Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: A woman detailing a “real legit” AI video scam, an Uber Eats driver claiming the company wants to use robot delivery bots, an exclusive report about how Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new campaign deputy was part of a massive anti-net neutrality campaign, and a look at how the nude scene in Oppenheimer were censored in certain countries.
After that, we’ve got a “Dirty Delete” column from our Investigative Reporter Claire.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
💸 SCAMS
‘Someone’s 60-year-old dad would believe this’: Scammer sends AI video claiming to be ‘real legit’—and asking for money
As artificial intelligence becomes more pervasive, scammers are getting more creative with how they swindle people on social media.
🤖 LABOR
‘They will do anything except pay the drivers more’: Uber Eats driver says robot delivery bots are being developed as response to tipless orders no one picks up. Is that true?
According to one Uber Eats driver, the company is gearing up to use robot delivery systems to handle the massive number of orders that sit undelivered for hours because drivers often won’t deliver without a tip upfront.
🌐 POLITICS
EXCLUSIVE: DeSantis’ new campaign deputy was part of massive anti-net neutrality campaign that used dead people to spam the FCC
A GOP consultant set to be the next deputy campaign manager for presidential hopeful Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) was part of the infamous astroturfing campaign against net neutrality.
📽️ CULTURE
Florence Pugh’s ‘Oppenheimer’ nude scene censored with CGI dress in certain countries
After all the fuss over Oppenheimer‘s unexpected nudity and sex scenes, some audiences didn’t even get to see them.
We crawl the web so you don’t have to. Sign up to receive web_crawlr, a daily newsletter from the Daily Dot, in your inbox each day.
🗳️ Dirty Delete
Christina Pushaw thinks it’s her job to ‘drag’ people online
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, political groups, and politically-adjacent figures 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.
✈️ Two strangers went viral on TikTok after meeting on a plane and pranking the other passengers. Now viewers think the two should start dating.
🍔 Imagine doing the job of three people but only getting paid for one. A McDonald’s worker says they face the risk of being fired because they only performed their closing job when the store was understaffed.
🍗 A Chick-Fil-A customer is going viral for sharing a hack to get free food. It actually works.
🥤 This award-winning, minimalist seltzer maker is a dream come true for every seltzer addict.*
💳 A PSA posted by a self-described debt settlement company worker has made waves on TikTok after the worker exposed alleged predatory practices by credit card issuers Discover and Target.
🛏️ This Amazon customer tried to return an memory foam mattress topper. It didn’t go well.
🍵 A server revealed that while hot tea might be the perfect complement to a meal for some, it sets servers up to do more work than other drink choices.
💼 In a viral video, a worker shared the honest answer she gave her boss when asked why she needed to leave work early that day.
👪 From the Daily Dot archive: Why some mommy vloggers are taking their kids out of the spotlight.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
A cashier posted a viral clip that’s garnered over 215,000 views. In it, they questioned a common consumer behavior that seemed to really grind her gears—customers who hand them crumpled bills.
She records herself opening up a cash register drawer to reveal an unevenly folded Canadian bill, and writes in a text overlay of the video, “When customers hand me scrumpled up money.”
Many folks thought that the behavior was a sign of disrespect, and Kee writes in a caption of the video, airing out the workplace gripe, “Number gazillion on my ‘things customers do and I hate’ list.”
🎶 Now Playing: “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” by David Guetta, Anne-Marie & Coi Leray 🎶
