There Are No Girls on the Internet

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! hello@tangoti.com  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 hello@tangoti.com 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 hello@tangoti.com    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 hello@tangoti.com 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 hello@tangoti.com    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 hello@tangoti.com   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.