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We've got a really varied one today. First, Sam talks about the new wave of sextortion emails which send a target their home address to scare them into paying. After the break, Jason talks about the rise of the right to repair movement, but for your body and prescription drugs. In the subscribers-only section, Jason breaks down a years old Reddit mystery that is finally solved, thanks to some facial recognition tech. Sextortion Scammers Try to Scare People by Sending Photos of Their Homes ‘Right to Repair for Your Body’: The Rise of DIY, Pirated Medicine 'Celebrity Number Six' Internet Mystery Is Solved Subscribe at 404media.co for access to bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Joseph talks to Dhruv Mehrotra, a journalist and technologist at Bloomberg. Before that, Dhruv was at WIRED, where you probably saw a ton of his interesting work. Dhruv sits in a very unusual space in journalism: he is able to both write technical tools to dig through data, or collect information, or really anything else, and is also able to just write a damn good story. That is a very unique blend. The pair chat about Dhruv’s entry into journalism, how computational journalism has changed over the years, and how Dhruv uses AI too. Jeffrey Epstein’s Island Visitors Exposed by Data Broker ‘They're Not Breathing’: Inside the Chaos of ICE Detention Center 911 Calls Epstein’s Inbox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Jason’s explanation of what Grokipedia is, and how it compares to the very much human-made Wikipedia. After the break, we talk all about the hell of updating Windows PCs and what that means specifically for Windows 10 users. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains what a16z is doing with a ‘speedrun’ to a wholly AI-generated world. Intro0:00 - Merch drop2:38 - Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever (use code WIRE20 for 20% off)3:25 - First Contact: The Story of Our Obsession with Aliens Stories5:00 - Grokipedia Is the Antithesis of Everything That Makes Wikipedia Good, Useful, and Human10:48 - Elon Musk's Grokipedia Pushes Far-Right Talking Points23:04 - The End of Windows 10 Support Is an E-Waste Disaster in the Making32:00 - Nathan Proctor interview Subscriber's Stories: a16z-Backed Startup Sells Thousands of ‘Synthetic Influencers’ to Manipulate Social Media as a Service a16z Is Funding a 'Speedrun' to AI-Generated Hell on Earth YouTube version: https://youtu.be/LqYMoK7dlDA Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joseph speaks to Michael Bobbitt, a former FBI official who worked directly on Operation Trojan Shield. In this operation the FBI secretly ran its own encrypted phone company for organized crime, backdoored the phone, and collected tens of millions of messages. Michael and Joseph discuss how Michael handled intelligence sourced from the phones, how to navigate an operation that complex, and its fallout. YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/bLeueG5V4QY Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever Podcast: Signal's President Meredith Whittaker on Backdoors and AI Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back! And holy moly what a start to the year. We just published a bunch of stories. First, Jason talks about blowback inside Meta to its new board member, and Meta's subsequent censoring of those views. We also chat about those mad Meta AI profiles. After the break, Sam explains why Pornhub is blocked in most of the U.S. south. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph talks about why the government is planning to name one of its most important (and at risk) witnesses. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/avuq1NXe6DM Facebook Deletes Internal Employee Criticism of New Board Member Dana White Meta's AI Profiles Are Indistinguishable From Terrible Spam That Took Over Facebook Pornhub Is Now Blocked In Almost All of the U.S. South Government to Name ‘Key Witness’ Who Provided FBI With Backdoored Encrypted Chat App Anom Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Sam's dive into a looming piece of anti-porn legislation, prudish algorithms, and eggs. After the break, Matthew tells us about the open source software that powered Ukraine's drone attack against Russia. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains how even pro-AI subreddits are dealing with people having AI delusions. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/daEt3CptlRU The Egg Yolk Principle: Human Sexuality Will Always Outsmart Prudish Algorithms and Hateful Politicians Ukraine's Massive Drone Attack Was Powered by Open Source Software Pro-AI Subreddit Bans 'Uptick' of Users Who Suffer from AI Delusions  Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Jason is talking to YouTuber Benn Jordan, who has done some of our favorite reporting on Flock, the automated license plate reader surveillance company. A couple months ago, he found vulnerabilities in some of Flock’s license plate reader cameras. I have been following Benn’s work for a while, and soon after that video came out, he reached out to me to tell me he had learned that some of Flock’s Condor cameras were left live-streaming to the open internet. In this episode, we discuss how he discovered the issue and what happened next. YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/tSd0nXolnIs Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s very weird story about Apple Podcasts. The app is opening by itself, playing random spirituality podcasts, and in one case directing listeners to a potentially malicious website. After the break, Matthew tells us how it sure looks like a map of Ukraine was manipulated in order to win a bet on Polymarket. In the subscribers-only section, Sam breaks down how half of the U.S. now requires a face or ID scan to watch porn. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/V4QCJh-imPM Timestamps:2:00 - Story 1 - Someone Is Trying to ‘Hack’ People Through Apple Podcasts24:40 - Story 2 - 'Unauthorized' Edit to Ukraine's Frontline Maps Point to Polymarket's War Betting SUBSCRIBER'S STORY - Half of the US Now Requires You to Upload Your ID or Scan Your Face to Watch Porn Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we start with Jason's story about anyone being able to push updates to DOGE.gov website. Then we talk about other stories with the DEI.gov and Waste.gov sites. After the break, Sam tells us all about some lawyers who get caught using AI in a case. In the subscribers-only section, we chat about a true crime documentary YouTube channel where the murders were all AI-generated. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/wqjeDFk9LMo Anyone Can Push Updates to the DOGE.gov Website Researcher Captures Contents of ‘DEI.gov’ Before It Was Hidden Behind a Password Elon Musk's Waste.gov Is Just a WordPress Theme Placeholder Page Lawyers Caught Citing AI-Hallucinated Cases Call It a 'Cautionary Tale' A ‘True Crime’ Documentary Series Has Millions of Views. The Murders Are All AI-Generated Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s interview, Sam is joined by Harlo Holmes. Harlo is the Chief Security Programs Officer at Freedom of the Press Foundation. She’s a media scholar, software programmer, and activist. Harlo and Sam discuss the important work she does every day, and why it’s only becoming more crucial. They also get into how to fight back against privacy nihilism, digital security practices everyone can be implementing regardless of their threat model, and the recent arrests and raids of journalists in the U.S. Listen to the weekly podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism. If you’re a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. 404 Media and Freedom of the Press Foundation Sue DHS FBI Couldn’t Get into WaPo Reporter’s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Jason’s article about an internal Meta message telling workers to increase their output by 5x with AI. That’s five times, not five percent. After the break, Joseph and Sam tell us all about the catastrophic Discord breach. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains what happened when AI came for craft beer (nothing is sacred). YouTube version: https://youtu.be/VJLHVJ-OOj8 Help Us Investigate Book Bans and Educational Censorship Around America Meta Tells Workers Building Metaverse to Use AI to ‘Go 5x Faster’ The Discord Hack is Every User’s Worst Nightmare What Happened When AI Came for Craft Beer TIMESTAMPS: 0:51 - Help Us Investigate Book Bans and Educational Censorship Around America 3:57 - Meta Tells Workers Building Metaverse to Use AI to ‘Go 5x Faster’ 19:44 - The Discord Hack is Every User’s Worst Nightmare SUBSCRIBER'S STORY: What Happened When AI Came for Craft Beer This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a special year in review episode! We riff on the last year in AI, media, journalism, and more. We'll be back with a normal news show in the new year! YouTube version: https://youtu.be/t5RuHgk52MM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we discuss a new Microsoft study that finds using generative AI is "atrophying" people's cognition and critical thinking skills and the right's war on Wikipedia. Articles discussed: Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared” Wikipedia Prepares for 'Increase in Threats' to US Editors From Musk and His Allies You Can’t Post Your Way Out of Fascism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. Friend of 404 Media Matthew Gault talks to Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, about the ways scammers and criminals are using AI, and how it's changing social engineering attacks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We revisit our Why Google Is Shit Now episode with something of an update: Google got worse! Of course we're talking about the embarrassing rollout of Google's AI-powered answers. Jason explains the supply chain of data, and especially how it comes from Reddit posts. After the break, Emanuel continues the Google theme with a Google researcher written study which shows that AI is now a leading disinformation vector. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about Sam's and Emaunel's piece on AI-generated CSAM not being a victimless crime. Google Is Paying Reddit $60 Million for Fucksmith to Tell Its Users to Eat Glue Google Researchers Say AI Now Leading Disinformation Vector (and Are Severely Undercounting the Problem) AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material Is Not a ‘Victimless Crime’ Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Emanuel’s big investigation into the Tea app, and especially how it aggressively grew by raiding women safety groups. After the break, we talk about TikTok Shop selling GPS trackers. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains how Grok was exposing some of its AI persona prompts, and the sometimes NSFW nature of them. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vRFaNoU-cGI You're Invited: 404 Media's Second Anniversary Party and LIVE PODCAST! How Tea’s Founder Convinced Millions of Women to Spill Their Secrets, Then Exposed Them to the World TikTok Shop Sells Viral GPS Trackers Marketed to Stalkers Grok Exposes Underlying Prompts for Its AI Personas: ‘EVEN PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR ASS’ Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph's story revealing how the FBI secretly ran a massive money laundering ring to catch drug traffickers and hackers. After the break, we run through a bunch of tariff stories and how it's going to impact everything from the Nintendo Switch to the iPhone. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains why he found the new book on Facebook particularly illuminating. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/XUAuEtirP8E ‘Elon Musk’ Was a Prolific Money Launderer for Hackers and Drug Traffickers. It Was Secretly the FBI Big Tech Backed Trump for Acceleration. They Got a Decel President Instead 'Sea of Idiocy:' Economists Say Trump Tariffs Will Raise Price of Switch 2 and Everything Else A 'US-Made iPhone' Is Pure Fantasy Framework Stops Selling Some of Its Laptops in the U.S. Due to Tariffs 'Careless People' Is the Book About Facebook I've Wanted for a Decade Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s story about nearly 100,000 ChatGPT conversations being indexed by Google. There’s some sensitive stuff in there. After the break, Emanuel tells us about Wikipedia’s new way of dealing with AI slop. In the subscribers-only section, Sam explains how we got to where we are with Steam and Itch.io; that history goes way back. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/mQJvOTHu61I Nearly 100,000 ChatGPT Conversations Were Searchable on Google Wikipedia Editors Adopt ‘Speedy Deletion’ Policy for AI Slop Articles The Anti-Porn Crusade That Censored Steam and Itch.io Started 30 Years Ago Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Sam's piece about a massive leak of an AI chatbot, and how it showed that people were taking ordinary women’s yearbook photos and using them to make AI porn. After the break, Jason explains how a recent change on X exposed a bunch of grifters all around the world. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about how our reporting contributed to the shut down of a warrantless surveillance program. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/UgOtR_bDft4 Timestamps: 1:23 - Intro: Please, please do our reader survey 3:57 - Story 1: Massive Leak Shows Erotic Chatbot Users Turned Women’s Yearbook Pictures Into AI Porn 34:42 - Story 2: America’s Polarization Has Become the World's Side Hustle SUBSCRIBER'S STORY: Airlines Will Shut Down Program That Sold Your Flights Records to Government Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we start with Jason's article on how a Facebook group for Cybertruck owners is completely overrun with people flipping them off. Then Joseph explains how U.S. crypto traders are buying IDs from the tropical nation of Palau to skirt the law. Then in the subscribers-only section (with a content warning), we talk about Jason's story on a big Instagram bug that pushed really horrible stuff into ordinary peoples' feeds. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/nhgK-e3AeR0 SXSW event information Facebook Cybertruck Owners Group Copes With Relentless Mockery Buying a $250 Residency Card From a Tropical Island Let Me Bypass U.S. Crypto Laws Instagram 'Error' Turned Reels Into Neverending Scroll of Murder, Gore, and Violence Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Matthew Gault joins us to discuss his article about Iran’s AI slop and LEGO-focused propaganda, and why the creators chose LEGO. After the break, Jason tells us all about the new automated system in baseball and the drama it’s causing. In the subscribers-only section, Sam walks us through perhaps one of the worst sex apps of all time. Iran Is Winning the AI Slop Propaganda War 'You Can't Defeat the Robots!': Baseball's AI Strike Zone Is Must-Watch Television Subscriber's Story - I Tried to Find the ‘Arousal Intelligence’ In An Animated, Augmented Reality Porn Star YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/_4buUas3tGs Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code 404MEDIA at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/404media Subscribe at 404media.