The changes Elon Musk has made to Twitter are making it impossible to sort out what’s happening in the Israel / Hamas conflict. From gutting the Trust & Safety team to making verification meaningless and paying for engagement, Elon Musk has systematically removed the few safeguards we had that were able to keep disinformation on the platform (somewhat) in check. Today, while the world is watching in terror as the Israeli-Hamas conflict unfolds and intensifies, Twitter is more awash in fake claims and fake news than ever before. 

What is Hamas, and what’s happening in Israel and Gaza? A really simple guide: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67039975 

Inside X’s Community Notes, fact-checks on known misinformation are delayed for days: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/elon-musk-x-fact-check-israel-misinformation-rcna119658 

Unverified reports of ‘40 babies beheaded’ in Israel-Hamas war inflame social media: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/unverified-allegations-beheaded-babies-israel-hamas-war-inflame-social-rcna119902

Tensions had been building in Jerusalem for months, especially around the Al-Aqsa Mosque: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/4/israeli-settlers-storm-al-aqsa-mosque-complex-on-fifth-day-of-sukkot 

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Sometimes it’s difficult to remember how far we’ve come in the fight for equality. 

Kevin Jennings is CEO of Lambda Legal, the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ legal rights organization. He says it’s important to remember where we’ve been and how far we’ve come to have a clear sense of where we’re going, explains why he’s optimistic about young people, and shares his vision for a future where no one needs to come out - we’re all just free to be ourselves.  

LEARN MORE ABOUT LAMBDA LEGAL : https://lambdalegal.org/ 

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Want to bring Bridget to your school, job, or event? Email us! [email protected]

Bridget on Anita B’s podcast Be The Change: https://anitab.org/b-the-way-forward/

Men Overran a Job Fair for Women in Tech: https://www.wired.com/story/grace-hopper-celebration-career-fair-men/

Instagram isn’t causing overcrowding in parks as much as assumed, OSU study suggests: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/01/oregon-state-university-study-overcrowding-state-parks-not-all-instagram-fault/

Mobile apps fueling AI-generated nudes of young girls: Spanish police: https://abcnews.go.com/US/mobile-apps-fueling-ai-generated-nudes-young-girls/story?id=103563734

Extortion blackmail scams on the rise among your people, especially teen boys: https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/10/02/teen-boys-sextortion/ 

Elon Musk Hit With Lawsuit For Falsely Accusing Man Of Being Part Of Neo-Nazi Brawl: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elon-musk-defamation-lawsuit-neo-nazi_n_65146bace4b05bd1c4d60d14

NYC Becomes First U.S. City to Offer Abortion Pills Via Telehealth: https://jezebel.com/nyc-becomes-first-u-s-city-to-offer-abortion-pills-via-1850896523

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In this special episode taped from the iHeart Music Festival in the Bose recording booth, Bridget and Mike talk about the rise of many-to-many social surveillance via social media and what it means for all of us.

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Bridget’s other podcast BEEF is nominated for 3 Signal Awards! Can you vote for BEEF to win? Just go to https://ncpodcasts.com/signal

Apple removes app created by Andrew Tate: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/sep/22/apple-criticised-for-hosting-app-created-by-andrew-tate

Why We’re Pulling Our Recommendation of Wyze Security Cameras: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/wyze-security-breach/

The EU says Twitter/X is the worst platform for disinformation: https://www.techspot.com/news/100297-eu-former-twitter-platform-x-worst-disinformation.html

​​Bill would criminalize 'extremely harmful' online 'deepfakes’: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bill-criminalize-extremely-harmful-online-deepfakes/story?id=103286802&cid=social_twitter_abcnp

If You Resold Taylor Swift Eras Tour Tickets, the IRS Is Watching: https://gizmodo.com/irs-begins-taxing-concert-ticket-resale-taylor-swift-1850865265

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Apple joined the Google Play store in dropping Andrew Tate’s pyramid scheme app. And while Tate was in custody, Just Pearly Things rose up in his place. 

