Alexios Mantzarlis
@mantzarlis.com
Tech, facts, and carbonara.
mantzarlis.com
mantzarlis.com
Pinned
‘Digital desecrations’: when deepfakes are used to mock tragic deaths and what platforms should do about it
Synthetic videos of Renée Good are the latest form of technology-facilitated dehumanization
indicator.media
New: I found more than 20 deepfake videos re-enacting or re-imagining the final moments of Renée Good's life.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
Targeting the disseminators of nonconsensual deepfake nudes matters.
But US bills continue to leave the infrastructure that makes this all possible largely untouched.
But US bills continue to leave the infrastructure that makes this all possible largely untouched.
Senate moves to let victims of sexually explicit deepfakes sue for damages
The DEFIANCE Act goes to the House amid controversy over images created by X’s Grok.
19thnews.org
January 14, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Targeting the disseminators of nonconsensual deepfake nudes matters.
But US bills continue to leave the infrastructure that makes this all possible largely untouched.
But US bills continue to leave the infrastructure that makes this all possible largely untouched.
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
Abbiamo inventato una macchina per riscrivere la storia e manipolarla a piacimento, con o senza il rispetto della dignità altrui — vivo o morto che sia, qualunque siano le conseguenze.
La pagheremo molto, molto cara.
La pagheremo molto, molto cara.
New: I found more than 20 deepfake videos re-enacting or re-imagining the final moments of Renée Good's life.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
‘Digital desecrations’: when deepfakes are used to mock tragic deaths and what platforms should do about it
Synthetic videos of Renée Good are the latest form of technology-facilitated dehumanization
indicator.media
January 14, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Abbiamo inventato una macchina per riscrivere la storia e manipolarla a piacimento, con o senza il rispetto della dignità altrui — vivo o morto che sia, qualunque siano le conseguenze.
La pagheremo molto, molto cara.
La pagheremo molto, molto cara.
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
But at least now our refrigerators can tell us what’s inside without even opening them up.
New: I found more than 20 deepfake videos re-enacting or re-imagining the final moments of Renée Good's life.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
‘Digital desecrations’: when deepfakes are used to mock tragic deaths and what platforms should do about it
Synthetic videos of Renée Good are the latest form of technology-facilitated dehumanization
indicator.media
January 14, 2026 at 1:24 PM
But at least now our refrigerators can tell us what’s inside without even opening them up.
New: I found more than 20 deepfake videos re-enacting or re-imagining the final moments of Renée Good's life.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
‘Digital desecrations’: when deepfakes are used to mock tragic deaths and what platforms should do about it
Synthetic videos of Renée Good are the latest form of technology-facilitated dehumanization
indicator.media
January 14, 2026 at 1:08 PM
New: I found more than 20 deepfake videos re-enacting or re-imagining the final moments of Renée Good's life.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
These videos mocking a tragic death, which I'm calling "digital desecrations," are the most extreme version of a pervasive trend within generative AI of 'resurrecting' the dead.
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
This is 10th-grader Arnoldo Bazan.
A citizen.
Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold.
"We're from the United States bro!' he screamed.
Agents took and sold his phone
And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.
A citizen.
Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold.
"We're from the United States bro!' he screamed.
Agents took and sold his phone
And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.
January 13, 2026 at 10:20 PM
This is 10th-grader Arnoldo Bazan.
A citizen.
Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold.
"We're from the United States bro!' he screamed.
Agents took and sold his phone
And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.
A citizen.
Immigration agents grabbed him and put him in a chokehold.
"We're from the United States bro!' he screamed.
Agents took and sold his phone
And when he finally got home hours later, his shirt was ripped, he neck had angry, red welts, and he sobbed.
of course
Pentagon is embracing Musk's Grok AI chatbot as it draws global outcry
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok will join Google's generative AI engine in operating inside the Pentagon network, as part of a broader ...
www.npr.org
January 13, 2026 at 3:37 PM
of course
The responses to this thread have made me feel more bullish about the future of BlueSky than I have been in a long while.
Crowdsourcing experts was a major reason I used X, and it’s been hit and miss on here. Not this time!
Crowdsourcing experts was a major reason I used X, and it’s been hit and miss on here. Not this time!
I'm looking for media scholars and ethicists with expertise on how the memory and likeness of dead people has been handled historically and is changing now with AI. Any recommendations?
(I know, that's pretty niche. Which is why I'm asking for help!)
(I know, that's pretty niche. Which is why I'm asking for help!)
