Tired of what she says is oppression, woman in Zimbabwe challenges a law banning sex toys
A woman in Zimbabwe says she and other women are “tired of oppression” and is challenging a law that bans sex toys and threatens those found in possession of them with jail sentences
1970-01-01 08:00
Will Ciri be queer in 'The Witcher' Season 3? Writer says 'fantasy is for everyone'
Princess Ciri's sexuality has been a subject of hot debate and Season 3 of 'The Witcher' might finally give us some answers
1970-01-01 08:00
Bindi Irwin opens up about her mental health struggles as she battles endometriosis symptoms
Bindi Irwin says the disease has left her 'lonely and isolated' after battling the condition for more than a decade
1970-01-01 08:00
Meta rejects accusation of censorship of language around female body
Technology giant Meta has rejected an accusation of online censorship as protesters called for language around women’s bodies to be normalised. Demonstrators gathered outside the company’s London office in King’s Cross on Friday morning. She Oath, described as a female empowerment charity, joined representatives from period product firm Bodyform, which is running a campaign aimed at normalising use of words such as vagina, clitoris and vulva online. These are our bodies and we shouldn’t be shamed or cast into the shadows for what we naturally have to experience Brookmorgan Henry-Rennie, She Oath Bodyform said that since launching its campaign it has been “slapped with multiple violations of Meta’s ad policy – deeming their content as too sexual and labelling it with an 18+ warning”. It says menstrual health “shouldn’t be censored” and doing so makes “important subjects, that are already taboo, almost impossible to talk about”, affecting lives and health. But Meta said some adverts had been removed by mistake and had since been reinstated, and apologised for any confusion. The company said it has no blanket ban on words like menopause or vagina, adding that adverts are governed by a stricter set of policies “because they receive paid distribution to appear in people’s feeds”. She Oath’s founder Brookmorgan Henry-Rennie said: “We use our platform to educate, entertain and inform around subject matters like authentic confidence, women’s health and well-being. “So this shadow-banning is not just depriving trauma-experienced girls and women from gaining access to our resources, it’s putting them in further danger. These are our bodies and we shouldn’t be shamed or cast into the shadows for what we naturally have to experience. “If it wasn’t for Bodyform’s ads being banned, we wouldn’t have even realised that our posts were being deprioritised. “Meta really does need to do better.” The adverts were removed by mistake by our automated review systems and have since been reinstated. We apologise for any confusion caused Meta spokesperson Ruth Gresty, spokesperson for Bodyform, said: “It’s unfortunate but not surprising that our latest campaign, which calls out the unnecessary censorship of words commonly used to talk about, describe and define women’s bodies and their experiences, has been censored by some social media companies. “In doing so, these companies have simply underlined the need for campaigns of this nature that seek to break down the barriers that prevent women from being able to speak openly and confidently about their bodies. “We at Bodyform will not be deterred from our mission to make talking about the female body normal.” A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook, said: “We want Facebook to be a place where people can express themselves and we are proud of the way our community uses the platform to have important and open conversations about women’s health. “The adverts were removed by mistake by our automated review systems and have since been reinstated. We apologise for any confusion caused.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live AI developing faster than laws aiming to regulate it, academic warns Facebook Marketplace is most complained-about online retail platforms UKRI announces £50 million to develop trustworthy and secure AI
1970-01-01 08:00
Reddit users post pornography and switch forums to ‘NSFW’ in latest protest against site’s management
Numerous Reddit forums have filled up with pornography and other adult images in the latest protest against the companies management. The site has been swept by a variety of bizarre protests in recent days, amid a fallout between Reddit’s leadership and those who use the site. The disagreement began when Reddit announced that it would start charging fees for access to its data. That change meant that many third-party apps said they would become unsustainable owing to the high prices, and would opt to shut down. That in turn led to outrage from moderators of the site, who felt that their unpaid work would become more difficult and that the changes reflected a lack of respect from Reddit’s leadership. In protest against those changes, most Reddit moderators took their forums “dark”, meaning that they were inaccessible to the outside world. In the time since, many have since come back online – but with even more bizarre new restrictions, such as only allowing posts that are pictures of comedian John Oliver. Now some of the site’s biggest forums, or subreddits, have labelled themselves not safe for