From National Rape Day to the Slap A Teacher Challenge, we’re hearing a ton about dangerous “challenges” and “trends” that start on TikTok. Disinformation researcher Abbie Richards joins to talk about what happens when concern about social media turns into a full blown moral panic.

 

Follow Abbie on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tofology 

 

Want to support the show? (thank you!)

Subscribe, tell a friend, leave a review, 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 hello@tangoti.com

From National Rape Day to the Slap A Teacher Challenge, we&rsquo;re hearing a ton about dangerous &ldquo;challenges&rdquo; and &ldquo;trends&rdquo; that start on TikTok. Disinformation researcher Abbie Richards joins to talk about what happens when concern about social media turns into a full blown moral panic.
&nbsp;
Follow Abbie on TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tofology">https://www.tiktok.com/@tofology</a>&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Want to support the show? (thank you!)
Subscribe, tell a friend, leave a review, or buy some merch at There Are No Girls on the Internet&rsquo;s store: TANGOTI.COM/STORE
Join our newsletter: Tangoti.com/newsletter
Say hello at hello@tangoti.com

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’s fueling the moral panic around TikTok challenges? In part, Facebook.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b2b28e29-c1d6-40a5-a8c2-ae9f017cbc10/transcript

Today, July 14th, is the day my audiobook Love At First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy goes on sale! 

This audiobook is one of the most personal things I’ve ever made. It’s about loneliness, AI companions, and what happens when technology starts becoming emotionally entangled with our lives.

I spent months talking to researchers, reporters, and people who feel they are experiencing real relationships with AI. I also talked with experts about the risks of people using AI in this way, and the idea that we're so busy gawking at and judging the individuals involved, we're letting the tech companies that actually MAKE these products avoid the scrutiny they actually deserve. 

Here is an excerpt from the audiobook featuring our conversation with journalist and cofounder of 404 Media Sam Cole that asks what happens to humans when AI is used for sexual and erotic role play. 

You can check out LOVE AT FIRST PROMPT at www.LoveAtFirstPrompt.AI or wherever audiobooks are sold. 

Today, July 14th, is the day my audiobook Love At First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy goes on sale!&nbsp;
This audiobook is one of the most personal things I&rsquo;ve ever made. It&rsquo;s about loneliness, AI companions, and what happens when technology starts becoming emotionally entangled with our lives.
I spent months talking to researchers, reporters, and people who feel they are experiencing real relationships with AI. I also talked with experts about the risks of people using AI in this way, and the idea that we're so busy gawking at and judging the individuals involved, we're letting the tech companies that actually MAKE these products avoid the scrutiny they actually deserve.&nbsp;
Here is an excerpt from the audiobook featuring our conversation with journalist and cofounder of 404 Media Sam Cole that asks what happens to humans when AI is used for sexual and erotic role play.&nbsp;
You can check out LOVE AT FIRST PROMPT at <a href="loveatfirstprompt.ai">www.LoveAtFirstPrompt.AI</a> or wherever audiobooks are sold.&nbsp;

Two Big Updates from Bridget 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b6c627e7-c857-4761-81c3-b4870040c5bb/transcript

We’re taking a short hiatus from publishing here, but will continue publishing weekly news roundups on our Patreon. Anyone can listen for free, without ads, at our Patreon at tangoti.com/roundup . There are new stories there today, so please check it out after you listen to this episode! 

There Are No Girls on the Internet is a weekly podcast and newsletter hosted by Bridget Todd covering the tech, internet, and culture stories that deserve more attention — especially when they're about AI, power, gender, race, and who actually gets hurt when systems fail.

We read the internet so you don't have to.

This week: The Social Network is getting a sequel and Jeremy Strong is playing Zuckerberg, a bombshell ProPublica investigation into raw milk and the kids it's put in the hospital, and Bill Gates testified before Congress about Jeffrey Epstein — totally voluntarily, he cannot stress this enough. 

