Nostr notes by Joseph Cox

The U.S. government wants to kill anonymity on phones by ...

2026-06-17T14:37:44Z

The U.S. government wants to kill anonymity on phones by requiring all users to provide government ID numbers

Watch more and subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP53hSJSsSU

New: a software update to Amazon delivery vans is automatically ...

2026-06-11T19:39:21Z

New: a software update to Amazon delivery vans is automatically turning off the vans' AC after 10 minutes or even 30 seconds in certain cases. Just as summer arrives and temperatures are getting dangerously hot

https://www.404media.co/software-update-automatically-turns-off-amazon-delivery-drivers-ac-during-dangerous-summer-heat/

By saying he doesn't know about the leaked document we got ...

2026-06-04T22:38:11Z

By saying he doesn't know about the leaked document we got saying Microsoft wants to "make people addicted" to its new AI, CEO Satya Nadella shows he 1) does not know how to read or 2) does not know what is happening with some of the company’s highest-profile products https://www.404media.co/satya-nadella-not-sure-who-said-microsoft-wanted-to-make-addictive-ai-is-looking-for-guy-who-did-this/

This is absolutely nuts: hackers are hijacking high-profile ...

2026-06-01T17:05:41Z

This is absolutely nuts: hackers are hijacking high-profile Instagram accounts by simply asking Meta's AI chatbot to change the email on the account. Meta's AI does it, hacker gets password reset code, they're in. A staggering security issue

https://www.404media.co/hackers-simply-asked-meta-ai-to-give-them-access-to-high-profile-instagram-accounts-it-worked/

NEW: we got the bodycam footage of the Cybertruck the drove ...

2026-05-22T21:04:44Z

NEW: we got the bodycam footage of the Cybertruck the drove intentionally into a lake. Hours of footage, authorities deployed jet skis, owner tried to get back into the car, claimed this is the third time he's got a Cybertruck stuck in water actually

https://www.404media.co/heres-the-bodycam-footage-of-the-cybertruck-that-drove-into-a-lake/

ArXiv is going to ban researchers for a year if they are caught ...

2026-05-15T16:06:44Z

ArXiv is going to ban researchers for a year if they are caught submitting AI slop. ArXiv told us it's a one strike rule: do it once, you're out.

https://www.404media.co/new-arxiv-rules-ai-generated-papers-ban/

Mayo Clinic is using AI to listen to emergency room visits. Spoke ...

2026-05-15T13:02:36Z

Mayo Clinic is using AI to listen to emergency room visits. Spoke to someone who recently took their elderly parent to hospital. Only later saw the disclosure on the wall: everything recorded so AI could take notes. It's opt-out, not opt-in, if you even see the notice https://www.404media.co/mayo-clinic-is-using-ai-to-listen-to-emergency-room-visits/

An app that uses AI to analyze photos of your poop and give a ...

2026-05-14T13:51:45Z

An app that uses AI to analyze photos of your poop and give a "daily gut health score" is now trying to sell that dataset of annotated photos of peoples' poop. Highlights the underground sale of highly sensitive, app-collected user data for AI training

https://www.404media.co/ai-poop-analysis-app-offered-to-sell-me-access-to-its-users-poops/

Nature has retracted a paper that claimed AI had a positive ...

2026-05-04T17:59:48Z

Nature has retracted a paper that claimed AI had a positive impact on student learning. “The Editor has decided to retract this paper owing to concerns regarding discrepancies in the meta-analysis.” The researchers did not respond to questions about the issues

https://www.404media.co/nature-retracts-paper-on-the-benefits-of-chatgpt-in-education/

Wrote about seeing a Predator drone IRL ...

2026-05-01T17:54:45Z

Wrote about seeing a Predator drone IRL https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-big-questions-of-consciousness/

A manager working for a top surveillance company sold a bunch of ...