work, or NSFW. That is a setting intended for “mature content”, which not only includes pornography but other kinds of images or posts that might not be suitable in public settings. The tool is intended to protect people from sensitive content. But it also puts a host of restrictions on those forums, such as requiring users to be logged in, and confirm that they are over 18. It also means that Reddit does not receive money from showing those pages, since it does not place advertising on those forums. In line with the switch to being NSFW, many of the world’s biggest subreddits have begun to be filled up with pornographic images. That included previously relatively traditional subreddits, including those devoted to Formula One and Apple’s smart home devices. Some of those posts are particularly extreme and obscene, with users seemingly competing to post the most offensive NSFW content they are able to find. Others have simply switched to being labelled as NSFW but not posting content that fits in line with that restriction. The “videos” subreddit has a rule that everything must include John Oliver, for instance – but during its time as a NSFW forum it continued posting normal videos of the comedian. Many of the posts that claim to be NSFW are actually jokes about the switch to pornography. On the Garmin forum, for instance, users posted “nudes” that actually showed the company’s smartwatches without their usual case on. Read More Reddit user’s protests against the site’s rules have taken an even more bizarre turn Reddit says people will get over outrage and causes further outrage Reddit hit by outage as fight over its future escalates
1970-01-01 08:00
Influencer Andrew Tate fights Romania house arrest
Influencer Andrew Tate and his brother appeared in court in Romania Wednesday, their lawyers arguing that the pair, indicted on human trafficking charges, should no...
1970-01-01 08:00
Best sex advice of 2023 — so far
In a time where sex education isn't mandated in many parts of the country (and
1970-01-01 08:00
TikTok influencers targetted by deepfake porn that is flooding Twitter
Deepfakes are becoming increasingly concerning with many high profilers finding themselves the centre of fake, sinister content. Now, social media has witnessed yet another surge in deepfake porn targeting influencers and celebrities. A deepfake is a digitally altered video or image to depict someone else, often without consent. They're sometimes used with malicious intent or to spread false information from high-profile individuals. A recent report by NBC discovered that a quick Twitter search for Addison Rae Easterling, Charli D’Amelio and Bella Poarch – three of the most-followed TikTokers – returned fake, explicit images and videos on Twitter. This was all in a 24-hour window. One video of an altered Poarch reportedly showed her face edited on a woman's body, which racked up a staggering 21 million views. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Worryingly, this isn't the first time either. Billie Eilish has previously fallen victim to the fake, NSFW tech – which was eventually removed from social media after being viewed 11 million times. A separate incident saw popular Twitch streamer Sweet Anita was horrified to learn her face had been used in X-rated material. "I have never made a single drop of sexual content in my life, but now they just assume that I have and [that] I must want this," she told The Sun, before sharing her concerns for future job opportunities. "It could potentially get you fired from jobs in the future if people think you’ve done sex work. It affects your security [and] how people treat you. You are stigmatised." Cybersecurity expert and What the Hack podcast host Adam Levin told Indy100 that "as long as every party involved is a legal adult, there aren’t very many laws on the books to prevent or punish the distribution of illicit content." He claimed, "It’s nearly impossible to remove any content published online, pornographic or otherwise," before adding: "That said if all the parties are known, there may be legally actionable kinds of deepfake porn content." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Playboy x Lovers' second drop redefines pleasure with shallow masturbation
Playboy ever-so-sneakily entered the sex toy market earlier this year by partnering with Lovers, a
1970-01-01 08:00
Celebrate Pride with a rainbow dildo
Pride is about much more than rainbows — but we don't mind a little rainbow
1970-01-01 08:00
How to perform cunnilingus like a pro
The timeless oral sex anthem, "My Neck, My Back" by rapper Khia, includes the renowned
1970-01-01 08:00
11 Gender-Neutral Sex Toys That Anyone Can Play With
According to GLAAD's website, there's been an extreme uptick in people who refer to themselves as non-binary, an umbrella term to describe someone whose gender identity doesn't match their assigned-at-birth sex, including those who are trans and genderfluid. This has led many companies to rethink how they label and market certain products that were traditionally designed with only heterosexual, cis men and women in mind. While the sex toy industry still has a long way to go, the brands that don't limit themselves to the gender binary have created some of the most exciting options on the market that push what a sex toy can look like and do.
1970-01-01 08:00