Here are 5 things you should know.
1. Take It Down, an anonymous new resource to remove online nudes taken of people under 18-years-old.
Sextortion is the fastest-growing crime that not enough people know about. Predators target kids/teens online, convince them to share incriminating photos, and then threaten to share them publicly if the kids or teens don’t share even more explicit photos or videos. These children and teens often feel too ashamed to let someone know, and their risk of self-harm, depression, anxiety, and suicide goes way up.
Take It Down: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org
How does it work? You don’t have to show anyone the image or send it anywhere to get it taken down. Take It Down assigns a unique digital fingerprint, called a hash value, to photos that you select. Online platforms that have agreed to participate use these values to detect and remove this content from their services. The image/video never leaves your device and no one has to view it.
This service works anywhere in the world.
If your pictures were taken when you were over 18, you can get help at www.stopncii.org.
Report any type of online child sexual exploitation to the Cyber Tipline at www.cybertipline.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
2. Setting boundaries is a skill, not a talent. If you practice saying “no” at home, it will be easier when it really matters.
The more you practice simple/easy boundaries with a trusted person the more you will find yourself doing it with strangers, in high-stakes situations, or when it will have the biggest impact on your life. This is especially important for anyone who is passive and feels they get rolled over easily by others.
Say no every now and then with a friend, partner, or family member, to random/simple stuff to get used to how it feels. It might help to explain to them that you intend to do this. Here’s an example.
Your friend invites you to something you don’t want to go to and you said “No thanks, that’s not for me”
While cuddling a partner you could decide, “That’s enough, now”
After a while, it feels like second nature to speak up if something important doesn’t feel right to you. At that point, you could try doing scarier boundaries, which most of us tend to shy away from:
Someone goes to hug you and you say, “No thanks, I don’t know you well enough yet”
A friend starts dumping their problems on you and you say “I am so sorry you are having such a tough time but I’m not in the right headspace to hear this.”
Your boss says “I need this by Friday” and you say “That won’t be possible unless you deprioritize something else”
Someone makes an offensive remark and you say “That crosses the line, please don’t talk like that around me”
3. Just because some company state they will not accept any responsibility for damaged or lost items doesn’t mean they can’t be held responsible.
These disclaimers are just an easy way to prevent consumers or clients from pursuing compensation from the company. And sadly, many people don’t take action because of it.
4. There are approximately 1100 laws that benefit the marriage.
This is important to know because a lot of people don’t realize these benefits and how much it hurts people who don’t have them. Even some people who consider themselves progressive might scoff at the idea of all of these groups getting the same benefits.
There are more than 1,100 Federal US laws that benefit the marriage. It goes without saying that all consenting adults should be able to get those benefits. However, the problem also comes when very close friends, queer relationships, asexual/platonic partners, polyamorous relationships, widows, etc should have and need the same benefits but are often left out in the rain because of all of the outdated laws and language based off the assumption of amatonormative relationships.
5. If you invest through your bank or a standard fund, they may exclude nuclear energy investments as part of a list of “socially irresponsible” stocks, which otherwise includes gambling, alcohol, weapons, and tobacco.
Here it is mentioned on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socially_responsible_investing#Negative_screening
And as part of a report on negative screens (PDF): https://prod.schroders.com/el/sysglobalassets/digital/insights/2018/thought-leadership/demystifying-negative-screens—the-full-implications-of-esg-exclusions.pdf
