There Are No Girls on the Internet

Fake AI-generated Black women are flooding your social media feeds, performing self-hatred, pushing porn sites and drop shipping scams, and raking in cash for anonymous creators who'll never be held accountable. Jeremy Carrasco, the internet's go-to AI debunker, breaks down who's behind it, why platforms keep looking the other way, and why one Black student researcher's testimony made him want to do something about it. AI Blackface: Profiting on racist depictions at scale: https://www.riddance.ai/p/ai-blackface-profiting-on-racist AI videos of sexualised black women removed from TikTok after BBC investigation: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c070e283k8vo Bridget explains the evolution of digital Blackface from its antebellum roots in this Youtube video: https://youtu.be/yh-2il78AEA Digital rapper FN Meka and the new era of digital Blackface: https://omny.fm/shows/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/digital-rapper-fn-meka-and-the-new-era-of-digital Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify. Pre-order Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In is fighting the gender gap in AI adoption, but raising questions about its own leadership. https://www.fastcompany.com/91521751/sheryl-sandbergs-lean-in-is-fighting-the-gender-gap-in-ai-adoption Gen Z Goes to the Movies! The new Zendaya film 'The Drama' is a smash hit. Younger Audiences Are Driving Box Office Sales, Study Shows https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/gen-z-driving-box-office-1236703551/ The FBI was able to recover deleted Signal messages from a user's phone because they were stored in his notification history. Check your Signal settings now to stay safe "Settings > Notification > Store" https://www.404media.co/fbi-extracts-suspects-deleted-signal-messages-saved-in-iphone-notification-database-2/ She Was in Labor at a Florida Hospital. Then She Was in Zoom Court for Refusing a C-Section. https://www.propublica.org/article/florida-court-hearing-c-section BBC breached editorial standards over BAFTAs racial slur but no big deal, BBC investigation finds.  https://news.sky.com/story/bbc-breached-editorial-standards-over-baftas-racial-slur-investigation-finds-13529270 Ohio creep becomes first to be convicted under new Take-It-Down law for sexually explicit images: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/08/ohio-man-convicted-ai-sexually-explicit-images Instagram reportedly deletes Bellesa sex toy shop account for using the word 'clitoris': https://mashable.com/article/instagram-deletes-bellesa-shop-account-with-700000-followers‘This Is Not Me’: Inside the AI Scams Driving Musicians Crazy: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/ai-scams-musicians-streaming-services-spotify-1235535753/ Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify. Pre-order Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You've probably heard about author Mia Ballard. Her debut novel "Shy Girl" has been at the center of a controversy about whether she used AI to help write it. After a New York Times article, her publisher dropped her book. She's since deleted most of her social accounts and gone dark.  This story is much bigger than whether one writer did or didn't use AI. It's about the question of who gets to set the standard in AI and creative work? And more importantly who gets protected, and who gets sacrificed to it? Subscribe to Drey's excellent substack for sharp reporting and open source investigative journalism into tech and power: https://thedreydossier.substack.com  Read / Watch Drey’s reporting on Shy Girl: https://thedreydossier.substack.com/p/the-shy-girl-ai-scandal-is-way-worse Follow Drey on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok: @thedreydossier Read more about the limitations of AI-detection software, and why many of the country's most respected universities have banned it. https://timrequarth.substack.com/p/why-you-shouldnt-trust-ai-detector  Read Thad’s blog post called Shy Girl: The Background to the New York Times Story: https://thefutureofpublishing.com/2026/03/shy-girl-the-background-to-the-new-york-times-story/ Bridget’s SMNTY ep about ShyGirl: What the Shy Girl Conversation Says About AI and Art: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-mom-never-told-you-21123631/episode/what-the-shy-girl-conversation-says-about-ai-and-art-328745937   Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Publishing is having a trust crisis. With AI accusations swirling around authors like Mia Ballard, whose novel Shy Girl was dropped by her publisher despite her denying any AI use, questions about authenticity in publishing have never felt more urgent. But this kind of chaos isn't new. We saw it coming. We're revisiting one of our wildest deep dives: the Cait Corrain Goodreads scandal. Corrain had a highly anticipated debut novel, Crown of Starlight, coming out in 2024 — until she admitted to using fake Goodreads accounts to review bomb other writers' forthcoming books. Most of her targets were Black or queer authors. Corrain is white. The story has a lot of twists and turns, including a fabricated conversation with a completely made-up person that Corrain invented to take the fall. Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao was the first to bring it to wider attention, noticing that Crown of Starlight was getting glowing reviews from the same accounts trashing other books — some of which weren't even out yet. Zhao also compiled a 31-page Google document of screenshots and receipts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1__mO1uqIqcmupBAPKwXDzlUbZIwtY6fKf0S1Y0SNz0E/edit?tab=t.0 Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify. Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigative journalist Karen Hao was covering OpenAI years before most of us had ever heard the words "ChatGPT" or "large language model." Her best-selling book, "Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI," paints a gripping and damning portrait of the company's evolution from a sort of nonprofit to an empire-seeking tech juggernaut, drawing on her deep familiarity with the company as well as candid accounts from insiders.    She is one of the most influential and respected tech journalists covering the AI industry today.    In this interview, she shares the story of how she came to journalism, what she's learned from a decade of covering OpenAI and Sam Altman, and what she sees as the biggest threats of AI to intimacy, the environment, privacy, healthcare, and democracy.    Karen has a new podcast published by the BBC called "The Interface," and it is brilliant. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or by following this link: https://link.mgln.ai/theinterface-TANGOTI     Conversation with Karen is featured prominently in Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships, "Love At First Prompt." Pre-order your copy today at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !  Let us know what you think about this interview by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike are covering the tech news stories you might have missed. Chappell Roan bodyguard controversy fueled by bots online, research finds: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/chappell-roan-bodyguard-backlash-bots-b2947029.html  An AI-generated woman in images with President Trump has been going viral on conservative social media: https://wapo.st/3NtfbUi  Meta and YouTube lose two landmark court cases about harm to users:  . . California woman sues Meta and YouTube https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html .. New Mexico Attorney General sues Meta https://mashable.com/article/new-mexico-meta-court-case-meta-loses Comedian Druski published a hilarious short video titled "How Conservative Women in America act" and MAGA is real mad: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1s48bw5/druski_parodies_erika_kirk_in_a_new_skit_how/  ..Druski church parody: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/58hfPPHCRIU ..Druski NASCAR parody: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G32siPZXgx0 Barely six months after AI-video app Sora was released to much hype, OpenAI announced they are shutting it down:  https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/openai-shutting-down-sora-video-disney-1236698277/  . . Listen to Bridget predict Sora's demise back when it was announced, in our episode from Oct 10, 2025: https://app.omnystudio.com/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/programs/ad016d13-045e-48f3-9aa5-ae280172b27d/clips/66368931-ff00-467b-97fe-b3730017b21b/details . . Some of Sora's main use cases are filling the internet with racist and misogynistic slop: https://www.threads.com/@raisingself/post/DWP08hZmCOj?xmt=AQGzqaZ-H3abT0EW2lfRTONANK8dwciIx844aGm48QTIrQ ..Disney's Sora Disaster Shows AI Will Not Revolutionize Hollywood: https://www.404media.co/disneys-openai-sora-disaster-shows-ai-will-not-save-hollywood/ Black filmmaker Nina Lee asked audiences to watch an unrelated Black rom-com in theaters to help convince studios that Black films are viable. We support Black filmmakers, but in Bridget's opinion this way of thinking is a trap. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/you-me-tuscany-black-rom-coms_n_69c57cb8e4b0a6ee60c3dfa3/amp Judge dismisses lawsuit by Musk's X Corp accusing advertisers of illegal boycott: https://www.reuters.com/world/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-by-musks-x-corp-accusing-advertisers-illegal-boycott-2026-03-26/ Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify. Pre-order Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember the personal essay industrial complex? The 2010s era of Jezebel and xoJane where feminist writers put every raw, messy, private part of themselves on the internet? Lindy West was its brightest star. Her new memoir, Adult Braces, reckons with what that cost her, and with a marriage that turned out to be more complicated than the happy ending she sold us in her first memoir, Shrill.  Her book sent the internet into a spiral, enraged conservatives, disappointed some feminists, divided the polyamory community, and inspired her husband to send a very intense email to a Slate writer. Writer and comedian Ashley Ray joins Bridget to talk about the book, the discourse, and what all of it says about feminist writing, parasocial fandom, and whether the personal essay industrial complex of the 2010s has run its course. Ashley’s Harper’s piece - Lindy West and the Trap of Perfect Polyamory: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a70801519/lindy-west-adult-braces/   Scaachi’s Slate piece - Lindy West’s How-Not-To Guide to Polyamory: https://slate.com/life/2026/03/lindy-west-polyamory-open-marriage-husband-roya.html   She Had a Cat Hair Ball in Her Vagina — or Did She? https://www.thecut.com/2015/09/she-had-cat-hair-in-her-vagina-or-did-she.html      Check out Ashley’s Substack Deep Trouble: https://www.deeptrouble.net/    Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Pre-order Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed.   Afroman wins lawsuit brought against him by cops who raided his house. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2026-03-19/afroman-verdict-defamation-invasion-of-privacy-lawsuit    Afroman's video "Lemon Pound Cake" https://youtu.be/9xxK5yyecRo?si=P7JWA54zklLCWVnM    Afroman's video "Will You Help Me Repair My Gate" https://youtu.be/oponIfu5L3Y?si=cgLpG_T6A-JPBbW-    Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot cancelled in strangely cruel and surprising manner by Hulu. https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/buffy-reboot-dead-hulu-sarah-michelle-gellar-chloe-zhao-1236692284/    Nicole Kidman glides behind Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend at the Academy Awards, stealing all attention:  https://www.threads.com/@rachelarich/post/DV8aFlADT6Q?xmt=AQGzqaZ-H3abT0EW2lfRTONANK8dwciIx844aGm48QTIrQ   Former Rolling Stone editor Noah Schactman lands new job at NYT, despite controversial role in misleading reporting to protect a personal friend. https://www.cjr.org/laurels-and-darts/noah-shachtman-nyt-rolling-stone-baltimore-banner-tristan-king-missing-st-helens-oregon-corruption-scandal-mayor.php    Columbia Journalism Review analysis on Rolling Stone's inaccurate story about campus rape at University of Virginia: https://www.cjr.org/investigation/rolling_stone_investigation.php   Celebrated relationship therapist Esther Perel has a guest on her podcast who is in a relationship with his AI chatbot: https://www.estherperel.com/podcast    Mark Zuckerberg finally calling it quits on the Metaverse (mostly): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/technology/mark-zuckerbergs-metaverse-vr-horizon-worlds.html    Playwright Jeremy O. Harris called Sam Altman a nazi at a party: https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/tracewilliamcowen/jeremy-o-harris-openai-sam-altman-nazi  Specifically, Friedrich Flick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Flick    Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not long ago, Sam Altman was bragging about how OpenAI doesn't make sex bots. Then, just two months later, announced the company would be rolling out erotic content on ChatGPT. So how's that pivot into adult content going? In the words of Dorinda Medley: "Not well, bitch." Soon after the announcement, there was a high-profile exit from OpenAI — over concerns the company wasn't handling the adult content pivot responsibly. And now Sam Atlman says it’s been postponed. So what does it all mean? Bridget sat down with friends Samantha and Anney over at SMNTY to break it all down.   Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Joey cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Do Normies Have The Right to Read Heated Rivalry Fanfic: https://www.gq.com/story/heated-rivalry-fanfic-privacy A writer is suing Grammarly for turning her and other authors into ‘AI editors’ without consent: https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/12/a-writer-is-suing-grammarly-for-turning-her-and-other-authors-into-ai-editors-without-consent/ He Tried to Stop Adobe From Training its AI on His Photo Library – He Lost: https://petapixel.com/2026/03/11/he-tried-to-stop-adobe-from-training-its-ai-on-his-photo-library-he-lost/ Viral 'Quittr' Porn Addiction App Exposed the Masturbation Habits of Hundreds of Thousands of Users: https://www.404media.co/viral-quittr-porn-addiction-app-exposed-the-masturbation-habits-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of-users/ Panic World’s episode on the NoFap movement: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qXJNaFl2dIzwXC9h8no4p Uber’s women-only option goes nationwide in the US: https://apnews.com/article/uber-women-safety-9c974f92dfd7fb25d504d173b2429d06 Listen to Alison Turkos on TANGOTI: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/she-was-sexually-assaulted-during-a-lyft-ride-now/id1520715907?i=1000555658403 Buffer Report: Declines in Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads Engagement: https://www.globaldatinginsights.com/featured/buffer-report-declines-in-instagram-linkedin-threads-engagement/ Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify! Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Women's History Month — and this year, honoring women's contributions feels less like a celebration and more like an act of resistance.  That's why celebrating women's achievements is more important than ever. So in this episode, I want to introduce you to someone who shaped the way we all experience technology, even if you've never heard her name: Susan Kare. She designed the visual language of the early Mac — the icons, the fonts, the look and feel that made personal computing something people actually wanted to touch. Her visuals were emulated across the industry, and their legacy is still hugely influential today.  Back in 2021, I joined Sam and Anney at Stuff Mom Never Told You to dig into Susan Kare's legacy — where she came from, what she built, and why it still matters.   Let me know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com !    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Hallow app beef update. Meta sued over false privacy promises about it's glasses. Gee, what a shocker. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q33nvj0qpo Google sued for wrongful death after a vulnerable user died by suicide after talking with its chatbot Gemini. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/04/father-sues-google-claiming-gemini-chatbot-drove-son-into-fatal-delusion/ Brothel workers unite! Workers push back against a contract trying to claim rights to their image. Consider donating to them if you can!  https://unitedbrothelworkers.org/ Advocates in the UK have been fighting nonconsensual image-based abuse, and winning. A new law makes the gross category of "semen-images" illegal. It's basically what you think. https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/semen-images-illegal-investigation and for context https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/glamour-campaign-10-downing-street A powerful piece by Kwaneta Harris & Leigh Goodmark describes the ways True Crime media exploits incarcerated women and makes them vulnerable to predation by creeps.  https://truthout.org/articles/incarcerated-women-featured-in-true-crime-media-face-flood-of-sexual-harassment/ A new global poll finds that Gen-Z men are twice as likely as their Baby Boomer grandfathers to hold misogynistic views of gender roles. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-gen-zs-gender-divide-reaches-politics-views-marriage-children-suc-rcna229255 [FUNNY] Pressing 2 for Spanish in the phone system of a Washington State agency leads to unexpected results.  https://apnews.com/article/washington-dol-spanish-accent-ai-3a1b8438a5674c07242a8d48c057d5a3# Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify! Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In last week's news roundup, we did a short segment about the Hallow App.  It's a subscription-based app that helps you pray and learn about scripture with celebrity spokespeople. It's also partially funded by Peter Thiel and JD Vance, people actively involved in building surveillance technology. We had some concerns!  A writer named Nancy Flanders did not appreciate the segment! She wrote an article for the anti-abortion organization  Live Action about our segment, strangely focusing on our criticism of Chris Pratt, even though he was just a minor part of the segment.  We love connecting with new audiences! To meet this new-found demand for our content amongst the anti-abortion crowd, we're taking a deep dive into the Hallow app.  We'll take a close look at their investors, those investors' connections to the Trump administration and creation of a surveillance state, privacy concerns with the app, and the motley crew of scumbags the app has hired as spokespeople. We'll also talk about Chris Pratt a little more. We know what you like.    Let us know what you think about Chris Pratt, or anything else, by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.      Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at LoveAtFirstPrompt.com!    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Love-at-First-Prompt/Bridget-Todd/9781668179826 In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Black History Month: Every time you drop a reaction GIF, thank Lisa Gelobter. She helped engineer the animation tech that made GIFs GIF. https://legacy.anitab.org/profile/lisa-gelobter/ Google apologizes after news alert about BAFTAs included a racial slur: https://deadline.com/2026/02/google-apologizes-bafta-ai-news-alet-n-word-1236734448/ Warner Brothers requested the slur be edited out from the BAFTAs broadcast: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/24/sinners-studio-reportedly-raised-n-word-use-with-bafta-immediately-during-ceremony-and-requested-removal The man with tourettes who shouted the slur questions the wisdom of putting a microphone in front of his seat: https://people.com/john-davidson-baftas-tourettes-incident-questions-seated-near-microphone-11913879 TikTok psychic in Idaho: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/northwest/idaho/article314779034.html Meta’s plans for AI facial recognition in smart glasses ‘threatens safety of all women and girls’: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/meta-glasses-facial-recognition-domestic-abuse-b2923551.html Nicki Minaj's social posts are being amplified by a bot network: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/23/the-bots-powering-nicki-minajs-maga-war-00771317 Kansas revokes drivers licenses for trans people: https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/kansas-sends-letters-to-trans-people Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demands Anthropic allow its AI be used for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/02/24/pentagon-demands-ai-access/ Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify. Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! || instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Something has been in the works. Bridget shares what's next. LoveAtFirstPrompt.AI    Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed. The story behind Hallow, the Christian app hawked by Gwen Stefani: https://mashable.com/article/hallow-prayer-app-gewn-stefani-jd-vance-peter-thiel  Elon Musk's Grok doxes adult performer on X: https://www.404media.co/grok-doxing-real-names-birthdates-siri-dahl/  Sleazy facial recognition app unmasks cam girls and sells their images: https://www.404media.co/underground-facial-recognition-tool-unmasks-camgirls/  New UK law requires platforms to remove deepfake nudes and revenge porn within 48 hours: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/18/tech-firms-must-remove-revenge-porn-in-48-hours-or-risk-being-blocked-says-starmer  The two DOGE bros in charge of cutting National Endowment for the Humanities grants literally just asked ChatGPT what to do: https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/19/doge-bros-grant-review-process-was-literally-just-asking-chatgpt-is-this-dei/  US civil rights agency sues Coca-Cola distributor for excluding men from casino work trip: https://apnews.com/article/dei-coca-cola-eeoc-lawsuit-andrea-lucas-867fd98ec6d05ab52e7e0a3711e9d492 White Men Learn the Hidden Cost of Suing for Discrimination: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/social-justice/white-men-learn-the-hidden-cost-of-suing-for-discrimination  A WIN FOR DEMOCRACY: Trump admin rescinds rule banning discussion of DEI in schools after losing court ruling. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/department-of-education-backs-down-on-unlawful-directive-targeting-educational-equity  Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify!  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A viral video. A smeared daycare worker. A community in panic. Sound familiar? In the 1980s, a wave of hysteria swept the country, accusing daycare workers of abusing children in Satanic rituals — accusations that ruined lives and were entirely false. Now, a dubious video out of Minnesota is sparking the same kind of moral panic all over again. To make sense of the moment, I sat down with Sarah Marshall, host of the new CBC podcast The Devil You Know, to trace the through-line from the Satanic Panic to today's daycare scandals — and ask what it says about us that we keep falling for this.   Listen to Sarah's podcast The Devil You Know wherever you get your podcasts! Let us know what you think about this episode by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify!   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Amazon’s Ring, a creepy surveillance product, ran a creepy surveillance ad during the Superbowl that triggered a massive public backlash: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/amazons-ring-cancels-flock-partnership-amid-super-bowl-ad-backlash.html Electronic Frontier Foundation explanation of why Ring is a surveillance nightmare: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/no-one-including-our-furry-friends-will-be-safer-rings-surveillance-nightmare-0 An online community built around fitness/dance app Supernatural is purchased and destroyed by Meta [GIFT LINK]: https://www.theverge.com/tech/871250/supernatural-meta-vr-fitness-community?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6InFuZzlFUmd2VGsiLCJwIjoiL3RlY2gvODcxMjUwL3N1cGVybmF0dXJhbC1tZXRhLXZyLWZpdG5lc3MtY29tbXVuaXR5IiwiZXhwIjoxNzcwNDY2NTMzLCJpYXQiOjE3NzAwMzQ1MzN9.A67DLWY3HpNyI1PzxCMq4Mf96DELfg2belp-siH7vww&utm_medium=gift-link Marc Benioff 'Jokes' with his employees that ICE is watching them: https://www.404media.co/marc-benioff-jokes-ice-is-watching-salesforce-employees-who-traveled-to-the-u-s/ Salesforce Workers Circulate Open Letter Urging CEO to Denounce ICE: https://www.wired.com/story/letter-salesforce-employees-sent-after-marc-benioffs-ice-comments/ Body camera footage is being used to humiliate young women on YouTube: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/body-cam-youtube-foia-abuse.html Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify. Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When graduate instructor Mel Curth gave a student a failing grade for work that didn't answer the assignment, she couldn't have predicted what would happen next. Within days, the student, backed by Turning Point USA and right-wing media, had launched a national campaign. The university removed Mel from teaching. The grade was thrown out. And the student became a conservative media celebrity. Mel’s attorney Brittany Stewart, has defended LGBTQ rights in Oklahoma for decades, breaks down what really happened at the University of Oklahoma, and what it reveals about the coordinated effort to push trans people out of academia and public life.  Listen to our full episode breaking down the situation (and yes, we read Samantha’s full essay!): https://omny.fm/shows/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/this-univ-of-oklahoma-essay-is-so-bad-it-launched-a-culture-war-career   Listen to Brittany’s great podcast The Thunder Gals (OKC’s ONLY female-led Thunder media!!) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-thunder-gals/id1555886306   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should you trust MAHA's wellness doctors? Dr. Peter Attia's gross emails with Jeffrey Epstein just exposed how mainstream institutions keep platforming these guys—and why they're always caught off guard. We're re-releasing our deep dive into Dr. Andrew Huberman, also a CBS contributor, and why the business model behind 'bro science' takes off online.  