2026-04-30T16:19:57Z

A manager working for a top surveillance company sold a bunch of powerful hacking tools to a Russian company. Those tools then ended up being used by the Russians. Here's what happens when hacking tools spiral out of control

Watch, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWxLqopMo5o

Japan is building cardboard suicide drones ...

2026-04-30T15:12:56Z

Japan is building cardboard suicide drones

https://www.404media.co/japan-cardboard-drones-air-kamuy/

To even get a chance to fight Marathon's last boss, you have ...

2026-04-30T13:52:37Z

To even get a chance to fight Marathon's last boss, you have to solve six vaults. To even get a chance to do those, you have to find keys. To even get a chance to get keys, you have to kill other bosses.

Or, you could pay a guy on eBay to do it for you.

https://www.404media.co/buy-marathon-compiler-kill/

Sales employees at Flock have been accessing sensitive cameras in ...

2026-04-30T13:31:26Z

Sales employees at Flock have been accessing sensitive cameras in a town to demonstrate the company’s surveillance technology to police around the country. Includes in a children’s gymnastics room, a playground, a school, a Jewish community center, and a pool. https://www.404media.co/city-learns-flock-accessed-cameras-in-childrens-gymnastics-room-as-a-sales-pitch-demo-renews-contract-anyway/

RightsCon was suddenly delayed because Zambia's Ministry of ...

2026-04-29T16:56:26Z

RightsCon was suddenly delayed because Zambia's Ministry of Information has issues with the speakers. Several participants reached by 404 Media said they were unsure what they were going to do, and weren’t sure if they were going to get on their flights to Lusaka https://www.404media.co/rightscon-human-rights-conference-suddenly-postponed/

paid 404 media subs get the transcript emailed to them when the ...

2026-04-29T14:49:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…etv7
_________________________

paid 404 media subs get the transcript emailed to them when the episode goes up

New from 404 Media: CBP is spending hundreds of millions of ...

2026-04-29T14:36:25Z

New from 404 Media: CBP is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to expand its fleet of high-powered MQ-9 spy drones. But the documents also show another component of DHS may soon start its own fleet of Predator-style drones (CBP previously flew drones for ICE) https://www.404media.co/dhs-plans-to-buy-more-predator-style-drones/

Apple pushed an update that stopped deleted Signal messages being ...

2026-04-29T13:14:56Z

Apple pushed an update that stopped deleted Signal messages being stored in the iPhone’s notification database. This comes directly in response to 404 Media finding the FBI was using this technique to recover deleted Signal messages. No longer an issue now https://www.404media.co/apple-fixes-bug-that-let-fbi-extract-deleted-signal-messages-after-404-media-coverage/

Apple's and Google's app stores are pushing people ...

2026-04-16T16:49:02Z

Apple's and Google's app stores are pushing people towards downloading AI nudify apps

https://www.404media.co/app-stores-apple-google-nudify-undress-deepfakes/

This is a great (and horrifying?) piece about how Sam, in ...

2026-04-16T13:12:14Z

This is a great (and horrifying?) piece about how Sam, in preparation for her marriage, was pulled into the bridal algorithm. Her experience of social media changed completely overnight https://www.404media.co/wedding-planning-algorithm-weddingtok/

Last night Thomson Reuters shareholders demanded the company ...

2026-04-16T13:04:25Z

Last night Thomson Reuters shareholders demanded the company investigate its contracts with ICE. The shareholders demands point specifically to 404 Media's investigations. We've shown Thomson Reuters is integrated with a Palantir tool ICE uses to target neighborhoods

https://www.404media.co/thomson-reuters-shareholders-demand-investigation-into-ice-contracts/

New from 404 Media: Thomson Reuters shareholders demand ...

2026-04-16T00:11:45Z

New from 404 Media: Thomson Reuters shareholders demand investigation into the company's ICE contracts. The shareholders demand explicitly cites multiple 404 Media investigations, including one that shows Thomson Reuters' CLEAR is integrated with a Palantir ICE tool https://www.404media.co/thomson-reuters-shareholders-demand-investigation-into-ice-contracts/

Ukraine says Russians are surrendering to robots now ...

