Eating For Free

In this week's tumultuous return to our 2020 schedule, we breakdown the recent disappearance of the controversial Teen Vogue 'advertorial' praising Facebook's dedication to a fair and honest 2020 election. We review the original piece and explain its complicated creation, as well as discover shocking things about their internal team.

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Eating For Free is an investigative podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of critical reporters at a time when pop culture and tech coverage is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to monthly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)! 

Any personal, business, or general inquires can be sent to [email protected] 

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

• Katie Harbath’s Career History (LinkedIn)
• DCI Group Controversies (Wikipedia)
• Astroturfing History (Wikipedia)
• Education Management Corporation (Wikipedia)
• National Republican Senate Committee (Facebook)
• Sarah Schiff (LinkedIn)
• Facebook let Trump's campaign run over 2,000 ads referring to immigration as an “invasion” (MediaMatters)
• Monica Lee (Website)
• The cure for Facebook's fake news infection? It might be these women (CNET)
• Crystal Patterson at the RNC (FacebookWatch)
• One year inside Trump's monumental Facebook campaign (TheGuardian)
• Pro-Trump super PACs draw scrutiny for Facebook ads seeking voter registration data (TheWashingtonPost)
• Teen Vogue Editorial Staff Had No Idea About That Mysterious Facebook Advertorial: Source (Jezebel)
• Forget fake news stories. False text posts are getting massive engagement on Facebook (Poynter)

• Facebook Says It Won’t Back Down From Allowing Lies in Political Ads (New York Times)
• Fresh Cambridge Analytica leak ‘shows global manipulation is out of control’ (The Guardian)
• How white supremacists evade Facebook bans (The Verge)
• Facebook civil rights audit says white supremacy policy is ‘too narrow’ (The Verge)
• Facebook Allowed Advertisers to Target Users Interested in “White Genocide” (The Intercerpt)
• Facebook’s refusal to fact-check political ads is reckless (The Guardian)
• U.S. charges Facebook with racial discrimination in targeted housing ads (Reuters)
• Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal (Wikipedia)
• Mark Zuckerberg Addresses 'Breach Of Trust' In Facebook User Data Crisis (Forbes)
• Facebook Spreads Viral Fake News Story About Vaccines (Newsweek)
• A shockingly large majority of health news shared on Facebook is fake or misleading (FastCompany)
• Facebook will not remove fake news - but will 'demote' it (BBC)
• Forget fake news stories. False text posts are getting massive engagement on Facebook (Poynter)
• Social media manipulation rising globally, new report warns (University of Oxford)
• Facebook: Most political trolls are American, not Russian (The Telegraph)
• Is Facebook undermining democracy in Africa? (BBC)
• Facebook Removed Nearly 3.4 Billion Fake Accounts In 6 Months (NPR)
• Exposing Russia’s Effort to Sow Discord Online: The Internet Research Agency and Advertisements (White House Intelligence Committee)
• Kremlin Cash Behind Billionaire’s Twitter and Facebook Investments (The New York Times)

In part three of our TikTok installment, we round-out out our coverage of the new global phenomenon taking over social media. We talk about the new censorship against users dissenting against China, those not deemed worthy of the algorithm's promotion, the way their app directs data to 3rd party companies, and the recent class-action settlement with the United States Federal Trade Commission.

Eating For Free is a bi-weekly gossip podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at [email protected]!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to monthly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)!

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Sources:

• Tik Tok and the Uighur Muslims (BBC)
• Feroza Aziz's Banned TikTok Video (YouTube)
• Privacy Analysis of Tiktok's App and Website (Rufposten)
• TikTok prevented disabled users' videos from showing up in feeds (The Verge)
• TikTok and Chinese Surveillance Software (The Independent)
• Privacy Analysis of Tiktok's App and Website (Rufposten)
• TikTok chief, facing criticism over China ties, cancels meetings with US lawmakers (CNBC)
• TikTok's chief cancels planned meetings with US senators amid concerns over privacy and app's ties to China (Business Insider)
• TikTok music app owner agrees to $1.1 million class action settlement for alleged underage privacy violations (Chicago Tribune)

In this two-part series we explore the international phenomenon and emerging social media platform: TikTok. From the failing Shanghai tech company that created Musical.ly to ByteDance's $1b acquisition in 2017, we explore how TikTok became the highest-valued startup to date now totalling over $75b.

Part 2 will examine the way TikTok has changed our perception of content production, how its paying the most popular users, and breakdown what exactly is going on between the new controversy regarding Mark Zuckerberg and the US Gov. plan to investigate the app's Chinese background. We also realize over the course of recording, that this may be our most important episode to date!

Eating For Free is a bi-weekly gossip podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at [email protected]!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to weekly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)!

