Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
We crawled the web for you today and our top stories are about: yet another worker going viral for explaining how they were “tip-baited,” a pretty terrifying Airbnb scam, a look at the latest episode of Andor now that it has wrapped up, and a cybersecurity worker breaking down how companies do social media background checks.
After that, I wrote about the FCC’s “broadband nutrition labels” in a tech column.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
💵 VIRAL
‘The most disgusting form of fraud’: Instacart shopper calls out tip-baiting customer who removed $5 tip after friendly interaction
An Instacart shopper has renewed the controversial topic of “tip-baiting” by posting a TikTok video explaining how it happened to her.
🏠 SCAMS
‘People will show up here at the most random hours… trying to enter their Airbnb that does not exist’: TikToker says Airbnb host uses their address for scam listing
A TikToker in California claims her address is being used in an Airbnb scam and that the company is doing nothing about it.
🎬 CULTURE
How the music of ‘Andor’ pays homage to ‘The Battle of Algiers,’ a classic war movie scored by Ennio Morricone
‘The Battle of Algiers’ shares a lot in common with the scenes on the planet Ferrix.
👀 WORK DYSTOPIA
Cybersecurity worker reveals how companies do social media background checks on job candidates
A user on TikTok has gone viral after explaining just how a potential employer may come across your social media.
💻 Today In Tech
It’ll soon be easier to see if your broadband provider sucks
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. Periodically, our Newsletter Editor Andrew Wyrich will write about tech policy that matters to you in his “Today in Tech” 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.
📮 There have been a number of United States postal workers showing off their paychecks on TikTok.
🍔 A McDonald’s worker shared security footage from the restaurant she worked at of an angry customer throwing a caution cone.
⌛ Apparently you are timed while eating at Olive Garden?
🧬 23 unique holiday gifts that will wow the science enthusiasts in your life.*
☕ A popular content creator went viral after sharing her disappointment with a trending hack, a free Starbucks “Cafe Misto” latte, sparking debate.
👶 From the Daily Dot archive: “The many lives of the Dancing Baby,cyberspace’s first cringe meme.”
🥣 A woman on TikTok is urging users to frequent local restaurants after she allegedly paid $12 for a bowl of tomato soup and a cup of iced tea from Panera Bread.
📱 A TikToker went viral after uploading a five-second clip of a man tripping a Sam’s Club employee while attempting to moonwalk.
🎥 Actor Simu Liu’s comments on industry ‘gatekeepers’ are sparking a familiar film debate.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
TikTok user Jutay Wilson (@liljehu) previously went viral for quipping about the implicit meanings behind the different computers a company gives its employees.
He has gone viral again, this time for making a connection between a company’s pay structure and whether you’re expected to work with your own devices.
Wilson says that besides being “cheap,” employers may want their workers to utilize personal devices for another reason: There’s a heightened chance that they’ll get work out of you when you’re supposed to be off the clock.
🎶 Now Playing: “Magnetic” by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross 🎶
