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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/

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: <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-afterlives-the-layleen-po-127683074/">https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-afterlives-the-layleen-po-127683074/</a>

Marginalized voices have always been at the forefront of the internet, yet our stories often go overlooked. Bridget Todd chronicles our experiences online, and the ways marginalized voices have shaped the internet from the very beginning. We need monuments to all of the identities that make being online what it is. So let’s build them.

There Are No Girls on the Internet

WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO — Afterlives: The Layleen Polanco Story

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/494ae000-c1cc-4adc-b14b-b0df0122553a/transcript

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

Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing hello@tangoti.com 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

In this week's News Roundup, Bridget and Producer Mike cover the tech news stories you might have missed.
Sheryl Sandberg&rsquo;s Lean In is fighting the gender gap in AI adoption, but raising questions about its own leadership. <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91521751/sheryl-sandbergs-lean-in-is-fighting-the-gender-gap-in-ai-adoption">https://www.fastcompany.com/91521751/sheryl-sandbergs-lean-in-is-fighting-the-gender-gap-in-ai-adoption</a>
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
<a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/gen-z-driving-box-office-1236703551/">https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/gen-z-driving-box-office-1236703551/</a>
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 &gt; Notification &gt; Store" <a href="https://www.404media.co/fbi-extracts-suspects-deleted-signal-messages-saved-in-iphone-notification-database-2/">https://www.404media.co/fbi-extracts-suspects-deleted-signal-messages-saved-in-iphone-notification-database-2/</a>
She Was in Labor at a Florida Hospital. Then She Was in Zoom Court for Refusing a C-Section. <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/florida-court-hearing-c-section">https://www.propublica.org/article/florida-court-hearing-c-section</a>
BBC breached editorial standards over BAFTAs racial slur but no big deal, BBC investigation finds.&nbsp; <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/bbc-breached-editorial-standards-over-baftas-racial-slur-investigation-finds-13529270">https://news.sky.com/story/bbc-breached-editorial-standards-over-baftas-racial-slur-investigation-finds-13529270</a>
Ohio creep becomes first to be convicted under new Take-It-Down law for sexually explicit images:
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/08/ohio-man-convicted-ai-sexually-explicit-images">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/08/ohio-man-convicted-ai-sexually-explicit-images</a>
Let us know what you think about these stories by emailing <a href="mailto:hello@tangoti.com">hello@tangoti.com</a> or leaving a comment on Spotify.
Pre-order Bridget's forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at <a href="http://loveatfirstprompt.com">LoveAtFirstPrompt.com</a> !
Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!&nbsp; ||&nbsp; instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||&nbsp; youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social

The Drama with Zendaya; BAFTAs Slur Fallout; Sheryl Sandberg Leans AI; Sex Pest Take-It-Down Conviction; Sex Toys Meta Ban; ANTIFA Terrorism Trial – NEWS ROUNDUP! 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4775ae0d-6db6-45ae-b290-b429003cbbb0/transcript

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 hello@tangoti.com 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.

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.&nbsp;
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:&nbsp;<a href="https://thedreydossier.substack.com">https://thedreydossier.substack.com</a>&nbsp;
Read / Watch Drey&rsquo;s reporting on Shy Girl: <a href="https://thedreydossier.substack.com/p/the-shy-girl-ai-scandal-is-way-worse">https://thedreydossier.substack.com/p/the-shy-girl-ai-scandal-is-way-worse</a>
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.&nbsp;<a href="https://timrequarth.substack.com/p/why-you-shouldnt-trust-ai-detector">https://timrequarth.substack.com/p/why-you-shouldnt-trust-ai-detector</a>&nbsp;
Read Thad&rsquo;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&rsquo;s SMNTY ep about ShyGirl: What the Shy Girl Conversation Says About AI and Art:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-mom-never-told-you-21123631/episode/what-the-shy-girl-conversation-says-about-ai-and-art-328745937">https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-stuff-mom-never-told-you-21123631/episode/what-the-shy-girl-conversation-says-about-ai-and-art-328745937</a>
&nbsp;
Let us know what you think by emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hello@tangoti.com">hello@tangoti.com</a> or leaving a comment on Spotify.&nbsp;
Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!&nbsp; ||&nbsp; instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||&nbsp; youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social
&nbsp;
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia Ballard's novel Shy Girl was cancelled for using AI. You only know half the story

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/09ddbeb0-d7ef-4cd2-b25e-b426000ffe5e/transcript

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 hello@tangoti.com 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.

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 &mdash; 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 &mdash; some of which weren't even out yet. Zhao also compiled a 31-page Google document of screenshots and receipts: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1__mO1uqIqcmupBAPKwXDzlUbZIwtY6fKf0S1Y0SNz0E/edit?tab=t.0">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1__mO1uqIqcmupBAPKwXDzlUbZIwtY6fKf0S1Y0SNz0E/edit?tab=t.0</a>
Let us know what you think by emailing <a href="mailto:hello@tangoti.com">hello@tangoti.com</a> or leaving a comment on Spotify.
Pre-order our forthcoming audiobook about AI and intimate relationships at <a href="http://loveatfirstprompt.com">LoveAtFirstPrompt.com</a> !
Follow Bridget and TANGOTI on social media!&nbsp; ||&nbsp; instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/ || tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc ||&nbsp; youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet || bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Goodreads Scandal That Predicted Publishing's AI Crisis 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b9dba8c2-919d-47e4-b9c3-b4220134f77b/transcript

WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO — Afterlives: The Layleen Polanco Story

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