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Jason, as both a drones and aliens reporter, tells us what is most likely happening with the mysterious drones flying over New Jersey. After the break, Joseph explains how cops in Serbia are using Cellebrite phone unlocking tech as a doorway to installing malware on activists' and journalists' phones. In the subscribers-only section, Sam tells us all about an amazing art project using traffic cameras in New York City. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/T_JVUHbAzf4 WTF Is Going on With the New Jersey Mystery Drones? Maybe Mass Panic Over Nothing The No-Win 'Mystery Drone' Clusterfuck Cellebrite Unlocked This Journalist’s Phone. Cops Then Infected it With Malware Traffic Camera 'Selfie' Creator Holds Cease and Desist Letter in Front of Traffic Cam Subscribe at 404media.co. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We chime in on the developing story coming out of Lebanon about a wave of exploding pagers. Jason has some unusual expertise that is pretty relevant here. After the break, Jason breaks down why Larry Ellison's AI-powered surveillance dystopia is already here. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains how he figured out what is, and is not, happening with Snapchat's future AI selfie ads. Experts: Lebanon Pager Explosions Likely Not Lithium Batteries Alone Larry Ellison's AI-Powered Surveillance Dystopia Is Already Here Snapchat Reserves the Right to Use AI-Generated Images of Your Face in Ads Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's only one city in America that isn't on Google's Street View. Documentary filmmaker Chris Parr set out to map it, using North Oak, Minnesota's byzantine rules and the help of a drone. His experience shows who gets privacy in America, and who doesn't. 'I Mapped Google’s ONLY SECRET CITY' YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/3iGvHBr0mJw Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a re-upload that was previously only for paying subscribers! It gives a lot more context on the how and why we cover AI they way we do. Subscribe at 404media.co for more bonus content like this. Here's the original description of the episode: We got a lot of, let's say, feedback, with some of our recent stories on artificial intelligence. One was about people using Bing's AI to create images of cartoon characters flying a plane into a pair of skyscrapers. Another was about 4chan using the same tech to quickly generate racist images. Here, we use that dialogue as a springboard to chat about why we cover AI the way we do, the purpose of journalism, and how that relates to AI and tech overall. This was fun, and let us know what you think. Definitely happy to do more of these sorts of discussions for our subscribers in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Joseph starts with his scoop on how Apple quietly introduced code that reboots iPhones, locking out cops. After the break, we all talk about the big Blue Sky migration. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about how we plan to cover, and what to cover, in the new U.S. administration. YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNRjqqe29iE Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops The Big Blue Sky Migration Why the Work Still Matters Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrick Klepek on the reality of parenting in the age of Roblox and YouTube. I listened to hours of podcasts about how screen time affects kids of all ages and how parents should manage screen time but I still felt completely unprepared for this challenge when I had a kid.  I think the reason for that is that there’s a lot of reporting about how screens are impacting kids, and a lot of reporting about the research into this subject, but rarely did I encounter a conversation between parents that talks about how any of that information can be realistically applied in the real world.   This week on the podcast we’re joined by Patrick Klepek in order to have the kind of conversation I wish I heard before I became a parent, but I think there’s something here for everyone. Patrick is the cofounder of Remap, a website and one of my favorite podcasts about video games, and the writer behind Crossplay, a newsletter about the intersection of parenting and games. Patrick is also my former colleague at Vice, back when I worked at Motherboard and he at Waypoint. Patrick has been reporting about video games for most of his life, is a wonderful writer, and a parent. I find his perspective on many of these issues—screen time, parental controls, YouTube, Roblox—extremely useful and interesting, and I hope you do as well.  YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/LjK1Swsm1m4 Listen to the weekly podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.  Become a paid subscriber for early access to these interview episodes and to power our journalism. If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I recently traveled to Kenya for a journalism and AI conference. While I was there, I really wanted to meet with Michael Geoffrey Asia, the secretary general of the Data Labelers Association. Data Labeling is a huge job in Kenya. Data labelers are the people who train AI, and who also work on ensuring the outputs are accurate. In some cases, data labelers are themselves pretending to be AI, in order to train AI. Often, data labelers don’t know exactly what they’re working on, because the work usually goes through a platform, a subcontractor, or a combination of both. So basically they can be presented with a backend where they’re asked to perform tasks or answer questions; in some cases their answers may be presented in real time as AI. Data labeling is notoriously brutal and underpaid work. Workers sometimes earn as little as a few dollars a day, work under algorithmic management, and, because they’re sometimes trying to train AI what not to do or show, they are often shown graphic, violent, or sexual content for hours at a time. It’s kind of similar to content moderation jobs, and lots of people do both data labeling and content moderation, or switch back and forth between the industries. It’s such a big thing in Kenya that I mentioned it to the driver who took me to meet Michael for this interview, and she told me that she too was a data labeler, as are many of her friends. Michael has since become critical at the Data Labelers Association, a group that is fighting to organize people who do data labeling work and who is advocating for better working conditions, higher pay, and more protections for data labelers. I met Michael at a coworking space in Nairobi in a very tiny room, so I’m not on camera after this, but here’s my conversation with Michael. The Emotional Labor Behind AI Intimacy by Michael Geoffrey Asia YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/QH654YPxvEE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason is joined by US PIRG's right to repair campaign director Nathan Proctor, who explains why the imminent end of free support for Windows 10 computers is a ticking timebomb, with millions of computers slated for recycling centers and landfills. Nathan and Jason discuss the state of right to repair legislation all over the United States, the progress that has been made, and the next areas that right to repair experts are going to be focusing on.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We dedicate the whole free section of this episode to Musk’s takeover of the federal government. We got audio from a meeting in which a Musk ally laid out their plans for AI across the government, and revealed who is now the head of HR for DOGE. In the subscribers only section, we talk about how your public library probably already has a bunch of AI slop. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/fTgHpq4-psQ ‘Things Are Going to Get Intense:’ How a Musk Ally Plans to Push AI on the Government Musk’s DOGE Brings in HR Consultant Focused on ‘Non-Woke’ DEI 'Aligned With Our Faith’ AI-Generated Slop Is Already In Your Public Library Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Emanuel's story on how AI-powered ads on Buzzfeed are recommending people buy things like a hat worn by a person who died by suicide. After the break, Joseph talks about an unprecedented leak out of phone forensics tech Graykey. In the subscribers-only section, Sam tells us about HarperCollins' AI deal and how MIT Press is exploring one too. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/CAw0VvCvavA AI-Powered Buzzfeed Ads Suggest You Buy Hat of Man Who Died by Suicide Leaked Documents Show What Phones Secretive Tech ‘Graykey’ Can Unlock HarperCollins Confirms It Has a Deal to Sell Authors' Work to AI Company AI Companies Are Trying to Get MIT Press Books Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a special interview episode with Meredith Whittaker, the president of the Signal Foundation. I'm sure you all know, and maybe even use, the Signal messaging app. Here we sat down with Whittaker to talk all about the state of Signal today, the threat of AI to end-to-end encryption, what backdoors actually look like, and much more. This is a wide-ranging discussion where one of the few journalists who has revealed new details about backdoors (Joseph) gets to speak to one of the most important people in the world of encryption (Whittaker). Definitely take a listen. Paid subscribers got access to this episode early by the way. Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever Signal page on government data requests Microsoft Will Switch Off Recall by Default After Security Backlash Telegram CEO Pavel Durov interview Subscribe at 404media.co for early access and bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joseph speaks to Cooper Quintin, a security researcher and senior public interest technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Quintin is one of the people behind Rayhunter, an easy to install tool that can detect nearby IMSI-catchers. This tech, sometimes known as Stingrays, poses as a fake cellphone tower to track a phone’s location, intercept calls and texts, and can sometimes even deliver malware. Rayhunter GitHub: https://github.com/EFForg/rayhunter YouTube: https://youtu.be/vEFPPaOn0ts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The organization that runs National Novel Writing Month, a November challenge to write 50,000 words, said "the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones." Does it? Also Discussed: NaNoWriMo Says Condemning AI Is ‘Classist and Ableist’ This Is Doom Running on a Diffusion Model Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Humanity has talked about aliens throughout recorded history, and obsession that has changed science, faith, and media.  The past few years have been very exciting for those who want to believe. The U.S. government has released tantalizing videos and held several gripping hearings showing and discussing UFOs. People who always thought the government was hiding evidence of alien life from the general population saw it as proof that what they’ve said was happening all along. Skeptics have made compelling arguments for why all these revelations could be anything but aliens.  But this debate and humanity’s obsession with aliens goes as far back as recorded history. In her book, First Contact: The Story of Our Obsession with Aliens, 404 Media’s science reporter and author of The Abstract newsletter Becky Ferreira delves deep into this history, what it teaches us about humans, and what the near and far future of the search for alien life looks like.  I had a great time reading Becky’s book and an even better time discussing it with her on the podcast. It’s a great conversation that unpacks why these stories get so much attention, and a perspective on aliens in the news and pop culture that’s rooted in history and science. YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/QToByEeq2vU Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week is a bumper episode all about Flock, the automatic license plate reading (ALPR) cameras across the U.S. First, Jason explains how we found that ICE essentially has backdoor access to the network through local cops. After the break, Joseph tells us all about Nova, the planned product that Flock is making which will make the technology even more invasive by using hacked data. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel details the massive changes AI platform Civitai has made, and why it's partly in response to our reporting. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/-PTrY9x8K9c ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool, Leak Shows Civitai Ban of Real People Content Deals Major Blow to the Nonconsensual AI Porn Ecosystem Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Emanuel’s and Joseph’s coverage of Tea, a women’s dating safety app that was breached multiple times. After the break, Sam and Emanuel talk about how a new UK law about age verification is impacting peoples’ ability to see footage about current events. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains that LeBron James is not in fact pregnant. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/q17GRPq7K3o Women Dating Safety App 'Tea' Breached, Users' IDs Posted to 4chan A Second Tea Breach Reveals Users’ DMs About Abortions and Cheating UK Users Need to Post Selfie or Photo ID to View Reddit's r/IsraelCrimes, r/UkraineWarFootage Credit Card Companies Are Hurting the Future of Video Games Steam Bends to Payment Processors on Porn Games LeBron James' Lawyers Send Cease-and-Desist to AI Company Making Pregnant Videos of Him Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Joseph talks to Samuel Bagg, assistant professor of political science at the University of South Carolina. Bagg recently wrote a fascinating essay, linked below, about how the problem with lots of things might be knowledge-based (people believing stuff that’s wrong or dangerous) but the solution is not more knowledge. It’s all about social identity. This is an incredibly interesting discussion, and definitely check out more of Bagg’s writing. The Problem is Epistemic. The Solution is Not The Dispersion of Power: A Critical Realist Theory of Democracy YouTube version:  https://youtu.be/lNKOqp-rZL8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week's episode with Joseph finding out someone basically ripped off his book with a potentially AI-generated summary. Emanuel also updates us on some of the impact his reporting on AI in libraries has had. After the break, Sam tells us all about a Y Combinator supported startup that is straight-up dehumanizing factory workers. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about an apparent act of protest from inside the U.S. government involving an AI video of Musk and Trump. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/Smx3xHTEZiE SXSW event information A Slop Publisher Sold a Ripoff of My Book on Amazon Y Combinator Supports AI Startup Dehumanizing Factory Workers AI Video of Trump Sucking Musk's Toes Blasted on Government Office TVs Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sam is in conversation with Kolina Koltai. Kolina is an investigator, senior researcher and trainer at Bellingcat. Her investigations focus on the people and systems behind AI companies and platforms that peddle non-consensual deepfake explicit imagery. They discuss how she found herself in this field, her recent investigation uncovering the man behind two deepfake porn sites, and how it feels to watch these sites go down after exposing the people running them. YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/CbmUwwVGaf4 Stories discussed: Profiting From Exploitation: How We Found the Man Behind Two Deepfake Porn Sites Behind a Secretive Global Network of Non-Consensual Deepfake Pornography Unmasking MrDeepFakes: Canadian Pharmacist Linked to World’s Most Notorious Deepfake Porn Site Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we start with the bankruptcy of commercial DNA company 23andMe, and what it means for its users' genetic data. Probably not good things! After the break, Joseph and Jason explain what 'Dogequest' is, and how people allegedly vandalizing Tesla locations have been caught. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel tells us about some fake audio of JD Vance talking about Musk, and then we all chat about the crazy Signal group chat story. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/OLh0IDigwAM DNA of 15 Million People for Sale in 23andMe Bankruptcy Did the FBI Seize My Vagina Cultures? ‘Dogequest’ Site Claims to Dox Tesla Owners Across the U.S. How Three Alleged Tesla Vandals Got Caught Viral Audio of JD Vance Badmouthing Elon Musk Is Fake, Just the Tip of the AI Iceberg Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month Joseph went to the annual DEF CON hacking conference and spoke to a bunch of interesting hackers, researchers, and technologists. We wanted to provide our paying subscribers with a snapshot of what it's like to be at DEF CON—the sounds, the vibe, the people, the hacks. Become a paying subscriber now at 404media.co to listen! The Golden Age of Hackers in Vegas Is Over Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with exciting news: we bought a Super Bowl ad! For… $2,550. We explain how. After the break, Jason tells us about Ring’s recently launched Search Party feature, and gives us a very timely reminder of what Ring really is and how we got here. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph breaks down Lockdown Mode and how it kept the FBI out of a Washington Post reporter’s phone. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:49 - Watch 404 Media’s Super Bowl Ad 27:29 - With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet: SUBSCRIBER'S STORY - FBI Couldn’t Get into WaPo Reporter’s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled YouTube version: https://youtu.be/0JK-VSrtlWw Watch 404 Media’s Super Bowl Ad With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet FBI Couldn’t Get into WaPo Reporter’s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week's episode with our massive story on TeleMessage, the Signal clone the Trump administration uses to archive messages which was hacked. We have more detail than anyone else on that story. After the break, Jason tells us about another hack, this time GlobalX Air, one of the airlines used by ICE for deportation flights. In the subscribers-only section, Sam and Emanuel tell us about the shut down of Mr. Deepfakes, and what the lasting legacy of the site will be. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/J__qWnFJZgA The Signal Clone the Trump Admin Uses Was Hacked Senator Demands Investigation into Trump Admin Signal Clone After 404 Media Investigation GlobalX, Airline for Trump’s Deportations, Hacked Mr. Deepfakes, the Biggest Deepfake Porn Site on the Internet, Says It’s Shutting Down for Good Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Matthew’s story about an organization tracking the location of AI data centers around the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. After the break, Jason tells us all about what Grok got up to over the holiday break, and we ruminate on what the breakdown in the information ecosystem means. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about how we bought 404media.com! Timestamps: 1:38 - Researchers Are Hunting America for Hidden Datacenters 25:58 - Grok's AI CSAM Shitshow Subscriber's Story: We Bought 404media.com YouTube version: https://youtu.be/zT9lEyHnZIk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we start with a massive story about location data. Privacy advocates gained access to a tool bought by multiple U.S. agencies called Locate X, which tracks smartphones around the world. We focused on how it can be used to track abortion clinic visitors. After the break we have a special guest: Becky Ferreira, author of our recently launched column The Abstract! Becky tells us all about her journey into science journalism and a couple of the studies she's covered. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains how he found a Musk-funded PAC was targeting opposing Snapchat ads to Muslim and Jewish voters in the U.S. YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGsobtws2MU Inside the U.S. Government-Bought Tool That Can Track Phones at Abortion Clinics Is There Life on Europa? This Is Exactly How an Elon Musk-Funded PAC Is Microtargeting Muslims and Jews With Opposing Messages Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to 404 Media! On this special introductory episode, 404 Media co-founders Joseph Cox, Sam Cole, Emanuel Maiberg, and Jason Koebler explain what's in store for this new, journalist-founded media outlet.  After the break, Joseph and Jason break down how violent criminals have managed to gain access to a supply chain of data that lets them dox nearly anyone in America. Most of the country likely has no idea their data is collected and sold this way, and certainly don't know that criminals now have access too. Subscribe to 404 Media at 404media.co to gain access to an ad-free version of this podcast, as well as bonus podcast content. Subscribers are the bedrock of building a sustainable business for our journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we start with Emanuel's couple of stories about Niantic, the company that makes Pokémon Go, and its plan to build an AI model based on data collected by its users. After the break, Jason and Emanuel talk about their big investigation into the rise of "AI pimping." In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains why he doesn't use a mobile phone and how he uses an iPad Mini instead. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/9NhJGqEqx-U Pokémon Go Players Have Unwittingly Trained AI to Navigate the World Pokémon Go Data ‘Adding Amplitude to War Is Obviously an Issue,’ Niantic Exec Says Inside the Booming 'AI Pimping' Industry I Don't Own a Cellphone. Can This Privacy-Focused Network Change That? Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Wikimedia Foundation’s chief technology and product officer explains how she helps manage one of the most visited sites in the world in the age of generative AI.  Wikipedia is turning 25 this month, and it’s never been more important.  The online, collectively created encyclopedia has been a cornerstone of the internet decades, but as generative AI started flooding every platform with AI-generated slop over the last couple of years, Wikipedia’s governance model, editing process, and dedication to citing reliable sources has emerged as one of the most reliable and resilient models we have.  And yet, as successful as the model is, it’s almost never replicated.  This week on the podcast we’re joined by Selena Deckelmann, the Chief Product and Technology Officer at the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia. That means Selena oversees the technical infrastructure and product strategy for one of the most visited sites in the world, and one the most comprehensive repositories of human knowledge ever assembled. Wikipedia is turning 25 this month, so I wanted to talk to Selena about how Wikipedia works and how it plans to continue to work in the age of generative AI.   YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/39LR9ouJR3c Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Listen to the weekly podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.  Wikipedia’s value in the age of generative AI The Editors Protecting Wikipedia from AI Hoaxes Wikipedia Pauses AI-Generated Summaries After Editor Backlash Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors Jimmy Wales Says Wikipedia Could Use AI. Editors Call It the 'Antithesis of Wikipedia' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week's episode with the ongoing (and pretty confusing!) conflict between Wordpress.com and WP Engine. It might sound like drama, but it actually could have ramifications for the wider web. Sam talks us through it. After the break, Jason explains how he used AI to apply to more than a dozen jobs over breakfast, and how tons of other people are using these tools themselves. In the subscribers-only section, Jason talks about a presentation inside the National Archives which shows the agency's big push towards AI. YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H_E4yjTJZQ ‘The Community Is In Chaos:’ WordPress.org Now Requires You Denounce Affiliation With WP Engine To Log In ‘I Applied to 2,843 Roles’: The Rise of AI-Powered Job Application Bots ‘AI-Mazing Tech-Venture’: National Archives Pushes Google Gemini AI on Employees Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices