Levittown Episode 5: The Vigilantes
Kayla faces down her harasser in court. In New Zealand, an investigator summons a global army of hackers. Levittown is a real-life horror story for the AI generation. In this six-part series from Bloomberg, Kaleidoscope and iHeart Podcasts, reporters Olivia Carville and Margi Murphy take listeners from quiet suburbs of New York to as far as New Zealand and into the darkest corners of the Internet. Where tech moves faster than the law, and it’s up to everyday people to hold back a rising tide of explicit deepfakes.For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
29 Mar 202541min
Levittown Episode 4: 'How Is That Not Illegal'
An arrest in Levittown kicks off the next phase of an investigation. The central question for the prosecutors is: Is any of this a crime? And they’re on the clock. Levittown is a real-life horror story for the AI generation. In this six-part series from Bloomberg, Kaleidoscope and iHeart Podcasts, reporters Olivia Carville and Margi Murphy take listeners from quiet suburbs of New York to as far as New Zealand and into the darkest corners of the Internet. Where tech moves faster than the law, and it’s up to everyday people to hold back a rising tide of explicit deepfakes.For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
28 Mar 202526min
They Bought Dream Homes in Tulum. Then Came the Nightmare
Tulum, Mexico has exploded in popularity since the early years of the pandemic. The area’s few Covid restrictions, picturesque beaches and laidback vibes attracted lockdown-weary travelers and helped trigger a real estate boom. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporters Andrea Navarro and Tanaz Meghjani join host Sarah Holder to discuss the dark side of a pandemic-era development spree in Tulum that has left a trail of ripped off investors, millions of dollars in missing cash and even two bodies in its wake.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
27 Mar 202514min
Private Equity’s New Pitch: Investing Your 401(k)
Private equity is looking for new ways to raise capital. The industry has its eye on a $12 trillion piece of America’s retirement market. On today’s Big Take podcast, private equity reporter Allison McNeely joins host Sarah Holder to explain why PE firms are targeting 401(k)s now and what this could mean for the average American’s retirement savings. Read more: Private Equity Is Coming for America’s $12 Trillion in Retirement SavingsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
25 Mar 202516min
Googling in the ChatGPT Era
Search is the most lucrative part of Google’s business. So when ChatGPT launched in 2022 and offered to answer users’ every question, it posed an existential threat to the company, forcing Google to respond. Google had to figure out how to compete. But integrating generative AI into Google search would fundamentally change the company’s core product, and it introduced big risks. Bloomberg reporters Davey Alba and Julia Love spoke to Google executives and former employees to get a look inside Google's plans to transform search with AI. Read more: Google Is Searching for an Answer to ChatGPTSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
24 Mar 202515min
Levittown Episode 3: The Hunter
It’s not just Levittown. The website hosting the doctored photos is the nexus of campaigns to harass women across the world. A victim in New Zealand helps to spark a global battle against the site and its elusive owner. Levittown is a real-life horror story for the AI generation. In this six-part series from Bloomberg, Kaleidoscope and iHeart Podcasts, reporters Olivia Carville and Margi Murphy take listeners from quiet suburbs of New York to as far as New Zealand and into the darkest corners of the Internet. Where tech moves faster than the law, and it’s up to everyday people to hold back a rising tide of explicit deepfakes.For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
23 Mar 202532min
Levittown Episode 2: ‘I’m Also on the Website’
Months after Kayla’s discovery, dozens of women in Levittown, a New York suburb on Long Island, learn they, too, are subjects of faked porn. Most are recent graduates of the local high school, and they zero in on a culprit. One of them sets out to prove it. Levittown is a real-life horror story for the AI generation. In this six-part series from Bloomberg, Kaleidoscope and iHeart Podcasts, reporters Olivia Carville and Margi Murphy take listeners from quiet suburbs of New York to as far as New Zealand and into the darkest corners of the Internet. Where tech moves faster than the law, and it’s up to everyday people to hold back a rising tide of explicit deepfakes.For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittownSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
22 Mar 202530min
Levittown Episode 1: Me... But Not Me
SHOW DESCRIPTION New Year’s Eve. Levittown, New York. Word travels swiftly as one young woman tells the next: “You’re on the website.” Dozens of recent high-school graduates are finding out that their photos have been scraped from their social media accounts, manipulated and posted to a porn website. Who would have done this? And can the women get the images taken down? Told there isn’t much the police or anyone else can do, they set out to catch whoever did this. Along the way, they get some help from a global band of investigators and hackers who could take risks that police and prosecutors sometimes couldn't. Levittown is a real-life horror story for the AI generation. In this six-part series from Bloomberg, Kaleidoscope and iHeart Podcasts, reporters Olivia Carville and Margi Murphy take listeners from quiet suburbs of New York to as far as New Zealand and into the darkest corners of the Internet. Where tech moves faster than the law, and it’s up to everyday people to hold back a rising tide of explicit deepfakes. EPISODE 1: Me… But Not Me Stuck in her childhood home during the pandemic, Kayla is shocked to learn that photos of her, altered to make her look naked, are posted to a website where men swap violent fantasies about women. A conversation with police leaves Kayla discouraged.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
21 Mar 202530min