CBS pulls Peter Attia segment after Epstein fallout, but Bari Weiss is sticking by him – for now: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/cbs-peter-attia-bari-weiss-epstein-60-minutes-b2913369.html Andrew Huberman is having a rough one after New York Mag published a long read looking into his personal and professional life: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/andrew-huberman-podcast-stanford-joe-rogan.html Andrew Huberman Has Supplements on the Brain: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/andrew-huberman-has-bad-case-supplement-brain So, Should You Trust Andrew Huberman? https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/andrew-huberman-huberman-lab-health-advice-podcast-debunk.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is WhatsApp reading your private encrypted messages? That's what was claimed in a bombshell 2025 lawsuit, which cited whistleblowers from Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.  Meanwhile, the Trump administration is using every tool they have to force tech companies to turn over people's personal communications. Just this morning, the Washington Post published an exclusive investigative report about DHS using subpoenas to quietly surveil and silence their political enemies.  Protecting our digital privacy has never been more important. In this conversation with Anney and Samantha from Stuff Mom Never Told You, Bridget covers the many reasons you shouldn't trust WhatsApp and Zuckerberg with your personal messages, and suggests a safer alternative.  Link to today's Washington Post piece: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/02/03/homeland-security-administrative-subpoena/     Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tech conference Devternity was canceled (not fake canceled, literally canceled) after allegations that the founder has been inventing fake women and catfishing on Instagram for years. Bridget does a deep dive to get to the bottom of it, and what it says about default, dismissive attitudes about marginalized people in tech. There were real women the whole time! Why not invite one of them?! A Tech Conference Listed Fake Speakers for Years: I Accidentally Noticed: https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/devternity-fake-speakers/ Male Tech Conference Founder Is Behind Popular Woman Coding Influencer Account: https://www.404media.co/coding-unicorn-instagram-julia-kirsina-devternity/ Tech Conference Collapses After Organizer Admits to Making Fake ‘Auto-Generated’ Female Speaker: https://www.404media.co/devternity-fake-speakers-eduard-sizovs/ Eduards Sizovs’s full response thread: https://twitter.com/eduardsi/status/1728422017417032140 Here’s a collection of Julia through the years: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Fds4DgzU_Yem577sfGykauuNkltIq3ykZdZUd1EAUE/edit?usp=sharing See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After years in limbo, TikTok is now officially operating under American ownership for users in the United States, purchased by a group of investors backed by the Trump administration.  And that shift is happening at a moment when a lot of people are already feeling scared, angry, and on edge — including in the wake of yet another killing involving ICE in Minnesota.  There’s been no shortage of warnings, rumors, and worst-case scenarios about what this new era of TikTok might look like for democracy, privacy, and organizing in marginalized communities. To help us all separate fact from fear, Bridget talks with Jessica Maddox, associate professor of Media Studies at the University of Georgia.   Follow Jess on social media to keep up with what's happening:   - Instagram and Threads: jessmaddox21   - Substack: bythewaysocial.substack.com  - Bluesky: jessmaddox.bsky.social   Let us know what you think about this episode by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech & culture news stories you might have missed. . Oscar nominations are out, and Bridget has opinions! . The Internet is consumed with controversy over two straight hockey podcasters' embrace of the hot and heavy queer series Heated Rivalry after text messages shared with Alex Reimer at Queerty suggest it's all an act. This is the low stakes, high drama Internet conflict we live for. https://www.queerty.com/do-hockey-bros-actually-like-heated-rivalry-or-are-they-just-performing-for-views-20260121/  . The White House social media team posted an altered photo that used AI to darken a protester and civil rights icon's skin and make it look like she was crying, hours after they had posted the unaltered photo that showed her looking badass and defiant. When faced with a choice between "despicable" or "incompetent," this administration once again grabs for both. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/22/white-house-ice-protest-arrest-altered-image . Florida man, manosphere podcaster, and Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback is running on a platform of attacking Only Fans models, but less interested in talking about dodging lawsuits from his former employer or his alleged affair with a girl who worked for him when she was 17. . Soledad O’Brien on the now Oscar Nominated documentary Perfect Neighbor: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soledad-obrien-explores-stand-your-ground-in-netflix/id1520715907?i=1000738453445 Gloria Richardson’s iconic side eye: https://www.grunge.com/465629/the-untold-story-of-gloria-richardson/ We Watched Amazon Prime’s War of the Worlds So You Don't Have To: https://omny.fm/shows/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/we-watched-amazon-prime-s-war-of-the-worlds-so-you-dont-have-to   Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.  . Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right-wing influencer Ashley St. Clair has a long history of transphobic behavior, including authoring a children’s book promoting those views. When she recently expressed regret for that past behavior, Elon Musk threatened to petition for sole custody of the child they share. Parker Molloy — writer and editor of the popular newsletter The Present Age — joins me to grapple with St. Clair’s apology, what accountability can look like in the public eye, and what happens when someone attempts to step off the outrage machine that once rewarded them. Read Parker’s piece: A Conservative Influencer Apologized for Her Anti-Trans Past. Elon Musk Is Trying to Take Her Kidhttps://www.readtpa.com/p/a-conservative-influencer-apologized Parker previously worked at Media Matters. You can listen to our deep dive into Elon Musk’s legal attacks on the organization here:https://omny.fm/shows/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/elon-musk-boosts-antisemitic-tweet-and-advertisers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Joey cover the tech news stories you might have missed. Updates on X and Grok creating nonconsensual sex images. They're still doing it, but now they're at least pretending they aren't: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceqz7pyd303o Our deep dive episode into what’s happening with Grok: https://podcasts.apple.com/xk/podcast/elons-grok-sexualized-renee-goods-dead-body-and-hes/id1520715907?i=1000744528946 A Phoenix gay bar announced a plan to use AI. Should they? https://www.lookoutnews.org/a-phoenix-gay-bar-announced-a-plan-to-use-artificial-intelligence-should-they The Tea App is back, and they want you to know they care about security now. https://mashable.com/article/tea-app-is-back-but-not-on-apple-app-store An investigation by the Fuller Project found that an algorithm used by the Veterans' Affairs Administration to determine which veterans get treatment prioritizes white men: https://fullerproject.org/story/artificial-intelligence-veteran-suicide-prevention-algorithm-favors-men/ GoFundMe Ignores Own Rules by Hosting a Legal-Defense Fund for the ICE Agent Who Killed Renee Good: https://www.wired.com/story/gofundme-ice-jonathan-ross-renee-good-fundraiser/ Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify. Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the weekly news roundup! Rare Tuesday edition (it's still January; we'll get back to the regular schedule soon). Bridget breaks down the tech news you might have missed with Producer Mike. Watch ASSSCAT! For free on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4HTxmqNTCY Please look at this picture of the Fresh and Fit podcast with NINE PEOPLE ON MIC ! https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36873819/mediaviewer/rm3460072962/ A fake AI images on social media falsely suggest Renee Good had an extensive criminal record. https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2026/01/11/minneapolis-ice-shooting-did-renee-nicole-good-have-a-criminal-history-fact-checking-the-rap-sheet-on-x.html  A viral post claiming to blow the whistle on a food delivery app's shady practices turned out to be a hoax. Journalist Casey Newton breaks down the surprisingly robust forged documents. https://www.platformer.news/fake-uber-eats-whisleblower-hoax-debunked/  Amy Poehler's 'Good Hang' wins first Golden Globe for podcasts. Ben Shapiro wins nothing. https://goldenglobes.com/nominations/2026  Guy posts on Reddit that his feminist chatbot girlfriend broke up with him. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/conservative-says-ai-girlfriend-dumped-190000163.html    Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is generating roughly one nonconsensual sexual image per minute on X. It's not just celebrities - victims include images of children, dead bodies, and Holocaust survivors. This week, users asked Grok to create a sexualized AI image of Renee Good's dead body, the woman shot and killed by ICE in Minnesota. And Elon? He's posting jokes about it. We break down how we got here, why it's only getting worse in the US, what some countries are trying to do about it, and what happens when the richest man in the world builds AI specifically for abusers. How Grok's sexual abuse hit a tipping point (by Kat Tenbarge): https://spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-deepfakes-abuse-elon-musk  Grok's AI Sexual Abuse Didn't Come Out of Nowhere (by Samantha Cole): https://www.404media.co/grok-ai-sexual-abuse-imagery-twitter/ The Twitter-to-Fame Pipeline of the 2010s (w/ Celebrity Memoir Book Club): https://omny.fm/shows/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/the-twitter-to-fame-pipeline-of-the-2010s-w-celebrity-memoir-book-club Coverage of research into Grok requests, (by Nana Nwachukwu at Dublin’s Trinity College AI Accountability Lab): https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/08/grok-x-nonconsensual-images See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy New Year! We're starting 2026 on a hopeful note. We all know that AI is threatening human labor across a bunch of industries, especially creative work. This episode is about an encouraging win for humans – a case where human creators are being centered, protected, and valued in an increasingly automated entertainment industry. Bridget talks with Will Pearson, head of podcasts at iHeart, about why betting on human creators is good business. (Spoiler: Because that's what listeners want)   Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You asked and we answered! In this first installment of our first ever listener mail episode, the TANGOTI team reads your emails! Thanks to everyone who submitted a question!! Keep them coming! Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a gender gap when it comes to who is using AI at work. Are women being left behind? The research isn’t so cut and dry.   Bridget takes a look at what we know and what it means with Samantha and Anney from Stuff Mom Never Told You. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget and Mike had conflicting and surprisingly strong feelings about self checkout machines. And it turns out, listeners do, too! We got more emails about this seemingly low stakes topic than any other. Why did this touch a nerve?! We don’t know but there’s something there, and we’re here for it. We read some listener emails, which make great points for and against. Are these machines dystopian symbols of our crumbling social connectedness? Or are they convenient devices for buying groceries, and maybe the real dystopian symbols were the capitalist overlords we met along the way? You be the judge! Self-Checkouts Often Inaccessible to Disabled Shoppers:  https://foodinstitute.com/focus/self-checkout-often-inaccessible-to-disabled-shoppers/ LA Times report on self checkouts and loneliness (paywalled): https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-08-28/some-skip-self-checkout-to-combat-loneliness-build-human-connection TikTok Lawyer explains why you should avoid using self-checkouts in stores: https://scoop.upworthy.com/lawyer-explains-why-you-should-avoid-using-self-checkouts-in-stores-576190-576190-576190-576190 Washington Post piece: Dear grocery store owners: I don’t work for you! https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/10/31/rick-reilly-self-checkout-rebellion/ Walmart reveals it's tracking checkout theft with AI-powered cameras in 1,000 stores: https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-tracks-theft-with-computer-vision-1000-stores-2019-6 Feeling lonely? Too many of us are. Here’s what our supermarkets can do to help: https://theconversation.com/feeling-lonely-too-many-of-us-are-heres-what-our-supermarkets-can-do-to-help-211126  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Diddy’s acquittal, social media decided it needed a villain. And who better than a random woman?! Through a case of mistaken identity, digital marketing strategist and former journalist Wynter Mitchell-Rohrbaugh, who had nothing to do with the trial, became the target of viral accusations and lies.  In this episode, Wynter tells her story of how misinformation, speculation, and Internet outrage collided in real time to pull her into a social media storm, and she breaks down what it means for our broader digital media landscape. Follow Wynter on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wynter Let us know what you think by emailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on Spotify.  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget and Producer Mike cover the week's tech news that you might have missed in this final News Roundup of 2025. Vanity Fair Goes to the White House, takes some unflattering photos https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/vanity-fair-goes-to-the-white-house-trump-2-edition Washington Post releases an AI-generated podcast. It's filled with errors and hallucinations. https://www.semafor.com/article/12/11/2025/washington-posts-ai-generated-podcasts-rife-with-errors-fictional-quotes Meta arbitrarily shuts down hundreds of accounts over reproductive and queer content. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/11/meta-shuts-down-global-accounts-linked-to-abortion-advice-and-queer-content  Tennessee man jailed for 37 days for refusing to take down a Facebook post critical of Trump in the days after Charlie Kirk's assassination. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2025/09/23/tennessee-larry-bushart-arrest-charlie-kirk/86313013007/ Bridget loves the new Netflix show Heated Rivalry, which bucks the trend of "casual viewing" in streaming. hfilm.com/2043077/canada-heated-rivalry-destroys-worst-trend-american-streaming-tv/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever looked at your timeline and thought “there’s no way this is real,” you’re probably right.  In this episode, Bridget and Mike speak to two data professionals about two recent reports from their companies that shed light on how bot networks attempt to hijack our online discourse: the Taylor Swift Nazi narrative after the release of Swift’s album Life of a Showgirl and the Cracker Barrel logo change backlash. Through the lens of these two seemingly unrelated campaigns, we unpack how bot-driven narratives spread, why it works, how online culture wars get engineered for clicks, chaos, and control, and what it means for the rest of us humans trying to engage in actual discourse online.    If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you think, or email us at [email protected]    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you see the narrative claiming Taylor Swift is a secret “trad wife Nazi” take off across social media? In this emergency episode, we break down a new report from analytics firm Gudea that examines how this discourse spread online, the role bot networks may have played, and what it reveals about misinformation, amplification, and the current internet ecosystem. Stay tuned because we’ll hear from Gudea’s CEO and another third party expert about how this report came to be and what it means for how information travels online. Taylor Swift’s Last Album Sparked Bizarre Accusations of Nazism. It Was a Coordinated Attack: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swifts-social-media-campaign-life-of-a-showgirl-1235480646/ Here’s the full report: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/69370c45ee6946ee05e9618a/6938f591279bf559ec50cd1c_GUDEA%20-%20Taylor%20Swift%20_%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Narrative.pdf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a psychology course at University of Oklahoma, junior Samantha Fulnecky was assigned to write a short essay responding to a research paper about social enforcement of gender typicality and children's mental health. Rather than engage with the assignment, she wrote a moralistic screed about demons and God's plan for women to be helpers, citing unspecified parts of "the Bible." Her paper received a zero, but she has become a cause celebre among right-wing culture warriors thanks to the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Points USA, who view her as a righteous victim being persecuted for her faith. Bridget and Producer Mike have both graded their share of college papers, so they weigh in on the fairness of her grade, and unpack what's really going on (spoiler: it's a stunt).    If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you think, or email us at [email protected]    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's news roundup, Bridget talks with Producer Mike about all the tech news you might have missed. TRIGGER WARNING: One story is about a misogynistic podcaster who says and does some disturbing stuff. Sabrina Carpenter pushes back when the Trump admin uses one of her songs without permission in a hateful video. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/02/sabrina-carpenter-donald-trump-music-00672754 A violent misogynist got bad career advice from ChatGPT. Now he's going to prison. https://www.404media.co/chatgpt-spotify-brett-michael-dadig-indictment-harassment-stalking/ Organizers of the Black Romance Book Festival got into heated exchanges on Threads about authors using AI. https://www.threads.com/@blackromancebookfestival iHeart Radio (our production partner) doubles down on human creators, vows to avoid AI generated content. https://www.insideradio.com/free/iheartmedia-makes-guaranteed-human-a-core-branding-message-across-all-stations/article_3ad0b04f-76ba-4466-8839-5a4bdce798a1.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The newly released Epstein emails offer a troubling look at the people who stayed in his orbit and the ways they interacted with him — including former Harvard president and influential public figure Larry Summers. You may not recognize his name immediately, but Summers has played a major role in shaping tech, academia, and government. We break down what the emails show, why they matter, and what they reveal about power networks at the highest levels. Bridget tells Samantha and Anney why Larry Summers and his Epstein connection should concern us all. If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/  tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people know about the call to boycott Target, but don't understand why Target has been specifically singled out. So we're re-airing this interview to help get everyone on the same page.  In 2020, Target loudly pledged to support Black creators and communities. Target spotlighted their products, and made headlines with its public commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It was great PR for Target. But now, those promises look like little more than PR spin. Black creators and vendors who once collaborated with the brand say they weren’t just abandoned — they were exploited. From one-sided partnerships to pay-to-play marketing schemes,  this episode investigates how a major corporation cashed in on the racial justice movement… and then just walked away. We speak to Kiara Imani, a former Target vendor who is one of the Black entrepreneurs  now speaking out. She was originally thrilled when a game she designed, "LikeU Cards," was included in Target's collection, only to quickly realize she was caught up in a pay-to-play scheme that was more about Target's PR than actually selling her product.  She's also an attorney and author of the book Therapy Isn’t Just For White People. She explains what went down, what she was promised versus what she actually got, and unpacks the backlash, the boycott, and why some former Target collaborators are now calling it what it really was all along: a scam. Kiara’s TikTok about Target: https://www.tiktok.com/@kiara_imani_will/video/7481347076442606894 Buy Kiara book Therapy Isn’t Just For White People: https://www.mahoganybooks.com/9781735145884 Check out LikeU cards: https://likeucards.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqCZCnuFV-4u8l9PynC9x1nNFbC0DCrVv0_IYqoRsPTvnt-FEX5 If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/  tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s not every day Bridget gets to talk to one of her heroes!    Soledad O’Brien has built her career on stories that hit hard and stick with you, winning multiple Emmys and Peabody awards along the way. Her work has inspired Bridget since she was a young girl, watching her coverage of the emerging Internet in the 1990s.    In this wide-ranging interview, Soledad talks about her two new documentaries, both of which are the subject of considerable online discussion.    'The Perfect Neighbor,' on Netflix, tells the tragic story of AJ Owens and examines the legal and systemic failures that almost allowed her death to go unpunished due in part to Florida's stand-your-ground law.    'The Devil is Busy,' now streaming on HBO Max, follows a day in the life of Tracii, the head of security at a Georgia abortion clinic, and the relentless work she does to keep the clinic operating safely. The documentary offers a powerful, ground-level, humanizing view of the challenges faced by those working to provide reproductive healthcare in the current landscape.    In addition to talking about the films, Soledad also shares her perspectives on journalism, online culture, and the roles of filmmakers and journalists in creating change.  If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about this episode, or email us at [email protected]  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. If you watched The Perfect Neighbor, be sure to check out the impact campaign highlighting Stand Your Ground laws and racialized violence, Standing in the Gap: https://standinginthegapfund.org/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget is joined by producer Joey Patt to cover the week's tech news that you might have missed.  Meg Thee Stallion targeted by racist, sexist deepfakes: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/megan-thee-stallion-responds-sexually-explicit-deepfake-x-rcna156424 Trump Administration planning executive order preventing AI regulation by states: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/19/white-house-prepares-executive-order-to-block-state-ai-laws-00660719 Women are under-represented in the building trades, where they often face harassment or worse. A young welder's murder highlights the risks: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarah-kotzen_tradeswomen-workplacesafety-nawic-activity-7395254105088323584-NNd4/ Youth sports are costing parents a fortune, and private equity firms are making it worse: https://www.levernews.com/wall-street-is-paywalling-your-kids-sports/ AI-powered teddy bear talks to kids about knives, bondage, and starting fires: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/tech/folotoy-kumma-ai-bear-scli-intl If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! || instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Tate is back in the news. ProPublica reports that the White House may have been secretly trying to help him evade sex trafficking charges. Tate is also back on Meta platforms, all while he’s suing Meta for $50 million. Bridget revisits her conversation with Media Matters researcher Justin Horowitz to understand how Tate and the broader manosphere continue to exploit social media systems and harm us all. Read Justin’s Media Matters research: https://www.mediamatters.org/diversity-discrimination/beyond-andrew-tate-meet-misogynistic-manosphere-influencers-proliferating The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation: https://www.propublica.org/article/andrew-tate-investigation-dhs-paul-ingrassiaMeta Aims To Get Geographically Challenged Andrew Tate’s $50M Deplatforming Case Tossed, Moved Out Of L.A.: https://deadline.com/2025/10/meta-andrew-tate-lawsuit-latest-1236589558/   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you think, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christmas has come early for Bridget, because Joyce Carol Oates is beefing with Elon Musk on Twitter. Bridget explains to Producer Mike what it's about, why Joyce Carol Oates is one of her all-time problematic faves, and why Elon is now performatively demonstrating his commitment to literacy with insightful takes like "great movie" and ads declaring that he likes to read. If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you think, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Birth control is the latest battleground in a wave of online misinformation targeting young women — and doctors and reproductive health advocates are sounding the alarm about its impact. But this isn’t your typical fearmongering about birth control coming from Bible-thumpers or conservative men in suits. This new wave is coming from wellness influencers — the ones in matching pastel workout sets — who are linking a “balanced, natural life” with ditching hormonal birth control. Bridget explains to Stuff Mom Never Told You’s Samantha and Anney why this may look like a rebrand, but this kind of misinformation is just as harmful as ever.  