Question Everything

How Meta Is Making Billions From Scam Advertising

It seems like Meta just can’t lose. The Facebook parent company won a huge victory in court [https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/18/tech/meta-antitrust-suit-decision-not-monopoly]this week. The federal government was claiming Meta was too massive after acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp, and wanted to force the company to spin off those platforms. But a federal judge disagreed. And that means, Meta will continue to make a ton of money from scam ads on those platforms.  Reuters reporter Jeff Horwitz [https://www.reuters.com/authors/jeff-horwitz/] received leaked documents from inside Meta where employees estimated that last year its platforms served up 15 billion scam ad impressions [https://www.reuters.com/investigations/meta-is-earning-fortune-deluge-fraudulent-ads-documents-show-2025-11-06/] every day, totalling about $16 billion. That’s ten percent of the company’s total 2024 revenue. It’s a major part of their business. And if you want to sue Meta for serving you ads that lead to your credit card or identity getting stolen, it’s going to be really tough – because of Section 230, the law that prevents companies from getting sued for the content posted on their sites.  Brian talks to Jeff about what he discovered in this latest leak: how these scam ads make Meta billions, one “queasy-making” fix Meta has come up with, and how Section 230 provides not just a shield, but a lack of incentive for the company to change its ways. “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW [http://www.kcrw.org] and Placement Theory [http://www.placementtheory.com]. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter [http://questioneverything.substack.com]. And please help support our show by visiting our sponsor, the notetaking and personal assistant device Plaud.ai [http://plaud.ai], and using the offer code QUESTION. Guests: Jeff Horwitz, Reuters reporter and the author of “Broken Code: Inside Facebook and the Fight to Expose Its Harmful Secrets [https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Code-Facebook-Harmful-Secrets/dp/B0BW4WDNCT/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1330411452902112&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gdCB6BDJww9rdPq9f0mc-bRseCEioYnO6hC02YQ9GqwzTWYsnURGaAjcPllZXadXUKfqd5rTS4MkxxiWKRuYOCkTJV2v5uvUuqZGj9_JWnkQ6XARA9UUGUnX4Q9bkY6n74LfPKDlr2kNiQLlXmNChrhQB5_iGpGsDNgM-yvv3lX2ws2RpSxZY8VdQRWQ8eAT1ILUZjWt3p2knEmluduvsAkZ84l_3zXGPlXsyYtonxU.-P0cIpVyEcPDjgu88zIhTAolSmWqiIWMVK9d_bFaiUU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=83150976378930&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=51636&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83151755318168%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=22531_13494420&keywords=jeff+horwitz&mcid=43a8d96db76831b590832974c939d042&msclkid=1a0fb08724c31ad98d78d990aa32940c&qid=1763151605&sr=8-1].”

'We Don't Hate Journalists Enough': The Story of an F-ed Up Deepfake

When journalist Julia Mengolini criticized her country’s president, Javier Milei, she didn’t expect to be targeted with one of the more disturbing uses of AI: a pornographic deepfake video designed to humiliate her. What began as trolling by online extremists spiraled into a government-amplified smear campaign, spurred on by senior officials and the president himself. Juila tells reporter/producer Zach St. Louis what happened to her and what she’s doing to fight back against President Milei – an ally of Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s.   “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW [http://www.kcrw.org] and Placement Theory [http://www.placementtheory.com]. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter [https://questioneverything.substack.com/]. Please help support our show by visiting our sponsor, the notetaking and personal assistant device Plaud.ai [http://plaud.ai], and use offer code QUESTION. Guests: Julia Mengolini — Journalist, radio host, and co-founder of Futurock

A Government Whistleblower Trusts a Newsroom, Ends Up in Prison

When NSA contractor Reality Winner leaked proof that Russia had tried to break into the U.S. election system, she thought she was helping her country. Instead, she got the longest federal prison sentence ever for giving information to the press. While prepping for her trial, she found out that the journalist she had trusted with the leaked document, accidentally exposed her. The Intercept, once known for protecting sources like Edward Snowden, bungled their vetting process in a way that led investigators straight to Reality’s front door.  As Reality releases her new memoir, “I Am Not Your Enemy [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=i+am+not+your+enemy&adgrpid=1342504259751387&hvadid=83906731219307&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=51636&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83906855681713%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=15255_13491286&mcid=1ceae4839fa834ceae87680c8056978f&msclkid=331c652f7a261d0481e90c2d02d8a3ee&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_8mw0x028ke_e],” This American Life host Ira Glass joins her in a live conversation, where she explains what happened and how the media turned her life into fodder for tabloid TV.  “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW [http://www.kcrw.org] and Placement Theory [http://www.placementtheory.com]. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter [https://questioneverything.substack.com/]. Guests:  * Reality Winner, government whistleblower  * Ira Glass, host of This American Life Show Notes: During Reality’s conversation with Ira Glass, she said she thought the world record for holding an abdominal plank position is around 18 hours. According to Guinness World Records, the record is 9 hours 38 minutes 47 seconds.

How Trump is Capturing America’s Media – Without a Coup

Veteran foreign correspondent Natalia Antelava has spent 15 years reporting from places where authoritarian regimes have “captured” the media. In other words, they control the dominant messages coming from the press. From Russia to Syria, Natalia has seen what it looks like when a government takes over the media, not overnight, but piece by piece.  Now, she’s moved to the U.S., and is watching that same system work on the American media. The Pentagon has dissolved its independent press pool. Donald Trump’s billionaire buddies are buying up some of the country’s biggest newsrooms and social apps. Public media has been gutted. And the loudest voices online are the ones that serve power best. Natalia sits down with Brian to explain how modern autocrats achieve capture without firing a shot – and how Silicon Valley has become their “perfect accomplice”. “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW [http://www.kcrw.org] and Placement Theory [http://www.placementtheory.com]. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter. [https://questioneverything.substack.com/] Guests: * Natalia Antelava, founder of Coda Story [https://www.codastory.com/]

TikTok Stars on the Politicians Begging Them for Exposure

What happens when TikTokers replace TV hosts and interviewers, and presidential candidates start begging to be on their shows? Brian Reed sits down in a Brooklyn wine shop with four of the internet’s biggest creators: Caleb Simpson, who gets people on the street to take him up to their apartments; Julian Shapiro-Barnum who interviews kids on Recess Therapy; Anania Williams of the LGBTQ quiz show Gaydar; and Jack Coyne, host of the music game show Track Star. Their videos reach more people than many major news outlets. But who gets control over what they run? When is money changing hands? What do they do when politicians like Kamala Harris and RFK Jr. come calling? A frank conversation about the blurry grey area between this new form of entertainment and journalism. Check out our Substack [https://questioneverything.substack.com/], with more reporting on the war over truth, free speech, and tech’s role in it all.  “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW [http://www.kcrw.org] and Placement Theory [http://www.placementtheory.com]. Guests: * Julian Shapiro-Barnum, Recess Therapy [https://www.instagram.com/recess_therapy/?hl=en] * Caleb Simpson [https://www.instagram.com/calebwsimpson/?hl=en] gets millions of views asking people how much they pay for their rent in New York City * Jack Coyne, Track Star [https://www.instagram.com/trackstarshow/?hl=en] * Anania Williams, Gaydar [https://www.tiktok.com/@anania00?lang=en]