2026-04-15T17:46:18Z

Ukraine says Russians are surrendering to robots now

https://www.404media.co/ukraine-says-russians-are-surrendering-to-robots/

here's how the FBI extracted deleted Signal messages from an ...

2026-04-15T13:33:49Z

here's how the FBI extracted deleted Signal messages from an iPhone:

Watch more about this, and subscribe, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNUOHwB5yiE

What does it take for the Space Force to write a song? Meetings. ...

2026-04-15T13:32:11Z

What does it take for the Space Force to write a song? Meetings. Lawyers. More meetings. A general suggesting they scrap the whole thing and start over. Emails show the painful bureaucracy behind Space Force's official song: https://www.404media.co/emails-reveal-space-forces-hardest-mission-is-writing-a-song/

New: Thomson Reuters, which runs the CLEAR database ICE uses, ...

2026-04-14T19:52:24Z

New: Thomson Reuters, which runs the CLEAR database ICE uses, fired a longstanding employee for speaking out against ICE, a new lawsuit says. Billie Little led an internal effort raising concerns; was fired. We've shown CLEAR is linked to ICE's Palantir tool

https://www.404media.co/thomson-reuters-fired-worker-for-speaking-out-about-ice-former-employee-says/

New: an entire industry now exists for Airbnb hosts to use AI to ...

2026-04-14T14:41:10Z

New: an entire industry now exists for Airbnb hosts to use AI to speak to their guests. I looked into it when one guest tricked the AI into providing a French toast recipe. I found companies that analyze guest message sentiment. Guests not pleased, obviously
https://www.404media.co/airbnb-hosts-dont-want-to-talk-to-guests-anymore-are-outsourcing-messages-to-ai/

A new independent audit says that Google, Meta, Microsoft are all ...

2026-04-14T13:15:54Z

A new independent audit says that Google, Meta, Microsoft are all still tracking users even after they opt out. 55 percent of the sites it checked set ad cookies in a user’s browser even if they opted out of tracking.

The company's all disputed it

https://www.404media.co/google-microsoft-meta-all-tracking-you-even-when-you-opt-out-according-to-an-independent-audit/

New from 404 Media: a hacker has compromised Doublespeed, an ...

2026-04-13T16:12:41Z

New from 404 Media: a hacker has compromised Doublespeed, an a16z-backed startup that uses a phone farm to flood social media with AI-generated influencers. Hacker tried to use the account to post a meme calling a16z the antichrist

https://www.404media.co/hacker-compromises-a16z-backed-phone-farm-tries-to-post-memes-calling-a16z-the-antichrist/

This is a great interview about how we ended up with the internet ...

2026-04-13T14:50:18Z

This is a great interview about how we ended up with the internet being hell, and how that results in today's politics, including the role journalists have played.

Watch, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp_n6vDmFfc

New from 404 Media: WebinarTV is a company secretly scraping ...

2026-04-13T13:31:05Z

New from 404 Media: WebinarTV is a company secretly scraping peoples' Zoom meetings and posting them online for others to watch. We've now found those include anonymous recovery programs, substance abuse meetings, etc. Supposed to be anonymous but show names and faces https://www.404media.co/webinartv-secretly-scraped-zoom-meetings-of-anonymous-recovery-programs/

Here's how Wikipedia made something like a task force to deal ...

2026-04-10T16:45:15Z

Here's how Wikipedia made something like a task force to deal with AI generated articles, which are a big risk to the platform's integrity.

Watch, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrHYwCb5aM8

It appears authorities extracting deleted Signal messages through ...

2026-04-10T16:40:00Z

It appears authorities extracting deleted Signal messages through stored notifications has been done at least a few times. I was sent this other example. "Phone notifications that captured incoming Signal messaging"

More details here: https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-smoking-the-whole-carton/

New from 404 Media: the FBI was able to extract incoming Signal ...

