Taylor Lorenz’s Power User

How Section 230 Became Political : The Secret Campaign To Seize Power Over the Internet

What is Section 230 and why is everyone trying to kill it? Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz     🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co    In the latest episode of my Section 230 mini-series I’m joined by Mike Masnick, founder of Techdirt and host of the amazing Section 230 podcast Otherwise Objectionable.  Mike breaks down how the whole drama around Section 230 began, and how this extremely inconsequential law became vilified by the mainstream media. We also debunk the biggest myths about Section 230 and breaking down how the law actually works, and why removing it would make Big Tech even more powerful. Read Mike's excellent Section 230 myth busting on Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/2020/06/23/hello-youve-been-referred-here-because-youre-wrong-about-section-230-communications-decency-act/ [https://www.techdirt.com/2020/06/23/hello-youve-been-referred-here-because-youre-wrong-about-section-230-communications-decency-act/]

ICE Wants to Shut Down His Clothing Brand: What Happens When the Govt Hates Your Merch

BUY COLA CORP APPAREL: https://www.thecolacorporation.com [https://www.thecolacorporation.com]  (None of this is sponsored, I just really want people to support him!!!!)  Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz [https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz]      🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co [https://www.usermag.co]     What happens when the government doesn't like your t-shirts?  Joe, founder of Cola Corporation, has dealt with DMCA takedowns, letters from the LAPD, shipments seized by US Customs and Border Protection, and bans from advertising on virtually every major social platform including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Etsy. In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with him to talk about what it's really like to run an independent political clothing brand that challenges power. We talk about fashion and clothing as tools of resistance and the high price of using fashion as a tool for political criticism.  Clothing has long been a way to communicate political beliefs, from protest shirts to campaign merch. But in the era of social media platforms, algorithms, and online marketplaces, the boundaries of acceptable expression are constantly being tested. The designs mentioned in this episode:⁠ https://www.thecolacorporation.com/collections/taylor⁠ [https://www.thecolacorporation.com/collections/taylor] THE FREE SPEECH 1A SWEATER:⁠ https://www.thecolacorporation.com/products/1a-sparks⁠ [https://www.thecolacorporation.com/products/1a-sparks]   Topics discussed in this interview include: • The rise of political merchandise online • Social media censorship and advertising bans • Etsy and TikTok removing controversial designs • Police legal threats over a T-shirt slogan • Government seizure of political clothing • The Streisand effect and viral controversy • Free speech and political expression through fashion Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz [https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz]         https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz3.0 [https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz3.0]        https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlorenz [https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlorenz]    https://bsky.app/profile/taylorlorenz.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/taylorlorenz.bsky.social]     https://twitter.com/taylorlorenz [https://twitter.com/taylorlorenz]

How Bots Boosted Nicki Minaj's MAGA Pivot

Is The Nicki Minaj Bot Scandal the Future of Politics? Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz [https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz]     🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co [https://www.usermag.co]    The lines between entertainment, celebrity beef, and political propaganda are blurring. A few weeks ago, a POLITICO report sent shockwaves through Stan Twitter and the MAGA internet.  The story reported that Nicki Minaj’s sudden pro-Trump pivot was being secretly propped up by an army of tens of thousands of bots. But is this a case of genuine political shifting, or is it the result of "invisible machinery" running beneath the surface of our cultural life? Pop culture commentator Olay Olurinatti joins me to dive deep into the 24-page report from the AI intelligence firm that claims over 18,000 bots were used to amplify Nicki’s conservative messaging. We explore Nicki's history, from her 2012 Mitt Romney praise to her "Black Barbies" resistance era, and unpack what changed and what role the internet, and platform incentives have played.  Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz [https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz]        https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz3.0 [https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz3.0]       https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlorenz [https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlorenz]   https://bsky.app/profile/taylorlorenz.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/taylorlorenz.bsky.social]    https://twitter.com/taylorlorenz [https://twitter.com/taylorlorenz]  We break down: * The "Coordinate Effort" vs. Organic Fandom (The Barbs). * The role of Elon Musk’s X aka Twitter in pushing right-wing narratives. * The beef between Cardi B’s team and Trump’s digital strategists. * How algorithmic preconditioning is shaping the 2026 midterms. * How the Right is successfully infiltrating pop culture fandoms.

Everything You Know About Algorithms Is A Lie: Section 230 Algorithm Problem Explained

Are social media algorithms actually destroying the internet?  Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz [https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz]     🗞️ Buy a paid subscription to my Substack: https://www.usermag.co [https://www.usermag.co]    In this episode of my Section 230 series, I sit down with Eric Goldman, Associate Dean for Research and Professor at Santa Clara Law, and one of the nation's foremost experts on internet law, to debunk the biggest myths surrounding Section 230 and algorithmic amplification. I hear all the time: platforms should lose their Section 230 protections because they use algorithms. But what actually is an algorithm? Most people don't even understand the basics. Eric and I discuss how even the beloved "reverse chronological order" feed is an algorithm, and why it actually rewards spammers, trolls, and bad actors. We dive deep into how politicians are using the "techlash" to gain power, why censorship has become a bipartisan value, and how companies like Meta actually want Section 230 gone so they can wipe out their smaller competitors.  From the dangers of age verification laws to the truth about how algorithms protect us from navigating an internet that functions like a giant folder of Google Drive links, we discuss the real existential threats to the open web, and how arguments about "algorithms" miss the real powers at play.  Topics Covered: * Why reverse chronological feeds encourage bad content * How algorithms function as basic editorial choices * Why Meta/Facebook lobbies to remove Section 230 to build competitive moats * The bipartisan push for internet censorship and government control * The devastating impacts of age verification laws and losing youth online spaces

Inside The AI Scandal Rocking Silicon Valley: How The Govt Wants AI To Kill Without Humans

The AI industry just had one of its biggest controversies ever. Support my independent journalism: 🙏 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz [https://www.patreon.com/cw/taylorlorenz]       🗞️ Substack: https://www.usermag.co [https://www.usermag.co]       A massive conflict between the Pentagon and leading AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI has triggered a nationwide debate about how artificial intelligence should be used in warfare and surveillance. What started as a $200 million government contract fight quickly spiraled into a Silicon Valley crisis involving autonomous weapons, mass surveillance, and the future of AI regulation. In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with The Atlantic's Ross Anderson to uncover the dark truth behind the Pentagon’s push for fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance. We discuss whether AI models like Claude and ChatGPT should be used for military operations, drone targeting, and intelligence analysis. The controversy intensified when Anthropic reportedly pushed back against certain Pentagon requests while OpenAI later reached a separate agreement with the Department of Defense. We break down exactly how negotiations between Anthropic and the Department of War broke down over using AI to analyze the commercial data of American citizens. From Pete Hegseth going "nuclear" and labeling Anthropic a "supply chain risk", to OpenAI and Sam Altman swooping in at the last minute to claim the government deal, this is the AI drama that broke tech Twitter. Plus, we discuss why Claude experienced a massive subscriber spike while ChatGPT took the military contract. Topics covered in this video include: • The Pentagon AI contract controversy  • OpenAI vs Anthropic drama explained  • Autonomous weapons and AI warfare  • AI surveillance concerns  • Silicon Valley reactions to the deal  • The future of AI in national security