Emiru Attacked at TwitchCon; Tea App Ends with a Whimper; Charlie Kirk Grifters; Spotify ICE Ads; OpenAI's Browser Never Forgets – NEWS ROUNDUP!

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-fuck-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/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternetSee 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/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternetSee 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=organicSee 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.