakis. Caladan has islands, notes Vermette. The economics is about rice, fisheries and wine. You want to try to represent that in the architecture and planet. The book talks about big pine trees and a Medieval influence for the castle. Principal photography for House of Atreides ancestral home took place in Norway. The word that I keep using on Caladan is moist because the place is constantly raining, states Fraser. Its a bit like the UK. It feels like theres always moisture on the foot or dew in the air. The humidity is not like Thailand, but there is a heaviness to the oxygen. That made for a nice opposite to Arrakis, which heavy with sand, spice, and heat.

The indigenous tribes of the South Pacific and history of colonialism informed the basis of Arrakis, where giant sandworms roam beneath the desert surface, and create the rare and coveted spice. The tribes would not cross open ocean, so within the desert, we needed the rock formations [for the Fremen] and thats what brought us to Jordan. Colonial entities build these massive things to show how powerful they are so the Arrakis residency is the biggest construction built by humans.

In the film, the Voice enables the Bene Gesserit, a secretive matriarchal order with superior physical and mental abilities, to mind control their subjects. Theo Green [sound designer], Mark Mangini [supervising sound editor], Denis and I became obsessed with this idea that the Voice somehow summons up the Bene Gesserit ancestry, reveals editor Joe Walker, who cut Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049. Theo recorded dozens of readings of lines from a variety of voice artists. Not everybody will get its Charlotte Ramplings [portrays the Reverend Mother] voice mixed in with Marianna Faithfuls, which was appropriate because they were both partners in crime in the 1960s. The idea was that the Bene Gesserit possess the skill of being able to dig deep into their past, and Paul Atreides [Timothe Chalamet], having been brought up in that discipline, would have that ability. The other thing is that youre trying to make a point that he is not that good at it in the beginning but develops the skill as he comes along. At some point we had a breakthrough in the cutting room. Denis and I tried moving the sync. It made me think of those lovely Czech films from 1960s that were adventurous with sound.

The filmmakers took significant pains to ensure that as much as possible could be captured in camera, such as a massive environment that was partially constructed called The Nexus. Part of the set had to be built for real to give us the texture and background, while the rest became a light volume, states Vermette. We ended up building that set between Stage 1, 2, 3 and 4 at Origo Studios in Budapest. 65 feet high. On two parts we built the real set up to 20 feet. In the middle of it we built the mast. Its when Duncan Idaho [Jason Mamoa] dies. Fremen hide in the sand and the Sardaukar come down from suspensors. Thats where visual effects really excelled. It was all about creating the right light environment to enable Paul Lambert [visual effects supervisor] and his team to do their best work. The rest between the stages was covered with sand colored fabric. The floor was sand and the top was a retractable roof that the riggers had put metal wires onto. We could slide the fabric roof, which had a gobo representing all the spokes that would be shadow casted on the floor. It was complicated.

It was also important to the filmmakers for viewers to understand what was going on the in the fight sequences. One thing that we talked about early was the fights because Denis and I arent necessarily big on the rapportage shooting when you do stunt fights, which has already been done beautifully, notes Fraser. How are we going to do that better? We covered them as we would a dance or ballet. Ive always been intrigued by good fight design and am frustrated when I cant see it on the screen because its all full of boom, boom, boom, whips, bams, and zooms. I want to see and feel all the hits. We would do it on a slow dolly push or try to be Kubrickian almost in our coverage. We tried to be poetic with the fights and even less poetic with some of the dramatic work that would be simpler and more functional.

In one scene, Paul Atreides gets tested on his ability to endure pain while the Mother Superior holds a gom jabber, a long needle tipped with meta-cyanide poison, to his neck. You want to sense that a troubling and disturbing power is surfacing in him and that has as much to do with editing visual as it does with sound effects and music, Walker remarks. The music can be like a sound effect sometimes and the sound effects can be like music.

Noting the pandemics impact on the films editing process, Walker concludes, For a lot of the time last year, Denis was up in Montreal, and I was in Los Angeles. We were working by Evercast. The strangest thing for me was to not to have him on my righthand side. The right side of his face is like the dark side of the Moon to me. I have no idea of what it looks like! Ive only seen the left side of his face. It was unusual having him staring right at me! In all honesty, its a relationship that becomes strangely less and less spoken. Its like a well-rehearsed band that can play together well.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer best known for composing in-depth filmmaker and movie profiles for VFX Voice, Animation Magazine, and British Cinematographer.

Excerpt from:

A Trio Bands Together to Help Denis Villeneuve Make 'Dune' - Animation World Network