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The TikTok ‘Blackout Challenge’ Has Now Allegedly Killed Seven Kids
TikTok is facing multiple lawsuits from parents who say their children died of strangulation attempting the “blackout challenge,” after the app showed them videos of other people trying it.
One suit filed against the company in June alleges that at least seven specific children died last year while attempting the challenge, which the complaint says “encourages users to choke themselves with belts, purse strings or anything similar until passing out.” All the children who reportedly died were under 15 years old.
The most recent lawsuit was filed by the parents of eight-year-old Lalani Walton, and nine-year-old Arriani Arroyo. However, it cites several other children that also died after attempting the challenge as evidence that TikTok was aware of the problem.
The company has faced lawsuits and fines over the access children have to its platform before. In 2019, it agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle charges from the Federal Trade Commission that it allowed users under 13 to sign up without a parent’s permission. About a year later, it introduced Family Pairing mode, which lets parents link their accounts to their children’s and control the amount of content they see and how much time they can spend on the app.
Gun Applicants in NY Will Have to List Social Media Accounts
As missed warning signs pile up in investigations of mass killings, New York state is rolling out a novel strategy to screen applicants for gun permits. People seeking to carry concealed handguns will be required to hand over lists of their social media accounts for a review of their “character and conduct.”
It’s an approach applauded by many Democrats and national gun control advocacy groups, but some experts have raised questions about how the law will be enforced and address free speech concerns.
Some of the local officials who will be tasked with reviewing the social media content also are asking whether they’ll have the resources and, in some cases, whether the law is even constitutional.
‘It’s Ridiculous’: NY Mets Pitcher Slams COVID Testing, Says ‘Stop Testing,’ ‘Stop Acting Like COVID Is Far Worse’ Than Other Things
New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt said “it’s ridiculous” that “we’re still doing” COVID testing, and said we need to “stop acting like COVID” is worse than other things out there.
The MLB pitcher spoke with the press Thursday after he had to miss playing with his team the last week because he was out on the COVID protocol list. It came after he said he took the test and then let his team know that he had tested positive for COVID. The two-minute-long clip was shared on Twitter from the New York Post and can be seen here.
When pressed by one reporter regarding what he felt the solution was, he replied, “stop testing.”
“I mean, not trying to get too much into it, but I was never sick. Never had a symptom. So, sitting out for two weeks or possibly a week for zero symptoms. I don’t know.”
Maine Health Workers Lose Bid to Remain Anonymous in Vaccine Lawsuit
Maine healthcare workers suing to stop the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers have lost a bid to remain anonymous.
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston argued the nine workers, who are identified only as John and Jane Does, did not present a substantial privacy interest and failed to prove their fear of harm should they be publicly identified, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The federal court gave them until Friday to comply with the order or appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, the newspaper reported.
Maine’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers went into effect on Oct. 29, 2021. While it provides for a medical exemption, there is no exemption for religious objections.
LA County’s Indoor Mask Mandate Could Return by End of July
The Los Angeles Department of Public Health said Thursday that the county could move into the “high” risk COVID-19 threshold by next Thursday, prompting the return of an indoor mask mandate.
“The newest projected date of crossing the threshold of 10 admissions per 100,000 residents…is now next week on July 14,” said Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer.
If the county does cross the threshold, it will reinstate the indoor mask mandate on July 29.
In a press conference, Ferrer said that an overwhelming majority of cases were from the two most recent strains of COVID-19. “The CDC does estimate that across the county for the week that ended July 2, BA.4 and BA.5 combined, accounted for just over 70% of specimens,” Ferrer added. “That’s a considerable increase from 39% just two weeks ago.”
Beijing Appears to Retract Vaccine Mandate After Pushback
The Chinese capital Beijing appears to have backed off a plan to launch a vaccine mandate for entry into certain public spaces after pushback from residents.
While not explicitly saying it had dropped the plan, a city official was quoted in state media late Thursday saying that people could enter venues with a negative virus test result and a temperature check, as has been the norm. They also said vaccinations would continue on the principle of “informed, voluntary consent.”
The city announced Wednesday that starting next week, people had to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before they can enter some public spaces including gyms, museums and libraries. It drew intense discussion as city residents worried how the sudden policy announcement would disrupt their lives.