January 11, 2026 at 7:19 PM
The responses to this thread have made me feel more bullish about the future of BlueSky than I have been in a long while.
Crowdsourcing experts was a major reason I used X, and it’s been hit and miss on here. Not this time!
Crowdsourcing experts was a major reason I used X, and it’s been hit and miss on here. Not this time!
I'm looking for media scholars and ethicists with expertise on how the memory and likeness of dead people has been handled historically and is changing now with AI. Any recommendations?
(I know, that's pretty niche. Which is why I'm asking for help!)
(I know, that's pretty niche. Which is why I'm asking for help!)
January 11, 2026 at 4:04 PM
I'm looking for media scholars and ethicists with expertise on how the memory and likeness of dead people has been handled historically and is changing now with AI. Any recommendations?
(I know, that's pretty niche. Which is why I'm asking for help!)
(I know, that's pretty niche. Which is why I'm asking for help!)
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
Today on @indicator.media's free weekly briefing: The staggering impunity of xAI, which turned its abusive image generator on its own users in full view and has barely done anything to contain it.
Briefing: Grok brings nonconsensual image abuse to the masses
Plus: a new feature in the Meta Ad Library and a new Telegram investigation tool.
indicator.media
January 10, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
They’re leaking the video because the end goal of all of this has been triggering riots, I genuinely believe
January 9, 2026 at 7:18 PM
They’re leaking the video because the end goal of all of this has been triggering riots, I genuinely believe
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
This morning, we're reading Indicator's rundown of what's been happening with Grok, the chatbot built into the X platform, and its utilization in online sexual abuse against women and minors.
via @craigsilverman.bsky.social and @mantzarlis.com
indicator.media/p/briefing-g...
via @craigsilverman.bsky.social and @mantzarlis.com
indicator.media/p/briefing-g...
Briefing: Grok brings nonconsensual image abuse to the masses
Plus: a new feature in the Meta Ad Library and a new Telegram investigation tool.
indicator.media
January 9, 2026 at 5:49 PM
This morning, we're reading Indicator's rundown of what's been happening with Grok, the chatbot built into the X platform, and its utilization in online sexual abuse against women and minors.
via @craigsilverman.bsky.social and @mantzarlis.com
indicator.media/p/briefing-g...
via @craigsilverman.bsky.social and @mantzarlis.com
indicator.media/p/briefing-g...
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
New: Trio of Dem senators urge Apple and Google to enforce their own terms of service and ban X, Grok apps for their flood of nonconsensual sexual imagery.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
Senators urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from app stores over sexual deepfakes
“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation
practices,” three Democratic senators wrote to Apple’s and Google’s CEOs.
www.nbcnews.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:06 PM
New: Trio of Dem senators urge Apple and Google to enforce their own terms of service and ban X, Grok apps for their flood of nonconsensual sexual imagery.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
Well, yes - and no. Because there are still ways that free users also can still use Grok for mass sexualized harassment. They just can't use the prompt "@grok" anymore for that. And still, X is trying to make money from it.
No, Grok hasn’t paywalled its deepfake image feature
X’s sexual deepfake machine is still running, despite Grok saying otherwise.
www.theverge.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Well, yes - and no. Because there are still ways that free users also can still use Grok for mass sexualized harassment. They just can't use the prompt "@grok" anymore for that. And still, X is trying to make money from it.
🎯
Kinda seems like those who would pay money to a white supremecist nazi are the ones most likely to make those kind of photos
January 9, 2026 at 4:13 PM
🎯
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
This job would be so fun. You would just put up one billboard that said "Buy Nvidia chips" and then at the end of the quarter send an email that says "great news! We sold 100 percent of our chips this quarter" and attach a picture of the billboard
Nvidia has hired Google Cloud VP of Marketing Alison Wagonfeld to be Nvidia's first CMO; source: Wagonfeld will report to CEO Jensen Huang (Patrick Coffee/Wall Street Journal)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
January 9, 2026 at 12:52 AM
This job would be so fun. You would just put up one billboard that said "Buy Nvidia chips" and then at the end of the quarter send an email that says "great news! We sold 100 percent of our chips this quarter" and attach a picture of the billboard
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
today I have a zoom interview to be a penguin looker-atter at the aquarium, and if god has ever loved me even a little he will let me have this
i signed up for this site that helps connect you with volunteer opportunities, and holy shit look what they just sent me
January 9, 2026 at 1:51 PM
today I have a zoom interview to be a penguin looker-atter at the aquarium, and if god has ever loved me even a little he will let me have this
Today on @indicator.media's free weekly briefing: The staggering impunity of xAI, which turned its abusive image generator on its own users in full view and has barely done anything to contain it.