You can find more information about the safety and effectiveness of birth control in this article from the American Medical Association: https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/population-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-birth-control    If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about this episode, or email us at [email protected]    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s just turtles and scams all the way down. Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show: https://www.reuters.com/investigations/meta-is-earning-fortune-deluge-fraudulent-ads-documents-show-2025-11-06/ ‘You’re not rushing. You’re just ready:’ Parents say ChatGPT encouraged son to kill himself: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/06/us/openai-chatgpt-suicide-lawsuit-invs-vis Condé Nast abruptly fires 4 staffers after HR confrontation: https://www.semafor.com/article/11/06/2025/cond-nast-abruptly-fires-4-staffers-after-hr-confrontation Jury acquits D.C. 'sandwich guy' charged with chucking a sub at a federal agent: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/dc-sandwich-guy-verdict-rcna242142 If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black women are leaving the workforce and it’s a warning sign for the entire economy. From media to tech, more than 300,000 Black women have left their jobs in the last year. What’s driving this exodus, and what does it reveal about the state of work in America? Bridget speaks with: Anna Gifty, economist and author of the fascinating new book The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged, and Underpaid, and  sociologist Marianne Cooper,  Senior Research Scholar at Stanford University's VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab,  about the economic pressures, pay gaps, and burnout pushing Black women out and why their exit should concern everyone.   Anna and Marianne’s Time piece: https://time.com/7315624/rising-unemployment-black-women-economy/   Get Anna’s great book! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/734115/the-double-tax-by-anna-gifty-opoku-agyeman-foreword-by-chelsea-clinton/   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected]  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Halloween, boys and ghouls! In this week's news roundup Bridget is recapping all the tech news stories you might have missed, so you don't have to. Creeps in Meta Raybans are nonconsensually filming massage women in massage parlors: https://www.404media.co/metas-ray-ban-glasses-users-film-and-harass-massage-parlor-workers/ China implements a new law cracking down on influencers who spread misinformation. https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/china-cracks-down-fake-experts-banned-from-social-media/ Surveillance company Flock used by police to charge a Colorado woman for a crime she didn't commit, forcing her to prove her innocence. https://coloradosun.com/2025/10/28/flock-camera-police-colorado-columbine-valley/ The Institute for Strategic Dialogue publishes a new study shedding light on the ecosystem of non consensual deep fake material online, highlighting the easy available of the software. https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/the-ecosystem-of-nonconsensual-intimate-deepfake-tools-online/ A librarian has launched a creative protest against Good Reads, which is owned by Amazon, over the company's censorship and favorable treatment of Eric Trump's new book. https://www.404media.co/rogue-goodreads-librarian-edits-site-to-expose-censorship-in-favor-of-trump-fascism/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know the internet loves a viral story. But what happens when that story is about a real woman being harassed and the platforms that ostensibly should be protecting her instead punish her? That’s what happened to Livie, a DoorDash driver in New York State whose story is currently going viral on TikTok. Bridget breaks down what actually happened, why the story is drowning in misinformation and AI generated fake videos, and what the story tells us about where we’re at right now when it comes to women speaking up online.    See Livie's video(s) for yourself: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19jTtPWjZH/?mibextid=wwXIfr  MuURLS, a creator on TikTok was cloned by AI: https://www.tiktok.com/@muurlz/video/7563725293693783309?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc NotKristen’s TikTok on AI clones: https://www.tiktok.com/@notkhristen/video/7563433687476358430?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Liberal feminist “triggered”: https://imgflip.com/i/65wr5r The real “triggered feminist” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byOlBCpNKeM   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected]  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Digging into all the tech news you might have missed so you don't have to. Tea App pulled from Apple's app store: https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/22/apple-confirms-it-pulled-controversial-dating-apps-tea-and-teaonher-from-the-app-store/ Spotify running anti-immigrant ads for ICE, bands and labels pull their content: https://www.stereogum.com/2317141/king-gizzard-the-lizard-wizard-remove-their-music-from-spotify-f**k-spotify/music/ Boycott Spotify campaign info: bit.ly/cancelspotify Dodgy website collecting donations to punish people over Charlie Kirk comments won't say how the money was used, donors feel scammed (because they were): https://x.com/forcharliekirk1/status/1967019271097295187 Kristy Noem posted a video of a masked youth with captions saying he was targeting ICE agents for a bounty offered by drug cartels: https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1979265889599131994 Except the guy in the video says he recorded it months ago, it was about Iran, and DHS added those captions themselves: https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.floridajhit/video/7562384689126837518?_r=1&_t=ZP-90nJ1pU7qkZ Live streamers were afraid to go to TwitchCon because of lax security and past incidents and then streamer Emiru was assaulted on stage: https://www.tubefilter.com/2025/09/25/valkyrae-qtcinderella-twitchcon-security-dan-clancy/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/1oam2d3/twitch_streamer_emiru_was_assaulted_at_twitchcon/ OpenAI announces a new AI-powered web browser. It's a convenient security nightmare. This hilarious review sums it up well: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7386538226838183936-lXqZ/ The annual survey "Teen and Screens" is full of interesting data about what young people are into. Among other things, they want to see authentic friendships: https://www.scholarsandstorytellers.com/teens-screens-25 If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Elon Musk took over X, a lot of us left the platform, searching for alternatives. One platform that gained attention is Bluesky. It looks a lot like Twitter, but it’s different. Bluesky is built on a decentralized system, and that decentralized nature has allowed powerful pockets of community to emerge. To date, Blacksky is the biggest and most successful effort to take advantage of Bluesky's decentralization.  It's led by Rudy Fraser, a technologist committed to building resilient, independent infrastructure that can be a home for Black folks online.  During a session at Rights x Tech, the growing community forum that brings together technologists, policy makers, and movement leaders to explore the intersections of technology and power, Bridget had a fascinating conversation with BlackSky’s founder, Rudy Fraser, about the project and the future of Black voices online. Learn more about Rights x Tech: https://www.rightsxtech.com/   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected]  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the weekly News Roundup! Bridget recaps the week's tech stories that you might have missed. Pop superstar apparently pulls controversial necklace after Nazi imagery backlash: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10/pop-superstar-apparently-pulls-controversial-necklace-after-nazi-imagery-backlash.html Here's Bridget's 2016 take on Taylor Swift: https://podcasts.apple.com/dk/podcast/smnty-classics-problematic-faves-taylor-swift/id304531053?i=1000421529530 OpenAI Says It Will Move to Allow Smut: https://futurism.com/future-society/openai-chatgpt-smut A Pregnant Amazon Employee Asked for a Chair to Sit on—and Wound Up Homeless: A Pregnant Amazon Employee Asked for a Chair to Sit on—and Wound Up Homeless: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/10/pregnant-amazon-warehouse-workers-accommodations-eeoc-trump/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories. Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  || instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift is getting married. And on her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, she sounds over the moon about it. But online, everyone’s asking: Is Taylor Swift a “trad wife” now? In this episode, Bridget dives into the rise of trad wife culture with author and journalist Jo Piazza, host of the podcast Under The Influence and author of the juicy new book about trad wives, Everyone Is Lying to You. They unpack what “trad wife” really means, why so many people are labeling Taylor Swift one, and what that says about how marriage, womanhood, and online identity are evolving in 2025. If you’ve seen “trad wife” trending on TikTok or wondered what it has to do with feminism, marriage, and pop culture, this conversation is for you.   Everyone Is Lying to You is one of Bridget’s favorite books of the year: Penguin Random House  Listen to Jo Piazza’s podcast Under The Influence: Apple Podcasts   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected]  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the weekly News Roundup! Bridget and Producer Mike recap the week's tech stories that you might have missed.  It’s True: The Internet Skews the Reality of Women (and Men) in the Workforce https://www.motherjones.com/media/2025/10/nature-study-berkeley-haas-online-internet-images-gender-bias-workforce-false-reality-women/ Read the study (Guilbeault et al., 2025)  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09581-z  Google Women Techmakers moves to Technovation, but not everyone is cheering https://piunikaweb.com/2025/10/08/google-women-techmakers-moves-to-technovation/ Robin Williams’ daughter begs fans to stop sending her AI videos of her late father: ‘Just stop doing this to him' https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/robin-williams-daughter-zelda-ai-videos-b2840650.html and https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/10/dj-bruce-lee-and-jackass-mr-rogers-dead-celebrities-become-puppets-in-sora-2-videos/ 'Coward of a man' kills 2 teenage girls in NJ after mom's warnings were dismissed. https://archive.is/aMOV9  Kendrick's Drake Diss Defamation Dismissed  https://www.billboard.com/pro/drake-lawsuit-kendrick-lamar-not-like-us-dismissed-judge/  Send us an email for the upcoming mailbag episode! [email protected]  If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories. Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook is all about free speech, just not when it comes to abortion. New reports from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reveal how Facebook and Instagram censor abortion content, even when it’s medically accurate and completely legal. Bridget joins Samantha and Anney and Stuff Mom Never Told You to unpack how Meta’s abortion content moderation really works, why posts about reproductive health keep disappearing, and what that means for free speech and reproductive rights online. Learn more: EFF’s Stop Censoring Abortion campaign  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transgender for everybody! Everything is computer! We’re in a silly, tangent filled mood for this one! Every week Bridget recaps the tech news stories you might have missed, so you don't have to. This week she's joined by TANGOTI producer Joey Patt. Elon Musk calls for a Netflix Boycott, but we're not linking to him and you can't make us. Misinformation/disinformation leads to US couples’ divorces, breakups: https://news.illinois.edu/misinformation-disinformation-leads-to-us-couples-divorces-breakups/ AOL’s dial up internet takes its last bow, marking the end of an era https://apnews.com/article/aol-dial-up-internet-shuts-down-08162912737f2fb221f10ba87ce5fc41 Ted Cruz blocks privacy protections: https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/30/ted-cruz-blocks-bill-that-would-extend-privacy-protections-to-all-americans/?utm_campaign=social&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=organic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellness influencers are perfecting the art of turning pseudoscience into profit. Whether they're selling supplements, offering classes, or just chasing engagement, an army of wellness grifters has weaponized mistrust of institutions and Big Pharma, peddling false health claims that trick people into treatments and practices that are ineffective at best, and in some cases outright dangerous.  Last week the Trump administration claimed without evidence that Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. The science is clear that it isn't true, but that didn’t matter. Doctors pushed back, but the damage was already done—because wellness influencers pounced. They didn’t just spread the fear, they profited off it. And suddenly, one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant women became the latest weapon in a war over women’s health. Once again, Trump and RFK Jr are playing disingenuous, dangerous political games with women's health and wellbeing. This isn’t just about Tylenol. It’s about how wellness influencers turn misinformation into a business model—and how their influence helped shape a dangerous narrative straight out of the White House. Mallory DeMille, content creator and correspondent on the podcast Conspirituality, has been pushing back against these dangerous grifters with hilarious videos and posts that make fun of their most ridiculous claims. Do yourself a favor and follow her on Reels, Threads, and TikTok at @this.is.mallory and on YouTube at @MalloryDeMille.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

App for outing people who were insufficiently mournful of Charlie Kirk critics leaked its own users’ personal data through security blunders: https://san.com/cc/app-for-outing-charlie-kirks-critics-leaked-its-users-personal-data/ Meta is using parents’ back-to-school photos of their girls to advertise Threads to grown men: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/20/parents-outraged-meta-uses-photos-schoolgirls-ads-man AI-Generated YouTube Channel Uploaded Nothing But Videos of Women Being Shot: https://www.404media.co/ai-generated-youtube-channel-uploaded-nothing-but-videos-of-women-being-shot/ Controversy on subreddit r/TwinPeaks over AI: https://www.reddit.com/r/twinpeaks/comments/1npqm2k/ai_generated_content_is_no_longer_allowed/ YouTube to reinstate users banned for spreading COVID misinformation and election misinformation: https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/youtube-reinstate-channels-banned-election-covid-misinformation-1236527333/ Jessica Chastain's new show about preventing extremist violence postponed by AppleTV. Smells like censorship: https://www.instagram.com/p/DO_V2EyEZmj/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, the Trump Administration and their collaborators are prosecuting a widespread crackdown on free expression. Karen Attiah has been a columnist at the Washington Post for 11 years, and was the last remaining Black columnist at the newspaper until last week. She was fired, allegedly for being insufficiently mournful over murdered racist Charlie Kirk, but at this point her firing seems less about what she actually said and more about sending a message: dissent will be punished.  But unlike some people (looking at you, Bezos), she has no intention of backing down or going quietly.  Read the letter sent to Karen from the Washington Post's HR chief, informing Karen that she was fired: https://bsky.app/profile/karenattiah.bsky.social/post/3lzbpq3tzck2o SUPPORT KAREN! FOLLOW HER SUBSTACK: https://karenattiah.substack.com/ SIGN UP FOR KAREN’S RESISTANCE SUMMER SCHOOL: https://www.resistancesummerschool.com/   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected]    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not gonna lie - it's been a rough week. The Trump administration has used Charlie Kirk's murder to crack down on dissent, shocking even their allies with their willingness to threaten critics and trample First Amendment values. But these authoritarians will fail. Bridget is joined by L. Joy Williams, president of the New York NAACP and host Sunday Civics on Sirius XM and wherever you get your podcasts, to recap the latest developments in our slide towards autocracy. Jimmy Kimmel was fired to protect a multi-billion dollar merger of two of the country's biggest broadcast networks: https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/nexstar-jimmy-kimmel-suspension-fcc-pressure-1236523812/ Read Karen Attiah's Substack post about her firing from the Washington Post for repeating Charlie Kirk's own words: https://karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washington-post-fired-me-but Listen to guest co-host L. Joy Williams' podcast Sunday Civics: https://www.sundaycivics.org/  Read the DOJ report about domestic terrorism that the Trump Administration tried to hide. It's surprisingly readable, and unequivocal about the most common perpetrators of domestic terrorism – the far right: https://terrorismresearch.uark.edu/new-nij-article-highlights-decades-worth-of-research-findings-from-the-trc/?ref=404media.co    Michigan lawmakers continue Republicans' assault on speech and war against trans people: https://www.them.us/story/michigan-total-porn-ban-trans-josh-schriver Some good news! Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have teamed up to co-sponsor a bill that would restore funding for suicide prevention among LBTQ+ youth: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2025/09/18/baldwin-introduces-bill-to-restore-988-crisis-line-for-lgbtq-youth/86201082007/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! || instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to our weekly news round up, where we dig into some of the tech stories you might have missed. This week, Bridget is joined by guest co-host Ashley Ray, host of Courier's smart podcast "TV I Say."   CBS just keeps caving harder and harder to appease the Trump administration. https://newrepublic.com/article/199889/kristi-noem-attack-cbs-kilmar-garcia-trump-scam    Creator of porn site "Girls Do Porn" sentenced to 27 years for sex trafficking. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/09/girlsdoporn-founder-27-year-prison-sentence-sex-trafficking    5,000 Podcasts. 3,000 Episodes a Week. $1 Cost Per Episode — Behind an AI Start Up’s Plan: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/ai-podcast-start-up-plan-shows-1236361367/    If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected]    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlie Kirk built his career by debating students and spreading rhetoric that was too often dismissed as “spirited debate.”  Now, in the wake of his death, politicians and media outlets are rushing to rewrite his legacy. In this episode, Bridget digs into what Kirk really stood for, why his words mattered, and why violence doesn’t erase bigotry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week in Wired, Taylor Lorenz published an exposé on Chorus, a new force in Democratic politics that is funding Democratic influencers. Her piece has sparked major controversy among political influencers and their observers online.   In this episode, Bridget breaks down what the article reveals (and what it leaves out), and explores what this fight says about money, power, and trust in American democracy. Read the full piece here: https://www.wired.com/story/dark-money-group-secret-funding-democrat-influencers/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected]   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's edition, Bridget runs through the news with Producer Mike. Tech companies saying, "Our policies prohibit the harm that is rampant on our platform!" is the theme of today's episode. AI deepfake comic: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/aaaah Meta creates flirty celebrity chatbots without permission, calls it "parody," trains them to talk to children romantically. https://www.reuters.com/business/meta-created-flirty-chatbots-taylor-swift-other-celebrities-without-permission-2025-08-29/ Age verification on adult sites is putting queer adult industry workers at risk, and pushing everyone to sketchier corners of the Internet. https://19thnews.org/2025/09/age-verification-queer-adult-industry-workers/ A Shein merchant used Luigi Mangione’s AI-Generated Face to Sell a Shirt. https://www.404media.co/shein-luigi-mangione-ai-generated-listing-shirt/ Sad abortion news: Texas bans abortion pills from being mailed to anyone in the state. https://19thnews.org/2025/09/texas-abortion-pill-ban/ Positive abortion news: Illinois mandates access for university students. https://msmagazine.com/2025/09/02/chicago-illinois-abortion-pills-birth-control-contraception-college-university-health-center-students/ . Child sex abuse victim begs Elon and X to take down photos of her abuse. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq587wv4d5go If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories (Bridget reads every Spotify comment personally)  or email us at [email protected] !  Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  ||  instagram.com/@bridgetmarieindc  || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc  ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rightwing media often spread the myth that trans people are violent or dangerous — a false narrative with zero evidence. These “trans terror” stories persist online and in the news, fueling real-world harm against the trans community. In this episode, Bridget and producer Joey Patt unpack the origins of these myths, explain why they stick, and show how the false idea of “trans terror” makes everyone less safe.   A Trans Pilot Was Falsely Blamed for a Plane Crash. Now She’s Fighting the Right-Wing Disinfo Machine: https://www.wired.com/story/a-trans-pilot-was-falsely-blamed-for-a-plane-crash-now-shes-fighting-the-right-wing-disinfo-machine/   If you’re listening on Spotify, leave us a comment there! (Bridget personally reads them all!) or email us at [email protected]   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media  ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this week's News Roundup, Bridget is joined by her longtime friend and colleague Nima Shirazi, co-host of the OG podcast "Citations Needed" about how media shapes power. TikTok Shop Sells Viral GPS Trackers Marketed to Stalkers: https://www.404media.co/tiktok-shop-sells-viral-gps-trackers-marketed-to-stalkers/ ICE Is Using Taylor Swift’s Loophole To Hide Deportation Flights: https://archive.ph/dPDqw#selection-701.0-704.0 Grand jury declines to indict man who threw a sandwich at federal officer in D.C.: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/grand-jury-declines-indict-sandwich-guy-threw-sub-dc-federal-officer-rcna227464 Microsoft Asked FBI for Help Tracking Employee Protests over Palestine: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-asked-fbi-help-tracking-204559938.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALE2eGyVYVuUQ7Iw3XlXK-4gRnbqSdJzXZ25_u0zYLgHcdvssTEXHrj7bNMZM_tlZtpkHkqfKXtoYpqHRsbODfjex4rE0acMyK2n76_-apXRlkREXs1EVL_Dtuxy_HLmIzt0xg-1YLaphFhSffgLJNE-ckWGgjWYy6Dk9NtkGR6c Protesters occupy Microsoft office as company reviews its work with Israel's military: https://www.npr.org/2025/08/27/nx-s1-5518786/microsoft-protesters-office-israel Will Smith tour video criticized for featuring a ‘fake AI crowd’: https://www.the-independent.com/bulletin/culture/will-smith-ai-tour-video-concert-b2813880.html Put on some headphones, listen to all 13 minutes of "Do You Feel Like We Do", and try to remember the last time you felt as excited as the people in the audience: https://open.spotify.com/track/0qqRwBkq7oWv6QnIRLfQKe?si=354474b5d03a4b67 Buy a copy of the important new book "The Podcast Pantheon: 101 Podcasts That Changed How We Listen–From Wtf to Serial." Nima is in there! https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781797232249  Support Citations Needed on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/citationsneededpodcast Listen to Citations Needed: https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/ Save Our Signs: https://umn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4VKNSNsfJuIVOIu If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why does it feel like the main voices dominating tech today are basically super villains? Billionaires who don’t care if the world gets worse, just as long as they get a little richer. We hear them everywhere— their bad ideas, their grievances are all amplified.  Anil Dash, one of the internet’s earliest voices, says it didn’t used to be this way. He's been a highly visible and impactful techie, writer, and entrepreneur for decades. In this thoughtful, wide-ranging, and optimistic interview, he talks with Bridget about how fun and personal the early Internet was, why tech bros keep making it worse, and how we can create a better Internet that once again centers fun, compassion, and human connection.     If you’re listening on Spotify, leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about this interview, or email us at [email protected]!   