Justin Horowitz, researcher at Media Matters, explains the hold these misogynistic manosphere influencers have on the internet and what it means for all of us. 

Read Justin’s Media Matters research: https://www.mediamatters.org/diversity-discrimination/beyond-andrew-tate-meet-misogynistic-manosphere-influencers-proliferating

Apple removes app created by Andrew Tate: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/sep/22/apple-criticised-for-hosting-app-created-by-andrew-tate

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For Bridget's full take on Ashton Kutcher and anti-trafficking work, check out the Patreon: Patreon.com/tangoti 

Russell Brand accused of sexual assault by multiple women; but defended by Elon Musk and Alex Jones: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russell-brand-youtube-suspends-monetization-rape-sexual-assault-rcna105750 

New chatbot connects abortion-seekers with care options: https://mashable.com/article/abortion-chatbot-charley 

Amazon leaders were ‘okay’ with people being secretly signed up for Prime, lawsuit allege: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/20/23882675/amazon-prime-ftc-dark-patterns-lawsuit

Google bans Andrew Tate's 'The Real World' App: https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/andrew-tate-real-world-app 

Tim Ballard’s Departure From Operation Underground Railroad Followed Sexual Misconduct Investigation: https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkaqvn/tim-ballards-departure-from-operation-underground-railroad-followed-sexual-misconduct-investigation

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Spill is a meme forward, highly visual social media platform that is putting power in the hands of the people who use it. 

Kenya Parham, Spill’s Global Vice President of Community and Partnerships, explains how the team is building a new platform that feels like a safe, fun party with all your favorite cousins. 

TRY SPILL: https://www.spill.com/

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Bridget is having an “off day” in this one, but Joey helps her through it. 

Virginia election candidate responds after leak of tapes showing her performing sex acts with husband – "It won't silence me": https://www.cbsnews.com/news/susanna-gibson-candidate-responds-leak-tapes-sex-acts-husband-live-videos/

Actually, That AI Drake and The Weeknd Song Is Not Eligible for a Grammy: https://gizmodo.com/ai-drake-and-the-weeknd-song-not-eligible-for-a-grammy-1850818801

Open letter from parents of trans and gender expansive kids: KOSA would make our kids less safe: https://www.transparentsletter.com/

Ads for AI sex workers are flooding Instagram and TikTok: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/ai-girlfriend-ads-instagram-tiktok-chat-pics-chatgpt-dose-rcna97547 

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Ashton Kutcher recently wrote a letter to a judge, asking for leniency for his friend and TV co-star Danny Masterson (Kelso and Hyde from That 70’s Show). It was surprising, because for the past decade Ashton Kutcher has been trying to rebrand himself as an anti-trafficking hero. Not just any anti-trafficking hero, but a tech guru type who could use the power of technology and venture capital to save the children. We take a look into his organization, Thorn. Like so many other “save the children” orgs before it, Thorn seems to be using rhetoric and misleading statistics about trafficked children to push laws that further criminalize and marginalize consenting adult sex workers.

Sex, lies, and surveillance: Something's wrong with the war on sex trafficking: https://www.engadget.com/2019-05-31-sex-lies-and-surveillance-fosta-privacy.html

Real Men Get Their Facts Straight: https://www.villagevoice.com/real-men-get-their-facts-straight/

Ashton Kutcher Claims He Helped Cops Save Way More Sex-Trafficking Victims Than Authorities Say They've Found: https://reason.com/2017/02/15/ashton-kutcher-plays-sex-worker-savior/

The bogus claim that 300,000 U.S. children are ‘at risk’ of sexual exploitation: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/05/28/the-bogus-claim-that-300000-u-s-children-are-at-risk-of-sexual-exploitation/

SEX TRAFFICKING Online Platforms and Federal Prosecutions : chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-385.pdf

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