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

We&rsquo;re taking a short hiatus from publishing here, but will continue publishing weekly news roundups on our Patreon. Anyone can listen for free, without ads, at our Patreon at <a href="http://tangoti.com/roundup">tangoti.com/roundup</a> . There are new stories there today, so please check it out after you listen to this episode!&nbsp;
There Are No Girls on the Internet is a weekly podcast and newsletter hosted by Bridget Todd covering the tech, internet, and culture stories that deserve more attention &mdash; especially when they're about AI, power, gender, race, and who actually gets hurt when systems fail.
We read the internet so you don't have to.
This week: The Social Network is getting a sequel and Jeremy Strong is playing Zuckerberg, a bombshell ProPublica investigation into raw milk and the kids it's put in the hospital, and Bill Gates testified before Congress about Jeffrey Epstein &mdash; totally voluntarily, he cannot stress this enough.&nbsp;
🎧 Listen on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/id1520715907"> Apple Podcasts</a> |<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4v7u3AEIf0UUp50UAGVn4S"> Spotify</a>

Epstein’s friendship with Bill Gates; Raw Milk; Jeremy Strong Comes for Zuckerberg; Update about the show  - NEWS ROUND UP 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0afcd35d-22f1-44ac-84ab-b46701631ed3/transcript

We read the internet so you don't have to.

There Are No Girls on the Internet is a weekly podcast and newsletter hosted by Bridget Todd covering the tech, internet, and culture stories that deserve more attention — especially when they're about AI, power, gender, race, and who actually gets hurt when systems fail.

This week: Meta's AI chatbot helped hackers steal Instagram accounts, a debate over who owns the phrase "Hot Girls Read," new AI legislation, and more.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify 

⬇️ Some of these stories were discussed on this week's episode. Others appeared in our social media roundup but didn't make the final show.

HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WATCHING THIS WEEK:

🔗 Meta replaced human customer support with an AI chatbot and gave it the ability to reset passwords. Hackers figured out they could just ask it to hand over any account — and it would. Obama's old White House account posted pro-Iranian content for hours before anyone noticed. A former Meta security engineer had her own account stolen. Meta says it's fixed — but also claims it had nothing to do with the high profile hacks that happened at the exact same time it existed. 404 Media

🔗 Men in Brussels have been secretly filming women in public using Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses — often as content for "seduction coaching" businesses. The glasses have an almost invisible camera and tutorials for disabling the recording indicator are easy to find online. A dating coach in Spain was arrested for the same thing. Meta says users must comply with local laws. Experts say that's not enough. Brussels Times

🔗 Meta quietly added face recognition code to its smart glasses app on millions of phones without telling users. The feature, called Nametag, can identify strangers in real time just by looking at them. It was rolled out silently — no announcement, no opt-in. Researchers discovered it by reverse engineering the app. Wired

🔗 George Santos is out of jail and allegedly back in the scam saddle. Prediction market platform Kalshi flagged him to the DOJ after detecting he had been publicly telling his followers he would attend Trump's State of the Union — while privately betting against his own attendance. He did not show up. He has acknowledged the DOJ might be looking into him. NBC News

🔗 Labour MP Jess Asato spoke out when Grok went viral for generating millions of sexualized images of women without their consent. Musk retweeted abuse directed at her — and a user responded with an AI-generated video of her being prepared for sexual assault. She is now suing Musk at the UK High Court, arguing the company deliberately chose not to install guardrails. More victims have since come forward, and women in her constituency told the BBC they have stopped posting photos of themselves online out of fear. BBC

🔗 Dan Berulis filed a whistleblower complaint saying DOGE had broken into his federal agency's systems and was stealing sensitive data. He went public. A threatening note with drone photos of him walking his dog appeared on his door. Then Elon Musk called him a liar to his millions of followers and named him personally. The next day someone cut his brake lines. The police case is now inactive. He is suing Musk for defamation. Wired

🔗 Karen Attiah spent 11 years at the Washington Post as its last full-time Black opinion columnist. The day after Charlie Kirk was killed she posted about America's double standards around political violence. She was fired by email the next morning — no warning, no disciplinary process. The Post called it gross misconduct and claimed her posts endangered staff safety. Her union says the firing was retaliation dressed up as personnel policy. Her arbitration hearing was this week. WTOP