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget is joined in this week's news roundup by tech journalist Dexter Thomas, prolific writer, videographer, and host of the excellent podcast "Kill Switch". Dex recently wrote a piece in Wired about anime girl VTubers selling out concerts, and how the question of whether they're "real" depends on kayfabe and who you ask: https://www.wired.com/story/anime-girl-vtubers-are-selling-out-concerts-but-are-they-real-depends-on-who-you-ask/  In addition to listening to Kill Sitch, you can follow him on YouTube and social media at "D E X D I G I". DC Disinfo.  Real Footage Combined With AI Slop About DC Is Creating a Disinformation Mess on TikTok: https://www.404media.co/real-footage-combined-with-a-ai-slop-about-dc-is-creating-a-disinformation-mess-on-tiktok/ The Tea App story gets worse. Turns out that weren't just sloppy, they were actively undermining other efforts to keep women safe.  https://www.404media.co/how-teas-founder-convinced-millions-of-women-to-spill-their-secrets-then-exposed-them-to-the-world/ Meta’s flirty AI chatbot invited a vulnerable retiree to New York. He never came back. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/meta-ai-chatbot-death/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there to let us know what you thought about these stories, or email us at [email protected] ! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget and Producer Mike are taking a break from the dystopian surveillance nightmare unfolding in their city of Washington, DC, to review Amazon's new War of the Worlds movie. It stars Ice Cube and is about a dystopian surveillance nightmare that unfolds in Washington, DC. Art imitates life!  This movie is terrible, but it does raise questions like, "Is this even a movie?" It's also 90 minutes of nonstop propaganda for Amazon and surveillance technology.   We had fun doing this! Let us know in Spotify's comments what you think, and what other movies you think we should review on the show. Or send us an email at [email protected] .    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc || youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're excited to share the first episode of Peabody Award-nominated podcast Long Shadow’s new season, Breaking the Internet.  Hosted by Pulitzer Prize finalist and historian Garrett Graff, Long Shadow: Breaking the Internet charts the evolution of the internet – from the optimistic days of the dot-com boom to our present moment. Produced by Long Lead and distributed by PRX, this seven-part series aims to tell the story of humanity's greatest invention, and how it's led us to the biggest crisis facing society today.   In this specific episode, you’ll travel back to 1993. Gas is just over a dollar a gallon. Minimum wage is $4.25 an hour. Mass media is hitting its apex, and American culture is about as homogenous as it’s ever been. And somewhere in the background of all that, this new thing called the World Wide Web just became available to the general public…. then a computer bug threatened to shut it all down forever. To listen to more episodes, follow Long Shadow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]!    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.   instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/    tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc    youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, President Trump seized control of Washington DC's police. It's national news, but it's also deeply personal for Bridget, who was born in DC and has lived here most of her life. The situation is still unfolding, but Bridget breaks down what's happening, what decades of DC history say about how we got here, and why people on both the right and the left are talking about it wrong. If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A woman named Kendra went viral on TikTok with a series of videos about her relationship with her human psychiatrist, but the videos took a surprising turn when she introduced her ChatGPT “therapist” she calls Henry.    More people than you might think are forming social relationships with chatbots, some of them romantic and even sexual. When OpenAI released their new ChatGPT-5 model last week, replacing the older ChatGPT-4o model, many users felt like a loved one had been taken away from them. Bridget and Producer Mike recap how the botched ChatGPT release brought this issue into the spotlight, try to understand the vulnerable humans caught in the middle, and explore what it means when tech products replace human connection.    Unpacking the TikToker Who Fell in Love With Her Psychiatrist: https://www.thecut.com/article/kendra-hilty-fell-in-love-with-psychiatrist-tiktok.html?_gl=1*1in5yhw*FPAU*MjEzOTUwMzQzNS4xNzUyNzk5OTYy*_ga*NDMxMDgwMzk2LjE3NDcyMzgyMDE.*_ga_DNE38RK1HX*czE3NTQ4NTAzOTIkbzIxJGcxJHQxNzU0ODUwNDI1JGoyNyRsMCRoMjA4ODkzMjIzNw..*_fplc*RzZTb1U4b0VuS2RjeEpxVm9OWXlzWFlXTkYlMkJPaW9IZkNKZnVDMzhTUiUyRldra3FVckdRRTlZUGpMaXR6WVpFUHoxc2xYUk9wOWNPU2lCTHNhTXBSY3ZHd3dvbHJoMWNxbVIyUXZhOEtweFRxZ1NwejliZWdBcWZvRXJMcTVvQSUzRCUzRA..   ChatGPT users hate GPT-5’s “overworked secretary” energy, miss their GPT-4o buddy: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/08/chatgpt-users-outraged-as-gpt-5-replaces-the-models-they-love/   We'd love to hear what you thought about this episode. If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week ||  instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Bridget is joined by Producer Mike to break down the tech stories you might have missed. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve had some eloquent, powerful things to say about the sexist crypto bros who threw dildos at WNBA players as a publicity stunt for their new meme coin. It's less than a minute and worth a listen:  https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1mkdusa/lynx_coach_cheryl_reeve_livid_over_sex_toy/ Britt Bischoff's Substack "Encyclopedia Brit(annaica)" is a great resource for tech news in general, and has an informative article about the Tea App. https://brittannica.substack.com/p/the-manosphere-is-the-motherboard Disgraced journalist Chris Cuomo fell for an obvious AOC deepfake video about Sydney Sweeney, then demanded she answer for it even after he knew it was fake: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/chris-cuomo-aoc-sydney-sweeney-jeans-b2803523.html A jury has ruled that Meta illegally collected Flo users’ menstrual data: https://www.theverge.com/news/753469/meta-flo-period-tracker-lawsuit-verdict TeaOnHer, a rival Tea app for men, sprang up overnight and is already leaking users’ personal data and driver’s licenses: https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/06/a-rival-tea-app-for-men-is-leaking-its-users-personal-data-and-drivers-licenses/ Grok generates fake Taylor Swift nudes without being asked. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/grok-generates-fake-taylor-swift-nudes-without-being-asked/ ICYMI: Taylor Swift Twitter deep fakes are everyone’s problem: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taylor-swift-twitter-deep-fakes-are-everyones-problem/id1520715907?i=1000643579343 Grok Imagine's 'Spicy' mode lacks basic guardrails for sexual deepfakes: https://mashable.com/article/xai-grok-imagine-sexual-deepfakes?test_uuid=003aGE6xTMbhuvdzpnH5X4Q&test_variant=b Meta illegally collected data from Flo period and pregnancy app, jury finds. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/jury-finds-meta-broke-wiretap-law-by-collecting-data-from-period-tracker-app/ Hackers Clown Trump Education Secretary With ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Music and ‘Corrupt Billionaire’ Heckles. ttps://www.thedailybeast.com/hackers-clown-trump-education-secretary-with-circus-music-and-corrupt-billionaire-heckles/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/   tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc   youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone is asking questions about Trump’s connections to Jefferey Epstein, but the president isn’t the only powerful person or institution linked to him. You might know that connections to convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein led to the resignation of the director of the MIT Media Lab, Joi Ito, after a Ronan Farrow exposé.  But fewer people know that Arwa Mboya, an MIT student and Kenyan virtual reality programmer, bravely called for Ito to step down before Farrow’s piece. She was isolated and attacked for her bravery, before history proved her right. Mboya talks about how the bravery and community of women and girls gave her the courage to take a stand.  Here’s our recent episode looking at Trump’s connections to Epstein: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/epstein-files-firestorm-shows-the-power-of/id1520715907?i=1000718024227 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Bridget recaps the tech stories you might have missed with longtime friend of the show indispensable Internet advocate Abbie Richards. She is the Steve Martin of TANGOTI. If you're not following Abbie on TikTok you're missing out! www.tiktok.com/@tofology US labor hero and friend of the show Chris Smalls, co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union, was beaten and choked by IDF soldiers while trying to deliver aid to Gaza. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/29/chris-smalls-amazon-labor-union-gaza Substack sent a push notification for an openly nazi blog, continuing their streak of promoting nazis. https://www.usermag.co/p/substack-sent-a-push-alert-promoting-nazi-white-supremacist-blog The Discourse Is Broken- How did a jeans commercial with Sydney Sweeney come to this? https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/07/sydney-sweeney-american-eagle-ads/683704/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_content=edit-promo First YouTube, and now LinkedIn, have changed their policies to allow discrimination against trans people: https://www.advocate.com/business/youtube-scraps-gender-identity-protection and https://www.advocate.com/news/linkedin-transgender-deadnaming-misgendering-policy TikTok adds footnotes in an attempt to add context to misinformation and fake content. We hope it helps! https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/rolling-out-tiktok-footnotes-in-the-us Community Notes and its Narrow Understanding of Disinformation: https://www.techpolicy.press/community-notes-and-its-narrow-understanding-of-disinformation/ Trump Admin uses songs without permission to create cruelty porn. These people have no shame. https://newrepublic.com/post/198600/white-house-jet2-holiday-meme-deportation There's Already a Class Action Lawsuit Against the Viral 'Tea' App: https://lifehacker.com/tech/tea-app-class-action-lawsuit Spotify threatens to delete accounts that fail age-verification: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/07/30/spotify-threatens-to-delete-accounts-unless-users-prove-the/ Not just YouTube: Google is using AI to guess your age based on your activity - everywhere: https://www.zdnet.com/article/not-just-youtube-google-is-using-ai-to-guess-your-age-based-on-your-activity-everywhere/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tea App promised a safe, anonymous space for women to share personal experiences with men they dated. Instead, it leaked their private data.    There’s tons of inaccurate, fear mongering information about the leak out there. So in this episode, we’ll break down what happened with the Tea App leak, why it matters, and what it reveals about tech’s ongoing failure to take women’s privacy seriously.    A Second Tea Breach Reveals Users’ DMs About Abortions and Cheating: https://www.404media.co/a-second-tea-breach-reveals-users-dms-about-abortions-and-cheating/   Women Dating Safety App 'Tea' Breached, Users' IDs Posted to 4chan: https://www.404media.co/women-dating-safety-app-tea-breached-users-ids-posted-to-4chan/   Miami New Times’ longread on Girl Don’t Date Him: https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/blind-date-6335973   Tea: Inside the new app where women anonymously review men: https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/68302/1/tea-the-new-app-where-women-anonymously-review-men   'It's fun watching you burn': Man suing women for defamation actually harassed them on dating apps, defendants say: https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/its-fun-watching-you-burn-man-suing-women-for-defamation-actually-harassed-them-on-dating-apps-defendants-say/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]!    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/  tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc  youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget runs through this week's tech news you might have missed with the brilliant Dr. Titi Shodiya, co-host of the excellent podcast Dope Labs. LISTEN TO DOPE LABS! https://www.dopelabspodcast.com/ FOLLOW DR. TITI SHODIYA: https://www.instagram.com/dr_tsho/ Debate-style video roils internet after participant openly identifies as fascist: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/jubilee-debate-video-fascist-participant-roils-internet-rcna220303 Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte Macron sue right-wing podcaster Candace Owens over false claims first lady was born a man: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/french-president-emmanuel-macron-brigitte-macron-sue-candace-owens-claims-first-lady-born-man/ Trump’s order to block ‘woke’ AI in government encourages tech giants to censor their chatbots: https://apnews.com/article/trump-woke-ai-executive-order-bias-f8bc08745c1bf178f8973ac704299bf4 ICYMI TANGOTI ep: She Called a Black Child a Slur — Then Raised $700K. Kiandria Demone Is Saying ‘Not Today’: https://podcasts.apple.com/sn/podcast/she-called-a-black-child-a-slur-then-raised/id1520715907?i=1000708401994 If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember the 2010s? Ubers were cheap, Obama was president, and you could get legitimately famous just by having a lot of Twitter followers. Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, hilarious and insightful hosts of Bridget's favorite podcast Celebrity Memoir Book Club, take us back to the era when viral tweets led to real book deals — and what those memoirs reveal about Internet fame, publishing, and the culture we've created. LISTEN TO CELEBRITY MEMOIR BOOK CLUB: https://www.youtube.com/@celebritymemoirbookclub   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]!    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.   instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/    tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc    youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Epstein story won’t die and in MAGA circles, it’s becoming a problem. This episode breaks down why the conspiracy has such staying power, who’s running with it now, and what it reveals about the fractures inside the far right.   Jeffrery Epstein, MIT and the Grad Student Who Spoke Up: https://omny.fm/shows/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/jeffrery-epstein-mit-and-the-grad-student-who-spok Remember Trump’s Influencers on the Epstein Files? They’re Pissed: https://www.yahoo.com/news/remember-trump-binder-influencers-epstein-203415282.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALE2eGyVYVuUQ7Iw3XlXK-4gRnbqSdJzXZ25_u0zYLgHcdvssTEXHrj7bNMZM_tlZtpkHkqfKXtoYpqHRsbODfjex4rE0acMyK2n76_-apXRlkREXs1EVL_Dtuxy_HLmIzt0xg-1YLaphFhSffgLJNE-ckWGgjWYy6Dk9NtkGR6c The FBI's Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Had Nearly 3 Minutes Cut Out: https://www.wired.com/story/the-fbis-jeffrey-epstein-prison-video-had-nearly-3-minutes-cut-out/ These are the most significant allegations in Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre's unsealed memoir: https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-jeffrey-epstein-accuser-virginia-roberts-unsealed-memoir-2019-8 I was abused by Jeffrey Epstein. Why is Trump silencing me?: https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-victims-speak-out-silencing-l7ql9jn2b      If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2020, Target pledged to support Black creators and communities. Target spotlighted their products, and made headlines with its public commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. But now, those promises look like little more than PR spin. Black creators and vendors who once collaborated with the brand say they weren’t just abandoned — they were exploited. From one-sided partnerships to pay-to-play marketing schemes,  this episode investigates how a major corporation cashed in on the racial justice movement… and then just walked away. We speak to Kiara Imani, a former Target vendor who is one of the Black entrepreneurs  now speaking out. She was originally thrilled when a game she designed, "LikeU Cards," was included in Target's collection, only to quickly realize she was caught up in a pay-to-play scheme that was more about Target's PR than actually selling her product.  She's also an attorney and author of the book Therapy Isn’t Just For White People. She explains what went down, what she was promised versus what she actually got, and unpacks the backlash, the boycott, and why some former Target collaborators are now calling it what it really was all along: a scam. Kiara’s TikTok about Target: https://www.tiktok.com/@kiara_imani_will/video/7481347076442606894 Buy Kiara book Therapy Isn’t Just For White People: https://www.mahoganybooks.com/9781735145884 Check out LikeU cards: https://likeucards.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqCZCnuFV-4u8l9PynC9x1nNFbC0DCrVv0_IYqoRsPTvnt-FEX5 If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: Capturing The New York Times https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/capturing-the-new-york-times/id1570901784?i=1000620995068 Listen and subscribe to the new season of Afterlives spotlighting Marsha P Johnson: https://www.afterlivespod.com/ Listen to Outlaws: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-outlaws-with-ts-madison-273947965/ Joe Rogan is SHOCKED that Donald Trump, whom he helped elect, is doing the awful things he consistently said he was planning do: https://gizmodo.com/joe-rogan-feels-trump-betrayed-him-on-immigration-2000624426 Is Jeff Bezos buying the iconic fashion magazine Vogue as a gift for his new wife? Our intuition says, "maybe!": https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14878623/Jeff-Bezos-Vogue-magazine-wedding-Lauren-Sanchez.html A new Virginia law to protect privacy is causing some online stores like Walmart.com to display a pop-up that asks shoppers to surrender their privacy or else shop someplace else. Progress? https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/pop-up-on-walmart-website-warns-virginia-shoppers-about-their-sexual-health-data/3952472/ The NY Times loves helping racist villains like Christopher Rufo disingenuously smear people, even if it means breaking their own reporting standards. This time, they're helping smear NYC Mayoral candidate Mamdani: https://x.com/realchrisrufo/status/1942057201327353964 Linda Yaccarino, former CEO of X, is calling it quits. Elon gave her a frosty goodbye and took away her blue check: https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/09/xs-ad-business-improved-under-departing-ceo-linda-yaccarino-but-its-still-tough-times-ahead/ If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]! Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is behind Candace Owens’ rebrand? Bridget explains Owens’ new playbook to Anney and Sam over at the podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You.   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]!    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.   instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/    tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc    youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TikTok’s “Princess Treatment”  trend has gone viral, and so has Bridget's response. It started with creator Courtney Joelle, whose videos depict how she sits silently at restaurants while her husband orders for her, speaks for her, and calls it “being a princess.” Millions of views later, Bridget wonders: is this soft girl femininity… or something more dangerous? Check out Bridget’s viral TikTok response, which got SO MANY MORE VIEWS than her other videos, even though those other videos take WAY longer to produce. It's clear what the algorithm wants! https://www.tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc/video/7520108357177330975 If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected] Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week. instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Welcome to #SkinnyTok — a corner of TikTok where extreme thinness is framed as “discipline,” wellness becomes control, and disordered eating is dressed up as aesthetic. Even though TikTok banned the hashtag and popular creators like Liv Schmidt , the content hasn’t disappeared,  it’s just gotten harder to spot. In this episode, journalist Kat Tenbarge joins us to unpack how TikTok’s design glorifies harmful beauty standards and quietly funnels users — especially women and girls — toward content that can distort how we see our bodies and ourselves.  She explains why simply banning it doesn't work, and how creators are effectively pushing back to confront it head-on. Read more: Eating Disorder Content Is Infiltrating TikTok. Some Creators Are Going Viral Debunking It – by Kat Tenbarge, Wired Follow Kat’s work at Spitfire News: https://spitfirenews.com/   💜 Struggling or need support? Visit The Project HEAL     If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]!    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.   instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/    tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc    youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Bridget is joined by Producer Mike to break down the tech stories you might have missed. Weird AI-generated videos depicting Black women in racist tropes and stereotypes are suddenly showing up in our feeds. Bridget provides an update on how the videos have rapidly evolved even since Tuesday's deep-dive episode on the topic: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tiktok-minstrel-shows-are-mocking-black-women-using/id1520715907?i=1000714408197 A band that seems to have been created by AI has hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners on Spotify. Who is behind it? This rabbit hole goes deep: https://musically.com/2025/06/26/velvet-sundown-are-a-seemingly-ai-generated-band-with-325k-spotify-listeners/   RFK Jr is a reckless liar who is destroying our health system, but he'd rather talk about wearable devices: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-science-health-purge/ The man who murdered Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman seems to have used data brokers to find her address. Americans should demandA list of legal-but-sketchy brokers: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25977763-1-1/ Mattel struck a deal with OpenAI to explore fun, not at all dangerous ways to put AI in children's toys. This prototype looks particularly promising: https://www.tiktok.com/@filmsmtvofficial/video/7154710464696438043 Conspirituality podcast on MAHA: https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/259-maha-is-project-2025-trojan-horse Our TANGOTI episode about data shady brokers: https://podcasts.apple.com/ye/podcast/doxxing-101-our-personal-information-is-available-online/id1520715907?i=1000577153294 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you seen this wave of racist over the top AI generated videos featuring Black women on TikTok?  Since the release of Google’s VEO3 AI video generation platform in May, which allows users to create realistic videos from text prompts, there has been a wave of viral AI generated videos on TikTok depicting Black women using racist stereotypes and tropes.  Although the first videos were made with good intentions, their popularity has sparked copycat creators to recreate more and more extreme versions. Just like 19th-century minstrel shows reinforced a political and social climate hostile to Black people, today’s AI-driven content is being used by some to affirm a similarly hostile climate toward Black women, and prop up a political and economic system that benefits others at their expense.  Bridget studied minstrel shows in grad school, and has a lot to say about these videos that are essentially white supremacist propaganda masquerading as entertainment.  The original, not-so-bad, actually-clever video from account AI Clapback King: https://www.tiktok.com/@aiformobile/video/7512729952618286378    Conference talk about Black representation in AI, posted by AI Clapback King: https://www.tiktok.com/@aiformobile/video/7517712586712812814?_t=ZP-8xQFrwYvZqY&_r=1    EXAMPLE - Increasingly violent, decreasingly funny iteration of the original Karen video: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubbabubbablast400/video/7516178273047498015?_r=1&_t=ZP-8xQIaauZ0LX   EXAMPLE  - Big Foot (2 million views): https://www.tiktok.com/@femalebigfoot/video/7514190146695154987?_r=1&_t=ZP-8xQUzlvCtqQ    EXAMPLE - Slave Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cottonvlogsss/video/7514846240031444254?_r=1&_t=ZP-8xQV5CnNAQI    If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]!    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media! Many vids each week.   instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/    tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc    youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dating apps aren’t broken; they’re working exactly as designed. And for Black women, that’s a problem. In this season premiere of IRL: Online Life is Real Life, host Bridget dives into how dating apps reinforce harmful beauty standards rooted in whiteness, automating what researcher Dr. Apryl Williams calls “sexual racism” into the user experience. This is the first episode in a four-part series from Mozilla and PRX exploring how tech shapes our most personal decisions. Subscribe now to catch every episode: irlpodcast.