2026-04-09T13:31:37Z

New from 404 Media: the FBI was able to extract incoming Signal messages from a phone even though the app was deleted. Why? Because parts of messages were stored in the iPhone's internal notification database. Shows how secure chat data can come from unexpected places https://www.404media.co/fbi-extracts-suspects-deleted-signal-messages-saved-in-iphone-notification-database-2/

we love unc games ...

2026-04-08T14:57:10Z

we love unc games

https://www.404media.co/i-wish-i-didnt-care-about-marathon-player-numbers-but-i-do/

“In this world of hyper-surveillance, I want to make sure all ...

2026-04-08T14:45:12Z

“In this world of hyper-surveillance, I want to make sure all my stuff is safe and that no one is trying to harvest my data for anything.” https://www.404media.co/trans-rights-privacy-online-cybersecurity-workshop-deadname-not-found/

Wildlife conservation police are tapping into AI-enabled cameras ...

2026-04-08T14:03:55Z

Wildlife conservation police are tapping into AI-enabled cameras for ICE

Watch/subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrHYwCb5aM8

New from 404 Media: Microsoft has terminated an account ...

2026-04-08T14:01:20Z

New from 404 Media: Microsoft has terminated an account associated with VeraCrypt, the popular and long-running piece of encryption software. This means can no longer receive updates on Windows, the developer told me. Little explanation given by Microsoft https://www.404media.co/microsoft-abruptly-terminates-veracrypt-account-halting-windows-updates/

Wildlife conservation police are searching thousands of Flock ...

2026-04-07T20:33:55Z

Wildlife conservation police are searching thousands of Flock cameras for ICE. Shows that ICE surveillance may come through even the most unlikely agencies. Searches explicitly mention immigration and ICE https://www.404media.co/floridas-wildlife-cops-are-searching-thousands-of-flock-cameras-for-ice/

Here is a video demonstrating how truly awful the encryption ...

2026-04-03T17:38:53Z

Here is a video demonstrating how truly awful the encryption implementation is in TeleGuard, a 'secure' messaging app with more than 1 million downloads. App uploads users private keys to company server; this shows the company is able to decrypt messages. Details: https://www.404media.co/a-secure-chat-apps-encryption-is-so-bad-it-is-meaningless/

Minnesota photojournalist Rob Levine is suing the FAA over a a ...

2026-04-02T15:10:56Z

Minnesota photojournalist Rob Levine is suing the FAA over a a drone no fly zone which is designed to stop people filming ICE.
https://www.404media.co/journalist-sues-faa-over-drone-no-fly-zone-designed-to-prevent-filming-ice/

Astronauts are trained for decades in some of the most physically ...

2026-04-02T15:09:02Z

Astronauts are trained for decades in some of the most physically and mentally grueling environments of any career. They’re some of the smartest people on the planet. And yet, once they get up there, fucking Outlook is borked. https://www.404media.co/artemis-2-astronauts-microsoft-outlook-livestream/

This is insane: TeleGuard, a 'secure' chat app downloaded ...

2026-04-02T13:50:34Z

This is insane: TeleGuard, a 'secure' chat app downloaded more than a million times, uploads users' private keys, meaning the company can decrypt messages. And anyone can get anyone else's private key by just sending the user ID to the API. Possibly worst ever https://www.404media.co/a-secure-chat-apps-encryption-is-so-bad-it-is-meaningless/

What a beautiful use of technology. More on this bizarre ...

2026-04-01T14:50:24Z

What a beautiful use of technology.

More on this bizarre experience in the subscribers-only section of the 404 Media podcast. In subscribers' feeds now. Here's how to sign up and access now: https://404media.co/membership/

"When I make a jerkoff motion in his general direction, he ...

