Not that it'll stop me! -- you can keep following my internet culture coverage here on my new Substack. Please feel free to share. bytatumhunter.substack.com

Lost my job at the Washington Post today, along with many of the best in the business. I want to keep covering tech and the internet. If you have leads on jobs for me or my colleagues, please reach out. I’m so proud of our work.

yep!

X says Grok account will stop undressing women. I just tested the standalone Grok app, which immediately complied with my request to undress a photo of me. This is illegal, according to the legal experts I spoke with.

As we speak, non-consensual deepfakes are making the jump from shadowy forums and small nudify apps to mainstream social media. This has huge implications for women and children, who are almost always the targets. Here's what's happening: 🧵

. @maryannefranks.bsky.social to @tatumhunter.bsky.social: “All law, in order to be effective, has actually got to mean something to the person who is potentially going to violate it, right? They have to be scared that they’re going to be punished in some way" www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

The industry has spent years fighting to contain non-consensual deepfakes. X just threw open the floodgates, seemingly with impunity?

wrote about the rise and further rise of candace owens, whose unapologetically unhinged right-wing conspiracy theories have made her one of the most popular political voices in america — and are now causing headaches for the MAGA movement that backed her wapo.st/3MKjPwg w/ @tatumhunter.bsky.social

Candace Owens has said that Bill Gates uses laced mosquitoes to make people allergic to beef, that the earth may not be round and that the moon landing was “fake and gay.” Her MAGA fellows draw the line, however, at her comments on Charlie Kirk and Israel. wapo.st/3MKjPwg

Exclusive: TikTok's mental health "rabbit hole" is real. We used user data to show that the algorithm bends toward this content -- watching one mental health video spawns more similar videos than watching one about sports or Taylor Swift. And it takes more work to get it back out of your feed. 🧵/1

Today is day 1 of Australia's social media ban for kids under 16. Here's how that's going. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Are you an Australian with tweenage kids? I'm a journalist who'd like to chat about your upcoming week, for reasons you've already guessed 🙃 DMs open, or [email protected]

this year, mainstream corporate marketing took up the ragebait playbook, and you helped 😃 w @nitasha.bsky.social

NEW: With SNAP benefits paused, one TikToker started calling churches and asking if they'd help with a can of baby formula. Most said no. Then their responses went viral. from me and @michelleboorstein.bsky.social wapo.st/4oJywOk

This pastor fell for a TikTok stunt and sparked a debate on Christian charity. Fascinating reporting with me and @tatumhunter.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

NEW from me: Mamdani clinched a win in New York City. So why do ring-wing internet figures seem so...gleeful? wapo.st/4qLb5FQ

good news!! instagram is fixing teen safety. here’s a short history of all the other times they’ve fixed teen safety one day before or after landing in hot water with regulators.

Fake AI videos mocking dead celebrities are going viral. We talked to their families, and they're horrified. We break down OpenAI's Sora 2 and the moral and legal problems of "synthetic resurrection." Gift link: wapo.st/4nNKzd3 w/ @tatumhunter.bsky.social

Ope! I reported in August about the quiet rise of vertical "micro-dramas": TV series in 60-second episodes designed to game your attention. Now the screen actors guild is officially recognizing this exploding industry with a new contract. 👀 www.sagaftra.org/turning-indu...

Yesterday we heard from dozens of parents and other people upset by the prevalence of the Charlie Kirk clip on social media. We found that social media apps amplified the video broadly -- often an autoplay to unsuspecting viewers. From me and @willoremus.com. Here's a gift link: wapo.st/4n6oBSi

Visceral closeup videos of Charlie Kirk getting shot in the neck were everywhere on social media. A lot of parents were not pleased that mainstream social apps’ algorithms showed it to their kids. Story today by @tatumhunter.bsky.social & me (gift link): wapo.st/4n6oBSi

“A user isn’t joining any of these platforms expecting to have their privacy and physical security at risk, just by being in an online space, especially one that presents itself as secure.” www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2... via @tatumhunter.bsky.social

motion for a moratorium on the word "performative" you people can't be trusted

NEW: The most-downloaded app in America this week lets women rate their dates, complete with green and red flags alongside the guy’s name and photo. Some men say it’s an abuse of technology and a violation of their privacy. wapo.st/415AZc2

Gone are the days when you could have an affair or yell at a flight attendant or bully your neighbors in peace. In the internet age the cameras are always rolling, and people’s worst moments draw millions of eyeballs as online audiences flock to weigh in. wapo.st/44DNhL6

PBS Kids is at risk while YouTube videos engineered for maximum child engagement thrive. @tatumhunter.bsky.social examined the future of kids entertainment after Republicans slashed PBS funding www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Generation Slop. new from @tatumhunter.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Looking to talk to parents who frequently turn to PBS kids' TV programming, for a story! DMs are open or [email protected]

By the numbers: Mamdani's engagement rate on Instagram was 14 times that of Cuomo during June. Across social media during the same period, conversations about him outnumbered mentions of Cuomo more than 30-to-1, Sprout Social told us.

NEW: We all know Mamdani’s social campaign was killer. Top political and media strategists say it’s because he departed from Democrats’ standard playbook, engaging directly with opponents and hammering concrete policy points. wapo.st/4laXIeE

Bluesky welcoming @jd-vance-1.bsky.social

You don’t hate the Sabrina Carpenter album cover because it “sets feminism back” (??) you hate it because it’s too on-the-nose to feel artistic. It’s a defanged, un-fun version of the material/community it’s referencing, a la Nicole Kidman’s “Babygirl.” Hope this helps!

A battle has been raging between generative AI companies and copyright holders. Two giant contenders — Disney and Universal — just stepped into the ring, suing the AI startup Midjourney to protect their intellectual property. The outcome could change the future of entertainment. wapo.st/4jPsVCO

All eyes on Newsom today. Here we see another conflict with profound real-world stakes playing out through online beefs optimized for engagement.

Local news is saying more than 80 arrests by the end of last night in NYC. One father reached out to me saying his son was arrested but he can’t get through to central booking.

NEW: Locked in an online showdown with Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is styling himself as an internet-era champion of the left. wapo.st/3SI33xL

From the ground in NYC: More than a dozen protesters appear to be under arrest after clashing with police at Federal Plaza in Manhattan

As the Trump administration posts through its mass deportation push, viral images from protests and raids are amping up outrage on both sides. W @drewharwell.com and @naominix.bsky.social

New: A week before the ICE raid on day workers outside a Home Depot ignited the L.A. protests, the White House posted video from a similar bust, calling it an "EPIC Takedown." Commenters called it "disturbing": this "isn't a reality show." But the messaging war had just begun 🧵 wapo.st/4l2fK2A

We wrote about the girls fighting and the tremendous content www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2... w/ @tatumhunter.bsky.social

NEW: In the extremely online battle between Musk and Trump, the attention economy is the real winner. From me and @willoremus.com wapo.st/4kZfDou

i’ll feel proud for dodging a fast-fashion purchase and then buy 64 plastic bic lighters in a week

NEW: People are asking ChatGPT for a ruthless assessment of their looks. It's more honest than friends and family, they claim. The best analogy I can find is thinking you're looking into a mirror when you're actually staring into a screen. (1) www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Alright let’s go to the phones. Bob from Chicago, you’re live here on pope talk radio. What’s on your mind today Bob? Do women have what it takes to be deacons?

The internet wants to know whether 100 men could successfully fight a gorilla. It’s not about the gorilla.

NEW: With tariffs on Chinese goods as high as 145%, shoppers are flooding to thrifting apps, data shows. Will this eco-friendly impulse last past the initial shock?

people on this Q train acting like they’ve never seen a woman eat a tub of coleslaw with her bare hands before

A Russian operation is one of the most successful so far in getting lies repeated by popular AI chatbots. Gift link to my story today. wapo.st/44vhnR3

lol my autistic family members have PhDs, beautiful families, great personalities and diverse hobbies. having ~fewer cases of autism~ is only a goal if you resent neurodivergent people.