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 2010s, MoviePass became a cultural phenomenon, but behind the viral success was Stacy Spikes, a Black entrepreneur and visionary who co-founded the company. Then, he was pushed out. But today, he’s back in charge. Stacy joins Bridget to talk about the rise and fall of MoviePass, the power of culture and human creativity, what it was like to be sidelined from his creation, and the rare second chance to take back the company he built from the ground up. Stacy Spikes is an award-winning entrepreneur and inventor who USA Today named one of the 21 most influential Black professionals in technology. He is the co-founder and CEO of the viral phenomenon MoviePass, now the subject of the HBO documentary MoviePass, MovieCrash. He is also the founder of Urbanworld, the largest international festival dedicated to nurturing Women and Diverse filmmakers.    Stacy's critically acclaimed memoir: Black Founder, The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider On Reddit, read Stacy's forum: Ask Me Anything   If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email us at [email protected]   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI!    instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/    tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc    youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Bridget is joined by very special guest Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, to break down the tech stories you might have missed — from disappearing tech bros to billion-dollar AI fails. What Side Are the ‘All-In Pod’ Bros On? https://gizmodo.com/what-side-are-the-all-in-pod-bros-on-2000613146 Senators Demand Meta Answer For AI Chatbots Posing as Licensed Therapists: https://www.404media.co/senators-letter-demand-meta-answer-for-ai-chatbots-posing-as-licensed-therapists/ When billion-dollar AIs break down over puzzles a child can do, it’s time to rethink the hype: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/10/billion-dollar-ai-puzzle-break-down X’s Sales Pitch: Give Us Your Ad Business or We’ll Sue: https://www.wsj.com/business/media/x-twitter-ad-revenue-campaign-lawsuit-a882b5c6?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAimcjU5eU89AMytxSvmFp6PmZhcNpON86osFJupKMQnziyRXOKarL8dMFshDFo%3D&gaa_ts=684c8c2f&gaa_sig=E3KGTOGP-dVC0729K2mM6iwMRj0nLkS5829g4j-aRhDBSGRZxOZmd9Q5yCDlJgb05XH2MlQQUGjrWvXsAf2Y3Q%3D%3D FanDuel bans bettor over heckling incident with Olympic champion sprinter Gabby Thomas: https://www.mankatofreepress.com/ap/sports/fanduel-bans-bettor-over-heckling-incident-with-olympic-champion-sprinter-gabby-thomas/article_b258ffa7-34e0-5f2c-966f-eceb36d2ef1a.html 🎧 Listen to Better Offline: betteroffline.com 📰 Subscribe to Ed's newsletter "Where’s Your Ed At?": wheresyoured.at 📱 Follow Bridget + TANGOTI: IG: @BridgetMarieInDC TikTok: @BridgetMarieInDCYouTube: There Are No Girls on the Internet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're not just a tech podcast; we're a tech & culture podcast. So today, we’re revisiting the charming and prescient 1999 Disney Channel Original movie Smart House. Directed by the multi-talented Levar Burton, it explores the role of smart home technology on a suburban family from a time when that technology was pure science fiction. It's not only a fun movie, but underneath its G-rated Disney veneer is a movie that has a lot to say about gender, relationships, labor, and the human experience. A major part of the movie is the kids' grappling with the loss of their mother, which hits home for Bridget at this time in her own life.    Bridget recaps the film with Producer Mike to explore what it gets right, what it gets wrong, and what it’s trying to say about technology and the people who use it.    Do you like film recap episodes like this? Should we do more of them? Should we never do another? Please let us know what you think, and send movie suggestions! If you’re listening on Spotify, you can leave a comment there or email  [email protected]    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI!   instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/   tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc   youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coco Hill Productions’ new podcast, Our Ancestors Were Messy, might be my favorite new pod of the year, perfect for avoiding the heavy news cycle!   LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE: https://thesecretadventuresofblackpeople.com/our-ancestors-were-messy   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Musk started working with Trump last year, we all knew it was only a matter of time before they had a big, messy, public split-up. We waited and we waited. Dear listener, the day has arrived. Today, June 5th, 2025, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have spent the day tearing each other apart on social media. It has been personal and it has been viscius, with all the drama of a big celebrity break-up or a Real Housewives reunion. So at the last minute, we decided to skip our regularly-scheduled News Roundup, and instead do an emergency episode about this extraordinary turn of events. Bridget and Producer Mike recap how the Musk-Trump bromance got started, how it unravelled so spectacularly over the past couple days, and what this fight between billionaires really means for the future of Democracy in America. It’s been grim times for folks on the left, and I think we’ve all earned the right to kick back and enjoy the drama as these two dangerous narcissists try to destroy each other. MUST READ: Ronan Farrow’s 2023 piece about Elon Musk’s singular power over the U.S. government: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/28/elon-musks-shadow-rule As a young ghoul in college, Stephen Miller was morally offended by the idea of giving a janitor a birthday present: https://www.newsweek.com/stephen-miller-trump-white-house-aide-essays-op-eds-duke-774534 Video of college-age Stephen Miller, his undead flesh blistering in the purifying rays of the Carolina sun, declaring: “I’m sick and tired of being told to pick up my trash when we have janitors.” https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIUi1j0sbXo/?hl=en   Email us to say hi! Please, we’re lonely! [email protected]   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI! IG: instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ TikTok: tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc Youtube: youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Culture has always had the power to move people. To shift narratives. To shape politics. Which is why when Bridget heard that one of Trump’s first moves after taking office was to take over the Kennedy Center — Washington D.C.'s premiere venue for performing arts — she had questions. Why would Trump care about a cultural institution best known for theater, music, and the arts? If you ask Carri Twigg — co-founder of Culture House Media, co-host of Twig and Jenkins, and a former member of President Biden’s Advisory Committee on the Arts that oversees the Kennedy Center — the answer is: a lot. In her Rolling Stone piece, "Trump’s Cultural Power Grab: Why His Kennedy Center Takeover Matters," Carri breaks down just how influential culture is — not just in politics, but in shaping hearts, minds, and futures. In this fascinating interview, Bridget and Carri talk about the enduring importance of cultural power, and how the left can reclaim culture as a force for justice and progress.  Read Carri's article in Rolling Stone: www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/trump-kennedy-center-cultural-power-grab-1235268600/  Subscribe to Carri's Substack: substack.com/@carritwigg  Follow Carri on Instagram: instagram.com/carritwigg/    Follow Bridget and TANGOTI!   instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/   tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc   youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget recaps the week in tech news with guest co-host Sammy Kanter, founder of newsletter Girl and the Gov ®, Instagram creator, and communications specialist. Can you sue someone for stealing your vibe? https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/influencer-accuses-creator-of-copying-minimalist-grey-aesthetic Software company "RealPage" helps landlords coordinate to keep rents high. We're not fans! But apparently House Republicans are. https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/23/24226885/doj-realpage-antitrust-lawsuit-rent-fixing-software Police are using a database of license plates from software company 'Flock' to conduct warrantless searches across the company, including a Texas sheriff who tracked a woman for having an abortion. https://www.404media.co/license-plate-reader-company-flock-is-building-a-massive-people-lookup-tool-leak-shows/ South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace directed former staffers to create burner social media accounts to defend her online, and commands a bot army from her couch. https://www.wired.com/story/nancy-mace-former-staff-burner-accounts/ Let us know what you think! Email us at [email protected]   Follow Sammy on social, and book time with her to pick her brain on all things comms and PR!  Newsletters: https://tinyurl.com/mr4ytp5k TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/ycyzrb56 IG: https://tinyurl.com/5c4y9pnf Office Hours Booking Link: https://tinyurl.com/5cabdv4e Additional Consulting Offerings: https://tinyurl.com/mr2j5ejp   Follow Bridget and TANGOTI!  IG: @BridgetMarieInDC   TikTok: @BridgetMarieInDC   YouTube: ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Diddy trial isn’t just playing out in court—it’s being weaponized online. In this episode, Bridget exposes how content creators and AI-generated narratives are distorting facts, feeding conspiracies, reinforcing stereotypes, and turning real allegations into viral fan fiction clickbait.  This isn’t just about Diddy. It’s about the future of truth online.   Thanks for listening! Please help us grow by sharing the podcast with a friend.  Let us know what you think via email at [email protected] ! Follow us on Social: IG@BridgetMarieInDC; TikTok@BridgetMarieInDC; YT@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget recaps the week in tech news with friend of the pod Francesca Fiorentini, journalist and host of the hilariously smart podcast The Bitchuation Room. Podcast megastar and staunch Trump supporter Theo Von made headlines for a post calling what's happening in Gaza genocide:  https://www.newsweek.com/theo-von-gaza-video-donald-trump-middle-east-2075637 Congress's budget bill prohibits states from regulating AI: https://www.techpolicy.press/us-house-passes-10year-moratorium-on-state-ai-laws/ Elon Musk built an emissions-spewing gas power plant in the middle of a Black neighborhood: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/19/climate/xai-musk-memphis-turbines-pollution Back in 2020, Verizon was a vocal supporter of DEI, but now they've dropped all DEI policies to please their new Trumpian overlords:  https://www.npr.org/2025/05/19/nx-s1-5402863/verizon-fcc-frontier-dei-trump The Chicago Sun-Tribune published a list of summer books. It was generated by AI and most of the books are fake. Oops! https://www.404media.co/chicago-sun-times-prints-ai-generated-summer-reading-list-with-books-that-dont-exist/   Follow Francesca Fiorentini: https://www.instagram.com/franifio Listen to The Bitchuation Room: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bitchuation-room/id1438285775   Follow TANGOTI: IG @BridgetMarieInDC  TikTok @BridgetMarieInDC  YouTube: ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When news broke that Trump’s senior military leadership had used an unsecured group chat to share sensitive information, the consequences were more than political—they were personal. For Kendall Brown, content creator, digital strategist, and a military spouse, the scandal known as SignalGate hit home: her husband’s life was directly endangered by the breach in protocol. Outraged, Kendall recorded a video of herself calling her senator’s office and demanding accountability. The clip went viral, drawing major media attention—and a wave of backlash. But while the threats and hate came in fast, Kendall, known for her sharp wit and thick skin, was more irritated by how unoriginal and not funny the trolls were. In this candid and surprisingly funny conversation with Bridget, Kendall shares what it’s like to live with the real-life consequences of political negligence. They dive into her experience as a military spouse, the realities of online activism, and what many get wrong about military families.   Follow Kendall on TikTok: @kendallybrownRead more: Military Wife Rips Hegseth for Risking ‘Husband’s Life’ in Viral Video – The Daily Beast   Follow Bridget across the internet: IG @BridgetMarieInDC   TikTok @BridgetMarieInDC   YouTube: ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First news roundup of the new season! This week, guest co-host Cristen Conger joins us for a wild ride through this week's headlines in tech, media, and pop culture.  Distinguished Professor and Black woman Alondra Nelson resigns from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council. Read her inspiring resignation statement: https://time.com/7285045/resigning-national-science-foundation-library-congress/  Kanye West drops a pro-nazi song that's all over Instagram, and Meta thinks that's ok: https://www.404media.co/kanyes-nazi-song-is-all-over-instagram/ Elon Musk's X (twitter) AI is being used to create non-consensual, undressed images of women who post on the platform: https://www.pcmag.com/news/gross-elon-musks-grok-ai-will-undress-photos-of-women-on-x-if-you-ask Meanwhile, Elizabeth Holmes is back! Her husband founded a new startup that sounds an awful lot like Theranos 2.0 (now with 200% more body fluids!):  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/business/elizabeth-holmes-partner-blood-testing-startup.html Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) wants to ban all porn: https://gizmodo.com/gop-senator-introduces-bill-to-make-all-porn-a-federal-crime-following-project-2025-playbook-2000600994 What’s your song of the summer? Let us know! Email us at [email protected] https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/g64759704/song-of-summer-2025   Follow Cristen Conger: Instagram @cristenconger Unladylike Podcast: https://www.unladylike.co/   Follow TANGOTI:  IG @BridgetMarieInDC   TikTok @BridgetMarieInDC   YouTube: ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Season 5 of There Are No Girls on the Internet   We're kicking things off with a powerful and timely conversation. Bridget speaks with activist, entrepreneur and creator Kiandria Demone, the visionary behind the viral #SquareUpForJustice campaign. After a white woman in Minnesota hurled a racial slur at a 5-year-old Black child and then raised nearly $1 million online, Kiandria stepped up to challenge the systems that made it possible. Her campaign holds payment platforms accountable for enabling and profiting from hate. In this episode, Kiandria explains why this isn’t just a race issue—it’s a tech accountability issue. She shares how her digital activism is helping expose and shut down racist profiteering, and what it means to find strength in online communities during heavy times. . .  Support Kiandria’s campaign: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-5n3WUw13NYEe6VVOh03x8goGZb9fd_04nERHz4vzaI/edit?tab=t.0 Check out the cool items in Kiandria's shop: https://femmefindsatl.com/  Follow us for original videos, infographics, and content throughout the week:Instagram: @BridgetMarieInDCTikTok: @BridgetMarieInDCYouTube: @ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet . .  Whether you’ve been listening for years or are just joining us, thank you for spending your time with us. We’d love to hear what you think—email us at [email protected]. New this season: We’re releasing two episodes each week—feature interviews on Tuesdays and tech news roundups on Fridays. Be sure to catch both. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re back—and we couldn’t be more excited. The trailer for the brand-new season of There Are No Girls On The Internet is here, and we can’t wait for you to hear what’s coming. Thank you to our amazing, loyal listeners—your support is the reason we’ve made it this far. Starting Tuesday, May 13th, we’re returning to full production with deep-dive episodes every Tuesday and tech and culture news roundups every Friday, highlighting the stories you might have missed The internet—and the world—has changed a lot over the past year. Things can feel heavy, but we believe in finding light in the dark. Join Bridget and the There Are No Girls On The Internet community as we explore what’s next for tech, culture, and the voices too often left out of the conversation. The new season begins Tuesday, May 13th. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss an episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an episode from the podcast TED Tech, hosted by Sherrel Dorsey. We're sharing it with TANGOTI listeners as part of a feed swap with them, exchanging two episodes that address similar topics but land in very different places. We hope you enjoy it.  What if AI could bring the past to life? In this episode from the podcast TED Tech, host Sherrell Dorsey shares a talk from cartoonist Amy Kurzweil about how she helped train an AI chatbot on her late grandfather’s archives, allowing her to connect with a family member she never met — and discover family history she never knew. Backed by her own original drawings, she reveals the profound impact art and AI can have in keeping memories alive. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget revisits one of the most unexpected beefs of the 2010s: Azealia Banks vs. Elon Musk.From cryptic Instagram stories to allegations of LSD-fueled tweets, we break down Azealia banks’ contributions to culture, what really happened when she was stuck at Elon Musk’s house during the infamous Tesla “funding secured” weekend, what it reveals about Musk’s decision making, and what it means for all of us.  Rachel Sennott’s  “We’re from LA” skit: https://www.tiktok.com/@ericatthedisco/video/7131240180157009198?lang=enA Brief History of the Beef Between Azealia Banks, Elon Musk & Grimes: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/azaelia-banks-musk-grimes-beef-timeline See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researcher and journalist Molly Conger’s new podcast Weird Little Guys uncovers the worst people you’ve never heard of, how they’re trying to take over our country, and what it all means.   LISTEN TO WEIRD LITTLE GUYS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weird-little-guys/id1760218611 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget is hard at work on the new season of TANGOTI, launching in May! Stay tuned for more info, and more pre-launch drops here in the feed!   In the meantime, Bridget went on Stuff Mom Never Told You to talk about how shameless big companies like Walmart and Target abandoned their diversity and inclusion commitments in a misguided attempt to satisfy MAGA blowhards (spoiler: it will not satisfy them). Now customers are calling for a national, general, buy-nothing boycott on Friday, Feb 28. Bridget breaks it all down, and explains why she'll be joining the boycott and why she thinks you should, too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Drunk Elephant the new Barbie? Skincare is at the top of the holiday wish list for tweens, even though there’s no need for it. And social media might be part of the reason why.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's escape December's darkness with a mental vacation to some exotic travel locales. Tulum! Bali! Lisbon! Millions of people visit these popular tourist destinations, but why? Is it for personal growth and discovery, or are we just chasing social rewards by notching another iconic photo on our Instagram page? Maybe it's both!  The idea that "social media has ruined travel" gets brought up a lot by grumbly Internet curmudgeons, but is it true? Bridget took a look at what social science has to say about it and discussed what she found with Producer Mike.  Read the research article by Drs. Lauren A. Siegel, Iis Tussyadiah, and Caroline Scarles https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2022.2086451   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year Bridget hosted a roundtable on racialized disinformation attacks with three incredible experts. They talked about the long historical foundations that bad actors have built on to amplify divisions and racial divisions, and the ways tech platforms and other institutions have been used to not only perpetuate disinformation but also make record profits doing it. While marginalized people are disproportionately at risk, disinfo affects everyone. These narratives were a huge problem leading up to the election, and I'm sad to say they will remain a huge problem going forward. The roundtable was part of a video project with the great production company Exposure Labs. We're grateful to them and showrunner Josh Clark for the opportunity to be part of it, and for DCP Entertainment for making it possible.  And special thanks to the incredible panelists for sharing their prescient insight: Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor, Founder of the National Black Cultural Information Trust; Liz Lebron, Founder & President of Blue Nexus Group; and Jaya Savita Aiyer, Director of the Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network. Check out the entire Disinfo Dialogue here at DCP Entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRl4XDBfORqgbg7vB_I1JrJnrQxw-EDqg See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re back with an update about what’s been going on with Bridget, and exploring a new low for the use of AI. AI-written obituaries are using technology to compound people’s grief and run roughshod over their privacy: https://www.fastcompany.com/91162990/ai-written-obituaries-are-compounding-peoples-grief Bridget has had it with digital scammers eating away at our humanity, just so they can make a lousy buck.  She has a very special set of skills.  And this time, it's personal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An update about Bridget and the show. TLDR: We're going on hiatus for a bit while Bridget focuses on some family matters, but we'll be back with new episodes soon!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon responds to Shein and Temu threat with new low-price storefront: https://www.techspot.com/news/103565-amazon-responds-shein-temu-threat-new-low-price.html Fast fashion retailer Shein’s brand trip didn’t quite go as they planned. They sent a group of influencers to China to tour their facility after a bunch of bad press, but now those influencers are facing backlash themselves, and renouncing their partnership with Shein. The whole thing raises questions about the ethics and harm of fast fashion, as well as the influencers who shill for it. Aja Barber wrote the book on consumption. She explains why it’s about more than just Shein. Aja is the most stylish person I know! Follow her on Patreon for sustainable style insights: https://www.patreon.com/AjaBarber Check out Aja’s book Consumed: https://www.ajabarber.com/book See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to write a book, be a musician, or be a podcaster? You’d better also be a social media branding expert, too. Bridget joins writers and creatives Yvest Jeffcoat and Katie Mitchell from the podcast On Theme to dive into why social media has turned everyone into personal branding experts and why it can sometimes be so exhausting.  Everyone’s a sellout now: https://www.vox.com/culture/2024/2/1/24056883/tiktok-self-promotion-artist-career-how-to-build-following LISTEN TO YVES AND KATIE'S PODCAST ON THEME: https://www.ontheme.show/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the Deal With ‘Hawk Tuah’ Girl? https://www.thecut.com/article/hawk-tuah-girl-viral-tiktok-video-explained.html  Exposing Cheaters Isn’t Always a Flex https://www.thecut.com/article/man-cheating-on-flight-tiktok.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Georgia Congressman Mike Collins tweeted in support of frat guys harassing a Black woman with racist tropes… nothing really happened. Popular Information's Judd Legum explores why we need better stories about our democracy, the intersection of media complacency with corporate money, and what's at stake. UPDATE: Congressman Collins feels the heat: https://popular.info/p/update-congressman-collins-feels See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Friend of the show Abbie Richards explains why low effort AI generated conspiracy theory content is all over TikTok right now and who is profiting from it.  With TikTok creator program, AI-sped misinformation pays: https://www.axios.com/2024/03/26/tik-tok-creator-program-ai-misinformation Follow Abbie Richards on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tofology See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If a tree falls in the garden where a woman enjoys drinking coffee with her husband and no one’s there to hear it, should the Internet harass her anyway? In 2022, Daisey sent one innocuous tweet that launched a thousand takes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Pride Month, which is a great time to be thinking about the LGBTQ people who have been beacons of the vastness of what is possible for our communities. In this episode, Bridget highlights the incredible achievements of Lynn Conway, a trans woman who invented a lot of the tech we take for granted today. Despite a successful track record at IBM, her contributions were credited to others for almost 50 years until IBM formally apologized and recognized her in 2020. She was a bad ass innovator, and a pioneer for trans people trying to navigate a hostile world. She passed away this week at the age of 86, but her legacy and many contributions will be with us forever.