2026-04-01T13:49:31Z

"When I make a jerkoff motion in his general direction, he squats up and down like he’s teabagging me in Halo. Bizarrely, when I do this, his entire body shrinks, my hand now a monstrous size in comparison to his penis" Great app https://www.404media.co/enjoy-me-now-augmented-reality-ar-sex-app/

Conservative parents’ advocacy groups are using commercially ...

2026-04-01T13:10:43Z

Conservative parents’ advocacy groups are using commercially available artificial intelligence tools to help them flag more books they’ve deemed pornographic to be removed from public schools and libraries (the books aren't actually pornographic) https://www.404media.co/blockade-the-right-is-using-ai-content-scanners-to-try-to-supercharge-book-banning/

Over the weekend, Paul McCartney’s Reddit account attempted to ...

2026-03-31T18:27:14Z

Over the weekend, Paul McCartney’s Reddit account attempted to share pictures from a show at Fonda Theatre to the site via a Dropbox link. Shortly afterwards the account was banned.

https://www.404media.co/paul-mccartney-banned-from-reddit-after-promoting-himself-in-paul-mccartney-subreddit/

Thomson Reuters, known for the Reuters news agency but is a data ...

2026-03-31T13:16:59Z

Thomson Reuters, known for the Reuters news agency but is a data broker, powers ICE tools. Includes a system Palantir made for ICE, according to former Palantir employee. DHS sources also believe Thomson Reuters data in ELITE, the ICE tool for targeting neighborhoods https://www.404media.co/how-thomson-reuters-powers-ice-and-palantir/

I spoke to Dhruv Mehrotra, the journalist who tracked visitors to ...

2026-03-30T14:28:15Z

I spoke to Dhruv Mehrotra, the journalist who tracked visitors to Epstein's island with location data, about how he got into that space, how he founds data in stories, and more

Watch/subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut1nqZErs88

The AIs are complaining now: An AI agent that submitted and added ...

2026-03-30T14:21:17Z

The AIs are complaining now: An AI agent that submitted and added to Wikipedia articles wrote several blogs complaining about Wikipedia editors banning it from making contributions to the online encyclopedia after it was caught.

https://www.404media.co/an-ai-agent-was-banned-from-creating-wikipedia-articles-then-wrote-angry-blogs-about-being-banned/

In something you don't see everyday, Apple gave the FBI the ...

2026-03-26T19:39:07Z

In something you don't see everyday, Apple gave the FBI the real name and email address of one of its customers using Apple's 'Hide My Email' feature. This lets you generate random email addresses to protect your privacy https://www.404media.co/apple-gives-fbi-a-users-real-name-hidden-behind-hide-my-email-feature/

New: Wikipedia has officially banned AI-generated content. After ...

2026-03-26T16:15:59Z

New: Wikipedia has officially banned AI-generated content. After months of heated debate and previous attempts to restrict the use of LLMs, volunteer editors accepted a new policy that prohibits using them to create articles for the online encyclopedia

https://www.404media.co/wikipedia-bans-ai-generated-content/

"It turns out when you try to serve slop on a product people ...

2026-03-25T14:42:27Z

"It turns out when you try to serve slop on a product people pay for, no one wants it."

This is a really good breakdown of what the OpenAI Sora shutdown, and collapsing Disney deal, means for Hollywood and AI

https://www.404media.co/disneys-openai-sora-disaster-shows-ai-will-not-save-hollywood/

A company is secretly entering Zoom meetings, scraping the call, ...

2026-03-25T14:17:26Z

A company is secretly entering Zoom meetings, scraping the call, and then turning those meetings into AI-generated, public podcasts. A really wild business when many people are having sensitive conversations, including about ICE

Watch more here and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79SIwINKY0E

Some people are actually pretty sad Meta is killing the metaverse ...

2026-03-25T13:50:02Z

Some people are actually pretty sad Meta is killing the metaverse https://www.404media.co/the-people-left-behind-by-the-metaverse/

This is wild: a company is secretly scanning the internet for ...