Windsor Police Service Suspends COVID Mandate for Employees
The Windsor Police Service lifted its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees on Thursday, paving the way for unvaccinated officers to immediately start returning to work after being suspended without pay since November.
“Given the current circumstances we’re in, it was determined that this particular policy was no longer needed,” said acting Chief Jason Bellaire. The Windsor Police Services Board voted to suspend the requirement Thursday during an in-camera meeting.
While the mandate has been lifted for current department members, Bellaire said new hires will still have to be vaccinated.
Before the board’s decision, the Windsor and Stratford police services were the only ones in Ontario that still had COVID-19 vaccine mandates in place.
House Oversight Opens Probe Into Handling of Reproductive Health Data
A House committee has launched an investigation into how companies are handling reproductive health data. House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) sent separate letters to personal health apps and data broker companies expressing their concerns.
The letters seek information on the potential misuse of sensitive, private data that could be used to invade the privacy of those seeking reproductive healthcare.
“In an era of unprecedented digital surveillance, the distribution of personal health data further threatens the health, safety and privacy of people and healthcare providers across the country,” the letter said.
They further stressed that reproductive health applications, which are known to share information with data brokers and other third parties, have also had recent data privacy concerns.
Digital Mental Health Companies Draw Scrutiny and Growing Concerns
Many U.S. adults aren’t able to find help because of a shortage of therapists. Nearly 40% are struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So millions of people are turning to online companies like BetterHelp that have sprung up in the past several years, advertising quick access to therapy. Often backed by venture capital firms, these for-profit businesses offer a wide mix of services, including one-on-one and group video therapy visits with licensed professionals, supportive texting, coaching videos, and prescriptions for medications.
“Online companies inundate the internet with appealing ads that make promises about treating depression and anxiety,” said Marlene Maheu, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Telebehavioral Health Institute, who trains practitioners in best online practices and evaluates services for employers who may want to offer them as benefits to workers. “But can you trust them with your kid who’s in trouble?”
Musk Expected to Take ‘Drastic Action’ to Break Twitter Deal, Report Says
Elon Musk is expected to take “drastic action” to get out of his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, The Washington Post wrote yesterday in an article citing “three people familiar with the matter.”
The anonymous sources seem to be from Musk’s camp. “Musk’s team has concluded it cannot verify Twitter’s figures on spam accounts,” and the Musk side’s “doubts about the spam figures signal they believe they do not have enough information to evaluate Twitter’s prospects as a business,” the Post wrote.
Musk’s people have also reportedly “stopped engaging in certain discussions around funding for the $44 billion deal, including with a party named as a likely backer.”
According to the Post, one of its sources said Musk’s team is now “expected to take potentially drastic action. The person said it was likely a change in direction from Musk’s team would come soon, though they did not say exactly what they thought that change would be.”
Exclusive: Free VPNs Are on the Rise, but so Are the Risks for Your Privacy
With the price of living going up and a global economic recession on the way, it’s not so surprising that people are looking to save as much money as they can. That’s probably why free VPNs have seen a surge in popularity lately.
That’s worrying as free VPNs have been in the news many times for failing to protect users’ data. Bean VPN is only the last service found guilty of leaking millions of users’ records.
With the demand for best VPN services offering paid plans seeming to be in decline, the risks for your privacy are on the rise as never before. Here is everything you need to know.
‘Asleep at the Wheel’: Canada Police’s Spyware Admission Raises Alarm
An admission from Canada’s national police force that it routinely uses powerful spyware to surveil citizens has prompted concern from experts, who warn the country is “asleep at the wheel” when it comes to regulating and reining in the use of the technology.
During a parliamentary session in late June, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) submitted a document, first reported in Politico, outlining how a special investigative team covertly infiltrates the mobile devices of Canadians.
The RCMP, which has long evaded questions over whether it uses spyware to track Canadians, provided the information about its “on-device investigative tools” in response to a question from a Conservative lawmaker about how the federal government collects data on its citizens.
Ron Deibert, a political science professor at the University of Toronto and head of Citizen Lab, is one of the world’s leading experts on the surveillance techniques used by authoritarian regimes. He and others have long suspected police and government agencies in Canada were using the technology. But absent from the disclosure was any indication of who the government is purchasing the software from.
