Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: A person finding an AirTag hidden in their rental car, President Biden’s new nominee to fill out the FCC, how Netflix is now cracking down on password sharing in the U.S., and why lip-syncing on TikTok is getting weirder.
After that, our Politics Reporter Claire has a “Dirty Delete” column for you.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🚗 WTF
‘Why wouldn’t a rental company want to track their cars?’: Customer finds AirTag hidden inside rental car
People have allegedly been tracked by strangers using Air Tags before, which is probably why one person was so freaked out to find one of the devices in their rental car.
🌐 INTERNET RIGHTS
After blocking a progressive reformer, big telecom seems thrilled Biden’s new FCC pick is a safe choice
Hoping to break long-standing, lobbying-fueled gridlock at the nation’s top telecom and media regulator, the White House nominated Anna Gomez to fill the remaining empty spot at the FCC.
📺 STREAMING
Netflix says it’s finally cracking down on U.S. password sharing
After temporarily walking back its proposed password-sharing policy earlier this year, Netflix is now starting to roll out the changes in the U.S.
📱 INTERNET CULTURE
‘Paralyzing content my guy’: Lip-syncing on TikTok is getting weirder
These lip-sync accounts manage to elicit fear, sadness, and curiosity without words.
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🗳️ Dirty Delete
Man behind ‘woke-free’ beer capitalizes on Republican rage
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content. On Thursdays our Politics Reporter Claire Goforth goes deep on the social media history of politicians in her “Dirty Delete” column. If you want to read columns like this before everyone else, subscribe to web_crawlr to get your daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to you inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
👀 A job hunter who was interviewing at a Trader Joe’s thought the interviewer was just pulling her leg when asked to “list 10 products with lavender packing,” but as the job hunter tells it, the Trader Joe’s representative really wanted to know.
✂️ How would you feel if Indeed recommended that you apply to be a “grass cutter” at a cemetery?
🥓 This worker is going viral for sharing what it’s like to be cross-trained at Walmart, including finding bacon in the electronics section.
🍻 Viewers are criticizing this viral video of a bartender chasing customers who “aren’t tipping 40%” out of the bar.
🛌 A woman says that she paralyzed her boyfriend’s wrist after sleeping on his arm and that he could lose mobility for six months.
💫 Get your fix for all things wizardry with the best magic movies that aren’t Fantastic Beasts.*
☕ This Starbucks barista says she only got $10 in tips for the whole week.
📧 A woman looked down at her co-worker for deleting emails after reading them, leading to a debate in her comments section about whether her judgment was deserved.
🏈 From the Daily Dot archive: From sponsorships to merch, college athletes can now use their personal brands to monetize the internet.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
A TikToker recorded an interaction with a “Karen” who assumed he worked at a car rental agency and yelled at him for his bad customer service.
Social media influencer Cody Frank (@bonercody) was waiting to pick up his rental from Alamo Rent a Car when a “Karen” started to chastise him for his terrible customer service. But she seemed uninterested in the fact that he didn’t actually work there.
The now viral TikTok video has received over 658,000 views and people were highly amused by Cody’s antics.
🎶 Now Playing: “Buy Me a Boat” by Chris Janson 🎶