🔗 Dalton Eatherly, known online as Chud the Builder, built his following by filming himself hurling racial slurs at Black people in public. He showed up outside a Tennessee courthouse where Joshua Fox, a Black disabled veteran, was attending a child support hearing — and shot him multiple times. Fox was airlifted for emergency surgery. Eatherly's fans crowdfunded him nearly $300,000. A judge ruled he cannot use that money toward his $1 million bond and refused to lower it. Fox 17

🔗 Joseph Nelzy had zero disciplinary actions in seven years at Accenture — one of the world's largest tech companies. Then he grew dreadlocks, a sacred practice of his Rastafarian faith. His manager was recorded saying his hair would hold him back and make clients uncomfortable. He was fired two months after filing a discrimination complaint. Accenture dropped all its DEI commitments in 2025. Gothamist

🔗 Dr. Steven Kahn runs the UW Diabetes Research Center and edits the American Diabetes Association's own journal. He flew to the ADA's national conference in New Orleans and handed out an editorial criticizing Trump's cuts to medical research funding. Police and security guards escorted him out of the building and threatened arrest if he returned. The ADA told him he violated the code of conduct. Kahn believes professional organizations are self-censoring out of fear of losing their nonprofit status under the Trump administration. Seattle Times

🔗 Trump signed an executive order asking AI companies to voluntarily share their most powerful models with the government before launch. Voluntary means they can say no — and the order explicitly bans any mandatory review requirement. An earlier stricter version was scrapped after Elon Musk and other tech executives lobbied against it. The result is an executive order that looks like AI oversight but gives the government no actual power to act on anything it finds. CNN

🔗 A swimwear brand told a talent manager in writing that they would not collaborate with Black creators for an upcoming campaign. The talent manager posted the email publicly, writing "this is racial discrimination, it is illegal, and it happens in influencer marketing more than anyone wants to admit — usually just more quietly than this." The brand fired the employee and issued an unsigned apology. People

🔗 The drama from the Bravo TV show Summer House FINALLY has a tech angle! We're talking about location sharing and want to know your thoughts. New York Times

🔗 Women's magazines have been enormously important to society and to Bridget personally, which is why it's sad to see Glamour — a publication that once stood with Anita Hill and fought for paid family leave — reduced to an aggregator site for affiliate shopping links. New York Times

🔗 Braden Peters, the streamer who goes by Clavicular, is back at it — showing up at industry events to humiliate and degrade women on camera for clout and engagement. This story is GRIM. Wired

🔗 A graphic designer trademarked the phrase "Hot Girls Read" and the book community is furious. Parade

Want to hear us break these stories down? There Are No Girls on the Internet drops a new episode every Friday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify 

ABOUT BRIDGET

Bridget Todd is the host of There Are No Girls on the Internet and author of the forthcoming Simon & Schuster audiobook Love At First Prompt, an exploration of AI, intimacy, sex, and modern relationships. 

Pre-order at LoveAtFirstPrompt.ai

Let us know what you think by emailing hello@tangoti.com or leaving a comment on Spotify.

