There Are No Girls on the Internet: News Roundup – August 8, 2025 Host: Bridget Todd Producer/Co-Host: Mike
Podcast: There Are No Girls on the Internet (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Bridget Todd and producer Mike dive into a whirlwind of internet news stories impacting marginalized communities and the intersection of tech, gender, and privacy. They bring sharp analysis and a dose of humor to hot topics, from the spread of AI-powered deepfakes and app privacy scandals to misogynistic stunts at WNBA games and a major lawsuit against Meta. Throughout, the hosts emphasize how internet culture—and its dysfunctions—disproportionately affect women and other underrepresented groups.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI Deepfakes: Grok Imagine and Taylor Swift (08:09–15:13)

• Grok Imagine, X's (formerly Twitter) new AI tool, is generating sexually explicit deepfakes of Taylor Swift entirely unprompted, simply upon activating “spicy mode.”
• Lack of Guardrails: Unlike other AI tools like Google’s Imagen or OpenAI’s Sora, Grok Imagine does not clearly prohibit sexual/pornographic or nonconsensual celebrity content; its Acceptable Use Policy only tiptoes around explicit nudity.
• Gendered Harms: Prior viral Taylor Swift deepfakes on X show this is not new; tech companies’ “free speech” arguments often ignore nonconsensual sexualized content’s real harms.
• Quote (Bridget, 10:54):

  “Most mainstream AI companies will usually have a rule that is spelled out explicitly prohibiting folks from creating harmful content... Not at X. They have no such qualms.”

• Satirical Reflection (Mike, 14:51):

  “Communities can't have clean water or clean air, but we can be served up AI videos of Taylor Swift undressing without even asking for it... That is the future.”

• Analysis: The hosts are critical of X/Elon Musk’s choices, showing how the company enables the spread of harmful, misogynistic content through tech negligence or profit-seeking.

2. The Tea/TAPP and Tea On Her App Data Breaches (18:31–36:24)

• App Wars: After the women-focused “Tea” app for sharing dating info was breached (exposing IDs, selfies), a copycat “Tea On Her” app targeting men also exposed users’ sensitive info—including government IDs.
• Hypocrisy & Gender Wars: Social reactions to leaks are gendered. Women faced blame, while little outrage greeted men’s data exposure. Both platforms failed at basic security.
• Quote (Bridget, 19:44):

  “I envision a world where all genders can have our data privacy compromised by sketchy apps in the name of gender equality.”

• Notable Segment:
  • Bridget points out how Manosphere voices hijack data breaches for “gender war” narratives, while good-faith conversations about trust/privacy get lost (23:07).
  • Mike raises tinfoil-hat doubts about whether the quick, copycat launches are grifts or just incompetence (31:30).
  • Bridget sums up:

    “People who might actually be trying to use these apps to keep themselves safe are being exploited by people who do not actually care about that, that are selling them a false bill of sale.” (36:18)

• Analysis: The hosts are scathing about how these ‘dating safety’ apps become vectors for exploitation, both through bad security and by fueling toxic gender politics online.

3. Privacy & Period Tracking Apps: Meta Loses Flo Lawsuit (39:14–49:10)

• Context: After Roe’s overturn, people worry about period tracking app privacy. Flo, a leading app, was sued for sharing sensitive menstrual data with Meta and other third parties, despite confidentiality claims.
• Legal Victory: A jury found Meta illegally collected health data, violating California’s wiretap law. The core debate: does period tracking data count as protected health info?
• Quote (Plaintiffs' Attorney, relayed by Bridget, 41:55):

  “This verdict sends a clear message about the protection of digital health data and the responsibility of big tech companies... Profit from users’ most intimate information must be held accountable.”

• Mike’s Legal Insight: Many health/therapy apps dodge “health information” rules and HIPAA’s strict requirements; most users have a false sense of HIPAA protection (45:21).
• Takeaway (Bridget, 48:46):

  “How much do you trust Mark Zuckerberg with this kind of information about yourself? I don’t trust him at all.”

• Practical PSA: Always double-check app privacy, especially with health or location info. Don’t trust “delete” promises at face value.
• Analysis: Even landmark privacy wins may bring little financial penalty, but publicizing tech firms’ behavior helps educate and warn users.

4. Instagram/Meta’s New Map Feature & Mass Distrust (49:10–57:49)

• Feature: Instagram rolled out a real-time location-sharing map (opt-in, but check your settings!).
• Distrust: Despite Meta’s claims, users (rightfully) fear involuntary sharing and mass data leakage, given Meta’s record of broken promises.
• Quote (Product Designer, relayed by Bridget, 55:07):

  “The real takeaway is no matter how clearly a new feature is explained, people won’t read the explanation or give it a try before rushing to alarm the world about it. Shruggy emoji.”

• Bridget’s Response:

  “That coming from somebody who is an internal product designer at Instagram tells me so much. These people simply do not get it... the reasons why people are not willing to trust them.” (55:55)

• Analysis: The hosts highlight the genuine foundation for consumer mistrust of big tech—and skewer Meta’s dismissive, out-of-touch attitude toward its user base.

