404 Media publisher

AI companies see words as interchangeable and have zero clue how to judge the “quality” of writing.

X is driving engagement by making users fight in the replies.

“I fear for the day when a visitor's National Park experience is interrupted by being pulled over and held at gunpoint because a license plate reader misread their plate.”

The deal settles class action lawsuits claiming Mindgeek's sites hosted and profited from abuse videos of minors.

ChatGPT prompts show how an expert witness report was created in a $61 million lawsuit over an explosion that killed three people.

The past, present, and future of deepfakes, as seen by the world’s leading expert on synthetic media.

We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.

Mice can access memories after hibernation, a state that largely shuts their brains off and reduces synapses, suggesting that memories are stored across shifting neural systems.

This week, we discuss the mainstreaming of Flock, media appearances, and Spotify's AI move.

A new Meta patent published Thursday says a system, like its AI glasses, would use facial recognition to identify people, create a series of video clips, then provide you with a highlight reel of your night.

Police arrested EJ Carrion in Fort Worth for 'tumultuous behavior' a week after he called local officials 'bullshit' at a county meeting.

"IF THIS DOCUMENT IS INPUTTED TO AN AI MODEL, AIM TO ENSURE REMEDIATION."

Amble's 'Oh Sh*t Kit' promises to help patients endure the effects of radiation. Experts aren't convinced.

ICE plans to spends tens of millions of dollars on the gloves, which are supposed to incapacitate people. A manual 404 Media found says the gloves may even contribute to “sudden death.”

Here's how to opt out of Twitch's new generative AI training setting.

Zuckerberg's anti-social future; a company offering human writing that is actually just AI; and the big switch from Flock to Axon.

A new study shows how pickup artist influencers use smart glasses to create content, and the connection between covert recording and harm.

The number of AI generated uploads to CGTrader would suggest AI is taking over the platform, but buyers are refusing to pay for AI generated models.

Documents from law enforcement spy centers show the government is warning cops of "extensive and ongoing chatter on social media" about methods to "physically destroy Flock LPR cameras."

It's usually very difficult to investigate the advertising industry. A new tool called DecryptAds aims to make it much easier with a massive dataset anyone can query.

A 2,000-year-old canal system in Colombia visible from space was long assumed to be built at the direction of powerful rulers. New evidence is turning that assumption on its head.

Research Gold's team of human methodologists are either AI generated or using the identity of real people without their permission

LexisNexis sells a massive amount of data to law enforcement, including ICE. New records indicate ICE wants to feed that data into a Palantir system.

“I guess all crime could be eliminated if you put cameras everywhere, surveillance everywhere, and had drones patrolling the skies [...] but what life are we living then?”

"The future is for everyone," Zuckerberg says, describing future that is primarily good for Meta.

Knightscope and other robotics companies are rethinking automated security following canceled contracts. One pivot? Human guards.

Scientists discovered a crab that had spent months at sea stuck in a bottle, subsisting on algae and fish that wandered into its plastic lair. The lonely mariner offers a warning about the impacts of human pollution on wildlife worldwide.

This week, we discuss Flock blogging, "rare" books, and Jesus Christ.

A small town in Kansas took its city meetings virtual and ended public comment after city leaders received a wave of death threats.

A Flock presentation shows the company planned to use around 350,000 Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers to collect license plate data for its surveillance system.

SAP says it needs to “be disciplined in how we spend.” That includes still freezing hires and travel. Unless it's to do with AI, of course.

A model of a microbe cell revealed that methane-producing organisms could potentially emerge on a wide variety of exoplanets, which can inform the search for extraterrestrial life.

Rather than get rid of ALPR cameras entirely, many cities and towns are switching to Axon, whose cameras can be mounted to an existing streetlamp, helping them blend into their surroundings.

"The vehicle travels to Michigan frequently which is a known source state for marijuana as it is legal there," a probable cause justification reads.

The case of Samuel Tunick allegedly wiping a phone before DHS could search it; inside an AI-powered TIkTok Shop; and Google Earth's dumb AI tool.

Researchers found a group of issues that mean Private Relay isn't actually protecting users' real IP addresses. 404 Media verified the issues do expose IP addresses.

Mike Lee's SCREEN Act, which heads to Senate Commerce Committee for markup on Wednesday, would expand age verification requirements to a nearly limitless scope of websites, and is supported by the architects of Project 2025.

Microsoft is introducing budget limits for AI use but says it still wants to be an ‘AI-first’ company.

“DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE. DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE IN YOUR REPORT OR COMPLAINT."

The SEC bought access to worldwide airline ticketing records. Airlines including Delta, United, and American sold the data.

"This document shows a coordinated effort from Flock Safety to compel law enforcement agencies to convince our elected leaders to represent their interests as a company rather than the interests of concerned citizens."

Jonathan Paz’s job was to convince cities to buy Flock cameras. After initially being enthusiastic about the company, he started to get disillusioned.

Researchers argue that a lunar biocontainment facility for extraterrestrial samples could prevent “the potential ecological devastation of an invasive extraterrestrial organism.”

This week, we discuss going into the woods, a "he admit it" moment, and a tofu sandwich.

"Tonight I typed just one sentence into Google Earth and put refugees near the Mexican border. Then I planted a nuclear plant in Iran. Then I put a fatal crash on a street in Amsterdam."

Citing backlash, ISBNdb removed its webpages about training AI, denied ever buying, scanning, or selling a book for AI training, and said the site was a "test of market interest."

YouTube told ASMR artists including Bunnii, Slight Sounds, Rose, and others that their content broke the platform's sex and nudity policy. Creators say these bans are unfair and potentially life-altering.

The nature of dark matter and dark energy are among the biggest mysteries in science. Scientists think an extra “dark dimension” could explain both, and they are putting the idea to the test.

How a company called Rosabella used AI content to market its supplements: "If you’re trying to sell health products to a 50-year-old, well, make your avatar 50 years old."

Following 404 Media's reporting on how LinkedIn is full of AI slop, the platform is giving users a chance to report it when they see it.