Follow Bridget: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Bluesky

We read the internet so you don't have to.
There Are No Girls on the Internet is a weekly podcast and newsletter hosted by Bridget Todd covering the tech, internet, and culture stories that deserve more attention &mdash; especially when they're about AI, power, gender, race, and who actually gets hurt when systems fail.
This week: Meta's AI chatbot helped hackers steal Instagram accounts, a debate over who owns the phrase "Hot Girls Read," new AI legislation, and more.
🎧 Listen on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/id1520715907">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4v7u3AEIf0UUp50UAGVn4S">Spotify</a>&nbsp;
⬇️ Some of these stories were discussed on this week's episode. Others appeared in our social media roundup but didn't make the final show.
HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WATCHING THIS WEEK:
🔗 Meta replaced human customer support with an AI chatbot and gave it the ability to reset passwords. Hackers figured out they could just ask it to hand over any account &mdash; and it would. Obama's old White House account posted pro-Iranian content for hours before anyone noticed. A former Meta security engineer had her own account stolen. Meta says it's fixed &mdash; but also claims it had nothing to do with the high profile hacks that happened at the exact same time it existed.<a href="https://www.404media.co/hackers-simply-asked-meta-ai-to-give-them-access-to-high-profile-instagram-accounts-it-worked/"> 404 Media</a>
🔗 Men in Brussels have been secretly filming women in public using Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses &mdash; often as content for "seduction coaching" businesses. The glasses have an almost invisible camera and tutorials for disabling the recording indicator are easy to find online. A dating coach in Spain was arrested for the same thing. Meta says users must comply with local laws. Experts say that's not enough.<a href="https://www.brusselstimes.com/2166072/women-unknowingly-filmed-in-brussels-with-meta-smart-glasses-raise-concerns"> Brussels Times</a>
🔗 Meta quietly added face recognition code to its smart glasses app on millions of phones without telling users. The feature, called Nametag, can identify strangers in real time just by looking at them. It was rolled out silently &mdash; no announcement, no opt-in. Researchers discovered it by reverse engineering the app.<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/meta-smart-glasses-face-recognition-nametag-connections/"> Wired</a>
🔗 George Santos is out of jail and allegedly back in the scam saddle. Prediction market platform Kalshi flagged him to the DOJ after detecting he had been publicly telling his followers he would attend Trump's State of the Union &mdash; while privately betting against his own attendance. He did not show up. He has acknowledged the DOJ might be looking into him.<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/george-santos-betting-activity-kalshi-flagged-doj-rcna348267"> NBC News</a>
🔗 Labour MP Jess Asato spoke out when Grok went viral for generating millions of sexualized images of women without their consent. Musk retweeted abuse directed at her &mdash; and a user responded with an AI-generated video of her being prepared for sexual assault. She is now suing Musk at the UK High Court, arguing the company deliberately chose not to install guardrails. More victims have since come forward, and women in her constituency told the BBC they have stopped posting photos of themselves online out of fear.<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c33232n0l8yo"> BBC</a>
🔗 Dan Berulis filed a whistleblower complaint saying DOGE had broken into his federal agency's systems and was stealing sensitive data. He went public. A threatening note with drone photos of him walking his dog appeared on his door. Then Elon Musk called him a liar to his millions of followers and named him personally. The next day someone cut his brake lines. The police case is now inactive. He is suing Musk for defamation.<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/he-blew-the-whistle-on-doge-then-his-brakes-were-cut/"> Wired</a>
🔗 Karen Attiah spent 11 years at the Washington Post as its last full-time Black opinion columnist. The day after Charlie Kirk was killed she posted about America's double standards around political violence. She was fired by email the next morning &mdash; no warning, no disciplinary process. The Post called it gross misconduct and claimed her posts endangered staff safety. Her union says the firing was retaliation dressed up as personnel policy. Her arbitration hearing was this week.<a href="https://wtop.com/dc/2026/06/post-columnist-had-to-fight-back-after-being-fired-for-charlie-kirk-social-media-post/"> WTOP</a>
🔗 Dalton Eatherly, known online as Chud the Builder, built his following by filming himself hurling racial slurs at Black people in public. He showed up outside a Tennessee courthouse where Joshua Fox, a Black disabled veteran, was attending a child support hearing &mdash; and shot him multiple times. Fox was airlifted for emergency surgery. Eatherly's fans crowdfunded him nearly $300,000. A judge ruled he cannot use that money toward his $1 million bond and refused to lower it.<a href="https://fox17.com/news/local/controversial-livestreamer-chud-the-builder-to-appear-in-court-today"> Fox 17</a>
