Boys Like Me

Deepfake porn is a billion-click industry built on stolen faces, while the people making it hide theirs behind screens. Hosted by journalist Sam Cole, Understood: Deepfake Porn Empire traces the decades-long rise of synthetic porn, the targets who are fighting back, and the global investigation that led to its Canadian kingpin. Understood takes you deep inside the seismic shifts reshaping our worl...

Incels are only part of the threat. Ellen speaks with a woman who spent years undercover among a vast network of online communities — among them so-called mens’ rights activists and pickup artists — all united in their desire for total male supremacy. They orchestrate harassment campaigns, glorify violence against women and actively recruit vulnerable young men. Few people are talking about it. An...

Evan shares a troubling period from his past and reflects on the different paths he and Alek took. What pushes someone to kill in the name of an ideology? Ellen speaks to a former Jihadi recruiter about the murky path from radicalization to terrorism. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/boys-like-me-transcripts-listen-1.6732152

Alek frequented incel sites for years, lurking in forums that celebrated or even encouraged the kind of attack he’d go on to commit. What draws young men into this toxic world? Ellen connects with a prominent incel who takes her down the rabbit hole. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/boys-like-me-transcripts-listen-1.6732152

Hours after a deadly van attack in Toronto, the media starts hunting for clues. One of those clues leads to a surprise phone call and a shocking discovery. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/boys-like-me-transcripts-listen-1.6732152

Evan and Alek are in the same special-needs program in high school, where they’re both bullied and ostracized. But while Evan tries to break out of his shell, Alek retreats further into himself and finds solace in some of the most disturbing corners of the internet. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/boys-like-me-transcripts-listen-1.6732152

Boys Like Me follows the story of two high school friends: one became an autism advocate and film-maker; the other went on to commit one of the most notorious mass-killings in recent times. Host Ellen Chloe Bateman explores the world of incels and finds a dark, online world fueled by violent misogyny and extreme isolation that presents a growing threat to public safety.