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2024 isn’t just an election year, it’s THE election year, with almost half the global population voting in elections this year. And unfortunately women leaders and candidates are facing identity based attacks just for wanting to serve their communities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Outspoken Network’s new pod But We Loved: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-but-we-loved-174494262/ Listen to Joey’s take on Bottoms on Stuff Mom Never Told You: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-mom-never-told-you-21123631/episode/feminist-movie-friday-bottoms-183565696/ Israel Secretly Targeted American Lawmakers With Gaza War Influence Campaign: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-06-05/ty-article-magazine/.premium/israel-secretly-targeted-american-lawmakers-with-gaza-war-influence-campaign/0000018f-e7c8-d11f-a5cf-e7cb62af0000  Key misinformation “superspreaders” on Twitter:  Women in their late 50s:  https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/key-misinformation-superspreaders-on-twitter-older-women/ Lesbian app to ‘use facial recognition technology’ to identify and exclude trans users https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/06/03/lesbian-app-facial-recognition-technology-trans/ FBI Raids Corporate Landlord in Major Rent Price-Fixing Probe: https://www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/fbi-raids-corporate-landlord-in-major-rent-price-fixing-probe/  Court Allows K-Pop Group to Subpoena YouTuber's Identity from Google: https://www.404media.co/newjeans-kpop-google-youtube-lawsuit/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grant program for Black women business owners is discriminatory, appeals court rules: https://www.npr.org/2024/06/03/g-s1-2649/fearless-fund-grant-program-appeal-ruling Fearless Fund is a Black woman-led venture capital firm that offers investment, financial support, and mentorship to Black women-owned businesses.  But they are under attack for providing support for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs. Edward Blum, the professional hater at the heart of the Supreme Court’s legal challenge of affirmative action, is suing them for what he says is racial discrimination. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi There Are No Girls On The Internet Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of our newest show Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) About the show: Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) is a weekly show from Jamie Loftus that takes a closer look at the internet’s main characters – one part reported, one part interviews, and one part Jamie collapsing her permanently internet-damaged brain. Whether it’s an enduring meme or a dreaded Character of the Day distinction, it’s the kind of notoriety that often results in little money, unwarranted attention, and a confusing blurred line of consent. What do you do when you get more attention and judgement than any one person is built to handle? The Sixteenth Minute of Fame is the place where we figure that out, putting people in the context of the moment they've been frozen inside of. Listen here and subscribe to Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HE’S GUILTY song of the summer by Mad McFadden: https://www.tiktok.com/@madmcferrin/video/7374903247653326122 'All Eyes on Rafah' image shared by millions on Instagram following Israeli airstrike: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/-eyes-rafah-image-shared-millions-instagram-rcna154380 Donate to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund: https://www.pcrf.net/ 'Sextortion guides' sold on social media, BBC finds: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp00y03q93mo AI image misinformation has surged, Google researchers find: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/ai-image-misinformation-surged-google-research-finds-rcna154333 UK mother of boy who killed himself seeks right to access his social media: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/29/uk-mother-boy-who-killed-himself-social-media-access  Sometimes to save the internet, you must eat glue: https://www.businessinsider.com/google-search-ai-overview-answers-pizza-glue-fix-2024-5  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival that left 10 dead and hundreds injured and traumatized, the rapper announced a “partnership” to provide a free month of therapy through the app BetterHelp, which is basically the Tinder of therapy.  Jeff Guenthr, creator of Therapy Den, has been using his platform on TikTok to shed light on BetterHelp’s practices when it comes to data privacy and the way therapists are treated. Jeff joins Bridget and producer Dr. Michael Amato to talk about why this “partnership” feels so wrong in the wake of the tragedy. Check out Therapy Den: https://www.therapyden.com/ Jeff’s therapy TikToks get millions of views: https://www.tiktok.com/@therapyden/video/7007091547917372677?lang=en See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spike Jonze’s 2013 movie Her is in the tech zeitgeist. Have tech leaders watched the whole thing?  Brian Merchant’s piece on Her and Open AI is a must read: https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/why-is-sam-altman-so-obsessed-with?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Bridget rocking Google Glass in 2013: https://www.instagram.com/p/Z1xL1OHw-Z/?igsh=MTR0OXU5aGV2Z3V3NA%3D%3D Listen to our summary of the Open AI Scarlett Johansson controversy here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scarlett-johanssons-open-ai-voice-fight-shows-the/id1520715907?i=1000656338161 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scarlett Johansson says Open AI ripped off her voice for their ChatGPT4.0 even after she said no. No means no, Sam Altman!  Here’s what their behavior says about consent in tech. Scarlett Johansson Says OpenAI Ripped Off Her Voice for ChatGPT: https://www.wired.com/story/scarlett-johansson-says-openai-ripped-off-her-voice-for-chatgpt/ AI Art and the Problem of Consent https://artreview.com/ai-art-and-the-problem-of-consent/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The weekly news roundup is back! Bridget’s piece on Elizabeth Holmes’ hair: https://www.instyle.com/hair/elizabeth-holmes-white-privilege-messy-hair Zuck's new style was on full display at his birthday: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/rapper-swag-zuck-gone-too-085234346.html #Blockout2024: Why people are blocking celebrities on social media: https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-blockout-2024-celebrity-met-gala About 800,000 BetterHelp online therapy customers receive refund notices for privacy violations: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/betterhelp-online-therapy-customers-receive-refunds-over-data-misuse-rcna151546 On Instagram, a Jewelry Ad Draws Solicitations for Sex With a 5-Year-Old: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/13/us/instagram-child-safety.html Women no longer have to make the first move on Bumble. Will it make the app better? https://www.npr.org/2024/05/06/1249296671/bumble-dating-apps-women-opening-moves Bumble apologizes for its mean anti-celibacy ad fumble: https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/14/24156746/bumble-dating-app-anti-celibacy-billboard-ad-apology  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kate Taylor’s reporting led to HBO’s new documentary Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion. She joins Bridget to discuss what Brandy Mellville’s rise says about social media, girlhood, and exploitation, and what it means for the rest of us.   Read Kate’s piece (all of her pieces are dope) https://www.businessinsider.com/brandy-melville-teen-fast-fashion-racism-exploitation-hitler-marsan-2021-9  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Campuses are canceling and shrinking graduation ceremonies after waves of student protests. The protests have also triggered a wave of harassment, doxxing, and online harm. Caroline and Sam, digital security and privacy experts with Convocation Research and Design, share some shocking facts and thought provoking perspectives about state surveillance during the protests.  They also describe steps people can take to help protect their own privacy and safety.  Follow Convocation Research and Design’s work: https://convocation.design/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More and more workers are unionizing across the country.  Metalhead and labor journalist Kim Kelly on the exciting new wave of unionization and what it means. Follow Kim Kelly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrimKim Check out Kim’s new book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fight-Like-Hell/Kim-Kelly/9781982171056 Join our newsletter: Tangoti.com/newsletter And you can follow our very own iHeart Podcast Union on Twitter: https://twitter.com/iheartpodunion  And instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iheartpodunion/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even if you’ve never seen Lenna Forsén’s image, you know it, because an image of the Swedish former model went on to be one the most important images in internet history.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don’t freak out! You can still use TikTok for the time being. But here’s where we could be headed. Here's what TikTok's anticipated court challenge could look like: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/26/tiktok-congress-legal-00154688  Alleged pro-Palestinian bias was part of the argument used to justify banning TikTok, but that argument doesn't make a lot of sense: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/13/tiktok-facebook-instagram-gaza-hastags/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A hologram of the late Whitney Houston is doing a residency in Las Vegas.  Spirituality writer Brooke Obie asks what this means about celebrity, greif, and technology.  Read Brooke's piece The Zombification of Whitney Houston: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/11/10725817/whitney-houston-hologram-tour Read Deepfakes, dead relatives and digital resurrection: https://theface.com/society/deepfakes-dead-relatives-deep-nostalgia-ai-digital-resurrection-kim-kardashian-rob-kardashian-grief-privacy Al Sharpton Boycott flyer: https://preview.redd.it/a8fqafdn1yw31.jpg?auto=webp&s=372160136dda8598d3d621dbee936e5b3d31602c Want to support the show? (thank you!) Subscribe, tell a friend, or buy some merch at There Are No Girls on the Internet’s store: TANGOTI.COM/STORE Join our newsletter: Tangoti.com/newsletter  Say hello at [email protected]   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extremists like Chris Rufo are setting their sites on NPR, and the New York Times is helping them do it. Again. The Real Story Behind NPR’s Current Problems: https://slate.com/business/2024/04/npr-diversity-public-broadcasting-radio.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Evan Rachel Wood’s documentary Phoenix Rising paints a horrifying picture of abuse she experienced by Brian Warner, also known as Marylin Manson.  Bridget joins Sam and Anney at the podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You to talk through why it’s also a tech accountability issue.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Romeo & Juliet theatre star suffers ‘barrage’ of online racial abuse: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/05/romeo-juliet-theatre-star-suffers-barrage-of-online-racial-abuse Tom Holland Urged to Speak Out After Nearly 900 Black Actors Condemn Racial Abuse of Romeo & Juliet Star Francesca Amewudah-Rivers: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/tom-holland-racial-abuse-romeo-and-juliet-francesca-amewudah-rivers ‘AI Instagram Influencers’ Are Deepfaking Their Faces Onto Real Women’s Bodies: https://www.404media.co/ai-influencers-are-deepfaking-their-faces-onto-real-womens-bodies/  Instagram to Blur Out Nude Images Sent to Teens in DMs: https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/instagram-nudes-teens-dms-1235967659/ Content creators ask Meta to reverse politics limits on Instagram, Threads: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/10/politics-instagram-threads-limits/  How to opt into political content on IG (from Verge): https://www.theverge.com/24117988/threads-instagram-politics-how-to Actors Are Making Thousands of Dollars Through Fake Video Podcast Ads: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-04-11/actors-are-making-thousands-of-dollars-through-fake-video-podcast-ads?embedded-checkout=true  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wonder why Google results are getting worse, or why you aren't seeing your friends on Instagram? It's all because of the growth-at-all-costs economy that's swallowed the tech industry, where the user experience takes a back seat to monetizing every interaction with the platforms you used to love. Ed Zitron is joined by Cool Zone Media's Robert Evans to walk you through the economic theory that's destroying the tech industry from within. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Latino immigrant workers died on the Baltimore bridge. More will likely rebuild it: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/04/business/immigrant-workers-baltimore-bridge/index.html Baltimore mayor faces racist attacks after bridge collapse: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/04/business/immigrant-workers-baltimore-bridge/index.html Amazon’s cashier-less technology was supposed to revolutionize grocery shopping. It’s been a flop: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/03/business/amazons-self-checkout-technology-grocery-flop/index.html California introduces 'right to disconnect' bill that would allow employees to possibly relax: https://www.engadget.com/california-introduces-right-to-disconnect-bill-that-would-allow-employees-to-possibly-relax-151705072.html Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Stevie Wonder, Dozens More Call on AI Developers to Respect Artists’ Rights: https://variety.com/2024/music/news/billie-eilish-nicki-minaj-ai-respect-artists-rights-1235957451 Researchers uncover ‘pornification’ trend among female streamers on Twitch: https://www.psypost.org/researchers-uncover-pornification-trend-among-female-streamers-on-twitch/#google_vignette Twitch bans turning butts and boobs into green screens: https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/27/24113838/twitch-community-update-body-part-screens-morgpie See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Previously on TANGOTI...    This is part two of our two-part look at Dr. Andrew Huberman.  If you haven’t listened to part 1, you will definitely need to dip into that episode to have the context.  To recap, Andrew Huberman is a very famous, popular podcaster and neuroscientist who has been giving guidance to millions on how to hack their lives.  New York Mag just published a piece with the stories of 6 women in his life who allege that he mistreated them, and also looking into some of his questionable science and ethical practices, like endorsing dubious supplements.  I’m joined by my producer Mike, who is also a scientist, to get into why we’re so quick to build flawed people up into gurus.   Andrew Huberman’s Mechanisms of Control The private and public seductions of the world’s biggest pop neuroscientist. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/andrew-huberman-podcast-stanford-joe-rogan.html Andrew Huberman Has Supplements on the Brain: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/andrew-huberman-has-bad-case-supplement-brain So, Should You Trust Andrew Huberman? https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/andrew-huberman-huberman-lab-health-advice-podcast-debunk.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Huberman is having a rough one after New York Mag published a long read looking into his personal and professional life. Andrew Huberman’s Mechanisms of Control The private and public seductions of the world’s biggest pop neuroscientist. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/andrew-huberman-podcast-stanford-joe-rogan.html Andrew Huberman Has Supplements on the Brain: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/andrew-huberman-has-bad-case-supplement-brain So, Should You Trust Andrew Huberman? https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/andrew-huberman-huberman-lab-health-advice-podcast-debunk.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WE RECORDED OUR UPDATE ON KATE MIDDLETON BEFORE THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED NEWS THAT SHE HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. READ MORE ABOUT THAT HERE: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/22/world/princess-kate-middleton-cancer Staff at clinic where Kate had surgery ‘tried to access her medical records’ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/19/inquiry-reportedly-begins-after-claims-clinic-staff-tried-to-access-princess-of-waless-records  TMZ’s Kate video: https://www.tmz.com/2024/03/18/kate-middleton-seen-new-video-windsor-farm-shop-prince-william/ Users say Glassdoor added real names to user profiles without their consent: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/20/glassdoor-added-real-names-profiles-without-consent/ A third of Bumble’s Texas workforce moved after state passed restrictive ‘Heartbeat Act’ abortion bill: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/08/bumble-lost-a-third-of-its-texas-workforce-after-state-passed-restrictive-heartbeat-act-abortion-bill/  Washington Post report: Women are getting off birth control amid misinformation explosion https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/21/stopping-birth-control-misinformation/  AI Marilyn Monroe Marks Another Step Forward In Extending Celebrity Brand Value Beyond The Grave: https://deadline.com/2024/03/ai-marilyn-monroe-marks-another-step-forward-in-extending-celebrity-brands-1235850875/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where is Kate Middleton? https://www.vox.com/culture/24087565/princess-kate-middleton-disappearance-rumors-explained-abdominal-surgery-kensington-palace The Kate Middleton photo scandal is a rare — and consequential — flub / A wave of wire services retracting a doctored image of the Princess of Wales and her kids set off a firestorm of conspiracy theories: https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/12/24098548/kate-middleton-royal-family-photoshop-manipulated-image The edited Princess Kate photo probably wasn't made with AI: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/kate-middleton-photo-ai-image-photoshop-edit-rcna142799 Kate Middleton and the End of Shared Reality (paywalled): https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/03/kate-middleton-mothers-day-photo-fake/677718/ The Royal Family’s Kate Middleton Crisis Her disappearance isn’t just a tabloid sensation. It’s a sign of the monarchy’s deepening instability: https://www.thecut.com/article/where-is-kate-middleton-catherine-princess-of-wales-royal-family-crisis.html Women Who Break the Glass Ceiling Get a “Paper Cut”: Gender, Fame, and Media Sentiment: https://academic.oup.com/socpro/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/socpro/spac020/6563163?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Biden said he would sign legislation into law banning TikTok if congress passes it. TikTok is one step closer to being banned in the United States after the legislation unanimously passed a big vote last week.  Popular TikToker and misinformation researcher Abbie Richards and I discussed what a ban would mean for marginalized communities.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What fake images of Trump with Black voters tell us about AI disinformation: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/06/what-fake-images-trump-with-black-voters-tell-us-about-ai-disinformation/ A bill that could lead to a TikTok ban is gaining momentum in Congress. Here's what to know: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok-ban-congress-bill-bytedance-divest/ TikToker and disinfo expert Abbie Richards on why banning TikTok would harm marginalized communities: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banning-tiktok-would-hurt-marginalized-communities/id1520715907?i=1000606352152 Elon Musk switched on X calling by default: Here’s how to switch it off: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/04/elon-musk-x-twitter-calling-privacy-switch-off/ AOC’s Plan to End Deepfake Porn: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/aoc-deepfakes-defiance-act-1234979373/ CBS Sued by ‘SEAL Team’ Scribe Over Alleged Racial Quotas for Hiring Writers: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/cbs-studios-paramount-reverse-discrimination-lawsuit-racial-quotas-1235842493/ Writers Sound Off About Litigious ‘SEAL Team’ Staffer Who Claims He Lost Gig Because He Was White & Male: https://deadline.com/2024/03/writers-reaction-seal-team-staffer-brian-beneker-lawsuit-discrimination-1235846195/ Thanks to the listener who helped get this obituary of Shafiqah Hudson published in the New York Times (if that listener is you - please reach out to me!): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/us/shafiqah-hudson-dead.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special International Women’s Day episode, Bridget reflects on what honoring women means and talks to NBC’s Ali Vitali about why we haven’t seen a woman in the White House...yet.  Check out Ali’s great book,  Electable: Why America Hasn't Put a Woman in the White House . . . YET: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/electable-ali-vitali?variant=40087982473250 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The less-than-magical Willy Wonka event, briefly explained: https://www.vox.com/technology/2024/2/28/24086217/willy-wonka-glasgow-scotland Why Google's 'woke' AI problem won't be an easy fix: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68412620 Black Nazis? A woman pope? That’s just the start of Google’s AI problem: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2024/2/28/24083814/google-gemini-ai-bias-ethics Tumblr CEO's public 'meltdown' is mocked, memed by users: https://mashable.com/article/tumblr-transphobia-matt-mullenweg X quietly revived anti-misgendering policy that Musk dropped last year: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/02/x-quietly-revived-anti-misgendering-policy-that-musk-dropped-last-year/ He's America's Favorite Librarian — And He's Just Getting Started Spreading 'Library Joy': https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mychal-threets-america-favorite-librarian-tiktok_n_65ab2fe8e4b00bbb446f3f7d Wendy's says it won't use surge pricing for burgers after announcing 'dynamic pricing.' What's the difference between the 2?: https://news.yahoo.com/wendys-says-it-wont-use-surge-pricing-for-burgers-after-announcing-dynamic-pricing-whats-the-difference-between-the-2-175039236.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s Why Everyone’s Watching the ‘Who TF Did I Marry?’ Series on TikTok: https://www.glamour.com/story/heres-why-everyones-watching-the-who-tf-did-i-marry-series-on-tiktok A Marketplace of Girl Influencers Managed by Moms and Stalked by Men: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/22/us/instagram-child-influencers.html Nex Benedict: Everything We Know About 16-Year-Old Oklahoma Student’s Death: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nex-benedict-everything-we-know-about-16-year-old-oklahoma-students-death Schumer, LGBTQ+ advocates back updated kids online safety bill: https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4469721-schumer-backs-updated-kids-online-safety-bill/  Don’t Fall for the Latest Changes to the Dangerous Kids Online Safety Act: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act Joey on Stuff Mom Never Told You breaking down Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA): https://omny.fm/shows/stuff-mom-never-told-you/what-is-kosa-and-why-is-it-so-scary Bobbi Althoff deepfake spotlights X’s role as a top source of AI porn: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/22/x-twitter-bobbi-althoff-deepfake-porn-viral/  How Ghana's Labour Act helped laid-off Twitter Africa staff to secure compensation: https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/How-Ghana-s-Labour-Act-helped-laid-off-Twitter-Africa-staff-to-secure-compensation-1917450 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shafiqah Hudson made the internet better for all of us. In honor of her brilliant life cut tragically short, we’re replaying our conversation from 2020. After Shafiqah Hudson uncovered bad actors pretending to be Black women on Twitter, spreading disinformation and discord, she sounded the alarm to Twitter officials. Unfortunately, they ignored her. So she created the hashtag #YourSlipIsShowing to help stamp them out herself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta announces they will stop promoting "political" content, kicks the can on what "political" means. Internet shopping company Temu ran ads during the Super Bowl, but an awful lot of people claim that their app compromised their private information, and experts say it looks like malware. We don't recommend installing it! An unscrupulous anti-abortion company used geolocation data from a data broker to target people who had visited clinics with a national abortion misinformation campaign. On the streets of San Francisco strangers came together, put aside their differences, and joined forces to destroy a self-driving Waymo car. It's a news roundup!  Uber, Lyft, DoorDash drivers in the U.S. to strike on Valentine’s Day for fair pay: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/uber-lyft-doordash-drivers-us-strike-valentines-day-fair-pay-rcna138450 Temu app contains ‘most dangerous’ spyware in circulation: class action lawsuit: https://www.fashiondive.com/news/temu-class-action-lawsuit-data-collection/699328/ Would you buy this Temu purse? https://www.instagram.com/p/Crl1copvr_u/  Instagram and Threads will no longer promote ‘political’ content. No one knows what they define as ‘political’ but it's a safe bet that (Daniel Day Lewis Voice) There Will Be Bias. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/15/success/instagram-threads-political-content/index.html A data broker company tracked visits to 600 Planned Parenthood locations around the country, then sold the data to fuel an anti-abortion misinformation ad campaign, senator says: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/13/planned-parenthood-location-track-abortion-ads-00141172 Protesters Gather Outside OpenAI Headquarters: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-02-13/ai-protest-at-openai-hq-in-san-francisco-focuses-on-military-work?leadSource=reddit_wall A crowd destroyed a driverless Waymo car in San Francisco: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/11/24069251/waymo-driverless-taxi-fire-vandalized-video-san-francisco-china-town Nearly 1 in 5 Americans believe Taylor Swift is involved in an election conspiracy theory: https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/MonmouthPoll_US_021424/ Weird times for media outlets: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-weekend-essay/is-the-media-prepared-for-an-extinction-level-event  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you seen trad wife content on social media lately? Bridget joins Sam and ANney over at Stuff Mom Never Told You to break down what's behind it.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to Joey breakdown TikTok’s crisis of femininity on Stuff Mom Never Told You: https://omny.fm/shows/stuff-mom-never-told-you/tiktoks-crisis-of-femininity  A Straight Woman Walks Into a Lesbian Bar… And Generates TikTok Controversy: https://www.them.us/story/tik-tok-lesbian-bar-drama-controversy-explained Bluesky is now open for anyone to join: https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/06/bluesky-is-now-open-for-anyone-to-join/ Conservative influencers are using AI to cover up photos of sex workers: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/conservative-influencers-are-using-ai-cover-photos-sex-workers-rcna137341 Gina Carano Sues Disney Over ‘Mandalorian’ Firing In Lawsuit Funded by Elon Musk:  https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/gina-carano-sues-disney-mandalorian-firing-lawsuit-elon-musk-1235817466/ SpaceX accused of sexual harassment and discrimination in ex-workers’ suit: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/06/spacex-accused-sexual-harassment-discrimination See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If anything happens to me, talk to the Barbz.  In this episode from 2022, we talk to Kimberly Foster about being the target of Nicki Minaj’s most toxic fandom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WELCOME TO THE THE MELANINOCRACY  Get out of the way! It’s Black History Month!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Mf0X1oDHM Universal Music Group to remove songs from TikTok after failing to reach deal: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/universal-music-group-remove-songs-tiktok-rcna136506 FKA twigs says ‘all record labels ask for are TikToks’: ‘I got told off for not making enough effort’: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/fka-twigs-tiktok-instagram-label-b2082496.html  Senators use mean words to demand tech executives take action to protect kids online: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/01/31/technology/child-safety-senate-hearing These ‘toys’ are killing our kids op ed by Julie Scelfo in the Hill: https://thehill.com/opinion/4438362-these-toys-are-killing-our-kids/ Joey on Stuff Mom Never Told You breaking down Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA): https://omny.fm/shows/stuff-mom-never-told-you/what-is-kosa-and-why-is-it-so-scary FCC moves to criminalize most AI-generated robocalls: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/fcc-moves-criminalize-ai-generated-robocalls-rcna136347 Photo of Australian lawmaker digitally altered by news channel to have bigger boobs and a cropped top: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/world/australia/australia-georgie-purcell-9news-photoshop.html  RuPaul’s Drag Race star Crystal speaks out after Laurence Fox loses libel case: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/crystal-drag-queen-laurence-fox-high-court-b2487199.html   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those horrifying deep fake AI images of Taylor Swift that circulated on social media last week are a threat to all of us. It’s time for real cultural and legislative change. Check out Dr. Joy Buolamwini’s Algorithmic Justice League: https://www.ajl.org/ Listen to Dr. Joy Buolamwini’s episode: https://omny.fm/shows/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/biden-s-executive-order-on-ai-protects-privacy-and 404 Media’s reporting on Microsoft: https://www.404media.co/ai-generated-taylor-swift-porn-twitter/ Teen Marvel star speaks out about sexually explicit deepfakes: ‘Why is this allowed?’ https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/teen-marvel-star-xochitl-gomez-speaks-deepfake-rcna134753  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly Osbourne addresses infamous 2015 remarks about Latinos on 'The View': https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/kelly-osbourne-addresses-infamous-2015-remarks-latinos-view-rcna134755 Researchers Say the Deepfake Biden Robocall Was Likely Made With Tools From AI Startup ElevenLabs: https://www.wired.com/story/biden-robocall-deepfake-elevenlabs/ AI-Generated Taylor Swift Porn Went Viral on Twitter. Here's How It Got There: https://www.404media.co/ai-generated-taylor-swift-porn-twitter/ Oklahoma schools gig for Libs of TikTok founder: Does it meet state's own rules? https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2024/01/26/libs-of-tiktok-chaya-raichik-oklahoma-school-library/72361037007/ Conversion therapy content is being banned by social media companies thanks to the work of LGBTQ+ group: https://www.advocate.com/business/conversion-therapy-ban-social-media Man Jailed, Raped, and Beaten After False Facial Recognition Match, $10M Lawsuit Alleges: https://www.vice.com/en/article/3akekk/man-jailed-raped-and-beaten-after-false-facial-recognition-match-dollar10m-lawsuit-alleges Parents worry AI-generated influencers are promoting unrealistic beauty standards to kids: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/parents-worry-ai-influencers-promote-unrealistic-beauty-standards-rcna134814  AI is producing ‘fake’ Indigenous art trained on real artists’ work without permission: https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/01/19/artificial-intelligence-fake-indigenous-art-stock-images/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our last news roundup, Bridget and Mike had conflicting and surprisingly strong feelings about self checkout machines. And it turns out, listeners do, too! We got more emails about this seemingly low stakes topic than any other. Why did this touch a nerve?! We don’t know but there’s something there, and we’re here for it. We read some listener emails, which make great points for and against. Are these machines dystopian symbols of our crumbling social connectedness? Or are they convenient devices for buying groceries, and maybe the real dystopian symbols were the capitalist overlords we met along the way? You be the judge!   Self-Checkouts Often Inaccessible to Disabled Shoppers:  https://foodinstitute.com/focus/self-checkout-often-inaccessible-to-disabled-shoppers/ LA Times report on self checkouts and loneliness (paywalled): https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-08-28/some-skip-self-checkout-to-combat-loneliness-build-human-connection TikTok Lawyer explains why you should avoid using self-checkouts in stores: https://scoop.upworthy.com/lawyer-explains-why-you-should-avoid-using-self-checkouts-in-stores-576190-576190-576190-576190 Washington Post piece: Dear grocery store owners: I don’t work for you! https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/10/31/rick-reilly-self-checkout-rebellion/ Walmart reveals it's tracking checkout theft with AI-powered cameras in 1,000 stores: https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-tracks-theft-with-computer-vision-1000-stores-2019-6 Feeling lonely? Too many of us are. Here’s what our supermarkets can do to help: https://theconversation.com/feeling-lonely-too-many-of-us-are-heres-what-our-supermarkets-can-do-to-help-211126  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Patreon: Bridget remembers the time she met Sheryl Sandberg. https://TANGOTI.com/patreon  Google promised to delete sensitive location data about abortion clinic visits. A new study finds that it still isn’t living up to that promise: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/jan/16/google-keeps-location-history-data-abortion-clinics-despite-delete-pledge  Teen deepfake victim pushes for federal law targeting non-consensual, AI-generated explicit content - the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/deepfake-law-ai-new-jersey-high-school-teen-image-porn-rcna133706  OpenAI quietly removes ban on military use of its AI tools: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/16/openai-quietly-removes-ban-on-military-use-of-its-ai-tools.htm AI already being used to select bombing targets in Gaza:  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/01/the-gospel-how-israel-uses-ai-to-select-bombing-targets  Formula E Team Fires Its AI-Generated Influencer after Fans Balk: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46353319/formula-e-team-fires-ai-generated-influencer/ It's not just you, Google Search really has gotten worse: https://mashable.com/article/google-search-low-quality-research  The Self-Checkout Nightmare(?) May Finally Be Ending: https://gizmodo.com/the-self-checkout-nightmare-may-finally-be-ending-1851169879  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a new year, which is a great opportunity to take stock of what we’re leaving behind in tech in the new year.  Bridget joined Sam and Anney over at Stuff Mom Never Told You to get into what’s not coming with us in 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy 2024 - the internet is all scams, lies, baits, Nazis and spiders!  Substack has a Nazi problem: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/01/11/substack-platformer-nazis/ Dating apps are in their flop era: https://www.bustle.com/wellness/dating-apps-have-gotten-worse-hinge-tinder-bumble-gen-z-millennials  On Threads, users say they're flooded with pro-life and transphobic posts: https://mashable.com/article/threads-transphobia-anti-abortion-posts-hate-speech EBay to pay $3 million after employees sent live spiders, funeral wreath and fetal pig to critics: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ebay-pay-3-million-employees-234151533.html The SEC’s Official X Account Was ‘Compromised’ and Used to Post Fake Bitcoin News: https://www.wired.com/story/sec-x-account-compromise/ What!? Did Elon Musk Just Endorse Tweet Saying Students at HBCUs Have Low IQs? https://www.theroot.com/wtf-elon-musk-seems-to-endorse-tweet-saying-students-a-1851159488?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=dlvrit&utm_content=theroot Video Game Voice Actors Criticize SAG-AFTRA Over Agreement With AI Company: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/01/10/video-game-voice-actors-criticize-sag-aftra-over-agreement-with-ai-company/?sh=267ac9e0374e The George Carlin AI Standup Is Worse Than You Can Imagine: https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d94xx/the-george-carlin-ai-standup-is-worse-than-you-can-imagine  Bridget’s favorite Carlin bit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harvard donor Bill Ackman pushed for the resignation of Harvard's first Black woman president, Dr. Claudine Gay, for what he says is a history of academic plagiarism. An independent review panel cleared her of misconduct, but the allegations continued and led to her resignation. Now Ackman’s wife, Dr. Neri Oxman, is also being accused of plagiarism in her academic work.    In the aftermath of Dr. Gay’s resignation from Harvard, here’s how Ackman has responded to the allegations against his wife. Meanwhile, their troubling connection to Jefferey Epstein resurfaces.    Full video of this episode is available on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/tangoti See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy New Year! We’d intended to air the first newscast of 2024, but instead we have to talk about what happened to Dr. Claudine Gay, the former president of Harvard. She resigned last week after an intense campaign to get her fired led by right wing activist Christopher Rufo. Yup, the same right wing activist who created the moral panic over Critical Race Theory. He’s been completely transparent, through public tweets and interviews in big outlets like Politico, that his goal in creating the campaign against her was a broader desire to destroy the concept of “DEI” (Diversity Equity & Inclusion).  And yet, legacy media outlets like the New York Times uncritically legitimized his bad-faith framing with multiple featured articles. People like tech podcaster Jason Calacanis have celebrated her resignation as evidence of a return to meritocracy, a ridiculous idea that only makes sense if one believes that prestigious leadership positions are just being handed out willy-nilly to unqualified Black women, which is obviously not true! Black women have to work twice as hard to get half as much, and even then one misstep is all it takes for bad faith allegations to take down a powerful Black woman in the eyes of a public that is all too willing to believe that DEI initiatives are the only way a Black woman could possibly achieve a leadership position.  We Sat Down With the Conservative Mastermind Behind Claudine Gay’s Ouster: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/01/03/christopher-rufo-claudine-gay-harvard-resignation-00133618 Why White Women Won DEI: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-white-women-won-dei-aparna-rae/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you been seeing a lot of content on social media romanticizing women not working outside of the home?  Jo Piazza, host of the hilarious and insightful podcast Under the Influence, breaks down why we're seeing so much trad wife content right now.   #TradWives: sexism as gateway to white supremacy: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/countering-radical-right/tradwives-sexism-gateway-white-supremacy/ Listen to Under the Influence: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/under-the-influence-with-jo-piazza/id1544171101 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix’s Inventing Anna presents a flashy version of fake German heiress Anna Delvey’s scams. Rachel Deloache Williams was scammed out of $62,000 by Anna on a disastrous trip to Morocco.  Rachel discusses true crime shows like Inventing Anna and Hulu’s The Dropout and what it means for all of us when liars and scammers are elevated and amplified.   Anna ‘Delvey’ Sorokin Almost Ruined My Life. Now She’s Being Rewarded for Her Crimes: https://time.com/6146419/inventing-anna-rachel-williams-anna-delvey/ Check out Rachel’s book My Friend Anna: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/My-Friend-Anna/Rachel-DeLoache-Williams/9781982114107 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rudy Giuliani has been ordered to pay Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss, two election workers he baselessly maligned in Georgia, almost 50 million dollars. And they might even sue him again! Here’s how we got here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're taking a break from our usual content to share a new podcast from iHeart's Outspoken network, Afterlives: The Layleen Polanco Story. You can check out the rest of the show here: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-afterlives-the-layleen-po-127683074/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cait Corrain is an author who had a highly anticipated book called Crown of Starlight coming out in May of 2024. But now her book has been shelved after she admitted to using Good Reads to review bomb a bunch of other writers’ forthcoming books. Most of her targets were Black or queer, while Corrain is white. This story has a LOT of twists and turns, including her inventing an obviously fake conversation with an obviously fake person. Canadian author Xiran Jay Zhao was the first person I saw to bring it to wider attention online. They first noticed that Cait’s book Crown of Starlight was getting good reviews from the same accounts who were trashing other books, some of which were not even out yet.  Xiran Jay Zhao also created a 31-page Google document of screenshots showing a bunch of the alleged-but-now-admitted fake GoodReads accounts, screenshots of conversations, and other damning receipts. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1__mO1uqIqcmupBAPKwXDzlUbZIwtY6fKf0S1Y0SNz0E/edit  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a Friday news roundup! If you’re new here and looking for a deeper dive into a single topic, check out the episode on Alex Jones from Dec 12, or the (forthcoming) episode on Tuesday Dec 19 about the wild story of an author who created fake Goodreads accounts to review-bomb a bunch of other authors. It’s part scam, part Greek tragedy, and you’ll definitely want to hear it.  Want to skip the banter and get right to the news? Head to around the 6 minute mark GLAAD’s report on transphobia online: All Social Media Platform Policies Should Recognize Targeted Misgendering and Deadnaming as Hate Speech: https://glaad.org/social-media-platform-policies-targeted-misgendering-deadnaming-hate-speech/ Part one of Bridget discussing Georgia election workers Shaye and Ruby Freeman on Internet Hate Machine: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-one-why-trump-targeted-two-black-election-workers/id1648497305?i=1000590820764  Part two of Bridget discussing Shaye and Ruby Freeman: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-two-why-trump-targeted-two-black-election-workers/id1648497305?i=1000592261007  Congress Pulls Bill That Would Massively Expand Surveillance After 'Dramatic Showdown': https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3wkdg/fisa-surveillance-bill-congress-pulled Speaker Johnson adds short term FISA extension to National Defense Bill: https://prospect.org/civil-rights/2023-12-12-mike-johnson-ndaa-surveillance-reform/  Twitter Is Just Running Ads for Stealing Semen Now: https://www.404media.co/twitter-x-ads-stealing-semen-make-a-mom/ Hugging Face’s Rules of [Press] Engagement for writing about women in tech: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rules-press-engagement-emily-witko--ohlzf/  Discord bands misgendering: https://www.them.us/story/discord-explicitly-bans-misgendering-and-deadnaming-on-its-platform  Chat GPT might be on winter break (and so are we). As ChatGPT gets “lazy,” people test “winter break hypothesis” as the cause: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/12/is-chatgpt-becoming-lazier-because-its-december-people-run-tests-to-find-out/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been let back on Twitter after being banned for building a media empire on the lie that the Sandy Hook school shooting wasn't real. When Elon first took over Twitter he said he would never let Jones back on, but that promise turned out to be worth as much as most of Elon’s promises. This week he rolled out the red carpet and sat down for a chit chat in Twitter spaces to talk about how much they both love free speech and hate grieving parents.  In honor of Elon Musk and Alex Jones’s new friendship, we’re re-airing this episode about the defamation trial of Alex Jones in which he was found guilty and ordered to pay over a billion dollars to the families of the victims he profited by lying about. These people make us sick, but enjoy the episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To skip the banter and get straight to the news, skip to 00:04:20 VOTE FOR THE IRL PODCAST TO WIN AN ANTHEM AWARD: TANGOTI.COM/IRL  During this week’s GOP debate, Nikki Haley dropped a curious stat about TikTok making users 17% more antisemitic every 30 minutes, but is that even true? Here’s the original analysis by Goldbloom but (A) Haley misstated the findings, and (B) this study wasn’t peer reviewed or published, so buyer beware:  https://twitter.com/antgoldbloom/status/1730255552738201854 Meta and TikTok explain their differing responses to Dublin riots and misinformation: https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/dublin-micheal-martin-meta-tiktok-elon-musk-b2459512.html Taylor Swift is Time’s Person of the Year and far right grifters are dropping conspiracies about why. ‘What’s happening is not organic’: Why the right thinks Taylor Swift is a government PsyOp designed to swing the 2024 election: https://www.dailydot.com/debug/taylor-swift-psyop-conspiracy-theory-2024-election/ Amazon sued for selling gross spy cams. Judge: Amazon “cannot claim shock” that bathroom spycams were used as advertised: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/amazon-faces-trial-after-selling-bathroom-spycam-used-to-abuse-minor/ Listen to Joey’s Afterlives podcast: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-afterlives-the-layleen-po-127683074/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tech conference Devternity has been canceled (not fake canceled, literally canceled) after allegations that the founder has been inventing fake women and catfishing on Instagram for years.  Bridget does a deep dive to get to the bottom of it, and what it says about default, dismissive attitudes about marginalized people in tech. There were real women the whole time! Why not invite one of them?! A Tech Conference Listed Fake Speakers for Years: I Accidentally Noticed: https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/devternity-fake-speakers/ Male Tech Conference Founder Is Behind Popular Woman Coding Influencer Account: https://www.404media.co/coding-unicorn-instagram-julia-kirsina-devternity/ Tech Conference Collapses After Organizer Admits to Making Fake ‘Auto-Generated’ Female Speaker https://www.404media.co/devternity-fake-speakers-eduard-sizovs/ Eduards Sizovs’s full response thread: https://twitter.com/eduardsi/status/1728422017417032140 Here’s a collection of Julia through the years: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Fds4DgzU_Yem577sfGykauuNkltIq3ykZdZUd1EAUE/edit?usp=sharing   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re soft-launching having a little banter at the top of the episode, but to get straight to the news go to the 4:25 mark!  Wanna listen to Bridget dig into her Spotify Wrapped?5:20  Check out the Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/tangoti NameDrop is safe. The fearmongering about it is not: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/27/namedrop-iphone-ios17-safety/ Your Step-by-Step Guide to Disabling NameDrop (if you want to):  https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/your-step-by-step-guide-to-disabling-namedrop/ Instagram’s Algorithm Delivers Toxic Video Mix to Adults Who Follow Children (paywalled) https://www.wsj.com/tech/meta-instagram-video-algorithm-children-adult-sexual-content-72874155 How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/magazine/how-one-stupid-tweet-ruined-justine-saccos-life.html Google agrees to pay publishers in Canada and drops plans for blocking news: https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/29/23981515/google-canadian-government-online-news-act-link-tax-agreement Why Mickey Mouse’s 1998 copyright extension probably won’t happen again: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/01/hollywood-says-its-not-planning-another-copyright-extension-push/ Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers: https://futurism.com/sports-illustrated-ai-generated-writers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, Sam Altman was abruptly fired from Open AI. Don’t worry, he’s already been reinstated.  Dr. Misty Heggeness, Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas, talks with Bridget about what all the drama around his departure and return says about male leaders in tech and beyond.  Read Misty’s op-ed: How the OpenAI saga illustrates tech’s toxic masculinity problem: https://www.fastcompany.com/90986317/openai-saga-techs-toxic-masculinity-problem See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After being falsely accused of murder in a global scandal screamed from tabloid headlines, these days exoneree, activist, mom, and host of the podcast Labyrinths Amanda Knox spends her time imagining a healthier media landscape. Check out the work Amanda does alongside her husband Chris: https://www.knoxrobinson.com Read Amanda's Medium piece, Who Owns My Name: https://amandamarieknox.medium.com/who-owns-my-name-93561f83e502 Amanda and Chris' podcast Labyrinths is very good, but this episode is my favorite: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-half-life-of-prejudice-malcolm-gladwell/id1494368441?i=1000497457213 Subscribe to our Patreon: Tangoti.com/patreon  Help support the show at our merch store: TANGOTI.COM/store  Want to say hi? Hit us up at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a lot going on with Twitter! It’s been a few weeks since we’ve done an installment of our segment, “What’s Elon Done Now?” because we were sick of talking about him. But some big things happened this week, so Bridget sits down with Producer Mike to recap and talk about what it all means.  From Elon boosting antisemitic tweets and calling it “actual truth” to Media Matters releasing a damning report about hate speech on the platform and major advertisers pulling the plug, it’s been an eventful week.  Media Matters report on Twitter ads being placed next to nazi content: https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/musk-endorses-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-x-has-been-placing-ads-apple-bravo-ibm-oracle  How Elon Musk came to have so much leverage over the U.S. government, and the U.S. military’s uncomfortable reliance on Starlink. (it’s a long read but a good one): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/28/elon-musks-shadow-rule  Dr. Caroline Orr Bueno’s Twitter thread on informational dark spaces: https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/1726851801658589525 Elon Musk’s ‘thermonuclear’ lawsuit over hate-adjacent ads on X… actually confirms them: https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/20/elon-musks-thermonuclear-lawsuit-over-hate-adjacent-ads-on-x-actually-confirms-them/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about Joey’s new podcast with Raquel Willis Afterlives: https://www.them.us/story/afterlives-layleen-polanco-trans-incarceration-podcast?utm_source=twitter&utm_brand=them&utm_social-type=owned&utm_medium=social Dear Video Game Industry, Please Name A Woman: https://kotaku.com/pc-gamer-30th-anniversary-women-games-1851021562 FCC moves to help domestic violence victims with new rules around cellphones: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/fcc-moves-help-domestic-violence-victims-new-rules-cellphones-rcna124902 Haley walks back declaration that all social media users must be verified: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/15/nikki-haley-social-media-anonymous/ YouTube will label AI-generated videos that look real: https://www.npr.org/2023/11/14/1212986395/youtube-will-label-ai-generated-videos-that-look-real See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it just me or are ads everywhere on TikTok right now? Welcome to TikTok Shop. Is this the new normal? TikTok creator PrettyCritical joins Bridget to discuss. Follow Pretty Critical: https://www.tiktok.com/@prettycritical?lang=en Teens are trying to cash in on the TikTok Shop gold rush between classes: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/tiktok-shop-teens-high-school-open-how-to-make-money-long-deliver-us-rcna102788 The Junk Is Winning TikTok’s experiment in shopping has quickly become another place to hawk products: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/10/tiktok-shop-cheap-products/675761/ TikTok cashing in on sale of counterfeit cosmetics and prescription skin creams: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/23/tiktok-cashing-in-counterfeit-beauty-products-skin-gels  TikTok Forced to Close Shopping Feature in Its Second-Largest Market: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/business/tiktok-shop-indonesia-ecommerce-ban.html HERE’S HOW TO BLOCK TIK TOK SHOP: https://www.tiktok.com/@thomasgermain/video/7270529252703898922?lang=en See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We got the yacht!”  