🔗 Joseph Nelzy had zero disciplinary actions in seven years at Accenture &mdash; one of the world's largest tech companies. Then he grew dreadlocks, a sacred practice of his Rastafarian faith. His manager was recorded saying his hair would hold him back and make clients uncomfortable. He was fired two months after filing a discrimination complaint. Accenture dropped all its DEI commitments in 2025.<a href="https://gothamist.com/news/ny-based-accenture-worker-alleges-he-was-axed-because-of-his-dreadlocks"> Gothamist</a>
🔗 Dr. Steven Kahn runs the UW Diabetes Research Center and edits the American Diabetes Association's own journal. He flew to the ADA's national conference in New Orleans and handed out an editorial criticizing Trump's cuts to medical research funding. Police and security guards escorted him out of the building and threatened arrest if he returned. The ADA told him he violated the code of conduct. Kahn believes professional organizations are self-censoring out of fear of losing their nonprofit status under the Trump administration.<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/police-remove-uw-diabetes-researcher-and-other-experts-from-conference/"> Seattle Times</a>
🔗 Trump signed an executive order asking AI companies to voluntarily share their most powerful models with the government before launch. Voluntary means they can say no &mdash; and the order explicitly bans any mandatory review requirement. An earlier stricter version was scrapped after Elon Musk and other tech executives lobbied against it. The result is an executive order that looks like AI oversight but gives the government no actual power to act on anything it finds.<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/02/tech/executive-order-trump-ai"> CNN</a>
🔗 A swimwear brand told a talent manager in writing that they would not collaborate with Black creators for an upcoming campaign. The talent manager posted the email publicly, writing "this is racial discrimination, it is illegal, and it happens in influencer marketing more than anyone wants to admit &mdash; usually just more quietly than this." The brand fired the employee and issued an unsigned apology.<a href="https://people.com/talent-manager-claims-cupshe-said-they-would-not-collab-with-black-people-11992431"> People</a>
🔗 The drama from the Bravo TV show Summer House FINALLY has a tech angle! We're talking about location sharing and want to know your thoughts.<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/03/opinion/location-sharing-surveillance-summer-house.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nVA.aVIr.TUZlzzkxX4hv&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share"> New York Times</a>
🔗 Women's magazines have been enormously important to society and to Bridget personally, which is why it's sad to see Glamour &mdash; a publication that once stood with Anita Hill and fought for paid family leave &mdash; reduced to an aggregator site for affiliate shopping links.<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/business/glamour-magazine-shopping.html"> New York Times</a>
🔗 Braden Peters, the streamer who goes by Clavicular, is back at it &mdash; showing up at industry events to humiliate and degrade women on camera for clout and engagement. This story is GRIM.<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/streamers-like-clavicular-are-humiliating-onlyfans-girls-for-clout/"> Wired</a>
🔗 A graphic designer trademarked the phrase "Hot Girls Read" and the book community is furious.<a href="https://parade.com/books/the-book-community-is-hot-as-creator-faces-backlash-for-her-decision-to-trademark-a-popular-bookish-phrase"> Parade</a>
Want to hear us break these stories down? There Are No Girls on the Internet drops a new episode every Friday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
🎧 Listen on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet/id1520715907">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4v7u3AEIf0UUp50UAGVn4S">Spotify</a>&nbsp;
ABOUT BRIDGET
Bridget Todd is the host of There Are No Girls on the Internet and author of the forthcoming Simon &amp; Schuster audiobook Love At First Prompt, an exploration of AI, intimacy, sex, and modern relationships.&nbsp;
Pre-order at<a href="http://loveatfirstprompt.ai/"> LoveAtFirstPrompt.ai</a>
Let us know what you think by emailing hello@tangoti.com or leaving a comment on Spotify.
Follow Bridget:<a href="https://instagram.com/bridgetmarieindc/"> Instagram</a> |<a href="https://tiktok.com/@bridgetmarieindc"> TikTok</a> |<a href="https://youtube.com/@ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet"> YouTube</a> |<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/tangoti.bsky.social"> Bluesky</a>

Clavicular is back; George Santos scams; Summer House tech drama; Instagram Hacked;  Hot Girls Read™ - NEWS ROUNDUP! 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4d8723d1-6b7e-4237-9afa-b460016dd8c5/transcript

What’s fueling the moral panic around TikTok challenges? In part, Facebook.

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