Russell Harmon
@metkat.bsky.social
Hopepunk. Technical guy, pornographer, educator, musclebound knowledge geek. Frequently wrong. Probably NSFW.
Reposted by Russell Harmon
This is called “breaking the law.”
Today’s deadline isn’t optional. It’s mandatory. Release ALL of the damn files. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Today’s deadline isn’t optional. It’s mandatory. Release ALL of the damn files. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
DOJ won’t meet Friday deadline to release all the Epstein files
The delay means the White House is in apparent conflict with a law President Donald Trump signed in November.
www.politico.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:10 PM
This is called “breaking the law.”
Today’s deadline isn’t optional. It’s mandatory. Release ALL of the damn files. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Today’s deadline isn’t optional. It’s mandatory. Release ALL of the damn files. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Russell Harmon
As with Kavanaugh stops, the Supreme Court utterly discounted the profound chilling effect of having to show papers, this time on the internet.
For most users, it's not a minor inconvenience or speed bump, it's a deal-breaker.
For most users, it's not a minor inconvenience or speed bump, it's a deal-breaker.
Here's an example of how useless and frustrating internet laws to "protect kids" are in practice: When I'm in Ohio, where I am during the holidays, I can't use my Bluesky DMs—unless I hand over my ID to a company owned by Epic Games. Why? To protect kids, of course!
spitfirenews.com/p/why-i-have...
spitfirenews.com/p/why-i-have...
Why I have to give Fortnite my passport to use Bluesky
Age verification laws are as ineffective as they are dangerous.
spitfirenews.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:11 PM
As with Kavanaugh stops, the Supreme Court utterly discounted the profound chilling effect of having to show papers, this time on the internet.
For most users, it's not a minor inconvenience or speed bump, it's a deal-breaker.
For most users, it's not a minor inconvenience or speed bump, it's a deal-breaker.
It's about 'protecting the children', totally not about imposing never-satisfied puritanical bullshit on other adults. 🤨
Traffic to UK porn sites has dropped 77% since age-verification went live.
UK legislator celebrates, saying she's "very pleased" with the drop, calling it a "green shoot."
I don't know how they can make it any clearer that they view AV as a tool to police adult sexuality.
Organize accordingly.
UK legislator celebrates, saying she's "very pleased" with the drop, calling it a "green shoot."
I don't know how they can make it any clearer that they view AV as a tool to police adult sexuality.
Organize accordingly.
MP Jess Phillips says her 'heart bleeds' for adult site as traffic plunges 77%
Home Office minister Jess Phillips sarcastically said her "heart bleeds" for Pornhub after age verification checks led to a 77% drop in traffic to the UK's most visited adult site
www.dailystar.co.uk
December 18, 2025 at 11:43 PM
It's about 'protecting the children', totally not about imposing never-satisfied puritanical bullshit on other adults. 🤨
Because 'defeat VPN blocking' is totally not a common toggle for commercial VPN options, or trivial to do by rolling your own. 🙄 These people are *obsessed* with the fear that somebody somewhere might be enjoying themselves, nothing is ever going to satisfy them.
OF COURSE it was going to come to this... Indiana now saying it's not enough for adult websites to block people in response to state age-verification law—since VPNs exist, they're still in violation.
That leaves 3 options for porn platforms: check IDs, don't exist, or block all VPNs...
That leaves 3 options for porn platforms: check IDs, don't exist, or block all VPNs...
Porn sites must block VPNs to comply with Indiana's age-verification law, state suggests in new lawsuit
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita says porn sites must block VPNs to satisfy the state’s age-verification requirements.
reason.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Because 'defeat VPN blocking' is totally not a common toggle for commercial VPN options, or trivial to do by rolling your own. 🙄 These people are *obsessed* with the fear that somebody somewhere might be enjoying themselves, nothing is ever going to satisfy them.
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Indiana... U.K... social media ... porn... doesn't matter the particulars, we keep seeing this come back to banning VPNs
OF COURSE it was going to come to this... Indiana now saying it's not enough for adult websites to block people in response to state age-verification law—since VPNs exist, they're still in violation.
That leaves 3 options for porn platforms: check IDs, don't exist, or block all VPNs...
That leaves 3 options for porn platforms: check IDs, don't exist, or block all VPNs...
Porn sites must block VPNs to comply with Indiana's age-verification law, state suggests in new lawsuit
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita says porn sites must block VPNs to satisfy the state’s age-verification requirements.
reason.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Indiana... U.K... social media ... porn... doesn't matter the particulars, we keep seeing this come back to banning VPNs
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Heritage Foundation, backers of Project 2025, have issued a call to criminalize porn by detailing specific types of imagery that should be illegal, including "deviate sexual intercourse," "female genitals," and "nudity."
Only "civilizing" images that point to "marital sex" should be allowed.
Only "civilizing" images that point to "marital sex" should be allowed.
The Problem of Online Porn: It's Already Illegal
United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said in a 1964 opinion that he could not define pornography but “I know it when I see it.” Perhaps such a sentiment was permissible then, wh...
www.heritage.org
December 16, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Heritage Foundation, backers of Project 2025, have issued a call to criminalize porn by detailing specific types of imagery that should be illegal, including "deviate sexual intercourse," "female genitals," and "nudity."
Only "civilizing" images that point to "marital sex" should be allowed.
Only "civilizing" images that point to "marital sex" should be allowed.
Reposted by Russell Harmon
One way that the reaction to Rob Reiner's murder mirrors Charlie Kirk's is that the best way to eulogize each of them is to quote their words, and in both cases, doing so pisses off conservatives.
Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."
December 15, 2025 at 8:52 PM
One way that the reaction to Rob Reiner's murder mirrors Charlie Kirk's is that the best way to eulogize each of them is to quote their words, and in both cases, doing so pisses off conservatives.
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Finally caved and am trying @kagi.com OH MY GOD I LOVE VERBATIM MODE IT ACTUALLY SEARCHES FOR WHAT I ACTUALLY TYPE NOT WHAT IT THINKS I MIGHT HAVE WANTED TO TYPE THIS IS AMAZING.
Ahem. Anyway, thank you to @tiffanyleigh.bsky.social for the trial invite.
Good, longish, overview of Kagi here:
Ahem. Anyway, thank you to @tiffanyleigh.bsky.social for the trial invite.
Good, longish, overview of Kagi here:
Dumping Google’s enshittified search for Kagi
Enough is enough: I’ve jettisoned Google in favor of a search engine that doesn’t treat me like a product.
arstechnica.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Finally caved and am trying @kagi.com OH MY GOD I LOVE VERBATIM MODE IT ACTUALLY SEARCHES FOR WHAT I ACTUALLY TYPE NOT WHAT IT THINKS I MIGHT HAVE WANTED TO TYPE THIS IS AMAZING.
Ahem. Anyway, thank you to @tiffanyleigh.bsky.social for the trial invite.
Good, longish, overview of Kagi here:
Ahem. Anyway, thank you to @tiffanyleigh.bsky.social for the trial invite.
Good, longish, overview of Kagi here:
I wish you would take the time to do some more research on this, @ewarren.bsky.social ❤️🩹
Just heard disappointing news that @warren.senate.gov will co-sponsor the Kids Online Safety Act again despite overwhelming opposition from LGBTQ, human rights, abortion rights, and racial justice groups.
This is a horrific betrayal of her constituents, particularly trans youth and their families.
This is a horrific betrayal of her constituents, particularly trans youth and their families.
Why Are Some Democrats Backing MAGA's Anti-LGBTQ+ Censorship?
From late-night host cancellations to removing LGBTQ+ history from government sites, politicians in both parties are contributing to the overwriting of the internet — a place where lots of queer and t...
www.teenvogue.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:26 AM
I wish you would take the time to do some more research on this, @ewarren.bsky.social ❤️🩹
Reposted by Russell Harmon
I hate to say that sex workers tried to warn y'all this wasn't going to stop at just porn sites, but...