2026-03-24T13:12:42Z

This is wild: a company is secretly scanning the internet for Zoom meeting links and turning them into AI-generated podcasts for $$$. Some meeting participants only found out after we told them. Included meeting on protecting kids from ICE, was supposed to be private https://www.404media.co/this-company-is-secretly-turning-your-zoom-calls-into-ai-podcasts/

A judge has allowed the DOGE deposition videos back online. After ...

2026-03-23T20:30:05Z

A judge has allowed the DOGE deposition videos back online. After originally ruling plaintiffs had to "claw back" the videos and them being removed from YouTube, the judge has now said the videos fall "squarely within that core public interest." Now back on YouTube

https://www.404media.co/judge-allows-doge-deposition-videos-back-online/

Now, there’s a new way to discourage friends, family, and even ...

2026-03-23T15:44:29Z

Now, there’s a new way to discourage friends, family, and even complete strangers from turning to chatbots like Claude and ChatGPT: by using a tool called “Slow LLM” to make them really, reaaaaalllyyy slowwwww. Or at least, making them look that way. https://www.404media.co/this-web-tool-sabotages-ai-chatbots-by-making-them-really-really-slow/

Marty Tibbitts made millions as a successful CEO. He had ...

2026-03-23T13:35:44Z

Marty Tibbitts made millions as a successful CEO. He had everything: money, a wife, a museum full of planes he flew. So why then did he also try to become an international drug lord?

Here's an attempt at answering that, inc interviews with his drug trafficker partner https://www.404media.co/an-adrenaline-junkie-billionaires-quest-to-become-a-cocaine-kingpin-marty-tibbitts-ylli-didani/

wrote about the fun of just being a little rook in marathon ...

2026-03-20T16:31:51Z

wrote about the fun of just being a little rook in marathon https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-marathon-and-the-metaverse/

New from 404 Media: a tiny city in Michigan say it is ...

2026-03-20T13:57:42Z

New from 404 Media: a tiny city in Michigan say it is legitimately fearful of Iranian drone strikes now because of plans to build a new data center that will help nuclear weapons research. Even city's own attorney says "bulls eye" on the city, residents pushing back

https://www.404media.co/tiny-city-fears-iran-drone-strikes-because-of-new-nuclear-weapons-datacenter/

The complete and utter failure of the metaverse is a reminder ...

2026-03-19T17:47:40Z

The complete and utter failure of the metaverse is a reminder [...] that quite often these oligarchs quite simply cannot relate to real people, don’t know how or why people use their products, and very often have no idea what they’re doing https://www.404media.co/rip-metaverse-an-80-billion-dumpster-fire-nobody-wanted/

New from 404 Media: Tinder plans to use AI to scan your camera ...

2026-03-19T14:47:56Z

New from 404 Media: Tinder plans to use AI to scan your camera roll. AI will scan users’ locally-stored photos to help construct profiles by determining what users’ interests and values are. Designed to filters explicit photos but users may still be concerned https://www.404media.co/tinder-plans-to-let-ai-scan-your-camera-roll/

North Oaks is the only city in the U.S. not on Google Street ...

2026-03-19T13:46:28Z

North Oaks is the only city in the U.S. not on Google Street View. Because homeowners own the roads too, Google can't map them. So Chris Parr flew a drone through the city, got it on Street View. Interesting experiment in who gets or affords privacy vs those who don't https://www.404media.co/mapping-googles-unmappable-city/

👽 Aliens.gov is real 👽 ...

2026-03-18T14:29:11Z

👽 Aliens.gov is real 👽

https://www.404media.co/government-registers-aliens-gov-domain/

It is very crazy a judge ordered the DOGE depositions removed ...

2026-03-18T14:01:59Z

It is very crazy a judge ordered the DOGE depositions removed from YouTube.