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Sources:

• Meet the Head of TikTok, a 35-Year-Old Who Makes Employees Do Push-Ups if Their Videos Don't Get Enough Likes - Money, Julia Glum (2019)
• How a failed education startup turned into Musical.ly, the most popular app you've probably never heard of - Business Insider, Biz Carson (2016)
• Chinese Tech Firms Forced to Choose Market: Home or Everywhere Else - NYT, Paul Mozur
• My conversation with Zhang Yiming, founder of Toutiao - Technode, 2017
• Musical.ly, a Chinese App Big in the U.S., Sells for $1 Billion (Paul Mozur) - NYT, 2017
• Who's Too Young for an App? Musical.ly Tests the Limits - NYT, John Herrman, 2016
• The popular Musical.ly app has been rebranded as TikTok - The Verge, Dami Lee. (2018)
• These Teens Are Making Thousands a Month With Karaoke App Musical.ly - Money, Gabriela Fernandez
• AI In China: How Buzzfeed Rival ByteDance Uses Machine Learning To Revolutionize The News - Forbes, Bernard Marr
• A Look at Toutiao: China's Artificial Intelligence Powered News Platform - Wei Chun Chew, Medium
• The Hidden Forces Behind Toutiao: China's Content King - Ycombination, Anu Hariharan (2017
• The History of TikTok (TeenVogue)

• How TikTok is Rewriting the World (NewYorkTimes)
• TikTok, Explained (Vox)
• How TikTok Holds Our Attention (NewYorker)
• 32 Biggest Stars on TikTok (Business Insider)
• How 7 Brands are Using TikTok (HugSpot)
• TikTok and Activism (BBC)
• Meet the Head of TikTok (Money.com)
• How A Failed Startup Became Musical.ly (Business Insider)
• Chinese Tech Firms Forced to Choose Market (NewYorkTimes)
• My conversation with Zhang Yiming, founder of Toutiao (Technode)
• Musical.ly, a Chinese App Big in the U.S., Sells for $1 Billion (NewYorkTimes)
• Who's Too Young for an App? Musical.ly Tests the Limits (NewYorkTimes)
• The popular Musical.ly app has been rebranded as TikTok (The Verge)
• These Teens Are Making Thousands a Month With Karaoke App Musical.ly (Money.com)
• AI In China: How Buzzfeed Rival ByteDance Uses Machine Learning To Revolutionize The News (Forbes)
• How TikTok Took Over Music (Rolling Stone)
• Record Labels Demand More Money for Songs on TikTok App (Bloomberg)
• U.S. Army Looking Into National Security Concerns Over TikTok After Using It to Recruit Troops (Gizmodo)
• U.S. opens national security investigation into TikTok (Reuters)
• TikTok national security inquiry (CNBC)
• US investigating TikTok owner ByteDance (South China Morning Post)
• Before Mark Zuckerberg Tried To Kill TikTok (BuzzFeedNews)
• TikTok has moved into Facebook's backyard (CNBC)

In this two-part series we explore the international phenomenon and emerging social media platform: TikTok. From the failing Shanghai tech company that created Musical.ly to ByteDance's $1b acquisition in 2017, we explore how TikTok became the highest-valued startup to date now totalling over $75b. In part 1 we'll break down the app and its powerful machine learning technology, and how its Chinese roots are critical to understanding the future of the company.

Eating For Free is a bi-weekly gossip podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at [email protected]!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to weekly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)!

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Sources:

• Meet the Head of TikTok, a 35-Year-Old Who Makes Employees Do Push-Ups if Their Videos Don't Get Enough Likes - Money, Julia Glum (2019)
• How a failed education startup turned into Musical.ly, the most popular app you've probably never heard of - Business Insider, Biz Carson (2016)
• Chinese Tech Firms Forced to Choose Market: Home or Everywhere Else - NYT, Paul Mozur
• My conversation with Zhang Yiming, founder of Toutiao - Technode, 2017
• Musical.ly, a Chinese App Big in the U.S., Sells for $1 Billion (Paul Mozur) - NYT, 2017
• Who's Too Young for an App? Musical.ly Tests the Limits - NYT, John Herrman, 2016
• The popular Musical.ly app has been rebranded as TikTok - The Verge, Dami Lee. (2018)
• These Teens Are Making Thousands a Month With Karaoke App Musical.ly - Money, Gabriela Fernandez
• AI In China: How Buzzfeed Rival ByteDance Uses Machine Learning To Revolutionize The News - Forbes, Bernard Marr
• A Look at Toutiao: China's Artificial Intelligence Powered News Platform - Wei Chun Chew, Medium
• The Hidden Forces Behind Toutiao: China's Content King - Ycombination, Anu Hariharan (2017
• The History of TikTok (TeenVogue)