5. AOC and Sydney Sweeney Deepfake: Journalists Falling for Fakes (61:28–70:43)

• Incident: Chris Cuomo (ex-CNN, now News Nation) shares a deepfake video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) criticizing a Sydney Sweeney jeans ad, failing to notice a clear AI-generated watermark.
• When called out, Cuomo doubled down:

  “You are correct, that was a deepfake... but it really does sound like you” before pivoting to another unrelated demand for AOC.

• Quote (Bridget, 66:32):

  “It can be difficult to see, like, oh, this is not real. I am getting taken by a fake video. So even though, in my opinion, this was very obviously AI... the fact that it aligns with Cuomo's worldview... I think that is why we see Cuomo now basically saying, well, it doesn't matter whether or not she actually said this.”

• Dark Implications (Mike, 67:46):

  “It just really illustrates exactly the way that AI is, like, destroying society, destroying democracy... someone who purports to be a journalist would just act like that distinction doesn’t even matter.”

• Analysis: This episode is a microcosm for democracy’s challenge: AI fakes will be weaponized, and even journalists may prioritize pre-existing bias over truth.

6. Crypto Bros, the WNBA, and Sex Toy Harassment (71:20–80:13)

• Story: Crypto group “Green Dildo Coin” orchestrated the mass throwing of green sex toys onto WNBA courts as an “awareness” campaign for their meme coin, under the pretense it’s a protest against crypto influencers.
• Athlete’s Response, paraphrased by Bridget:

  “The sexualization of women is what is used to hold women down and this is no different... we need to take action. We're not the butt of the joke, they are.”

• Bridget’s Anger (78:35):

  “Do you think the women whose games you are disrupting give a crap about your crypto meme stock?... I cannot imagine a more pathetic way to spend your time.”

• Mike points out: If it’s really “all sports,” they’d do it at NFL or UFC events—“but they never would.” (78:56)
• Bridget sums up:

  “It has everything to do with humiliating women... I will not have it.” (79:07)

• Analysis: The event demonstrates the intersection of online misogyny, toxic crypto culture, and real-world harassment—the “prank” is transparently about targeting and humiliating women in public spaces.

7. Bonus Moment: Linda McMahon and the A1 Steak Sauce Gaffe (80:21–81:44)

• Comic Relief: Playing circus music and the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” theme was used to drown out Linda McMahon’s clumsy attempt at talking “AI and education,” accidentally calling it “A1, like a steak sauce.”
• Bridget: “Chef’s kiss, no notes.”

Notable Quotes

• On AI and deepfakes:

  “Most mainstream AI companies will usually have a rule... Not at X. They have no such qualms.”
  —Bridget (10:54)

• On gender and data breaches:

  “I envision a world where all genders can have our data privacy compromised by sketchy apps in the name of gender equality.”
  —Bridget (19:44)

• On privacy and period data:

  “How much do you trust Mark Zuckerberg with this kind of information about yourself? I don’t trust him at all.”
  —Bridget (48:46)

• On Meta’s user trust:

  “A lot of companies are like this, but Meta is like at another level.”
  —Mike (50:16)

• On journalists’ responsibility in the AI era:

  “It just really illustrates exactly the way that AI is, like, destroying society, destroying democracy...”
  —Mike (67:46)

• On crypto misogyny:

  “I cannot imagine a more pathetic way to spend your time... you fuck if anybody from this group is listening.”
  —Bridget (78:35)

Key Timestamps

• 08:09 – AI Deepfakes & Grok Imagine’s harmful design
• 18:31 – TAPP & Tea On Her: Gender, hacking, hypocrisy, and app privacy
• 39:14 – Period tracking app lawsuit: Meta, Flow, & defining health data
• 49:10 – Instagram’s new map, privacy, and why no one trusts Meta
• 61:28 – Cuomo’s AOC deepfake blunder, journalists & AI fakes
• 71:20 – WNBA, sex toys, and the misogynistic crypto coin protest
• 80:21 – Linda McMahon’s A1 steak sauce AI gaffe (comic relief)

Overall Tone & Style

• Clever, punchy, direct—Bridget and Mike blend righteous anger, sardonic humor (“Go choke on your green dildos”), and sharp critique of tech industry failings.
• Deep empathy with marginalized voices, especially women caught in the online crossfire.
• Well-researched, with references to legal cases, journalistic missteps, and platform policies.

Conclusion

This news roundup unpacks a barrage of tech and culture stories revealing the internet’s endemic sexism, ongoing privacy risks, and the way bad actors—whether tech CEOs, crypto bros, or lazy journalists—keep exploiting existing inequalities. For listeners, it’s both a cathartic vent and a wake-up call: Stay vigilant, demand better, and never take what Big Tech tells you at face value.

For more info, transcripts, or to contact the show, visit tangoti.com or reach out at helloangodi.com.