https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city/season-8/episode-17/videos/sonja-we-got-the-yacht Actors strike wins concessions that will impact AI and streaming for decades: https://www.wired.com/story/hollywood-actors-strike-ends-ai-streaming/ Zuckerberg personally and repeatedly blocked efforts to make Meta's products less harmful: https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/08/tech/meta-facebook-instagram-teen-safety/index.html How to be a whistleblower with Sophie Zhang: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-be-a-whistleblower-with-sophie-zhang/id1520715907?i=1000539829571 Building a Better Internet with Carrie Goldberg: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-a-better-internet-with-carrie-goldberg/id1520715907?i=1000489091000 Omegle’s goodbye: https://www.omegle.com/ Advertisers Don’t Want Sites Like Jezebel to Exist: https://www.404media.co/advertisers-dont-want-sites-like-jezebel-to-exist/ Jezebel and the Question of Women’s Anger https://newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/jezebel-and-the-question-of-womens-anger See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the wake of Britney Spears’ hit memoir, are social media bots changing the conversation? Bridget does a deep dive into how social media bots are changing the landscape of social media discourse. From celebrity disputes to television reviews and political discourse, the threat of bots and inauthentic accounts are shaping how we think and how we talk to each other, whether they’re real or not.  Massive Twitter Bot Farm Is Heaping Praise on Trump and Trashing DeSantis” https://gizmodo.com/twitter-bots-trump-desantis-maga-facebook-1850199161 Is There a Bot Behind That Tweet? https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/is-there-a-bot-behind-that-tweet Bots on X worse than ever according to analysis of 1m tweets during first Republican primary debate: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/09/x-twitter-bots-republican-primary-debate-tweets-increase Even a few bots can shift public opinion in big ways: https://theconversation.com/even-a-few-bots-can-shift-public-opinion-in-big-ways-104377 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Joy Buolamwini has been raising the alarm about the harm of AI for years, through her research and advocacy. People are finally starting to listen. Dr. Buolamwini is a 2020 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards honoree and 2023 featured presenter.  Learn more about the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards: https://www.vitalvoices.org/news-articles/news/honorees-22nd-annual-global-leadership-awards Check out Dr. Buolamwini’s new book Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines: https://www.amazon.com/Unmasking-AI-Mission-Protect-Machines/dp/0593241835 Dr. Buolamwini runs the Algorithmic Justice League. Find out more about her work: https://www.ajl.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scream was created against the backdrop of increasing anxiety about tech and media. And the film is practically screaming at all of us about it.  In this special Halloween episode, Bridget joins Annie and Sam from Stuff Mom Never Told You to examine how our collective fears about technology, fame, and the media play out in the lives (and deaths!) of the movies’ teenagers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calif. DMV says Cruise hid video of SF crash, suspends driverless car firm's permits: https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/cruise-driverless-permits-suspended-dmv-18445296.php Meta and kids lawsuit from 41 state Attorneys General: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/24/meta-lawsuit-facebook-instagram-children-mental-health/?utm_source=reddit.com Don’t be misogynistic! Gender pay and promotion discrimination at Google: Google owes executive $1 million after losing gender bias lawsuit  Our episode with Ifeoma Ozoma: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pay-us-what-you-owe-why-black-women-in-tech-are-tired/id1520715907?i=1000509470950 Read more about Ifeoma’s Silenced No More Act: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/24/technology/pinterest-whistle-blower-ifeoma-ozoma.html UCLA report on young people and what they want to see in the media. Spoiler: it isn’t drugs or toxic relationships: https://www.scholarsandstorytellers.com/css-teens-and-screens-2023-report  Employees are so sick of the five-day workweek that most would take a pay cut to make a four-day week happen: https://fortune.com/2023/10/20/uk-workers-four-day-week-pay-cut-work-less/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julia Mazur, host of the great podcast Pretty Much Done, made an innocuous TikTok about how she spent her weekend as a single woman with no kids. And then a mob of right wing extremists attacked her for it.    Julia joins to tell her story, and what it tells us about being a single woman online.    Follow Julia’s podcast Pretty Much Done: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pretty-much-done/id1644967912  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, we looked at how Twitter is creating more chaos in the Israel / Palestine conflict. Now, a look into how things are going on Instagram (not great!): https://www.404media.co/instagram-palestinian-arabic-bio-translation/ Why I'm not expecting my friends to make social media posts about Israel: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/israel-hamas-conflict-social-media-pressure-rcna119596 A far-right Twitter troll was sentenced to seven months in prison for his 2016 election tweets: https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/19/23923733/douglass-mackey-twitter-troll-2016-election-voting-conspiracy Former Fugees rapper Pras is in a whole lot of very serious legal trouble. So why did his legal team use his trial to boost their AI platform? https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/convicted-fugees-rapper-pras-michels-lawyer-used-ai-draft-bungled-clos-rcna120992 Elon Musk talked a big game on keeping child exploitation off Twitter...now he’s being fined for doing such a bad job of it: https://apnews.com/article/twitter-esafety-fine-child-sexual-exploitation-feb129047a29eca1f950e815484f08b2 VR might help people with hoarding disorder: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2023/10/vr-hoarding-disorder.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the just launched brand new season of Mozilla’s podcast IRL: Online Life is Real Life, Bridget explores the power of putting people over profit in AI. In this first episode, we look at the risks and rewards of open sourcing the tech that makes ChatGPT talk.  If you liked this episode, let us know! And be sure to subscribe to IRL: https://irlpodcast.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The changes Elon Musk has made to Twitter are making it impossible to sort out what’s happening in the Israel / Hamas conflict. From gutting the Trust & Safety team to making verification meaningless and paying for engagement, Elon Musk has systematically removed the few safeguards we had that were able to keep disinformation on the platform (somewhat) in check. Today, while the world is watching in terror as the Israeli-Hamas conflict unfolds and intensifies, Twitter is more awash in fake claims and fake news than ever before.    What is Hamas, and what’s happening in Israel and Gaza? A really simple guide: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67039975    Inside X’s Community Notes, fact-checks on known misinformation are delayed for days: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/elon-musk-x-fact-check-israel-misinformation-rcna119658    Unverified reports of ‘40 babies beheaded’ in Israel-Hamas war inflame social media: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/unverified-allegations-beheaded-babies-israel-hamas-war-inflame-social-rcna119902 Tensions had been building in Jerusalem for months, especially around the Al-Aqsa Mosque: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/4/israeli-settlers-storm-al-aqsa-mosque-complex-on-fifth-day-of-sukkot  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes it’s difficult to remember how far we’ve come in the fight for equality.  Kevin Jennings is CEO of Lambda Legal, the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ legal rights organization. He says it’s important to remember where we’ve been and how far we’ve come to have a clear sense of where we’re going, explains why he’s optimistic about young people, and shares his vision for a future where no one needs to come out - we’re all just free to be ourselves.   LEARN MORE ABOUT LAMBDA LEGAL : https://lambdalegal.org/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to bring Bridget to your school, job, or event? Email us! [email protected] Bridget on Anita B’s podcast Be The Change: https://anitab.org/b-the-way-forward/ Men Overran a Job Fair for Women in Tech: https://www.wired.com/story/grace-hopper-celebration-career-fair-men/ Instagram isn’t causing overcrowding in parks as much as assumed, OSU study suggests: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/01/oregon-state-university-study-overcrowding-state-parks-not-all-instagram-fault/ Mobile apps fueling AI-generated nudes of young girls: Spanish police: https://abcnews.go.com/US/mobile-apps-fueling-ai-generated-nudes-young-girls/story?id=103563734 Extortion blackmail scams on the rise among your people, especially teen boys: https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/10/02/teen-boys-sextortion/  Elon Musk Hit With Lawsuit For Falsely Accusing Man Of Being Part Of Neo-Nazi Brawl: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elon-musk-defamation-lawsuit-neo-nazi_n_65146bace4b05bd1c4d60d14 NYC Becomes First U.S. City to Offer Abortion Pills Via Telehealth: https://jezebel.com/nyc-becomes-first-u-s-city-to-offer-abortion-pills-via-1850896523 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special episode taped from the iHeart Music Festival in the Bose recording booth, Bridget and Mike talk about the rise of many-to-many social surveillance via social media and what it means for all of us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget’s other podcast BEEF is nominated for 3 Signal Awards! Can you vote for BEEF to win? Just go to https://ncpodcasts.com/signal Apple removes app created by Andrew Tate: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/sep/22/apple-criticised-for-hosting-app-created-by-andrew-tate Why We’re Pulling Our Recommendation of Wyze Security Cameras: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/wyze-security-breach/ The EU says Twitter/X is the worst platform for disinformation: https://www.techspot.com/news/100297-eu-former-twitter-platform-x-worst-disinformation.html ​​Bill would criminalize 'extremely harmful' online 'deepfakes’: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bill-criminalize-extremely-harmful-online-deepfakes/story?id=103286802&cid=social_twitter_abcnp If You Resold Taylor Swift Eras Tour Tickets, the IRS Is Watching: https://gizmodo.com/irs-begins-taxing-concert-ticket-resale-taylor-swift-1850865265 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple joined the Google Play store in dropping Andrew Tate’s pyramid scheme app. And while Tate was in custody, Just Pearly Things rose up in his place.  Justin Horowitz, researcher at Media Matters, explains the hold these misogynistic manosphere influencers have on the internet and what it means for all of us.  Read Justin’s Media Matters research: https://www.mediamatters.org/diversity-discrimination/beyond-andrew-tate-meet-misogynistic-manosphere-influencers-proliferating Apple removes app created by Andrew Tate: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/sep/22/apple-criticised-for-hosting-app-created-by-andrew-tate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Bridget's full take on Ashton Kutcher and anti-trafficking work, check out the Patreon: Patreon.com/tangoti  Russell Brand accused of sexual assault by multiple women; but defended by Elon Musk and Alex Jones: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russell-brand-youtube-suspends-monetization-rape-sexual-assault-rcna105750  New chatbot connects abortion-seekers with care options: https://mashable.com/article/abortion-chatbot-charley  Amazon leaders were ‘okay’ with people being secretly signed up for Prime, lawsuit allege: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/20/23882675/amazon-prime-ftc-dark-patterns-lawsuit Google bans Andrew Tate's 'The Real World' App: https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/andrew-tate-real-world-app  Tim Ballard’s Departure From Operation Underground Railroad Followed Sexual Misconduct Investigation: https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkaqvn/tim-ballards-departure-from-operation-underground-railroad-followed-sexual-misconduct-investigation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spill is a meme forward, highly visual social media platform that is putting power in the hands of the people who use it.  Kenya Parham, Spill’s Global Vice President of Community and Partnerships, explains how the team is building a new platform that feels like a safe, fun party with all your favorite cousins.  TRY SPILL: https://www.spill.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget is having an “off day” in this one, but Joey helps her through it.  Virginia election candidate responds after leak of tapes showing her performing sex acts with husband – "It won't silence me": https://www.cbsnews.com/news/susanna-gibson-candidate-responds-leak-tapes-sex-acts-husband-live-videos/ Actually, That AI Drake and The Weeknd Song Is Not Eligible for a Grammy: https://gizmodo.com/ai-drake-and-the-weeknd-song-not-eligible-for-a-grammy-1850818801 Open letter from parents of trans and gender expansive kids: KOSA would make our kids less safe: https://www.transparentsletter.com/ Ads for AI sex workers are flooding Instagram and TikTok: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/ai-girlfriend-ads-instagram-tiktok-chat-pics-chatgpt-dose-rcna97547  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ashton Kutcher recently wrote a letter to a judge, asking for leniency for his friend and TV co-star Danny Masterson (Kelso and Hyde from That 70’s Show). It was surprising, because for the past decade Ashton Kutcher has been trying to rebrand himself as an anti-trafficking hero. Not just any anti-trafficking hero, but a tech guru type who could use the power of technology and venture capital to save the children. We take a look into his organization, Thorn. Like so many other “save the children” orgs before it, Thorn seems to be using rhetoric and misleading statistics about trafficked children to push laws that further criminalize and marginalize consenting adult sex workers.   Sex, lies, and surveillance: Something's wrong with the war on sex trafficking: https://www.engadget.com/2019-05-31-sex-lies-and-surveillance-fosta-privacy.html   Real Men Get Their Facts Straight: https://www.villagevoice.com/real-men-get-their-facts-straight/ Ashton Kutcher Claims He Helped Cops Save Way More Sex-Trafficking Victims Than Authorities Say They've Found: https://reason.com/2017/02/15/ashton-kutcher-plays-sex-worker-savior/ The bogus claim that 300,000 U.S. children are ‘at risk’ of sexual exploitation: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/05/28/the-bogus-claim-that-300000-u-s-children-are-at-risk-of-sexual-exploitation/   SEX TRAFFICKING Online Platforms and Federal Prosecutions : chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-385.pdf See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you still on Twitter? Over on the Patreon we’re having a conversation about the decision to stay on the platform or leave: https://www.Patreon.com/tangoti     US law firm alters diversity fellowship criteria after lawsuit: https://news.yahoo.com/us-law-firm-alters-diversity-231155108.html    Good company! Indeed Will Give Trans Employees $10,000 to Relocate for Gender-Affirming Care: https://www.them.us/story/indeed-trans-employees-relocation   If You’ve Got a New Car, It’s a Data Privacy Nightmare: https://gizmodo.com/mozilla-new-cars-data-privacy-report-1850805416   Elon is being antisemitic on main, while Linda is tweeting about how much she likes sports! https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/elon-musk-again-undermines-x-ceo-linda-yaccarino-reinforcing-why-advertisers-cant-trust-her   Airbnb is over in NYC: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/06/new-york-city-airbnb-short-stay-booking-rental-rules-laws-impact   Grindr’s Return-to-Office Ultimatum Has Gutted a Uniquely Queer Space in Tech: https://www.wired.com/story/grindrs-return-to-office-ultimatum-gutted-a-uniquely-queer-space-in-tech/   The Decomposition of Rotten Tomatoes: The most overrated metric in movies is erratic, reductive, and easily hacked — and yet has Hollywood in its grip: https://www.vulture.com/article/rotten-tomatoes-movie-rating.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fearless Fund is a Black woman led venture capital firm that offers investment, financial support, and mentorship to Black women owned businesses.  But they are under attack for providing support for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs. Edward Blum, the professional hater at the heart of the supreme court’s legal challenge of affirmative action, is suing them for what he says is racial discrimination. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opt out of meta using your facebook to train ai (this isn't a fake fb chain letter, it's real!): https://www.zdnet.com/article/meta-uses-your-facebook-data-to-train-its-ai-heres-how-to-opt-out-sort-of/   College professor harassed students to quench 'clown fetish,' offering extra credit, cash: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/08/31/clown-fetish-professor-kent-northern-illinois-nicholls-state/70603544007/   Giuliani loses defamation lawsuit from two Georgia election workers: https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/30/politics/rudy-giuliani-georgia-election-workers/index.html   ACLU sues Mastercard on behalf of sex workers: https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/how-mastercard-is-endangering-sex-workers   Australia will not force adult websites to bring in age verification due to privacy and security concerns: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/aug/31/roadmap-for-age-verification-online-pornographic-material-adult-websites-australia-law Arkansas social media age verification law blocked at the last minute: https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/08/31/social-media-age-verification-law-blocked-arkansas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a historic year of wildfires in Canada. But as thousands in the country are trying to safely evacuate, Canadians can’t use Facebook or Instagram to get even basic information about what’s happening because Facebook has banned all news content in the country. Bridget talks with the always insightful Paris Marx about what it means and why it matters for Canadians, Americans, and democracy around the world.    Paris’ podcast Tech Won’t Save Us is one of our favorites. Listen here: https://techwontsave.us/   Paris’ Disconnect Newsletter: https://www.disconnect.blog/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome our producer Joey Patt, who is joining Bridget for their first news roundup!  Fresh & Fit, misogynistic manosphere podcast and enemies of the pod, demonetized on YouTube: https://www.insider.com/fresh-and-fit-host-cries-when-announcing-podcast-demonetization-2023-8 Bridget’s piece on Fresh & Fit from the Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/toxic-podcasting/ DON’T MISS: Bridget’s long, petty take on Fresh & Fit on the patreon! https://www.patreon.com/tangoti Tik Tok’s draft plan with the Biden Administration revealed, would give U.S. government broad censorship powers that should make all Americans uncomfortable: https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2023/08/21/draft-tiktok-cfius-agreement/?sh=3ee00abe112a Have you ever taken an Uber or gotten Instacart and then had a worker contact you to hit on you after the fact, and they could because they have your information? Yuck, right? Well you are not alone, sadly: https://www.businessinsider.com/delivery-drivers-asking-customers-sex-dates-2023-8?r=US&IR=T&utm_source=reddit.com Can AI creative work be copyrighted? NO. Silly rabbit, copyrights are for humans! https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-generated-art-cant-by-copyrighted-federal-judge-rules-2023-8 Elon wants to  remove headlines on news articles on Twitter: https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/22/x-is-planning-to-hide-headlines-from-news-links-for-improved-aesthetics/    And maybe he’s making his terrible jokes on Twitter to nobody because his followers are fake... https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-inactive-followers-whole-x-platform  And he’s asking for your government ID (please don’t give it to him)   New data about autonomous vehicles is scary: https://gizmodo.com/driverless-cars-worse-kids-dark-skinned-people-study-1850770302 Autostraddle and independent queer media: https://defector.com/autostraddle-to-be-acquired-by-queer-wellness-company-for-hem See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hollywood screenwriters and actors have joined workers across the economy to demand better pay, better conditions, and better protections against encroaching technology. Because it’s not just about Hollywood - it’s about an entire country of working people who feel fed up with a dynamic where they get squeezed harder and harder to make someone else richer and richer.    Writer, actor, and producer Francesca Ramsey (Broad City! The Larry Wilmore Show! Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell!) says it’s about time. Technology has been a double edged sword for her. Her career in entertainment was launched on the Internet. But now she sees the ways that AI and streaming are being used by studio executives to push down wages and lock creatives out of profits. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to TANGOTI producer Joey Patt talk with the hosts of Stuff Mom Never Told You to break down why the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is actually a threat to kids and the to the Internet: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-is-kosa-and-why-is-it-so-scary/id304531053?i=1000624187418    New Illinois law entitles kid influencers to earnings: https://fortune.com/2023/08/13/social-media-influencer-law-illinois-kids-sue-parents/     Iowa educators use ChatGPT to identify naughty books: https://www.popsci.com/technology/iowa-chatgpt-book-ban/    Jury awards Jane Doe 1 Billion dollars in damaged in vast online abuse campaign: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ex-boyfriend-explicit-photos-lawsuit_n_64da58f4e4b030f54dc70598     In a spectacularly ill conceived bill, Wisconsin state Senator wants to assume all Internet users are children and enforce lights out at 10pm: https://www.techdirt.com/2023/08/14/wisconsin-pushing-bill-that-requires-websites-to-treat-all-users-as-if-theyre-children/     Elon Musk throttles traffic to sites that criticize him because he loves free speech: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/08/15/twitter-x-links-delayed/    YouTube announces a policy to remove cancer misinformation; sounds great but will they enforce it?: https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/15/23832603/youtube-cancer-treatment-misinformation-policy-medical    Don't forget: emergency contraception is legal in all 50 states (plus DC!): https://www.americansocietyforec.org/    Jordan Peterson is cherry picking his blurbs: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-66520089   Where do you think he got that idea? LUANN: https://pagesix.com/2019/10/23/reviewer-talks-luann-de-lesseps-license-with-review-of-her-cabaret-show/   Don't miss out: Claim your share of the class action lawsuit against Facebook for improperly sharing your data (link is a redirect to the official site): www.TANGOTI.com/zuckbucks  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writer Jane Friedman has a stellar reputation in publishing. But a huckster, armed with AI impersonations of her writing, was trying to scam folks by using her name on Amazon GoodReads. She raised hell, and last week Amazon finally took them down. But what about new authors who don’t have her huge platform? Who is looking out for them? Jane joins to talk about the threat AI presents to authors, publishing, and the rest of us.   I Would Rather See My Books Get Pirated Than This (Or: Why Goodreads and Amazon Are Becoming Dumpster Fires): https://janefriedman.com/i-would-rather-see-my-books-pirated/ Author discovers AI-generated counterfeit books written in her name on Amazon: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/08/author-discovers-ai-generated-counterfeit-books-written-in-her-name-on-amazon/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.