Rep. Brad Sherman (D‑Calif.) is under scrutiny after photos circulated showing him viewing what appear to be sexually suggestive images on his iPad during a flight. He denies the images constituted pornography and says the content was pushed by the algorithm on X (formerly Twitter).
According to widely shared posts, Sherman was photographed gazing at his tablet screen while aboard an airplane, where the displayed images featured scantily clad women. He acknowledged viewing the images, but insisted they were not explicitly pornographic and argued the content surfaced in his “For You” feed, which he says is driven by automated recommendation algorithms.
Sherman stated he scrolled through more than a thousand posts during the flight, and when asked if he found himself lingering on images of women he replied, “If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah.” He said the incident raises questions about whether algorithm‑driven content targeting is working as intended. “Is it pornography? I don’t think … Elon Musk thinks so. Is it appropriate? No,” he added.
The viral nature of the images triggered strong reactions. A social‑media post by an account named “Dear White Staffers” amassed millions of views and ignited commentary including from Donald Trump Jr., who simply responded “Yikes!!!!” Meanwhile Sherman used the moment to again call for release of the Jeffrey Epstein‑related files, posting a doctored image showing his iPad screen replaced with the phrase “Release the #EpsteinFiles.”
The episode touches on public‑official conduct, privacy in public spaces, and the role of recommendation algorithms on social platforms. Whether the optics will carry lasting political consequences remains to be seen.