• How TikTok is Rewriting the World (NewYorkTimes)
• TikTok, Explained (Vox)
• How TikTok Holds Our Attention (NewYorker)
• 32 Biggest Stars on TikTok (Business Insider)
• How 7 Brands are Using TikTok (HugSpot)
• TikTok and Activism (BBC)
• Meet the Head of TikTok (Money.com)
• How A Failed Startup Became Musical.ly (Business Insider)
• Chinese Tech Firms Forced to Choose Market (NewYorkTimes)
• My conversation with Zhang Yiming, founder of Toutiao (Technode)
• Musical.ly, a Chinese App Big in the U.S., Sells for $1 Billion (NewYorkTimes)
• Who's Too Young for an App? Musical.ly Tests the Limits (NewYorkTimes)
• The popular Musical.ly app has been rebranded as TikTok (The Verge)
• These Teens Are Making Thousands a Month With Karaoke App Musical.ly (Money.com)
• AI In China: How Buzzfeed Rival ByteDance Uses Machine Learning To Revolutionize The News (Forbes)
• How TikTok Took Over Music (Rolling Stone)
• Record Labels Demand More Money for Songs on TikTok App (Bloomberg)
• U.S. Army Looking Into National Security Concerns Over TikTok After Using It to Recruit Troops (Gizmodo)
• U.S. opens national security investigation into TikTok (Reuters)
• TikTok national security inquiry (CNBC)
• US investigating TikTok owner ByteDance (South China Morning Post)
• Before Mark Zuckerberg Tried To Kill TikTok (BuzzFeedNews)
• TikTok has moved into Facebook's backyard (CNBC)

In this multipart series we've explored how Amazon uses its various spheres of control to manipulate our ideologies surrounding labor, consumer rights, mass surveillance, and corporate dependency. In part four, the series ends on the political ramifications of Amazon, and thereby Jeff Bezos' control of American ideology, and how some current organizations, even presidential candidates, plan to stop this.

If you or anyone want to contact us about tips, stories, or personal experiences that relate to any of what we plan to discuss in this series, please contact us by our hotline or email below, we appreciate any inquiry!

Eating For Free is a bi-weekly gossip podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at [email protected]!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to weekly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)!

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Links:

• Jeff Bezos's Master Plan (Franklin Foer, The Atlantic)
• Karlie Kloss, Josh Kushner, and Jeff Bezos Are All on Vacation Together, and You Can See It on Instagram (Town and Country)
• Bernie Sanders' Plan for Action (Campaign Site)
• Elizabeth Warren's Plans for Action (Campaign Site)

In this multipart series we will explore how Amazon uses its various spheres of control to manipulate our ideologies surrounding labor, consumer rights, mass surveillance, and corporate dependency. Part three will examine how Amazon has partnered with the US Government's Department of Justice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many privately-owned surveillance companies. In part four, the series will end on the political ramifications of Amazon, and thereby Jeff Bezos' control of American ideology, and how some current organizations, even presidential candidates, plan to stop this.

If you or anyone want to contact us about tips, stories, or personal experiences that relate to any of what we plan to discuss in this series, please contact us by our hotline or email below, we appreciate any inquiry!

Eating For Free is a bi-weekly gossip podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at [email protected]!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to weekly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)!

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

In this multipart investigative series we will explore how Amazon uses its various spheres of control to manipulate our ideologies surrounding labor, consumer rights, mass surveillance, and corporate dependency. Part one will cover Amazon's newly expanding use of propaganda through social media and advertorial content, specifically the company's creation of the Prime Day Concert, their 'FC Ambassadors,' and a in-house blog. Part two will explore Amazon's anti-union training, and the reality of working in an Amazon warehouse. We will examine the safety of their warehouses, the suicides and deaths that have occured, and what it is like to go on an Amazon FC tour. Part three (and possibly four) will examine how Amazon has partnered with the US Government's Department of Justice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many privately-owned surveillance companies. The series will end on the political ramifications of Amazon, and thereby Jeff Bezos', control of American ideology, and how some current organizations, even presidential candidates, plan to stop this.

Eating For Free is a bi-weekly gossip podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at [email protected]!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to weekly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)!