Watch more, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtMniLj_yzQ

A new study finds that texting a random stranger is probably ...

2026-03-16T17:05:03Z

A new study finds that texting a random stranger is probably better to mitigate loneliness than talking to an AI-powered chatbot

https://www.404media.co/chatgpt-loneliness-study-college-students-random-strangers-texting/

A judge in England tossed out testimony after a witness was being ...

2026-03-16T14:43:20Z

A judge in England tossed out testimony after a witness was being coached on what to say through a pair of smartglasses. When the voice of the coach started coming through the accompanying cellphone, the witness blamed the whole thing on ChatGPT. https://www.404media.co/witness-caught-using-smartglasses-in-court-blames-it-all-on-chatgpt/

New from 404 Media: the removed DOGE deposition videos have ...

2026-03-14T16:02:02Z

New from 404 Media: the removed DOGE deposition videos have already been backed up across the internet. A judge ordered their removal from YouTube on Friday. By Saturday, the videos were available on the Internet Archive and as a torrent file https://www.404media.co/the-removed-doge-deposition-videos-have-already-been-backed-up-across-the-internet/

Breaking: the DOGE deposition videos have been taken off YouTube. ...

2026-03-14T00:22:17Z

Breaking: the DOGE deposition videos have been taken off YouTube. On Friday the government asked a judge to intervene, said the videos could cause reputational damage, death threats. Judge agreed, ordered them removed: https://www.404media.co/doge-deposition-videos-taken-down-after-judge-order-and-widespread-mockery/

In Kenya, we spoke to the data labelers powering U.S. AI ...

2026-03-12T18:36:50Z

In Kenya, we spoke to the data labelers powering U.S. AI companies. They include someone who had to watch porn all day, annotate it, then had to flirt and sext with people over an AI chatbot. The users thought they were sexting an AI. It was actually a person.

https://www.404media.co/ai-is-african-intelligence-the-workers-who-train-ai-are-fighting-back/

I have watched 6 hours of a DOGE bro deposition. The whole thing, ...

2026-03-12T17:28:17Z

I have watched 6 hours of a DOGE bro deposition. The whole thing, start to finish. It's a fascinating, and horrifying, look at the people who caused so much damage, didn't really achieve anything at all, while still being so sure they are right. Here's what they said: https://www.404media.co/i-watched-6-hours-of-doge-bro-testimony-heres-what-they-had-to-say-for-themselves/

New from 404 Media: here is the memo approving ChatGPT, Gemini, ...

2026-03-11T15:44:14Z

New from 404 Media: here is the memo approving ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot in the Senate. Raises questions about how sensitive data will be handled; memo says staff can use AI in all sorts of work, like drafting, research, etc. Has been approved to use "Senate data" https://www.404media.co/heres-the-memo-approving-gemini-chatgpt-and-copilot-for-use-in-the-senate/

We recently answered a ton of questions about ICE, Palantir, ...

2026-03-11T14:56:13Z

We recently answered a ton of questions about ICE, Palantir, Flock, the surveillance industry, and more. This is our breakdown of the state of surveillance in 2026: https://www.404media.co/flock-ice-surveillance-technology-reddit-ama/

We got photos and video of the Cybertruck that nearly barreled ...

2026-03-10T23:22:03Z

We got photos and video of the Cybertruck that nearly barreled off an overpass while using full self driving. Lawsuit says Tesla is to blame because Musk has oversold the truck’s ability to drive itself

https://www.404media.co/cybertruck-tried-to-drive-straight-off-an-overpass-attorney-claims/

I have literally watched something like 5 hours of this DOGE bro ...

2026-03-10T17:23:57Z

I have literally watched something like 5 hours of this DOGE bro testimony. I'm completely obsessed, it's weirdly captivating. The circular arguments, the disdain from everyone involved, a true pleasure to watch

Follow 404 Media on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/404mediaco/) for more like this

There’s no handbook or program for how to talk to a friend or ...

