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Fast Company
10 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
TikTok's latest villain (or hero)? A spell-casting Etsy seller
A woman paid a witch on Etsy for a love spell. Instead of following through, the witch found the man online and sent him screenshots of the conversation. Now, people are calling it a WIPPA violation. 'Guys the Etsy witch told on me,' @andtheg4gis cried in a TikTok posted on Monday. 'I said the guy's name, his birthday and stuff, and she literally DM'd him on Instagram and exposed me.' The video has since been viewed 2.4 million times and spread across other social media platforms. 'Imagine getting a 'hey girly' text from a witch,' one person commented. Many in the comments are calling for the TikTok user to drop the name of the Etsy seller, just so they know who to avoid. Some are calling for her to report the witch for violating her trust. As a former Etsy witch, either she was a hater or you wanted something HENIOUS,' one wrote. Other's are less sympathetic. 'Honestly good on the Etsy witch,' one person commented. The ethical considerations of love spells, if you believe they exist, are complex. 'I mean that sucks but that's also what you get for trying to use a love spell on someone,' wrote another. Fast Company has reached out to @andtheg4gis for comment. The $2.3 Billion Business of Belief Love spells are a thriving cottage industry on TikTok and Etsy. A quick search found over 1000 results of love spells for sale, starting from as little as $0.78, up to $5000+. Fast Company can not verify the legitimacy of these spells; use at your own risk. A ' commitment spell ' to help you 'get that ring' is currently on sale for $45. The seller has 2,750 reviews. Another seller, with over 150 reviews, offers a ' Dark Bind ' spell currently on sale for $49.70. Send over the name, age, gender, your relationship to the subject and a brief explanation. Adding a photo is optional, but does claim to strengthen the spell—which is available in two intensities. Psychic services, including spells, are big business. About 3 in 10 Americans make use of astrology, tarot cards or fortune tellers at least once a year, according to a nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center. The industry, which includes various specialties such as astrology, palm-reading, psychic readings and fortune telling, generated an estimated $2.3 billion in revenue in 2024 and employed 105,000 people, according to market research firm IBIS World. While 20% use these services 'just for fun,' according to Pew, about 1% rely on what they learn from these practices for major life decisions. If you can't trust witches, who can you trust?
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
U.S. to issue visa bans for foreign nationals who ‘censor' Americans, Marco Rubio says
WASHINGTON -- The United States will impose visa bans on foreign nationals it deems to be censoring Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, unveiling a new policy Rubio suggested could target officials regulating U.S. tech companies. Rubio said in a statement that a new visa restriction policy would apply to foreign nationals responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States and said it was unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on U.S. soil. 'It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States,' Rubio said. Rubio's statement did not name specific countries or individuals that would be targeted, but noted that some foreign officials have taken 'flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.' Reporting by Simon Lewis, Brendan O'Brien and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Mark Porter, Reuters
Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
US to penalise foreign officials who ‘censor' US companies, citizens
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the US will place new visa restrictions on foreign officials who 'censor' American companies and citizens abroad for speech protected in the United States, warning that demanding greater content moderation by US social media companies is 'unacceptable'. 'I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,' Rubio said in a statement on Wednesday. The administration of US President Donald Trump has frequently depicted social media content moderation policies as a form of censorship targeting conservatives, and has criticised foreign governments that encourage such policies. 'Even as we take action to reject censorship at home, we see troubling instances of foreign governments and foreign officials picking up the slack,' he said. 'In some instances, foreign officials have taken flagrant censorship actions against US tech companies and US citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.' Rubio, who has helped spearhead a crackdown on international students who speak out against Israel's war in Gaza, did not name any foreign officials who the policy would target, but the administration has previously criticised countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Brazil on those grounds. 'Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country. Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over,' Rubio wrote in a post on X. Claims of anti-conservative censorship have also become a means for the Trump administration to strengthen ties with far-right parties and figures in Europe and around the globe. The Department of State on Tuesday shared an essay that calls for allies in Europe who embrace a 'shared Western civilizational heritage' and states that governments on the continent have 'weaponized political institutions against their own citizens'. 'Far from strengthening democratic principles, Europe has devolved into a hotbed of digital censorship, mass migration, restrictions on religious freedom, and numerous other assaults on democratic self-governance,' the essay reads, mirroring statements made by Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference in February. Still, criticising curbs on civil liberties and restrictions on speech is not exclusive to the right. Pro-Palestine groups have frequently decried restrictions in Europe and the United States, carried out under the pretext of combating anti-Semitism, but critics say extend to even basic expressions of Palestinian identity. Rubio's announcement comes as the administration continues a crackdown on international students involved in pro-Palestine protests at US universities, along with efforts to impose greater control over university curricula that the administration takes issue with. In recent remarks before the US Congress, Rubio defended the administration's decision to arrest and detain a Turkish international student named Rumeysa Ozturk for co-signing an op-ed calling for an end to US support for Israel's war in Gaza. Such actions have sparked strong criticism from civil liberties groups in the US, who say they are an effort to chill dissent.
The Sun
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
‘He's already getting fed up' – Luke Littler tipped to walk away from darts within FIVE YEARS for lavish new career
NATHAN ASPINALL has predicted that Luke Littler will WALK AWAY from the sport within five years to pursue a career in social media. The World No.2 became the youngest world champion at 17-years-old in January. 4 4 'The Nuke's' record-breaking achievements have continued as he set a new Premier League points record last Thursday. Teen sensation Littler is widely backed to one day chase down Phil Taylor's legendary haul of 16 world championships. But two-time major winner Aspinall isn't convinced, suggesting Littler won't be in the game long enough to break the feat. He told talkSPORT: 'I think he'll be off in about five years. 'He's 18. He does a lot on YouTube, he's good mates with Angryginge. 'I can see him going down that path, in my opinion. 'He's already getting fed up with playing and travelling all the time, and he's only been doing it 12 months. 'I don't think he'll be around for 16 years, let alone winning 16 world titles. Luke Littler prize money breakdown Here is all the prize money Luke Littler has won so far after being crowned 2025 PDC World Darts Championship winner: World Championship 2025 - £500,000 World Championship 2024 - £200,000 Grand Slam of Darts 2024 - £150,000 European Tour - £91,000 Player Championships events - £71,500 Players Championship final runner-up - £60,000 UK Open 2023 + 2024 - £17,500 World Matchplay - £10,000 World Grand Prix - £7,500 European Championship - £7,500 (Unranked) Premier League Darts - £315,000 TOTAL: £1.43 million 'If he does, fair play to him. But I can't see it.' Littler has appeared in multiple YouTube videos with Angryginge. 'Shambles' - Luke Littler savages Man Utd in one word over Bruno Fernandes transfer links and gives Amorim verdict The Warrington whizkid also nearly lost to the social media star in a game of darts in February. Littler already boasts a whopping 1.9 million followers on Instagram. That's nearly DOUBLE the combined total of his oche rivals Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price. In addition to his seven-figure online following, Littler also has a bank account balance to match. And he's got the chance to add even more to it on Thursday as he chases back-to-back titles in the Premier League play-offs. Littler will face Price in a best-of-19 legs semi-final, with the winner going on to meet either Humphries or Aspinall in the final at the O2. 4
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
CTV National News: Trump makes 51st state comment on social media after King's speech
Watch U.S. President Trump made a 51st state comment on social media when referencing the cost on Canada to participate in his 'Golden Dome' plan.