Y'all, I was in Mississippi today for my nephews J-State graduation and got this when I opened Blue Sky
December 6, 2025 at 12:32 AM
I hate to say that sex workers tried to warn y'all this wasn't going to stop at just porn sites, but...
Reposted by Russell Harmon
SoundSource 6 Is Here!: https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2025/12/04/soundsource-6-is-here/
December 4, 2025 at 2:33 PM
SoundSource 6 Is Here!: https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2025/12/04/soundsource-6-is-here/
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Both privacy and child safety experts agree that device-based restrictions are the most effective way of keeping kids from seeing porn. And your phone, tablet and computer already have the age-information (and technology) to do block it.
So why are Apple, Google and Microsoft so resistant?
So why are Apple, Google and Microsoft so resistant?
What would ethical age verification look like online?
Current laws are raising alarm bells, but there's a better solution out there.
mashable.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Both privacy and child safety experts agree that device-based restrictions are the most effective way of keeping kids from seeing porn. And your phone, tablet and computer already have the age-information (and technology) to do block it.
So why are Apple, Google and Microsoft so resistant?
So why are Apple, Google and Microsoft so resistant?
Reposted by Russell Harmon
The absolute kicker to all of this is that most of the solutions they are seeking already exist on your phone. They just need to be enabled by parents.
But, no, they want to bring an East Wing demolition crew to everyone's internet because no one can be bothered going to "settings."
But, no, they want to bring an East Wing demolition crew to everyone's internet because no one can be bothered going to "settings."
December 2, 2025 at 1:19 AM
The absolute kicker to all of this is that most of the solutions they are seeking already exist on your phone. They just need to be enabled by parents.
But, no, they want to bring an East Wing demolition crew to everyone's internet because no one can be bothered going to "settings."
But, no, they want to bring an East Wing demolition crew to everyone's internet because no one can be bothered going to "settings."
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Porn was only ever the cover.
In half the country, these laws now effectively mandate facial scans to access any material deemed "harmful to minors" by the state attorney general or a conservative parent.
What they passed is much, much broader than people generally realized.
In half the country, these laws now effectively mandate facial scans to access any material deemed "harmful to minors" by the state attorney general or a conservative parent.
What they passed is much, much broader than people generally realized.
Half of the US Now Requires You to Upload Your ID or Scan Your Face to Watch Porn
Missouri’s age verification law, enacted on November 30, is the halfway mark for the sweep of age verification laws across the country.
www.404media.co
December 2, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Porn was only ever the cover.
In half the country, these laws now effectively mandate facial scans to access any material deemed "harmful to minors" by the state attorney general or a conservative parent.
What they passed is much, much broader than people generally realized.
In half the country, these laws now effectively mandate facial scans to access any material deemed "harmful to minors" by the state attorney general or a conservative parent.
What they passed is much, much broader than people generally realized.
Reposted by Russell Harmon
"Only rarely was the concern addressed that these internet censorship bills could be used by the government to censor speech it does not like."
December 2, 2025 at 11:34 PM
"Only rarely was the concern addressed that these internet censorship bills could be used by the government to censor speech it does not like."
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Reposted by Russell Harmon
With SCREEN Act and KOSA on the legislative block this week, there couldn't be a better time for Fight's "Stop Online ID Checks" Week of Action.
Today's action: Share and sign the petition.
Find out more here: www.stoponlineidchecks.org
Today's action: Share and sign the petition.
Find out more here: www.stoponlineidchecks.org
December 1, 2025 at 5:31 PM
With SCREEN Act and KOSA on the legislative block this week, there couldn't be a better time for Fight's "Stop Online ID Checks" Week of Action.
Today's action: Share and sign the petition.
Find out more here: www.stoponlineidchecks.org
Today's action: Share and sign the petition.
Find out more here: www.stoponlineidchecks.org
Reposted by Russell Harmon
The religious right’s “porn is a public health crisis” campaign has exploited this media weakness for years, using faith-based pseudoscientific claims to manufacture consent for censorship, surveillance and sexual repression.
