Taylor Lorenz’s Power User

Are we losing our right to online privacy entirely? 
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In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sat down with Cindy Cohn, former head of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and author of the new book Privacy's Defender. We dive deep into the secret history of the early internet, the terrifying reality of mass online surveillance by the US government, and how "age verification" laws sweeping the US will destroy digital civil liberties for everyone.
 
Cindy explains how the NSA and FBI use massive legal loopholes like Section 702 to secretly access your data for domestic purposes, the massive security dangers of forcing users to upload their IDs to access apps like Discord, and why the fight to protect encryption is more crucial now than ever. 
If you care about your digital rights, free speech, and the future of the open web, this is a must-watch conversation!! 
 
Topics Covered:
The 90s hacker origins of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

How the Bernstein case saved internet encryption

Post-9/11 mass surveillance and the government's data grab

Why the FBI and NSA's use of Section 702 threatens your privacy

The truth about the government buying your personal data from private brokers

Why age verification laws banning users under 16 create massive security risks

How to fight back and become part of the next generation of privacy advocates

Skibidi Toilet changed how storytelling works on YouTube. But behind the scenes, things got messy.
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Back in 2023, a creator named Alexey (better known as DaFuqBoom) launched a super weird, viral series about a singing head in a toilet called Skibidi Toilet. It went viral and quickly became one of the most popular online series to ever exist. Over the course of 79 episodes, it evolved into an epic, fan-favorite story about an intergalactic war.
 
Then, Hollywood stepped in. A traditional (or "tra-digital") entertainment company called Invisible Narratives bought the Skibidi Toilet rights. By early 2025, Alexey took a step back to become an executive producer, meaning he was no longer making the daily videos. The studio released a new spin-off series called "Emergence," but fans instantly noticed a massive change.  
  
Now, the Skibidi Toilet fandom community is furious. After a disastrous, leaked call between the studio and popular YouTubers, fans are demanding the original creator take his show back with the hashtag #BringBackBoom. Meanwhile, Skibidi Toilet has become one of the most valuable franchises in Hollywood.
 
Steven Asarch is a journalist who's been covering this controversy. In this video, he joins me to break down what is going on with the Skibidi Toilet franchise, the #BringBackBoom movement's true goals, and answer the biggest question fans are all asking: is Skibidi Toilet officially dead?
 
We cover:
How Skibidi Toilet became so popular

The creator’s role and what changed

The studio takeover and what it means

Why fans are upset and pushing back

The future of internet-created IP

AI Surveillance is taking over our schools. Support my independent journalism:🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz 🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co Kent Myrtle, a Wichita bus driver, has been blowing the whistle on AI-powered cameras being installed on school buses. From Wichita to Massachusetts, school districts are partnering with companies like Samsara and BusPatrol to implement "real-time monitoring" and "hazard detection." 
But is this actually about safety, or is it a massive privacy violation? We discuss how this footage is being sent to the Amazon Web Services cloud without parental consent. We also look at the "safety" claims, like AI systems mistaking bags of chips for weapons, and how these buses are being turned into roving surveillance machines for law enforcement.

Kyle Chayka is a writer for the New Yorker, and on this week's Power User he joins me to break down the rise of AI fruit slop dramas. 
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Millions and millions of TikTok users are tuning into an AI generated short form show called Fruit Love Island. On the show, AI generated fruits kiss, date, fight, and make up. The show has amassed an overnight fan base and spawned a slew of spinoffs including  The Summer I Turned Fruity, The Fruitpire Diaries, Food Is Blind, and Fruit Paternity court. 
 
The world of AI content is being flooded by this bizarre phenomenon, amassing millions of views across TikTok trends 2026. The shows all use a viral content strategy to generate hits in minutes using tools like Object Talk and Leonardo AI. These AI generated videos allow faceless YouTube channels to monetize "attention arbitrage" for massive profit.
Beneath these AI videos lies a dark undercurrent of sinister messaging. Because AI storytelling and algorithm psychology prioritize engagement, narratives frequently devolve into misogyny and graphic violence, showing fruit women being berated or fruit babies thrown to their deaths. By stripping away ethics, these social media trends deliver raw stimulation that keeps viewers in a state of stress. 
 
We discuss:
The evolution from AI Cat videos to Fruit Paternity Court.
How "passive income" hustlers are using ChatGPT to script high-drama storylines involving betrayal and violence.
The science of dopamine vs. cortisol and why this content keeps you in a hyper-stimulated stress state.
Why brands like Olipop and Slim Jim are jumping into the fruit slop comments.
The dark side of the algorithm: How AI content naturally devolves into the "lowest common denominator" of sex and violence.

[SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE]
Why the internet is trying to "end" Chappell Roan.
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Twitch streamer and cultural commentator Caroline Kwan joins me to break down the massive viral controversy surrounding Chappell Roan. What started as a passing interaction at a hotel breakfast in Brazil has morphed into a multi-platform smear campaign led by TikTokers, pop stans, and "Blue MAGA" accounts, pushing blatant misinformation.
  
Caroline and I break down what's really going on, and debunk the claims that Chappell is a "secret heiress" or a "mean girl". We talk about why Chappell specifically is always at the center of this type of vitriol, and dive into the intersection of misogyny, homophobia, and the "death of the diva" in the age of social media.
From fake claims to bot amplification to stan wars, the Chappell situation a case study in how bad actors on the internet can create controversy out of almost nothing.
In this video, we discuss:
The Brazil incident with Jorginho Frello’s stepdaughter.

The debunked "rich kid" allegations and fake high school "exposés".

Why Chappell Roan cut ties with Wasserman Music and the Epstein connection.

The role of bots and "tea" accounts in fueling the outrage.

The double standard between female pop stars and male celebrities like Tom Holland or Justin Bieber.

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