TOGETHER WITH

It's Tuesday and Grimes (aka musician Clare Boucher) has embraced AI by creating a platform that lets fans create music with a synthetic version of her voice.

TIKTOK TRACKING

TikTok reportedly kept a “list” of users who watched LGBTQ content

TikTok’s data collection policies have raised concerns yet again. Per The Wall Street Journal, the platform kept an internal dashboard that catalogued videos about different topics (including LGBTQ-related content) and tracked viewers who tuned in to watch. The dashboard in question was reportedly accessible to employees and—according to former TikTok staffers—included a “list” of tracked users with their account ID numbers.

Employees in the U.S., U.K, and Australia raised concerns for years.

WSJ’s report notes that TikTok employees in the U.S., U.K., and Australia expressed worry about the platform’s “list” in both 2020 and 2021, saying they “feared employees might share the data with outside parties, or that it could be used to blackmail users.”

Other TikTok employees argued against those concerns by pointing out that a user viewing LGBTQ content didn’t necessarily mean they were part of the LGBTQ community. A TikTok spokesperson echoed that stance to WSJ, with the rationale that there are people who aren’t bakers but enjoy watching content about baking.

Despite that official position, WSJ reports that TikTok higher-ups became concerned with how many employees could access the information on its employee dashboard and elected to move the data to TikTok’s U.S. unit, where fewer people would have access. (The dashboard itself was only confirmed to have been deleted in the U.S.; TikTok didn’t comment on whether the dashboard is still accessible in the U.K. and/or Australia).

As for TikTok’s final word on the matter? The platform said in a statement that “safeguarding the privacy and security of people who use TikTok is one of our top priorities.”

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Spotter has invested $740 million in creator careers. Here’s how the internet’s top stars spent their new funds:

Over the last year, Spotter has supported more than 1,100 channel partners with exclusive data insights, innovative optimization resources, and over $740 million in capital. And since Spotter is all about empowering creators, every single deal has been designed to fit YouTubers’ exact needs.

Because when you partner with Spotter, you can  use your new funds to grow your channel or business .

So, how do top stars like MissDarcei, Dude Perfect, and MrBeast spend their Spotter funds? YouTube icons Colin & Samir teamed up with Spotter to find out. Here’s what they discovered:

• 25% of Spotter investments go to producing new videos 🎥

• 21% are allocated to studio purchases 🏬

• 13% supports brand-building initiatives and creator products 👕

• And finally, 9% of Spotter payouts go towards hiring editors 👨‍💻

What would you do with  an investment from Spotter ?

There’s no time like the present to find out. In fact, when you partner with Spotter, you’ll receive your funds immediately—meaning you could start revolutionizing your channel in a matter of days.

 Fund your future with Spotter →​ 

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• U.K.-based firm Electrify Video Partners will fund Veritasium, a STEM-focused YouTube channel led by Derek Muller. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• CNBC has reported that Google’s I/O event will include the unveiling of a new large language model and the debut of “generative experiences” for Search. (The Verge)
  ​

• Invite codes for Bluesky (a Jack Dorsey-backed Twitter alternative) are reportedly selling for hundreds of dollars online. (Engadget)
  ​

• Twitter CEO Elon Musk has warned users that they may see a drop in followers as the platform purges accounts that have “had no activity at all for several years.” (Gizmodo)

DATA • GLOBAL TOP 50 📈

Why is Vladimir Putin the face of a top YouTube channel? The answer is simple:

Simple Putin isn’t actually run by the Russian leader himself—but the channel’s creator does a darn good impression of old Vladimir. The actor behind Simple Putin has portrayed the politician as everything from a pool shark to half of a dancing duo with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Would Putin get a kick out of those videos? Probably not.

The average YouTube viewer, however, is a different story. Simple Putin has collected 3.13 million subscribers over the last two years, and the channel’s Shorts routinely earn upwards of 10 million views. That success isn’t slowing down any time soon.

• During the first week of May, Simple Putin accumulated 276.4 million weekly views.

• That whopping total adds up to a 64% week-over-week traffic increase.

• The channel landed at #29 in our Global Top 50 chart.

QUEENS LEAGUE

The Twitch-famous Kings League has a new successor: The Queens League

Former F.C. Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué is looking to replicate the success of the streamer-led Kings League with a brand-new alternative soccer organization: The Queens League. The Kings League made a splash earlier this year thanks to its unusual rules and high-profile team owners. Spanish streamers Ibai Llanos and TheGrefg (real name David Cánovas Martínez) both led their own squads; Cánovas Martínez’s team was one of four to reach the finals, an event that drew more than 90,000 fans to Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium.

Two months after The Kings League finals, Llanos and Cánovas Martínez have returned to lead teams in Piqué’s new soccer organization.

12 teams will go head-to-head for The Queens League’s first season.

Llanos and Cánovas Martínez’s teams will square off again squads led by top female personalities, including Spanish “just chatting” star Mayichi, Mexican influencer Rivers, and Argentine sports journalist Morena Beltrán.

The Queens League is already off to a strong start. 200,000 Twitch viewers tuned in to catch the organization’s first match, which pitted Las Troncas FC (chaired by gamer Violeta G) against Cánovas Martínez’s Saiyans FC. Fans who missed that first game still have a chance to catch the action; additional matches will be streamed on Twitch and aired on Spanish TV over the next two months.

WATCH THIS 📺

The Tiny Things Painting is complete after 164 days of miniature masterpieces

For the last six-ish months, TikTok artist Harrison has turned viewers’ comments into more than 400 objects painted onto single canvas. The resulting art piece is an eclectic collection of everything from a purple dinosaur to a human tooth.

Harrison’s account is now an ongoing video archive of the painting’s months-long creation. So, why not take a gander at the process of illustrating a single piece of bowtie pasta?

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.​

Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.