Briefing: Grok brings nonconsensual image abuse to the masses
Plus: a new feature in the Meta Ad Library and a new Telegram investigation tool.
indicator.media
January 9, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Today on @indicator.media's free weekly briefing: The staggering impunity of xAI, which turned its abusive image generator on its own users in full view and has barely done anything to contain it.
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
Quick shout out to my favorite newsletter-making, disinformation hunter, journalists: @craigsilverman.bsky.social and @mantzarlis.com for bringing quality writing back into my #OSINT email mailbox. Love reading their indicator.media/p/briefing-g... newsletters and other briefings.
Briefing: Grok brings nonconsensual image abuse to the masses
Plus: a new feature in the Meta Ad Library and a new Telegram investigation tool.
indicator.media
January 9, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Quick shout out to my favorite newsletter-making, disinformation hunter, journalists: @craigsilverman.bsky.social and @mantzarlis.com for bringing quality writing back into my #OSINT email mailbox. Love reading their indicator.media/p/briefing-g... newsletters and other briefings.
You don't get to turn your chatbot into a tool of mass sexualized harassment and then two weeks later say the problem is fixed because the abusers have to pay for the privilege.
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
Editing function to be limited to paying subscribers after X threatened with fines and regulatory action
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:43 PM
You don't get to turn your chatbot into a tool of mass sexualized harassment and then two weeks later say the problem is fixed because the abusers have to pay for the privilege.
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
Ashley recorded with us recently to talk about her experience. You'll hear that on Monday's episode of Posting Through It. Absolutely insane stuff the platform is doing -- and having a child with the site's owner doesn't seem to make any difference.
Ashley St Clair claims to have lost all of her X monetization privileges. This comes after she publicly complained about X users using Grok to sexualize several photos of her
January 8, 2026 at 9:35 PM
Ashley recorded with us recently to talk about her experience. You'll hear that on Monday's episode of Posting Through It. Absolutely insane stuff the platform is doing -- and having a child with the site's owner doesn't seem to make any difference.
Ashley St Clair claims to have lost all of her X monetization privileges. This comes after she publicly complained about X users using Grok to sexualize several photos of her
January 8, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Ashley St Clair claims to have lost all of her X monetization privileges. This comes after she publicly complained about X users using Grok to sexualize several photos of her
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
I reached out to more than three dozen X advertisers, xAI investors, politicians, and government agencies about the growing library of sexualized deepfakes generated with Grok—now including Renee Good. I only heard back from four, with three declining to comment.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-deepf...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-deepf...
Why isn't there a bigger Grok boycott?
Advertisers, politicians, and investors are still all-in on X, despite a sexual abuse crisis.
spitfirenews.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:04 PM
I reached out to more than three dozen X advertisers, xAI investors, politicians, and government agencies about the growing library of sexualized deepfakes generated with Grok—now including Renee Good. I only heard back from four, with three declining to comment.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-deepf...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-deepf...
great resource by @techpolicypress.bsky.social
Tracking Regulator Responses to the Grok 'Undressing' Controversy | TechPolicy.Press
Regulators around the world are responding by opening inquiries, demanding takedowns, and threatening legal action against Elon Musk's company.
www.techpolicy.press
January 8, 2026 at 9:31 PM
great resource by @techpolicypress.bsky.social
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
We’ve expanded PoliDashbooard app with ad data from 21 more countries, enhancing our ability to track targeted political ads on Facebook and Instagram.polidashboard.org
January 8, 2026 at 7:28 PM
We’ve expanded PoliDashbooard app with ad data from 21 more countries, enhancing our ability to track targeted political ads on Facebook and Instagram.polidashboard.org
Reposted by Alexios Mantzarlis
For those keeping score, Bellingcat, The New York Times Visual Investigation Team, & Washington Post's Visual Forensic team have all published analysis showing the ICE shooter wasn't in the path of Renee Nicole Good’s vehicle when he shot her, contradicting statements by the President & his cronies
January 8, 2026 at 3:35 PM
For those keeping score, Bellingcat, The New York Times Visual Investigation Team, & Washington Post's Visual Forensic team have all published analysis showing the ICE shooter wasn't in the path of Renee Nicole Good’s vehicle when he shot her, contradicting statements by the President & his cronies