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Articles:

• Corporatism (Wikipedia)
• Neo-feudalism (Wikipedia)
• Advertorial Propaganda (Wikipedia)
• Amazon's Aggressive Anti-Union Tactics Revealed in Leaked 45-Minute Video (Bryan Menegus, Gizmodo)
• Amazon and Tesla Facilities Named Among the Most Dangerous Workplaces in America (Melanie Ehrenkranz, Gizmodo)
• 'Colony of Hell': 911 Calls From Inside Amazon Warehouses (Max Zahn, TheDailyBeast)
• U.S. Supreme Court rejects Amazon warehouse worker wage appeal (Andrew Chung)
• Unfulfilled at the Amazon tour (Sarah Miller, The Outline)
• MissionRacer: How Amazon Turned the Tedium of Warehouse Work Into a Game (Greg Besigner, Washington Post)

In this multipart investigative series we will explore how Amazon uses its various spheres of control to manipulate our ideologies surrounding labor, consumer rights, mass surveillance, and corporate dependency. Part one will cover Amazon's newly expanding use of propaganda through social media and advertorial content, specifically the company's creation of the Prime Day Concert, their 'FC Ambassadors,' and a in-house blog. Part two will explore Amazon's anti-union training, and the reality of working in an Amazon warehouse. We will examine the safety of their warehouses, the suicides and deaths that have occurred, and what it is like to go on an Amazon FC tour. Part three (and possibly four) will examine how Amazon has partnered with the US Government's Department of Justice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and many privately-owned surveillance companies to expand their state-wide technological monopoly. The series will end on the political ramifications of this newly expanding capitalist specter, and how some current organizations, even presidential candidates, plan to stop this.

If you or anyone want to contact us about tips, stories, or personal experiences that relate to any of what we plan to discuss in this series, please contact us by our hotline or email below, we appreciate any inquiry!

Eating For Free is an investigative pop-culture podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at [email protected]!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to weekly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)!

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

• Corporatism (Wikipedia)
• Neo-feudalism (Wikipedia)
• Advertorial Propaganda (Wikipedia)
• What's an Amazon 'FC Ambassador' and Are They Okay? (Bryan Menegus, Gizmodo)
• @AmazonFCHannah (Twitter)
• The Amazon (Propaganda) Blog (About Amazon.com)
• I watched Amazon's Prime Day concert—and it made me want to shop for a new planet (Joe Berkowitz, Fast Company)
• Amazon fired a warehouse worker who was trying to unionize. Now he's taking legal action (Alexia Fernández Campbell, Vox)

This was probably the hardest episode we've ever had to record. We love you all, and will see you next week!

Purdue Pharma saves money going bankrupt, Shane Gills meets with Andrew Yang, Felicity Huffman goes to prison, and The UK Government is secretly funding blogs to surveil on its citizens, to say its been a slow week? What an understatement! We also talk about Lizzo and celebrtity presence on the working class, how game developers manipulate the Nintendo store, Lady Gaga’s bizarre speech for the new Haus Labs line, and talk about our upcoming deep dive!

Eating For Free is a bi-weekly gossip podcast reporting from the edge of the internet! We're a new wave of celebrity reporters at a time when pop culture is increasingly chaotic and media lacks the ability or moral direction to make sense of this capitalist nightmare!

Do you have a tip for us? Got some hot gossip? Need to get any questions off your chest? Call our hotline at Call 1-810-EAT-FREE (1-810-328-3733) or send us an email at [email protected]!

Become a Patreon backer for exclusive access to weekly bonus episodes and more! You can also find us on our website, Twitter, and Instagram. For behind-the-scenes gossip and access, join our exclusive Facebook group: Girls & Gays (G.A.G.S.)! 

• Joan Summers: Twitter, Instagram.
• Matthew Lawson: Twitter, Instagram.

Main Episode - Article Links:

• Lizzo Apologizes To Postmates Driver, May Have Just Missed Delivery Window (Rolling Stone)
• Andrew Yang Looks Forward To “Sitting Down” With Fired ‘SNL’ Cast Member Shane Gillis (Dino-Ray Ramos, Deadline)
• Lifestyle website for Muslim teens is covertly funded by the Home Office’s Counter-Extremism Programme (Nosheen Iqbal, UK Guardian)
• OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Files for Bankruptcy to Wipe Out 2,000 Lawsuits (Bloomberg)
• Felicity Huffman is Going to Jail (NBC10 Boston/TMZ/Jezebel)
• Felicity Huffman Has Been Sentenced To 14 Days In Prison For Her Role In The College Admissions Scandal (Julia Reinstein, BuzzFeedNews)
• Whole Foods, Whose Owner, Jeff Bezos, Is Worth $115 Billion, Is Cutting Health Care Coverage for Part-Time Workers (Eater.com)
• Developers Cash In By Selling Their Switch Games For Pennies (Kotaku)
• Inside Lady Gaga's Official Launch Party for Haus Laboratories (ET)
• Twitch's Latest Crackdowns On 'Sexual' Content Are Leaving Streamers Baffled (Kotaku)