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Tatum Hunter
@tatumhunter.bsky.social
Internet culture reporter at The Washington Post. DMs and Signal are open: 513.368.3359
2019: "I believe the future is private." — Mark Zuckerberg 2026: Meta can now use your Instagram DMs to train AI. @tatumhunter.bsky.social
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
Tatum Hunter | Substack
My internet coverage to your inbox. Click to read Tatum Hunter, a Substack publication. Launched an hour ago.
bytatumhunter.substack.com
Tatum Hunter@tatumhunter.bsky.social · 6mo agoLost 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.
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.
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...
X users tell Grok to undress women and girls in photos. It’s saying yes.
The site is filling with AI-generated nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children. Owner Elon Musk responded with laughing emojis.
washingtonpost.com
The industry has spent years fighting to contain non-consensual deepfakes. X just threw open the floodgates, seemingly with impunity?
Drew Harwell@drewharwell.com · 7mo agoX basically industrialized the creation of fake porn of women who don't consent. Others did it first, but Grok made it normalized and centralized: publicly visible, instantly creatable by anyone, regardless of who's being targeted and dehumanized. Only question now is will X suffer any consequences
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
She was MAGA’s favorite conspiracist. Then she dug into Charlie Kirk’s killing.
The right-wing firebrand rose to prominence as a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist. Her latest claims have infuriated some of her former allies.
wapo.st
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
She was MAGA’s favorite conspiracist. Then she dug into Charlie Kirk’s killing.
The right-wing firebrand rose to prominence as a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist. Her latest claims have infuriated some of her former allies.
wapo.st
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...
This country banned social media for young teens. Most don’t plan to comply.
Pulling the plug on the biggest social media apps has broad support in parliament and the public at large. Most kids say they plan by whatever means to skirt it.
washingtonpost.com
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 tatum.hunter@washpost.com
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
An influencer’s test of churches went viral, rewarding the generous and shaming the stingy.
wapo.st
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...
This pastor fell for a TikTok stunt and sparked a debate on Christian charity
An influencer’s test of churches went viral, rewarding the generous and shaming the stingy
washingtonpost.com
NEW from me: Mamdani clinched a win in New York City. So why do ring-wing internet figures seem so...gleeful? wapo.st/4qLb5FQ
MAGA is trying to turn Zohran Mamdani’s win into their gain
New York City’s new mayor enjoyed a meteoric rise to online notoriety. The internet’s talking heads are just getting started.
wapo.st
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...
Turning the Industry on Its Side: SAG-AFTRA Goes Vertical With New Agreement
New Verticals Agreement Caters to Serialized Micro-Dramas in Mobile Formats
sagaftra.org
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
‘My kid has seen this. Now what?’: Parents reel as Charlie Kirk video goes viral
Gory social videos of Charlie Kirk’s shooting have inundated children, leaving parents feeling powerless and disturbed.
wapo.st
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
‘My kid has seen this. Now what?’: Parents reel as Charlie Kirk video goes viral
Gory social videos of Charlie Kirk’s shooting have inundated children, leaving parents feeling powerless and disturbed.
wapo.st
“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
When apps leak our data, who is responsible?
The Tea and Flo apps put women at risk. Where are the consequences?
washingtonpost.com
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
The Tea app lets women review their dates. Men are worried.
The Tea Dating Advice app rose to the top of the charts for exposing abusive behavior, but some say it raises privacy concerns.
wapo.st
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
Analysis | An awkward Coldplay kiss cam went viral. Cue the morality police.
In the internet age, cameras are always rolling. It’s leading to a new era of interpersonal surveillance, which Astronomer CEO Andy Byron is the new focus of.
wapo.st
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...
With PBS funding cut, will the next generation be raised by ‘Skibidi Toilet’?
Cuts to PBS funding could change kids’ media forever, as families opt for short-form video and online series optimized for attention.
washingtonpost.com
Generation Slop. new from @tatumhunter.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
With PBS funding cut, will the next generation be raised by ‘Skibidi Toilet’?
Cuts to PBS funding could change kids’ media forever, as families opt for short-form video and online series optimized for attention.
washingtonpost.com