News media has to do better with headlines that present false and unverified public health claims.
November 30, 2025 at 9:59 PM
The religious right’s “porn is a public health crisis” campaign has exploited this media weakness for years, using faith-based pseudoscientific claims to manufacture consent for censorship, surveillance and sexual repression.
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, and those who can remember the past are like, what the hell, man?
January 22, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, and those who can remember the past are like, what the hell, man?
So homemade molasses/maple ice cream over apple pie is… acceptable I suppose. 😇
November 28, 2025 at 9:09 PM
So homemade molasses/maple ice cream over apple pie is… acceptable I suppose. 😇
Reposted by Russell Harmon
The "freedom of speech" and "freedom of religion" conservatives out there again blocking both because it's not their speech or their religion.
It's not just porn or Pride flags anymore. Other religions are now "harmful to minors"
www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/p...
It's not just porn or Pride flags anymore. Other religions are now "harmful to minors"
www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/p...
November 26, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The "freedom of speech" and "freedom of religion" conservatives out there again blocking both because it's not their speech or their religion.
It's not just porn or Pride flags anymore. Other religions are now "harmful to minors"
www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/p...
It's not just porn or Pride flags anymore. Other religions are now "harmful to minors"
www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/p...
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Oh, right! Seasonal reminder that if you're carving a turkey on Thursday and, like many Americans, this is the largest whole animal you've ever disarticulated, go get a rotisserie chicken tonight or tomorrow and practice.
Look at where the joints are. Think about how to support each cut.
Look at where the joints are. Think about how to support each cut.
Hi, former turkey farmer here who raised flocks of heritage breed turkeys specifically for Thanksgiving:
What?!
What?!
Trump: "Despite their size, Secretary Kennedy has formally certified that these are the first ever MAHA turkeys. They could be fat, but they're still MAHA. They've been fattened on a steady diet of grass, beef, to allow the smoothies and all the other things they have been eating for this occasion."
November 25, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Oh, right! Seasonal reminder that if you're carving a turkey on Thursday and, like many Americans, this is the largest whole animal you've ever disarticulated, go get a rotisserie chicken tonight or tomorrow and practice.
Look at where the joints are. Think about how to support each cut.
Look at where the joints are. Think about how to support each cut.
Reposted by Russell Harmon
After six years of relentless development, Orion for MacOS 1.0 is here: blog.kagi.com/orion
Also: Orion for Linux is currently in Alpha, and Orion for Windows has officially started development with a target launch for late 2026.
Orion also has a dedicated website now: orionbrowser.com
Also: Orion for Linux is currently in Alpha, and Orion for Windows has officially started development with a target launch for late 2026.
Orion also has a dedicated website now: orionbrowser.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
After six years of relentless development, Orion for MacOS 1.0 is here: blog.kagi.com/orion
Also: Orion for Linux is currently in Alpha, and Orion for Windows has officially started development with a target launch for late 2026.
Orion also has a dedicated website now: orionbrowser.com
Also: Orion for Linux is currently in Alpha, and Orion for Windows has officially started development with a target launch for late 2026.
Orion also has a dedicated website now: orionbrowser.com
Reposted by Russell Harmon
The antidote to lawlessness is the law
www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/the-antido...
www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/the-antido...
The antidote to lawlessness is the law
Anti-legalism, Charlotte, and why the Constitution is winning
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The antidote to lawlessness is the law
www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/the-antido...
www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/the-antido...
Reposted by Russell Harmon
Trump's people want a lot of bad things that will make America an authoritarian regime. But they haven't succeeded and it would take a while for them even to end democracy, much less build fascism.
So act as if you live in a democracy - because you do.
The End.
/20x
So act as if you live in a democracy - because you do.
The End.
/20x
November 16, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Trump's people want a lot of bad things that will make America an authoritarian regime. But they haven't succeeded and it would take a while for them even to end democracy, much less build fascism.
So act as if you live in a democracy - because you do.
The End.
/20x
So act as if you live in a democracy - because you do.
The End.
/20x