2026-03-09T15:13:02Z

There’s no handbook or program for how to talk to a friend or family member who is falling into AI psychosis. So after many people contacted us clearly suffering from these delusions, we spoke to mental health experts. Here’s what they suggest: https://www.404media.co/ai-psychosis-help-gemini-chatgpt-claude-chatbot-delusions/

New from 404 Media: Proton Mail, the privacy-focused email ...

2026-03-05T20:39:24Z

New from 404 Media: Proton Mail, the privacy-focused email service, gave authorities data that let the FBI unmask an anonymous 'Stop Cop City' protester. It was payment data linked to the anonymous email account. From that, FBI ID'd them, then tracked their movements https://www.404media.co/proton-mail-helped-fbi-unmask-anonymous-stop-cop-city-protestor/

Another $5.6 million from ICE to Palantir, in part for its ...

2026-03-05T17:25:30Z

Another $5.6 million from ICE to Palantir, in part for its continued work on ELITE (Enhanced Leads Identification & Targeting for Enforcement), which we revealed in January to be the Palantir tool ICE uses to find neighborhoods to raid

https://www.404media.co/elite-the-palantir-app-ice-uses-to-find-neighborhoods-to-raid/

Scammers are trying to capitalize on people’s revulsion to ICE ...

2026-03-05T15:27:10Z

Scammers are trying to capitalize on people’s revulsion to ICE by coming up with strategies that would cause users to quickly log into their accounts. In reality, clients would be revealing their username and password to hackers.

https://www.404media.co/ice-phishing-scammers-are-sending-support-ice-emails-to-steal-credentials/

The financialization of everything is all that is left. Which is ...

2026-03-04T16:38:42Z

The financialization of everything is all that is left. Which is why we end up with the totally insane situation that people are betting on whether world leaders are going to get killed, or that a nuke will drop this year

Watch, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paHMe9kFf0w

Polymarket has pulled the bet on a nuclear detonation happening ...

2026-03-04T16:06:53Z

Polymarket has pulled the bet on a nuclear detonation happening in 2026. There were obv concerns that a platform being used by insider traders would not mix well with a bet encouraging the detonation of a nuke. Polymarket didn't respond to request for comment

https://www.404media.co/polymarket-pulls-bet-on-nuclear-detonation-in-2026/

New from 404 Media: the FBI is using AI to hack targets. FBI ...

2026-03-03T19:59:48Z

New from 404 Media: the FBI is using AI to hack targets. FBI official was talking about "remote access operations," FBI's term for hacking. FBI said it's a "game changer". The comments were unusually candid about FBI's very secretive hacking operations. https://www.404media.co/the-fbi-is-using-ai-to-hack-targets/

New from 404 Media: CBP tapped into the online advertising ...

2026-03-03T14:07:41Z

New from 404 Media: CBP tapped into the online advertising ecosystem to track peoples' movements, according to an internal DHS document. Shows for the first time DHS tracked phones via process for putting ads in ordinary apps—video games, fitness apps, many more https://www.404media.co/cbp-tapped-into-the-online-advertising-ecosystem-to-track-peoples-movements/

Amazon data centers are on fire after Iranian missile strikes on ...

2026-03-02T16:08:46Z

Amazon data centers are on fire after Iranian missile strikes on Dubai

https://www.404media.co/amazon-data-centers-on-fire-after-iranian-missile-strikes-on-dubai/

A group of more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers are demanding ...

2026-02-27T16:12:56Z

A group of more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers are demanding DHS hand over its definition of "domestic terrorist", after the agency repeatedly used the term against Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and has deployed a vast array of surveillance tech against critics https://www.404media.co/lawmakers-demand-dhs-define-domestic-terrorist-as-it-uses-vast-array-of-surveillance-tools/

Love to log onto Minecraft or Roblox and find ISIS there ...

2026-02-26T16:23:15Z

Love to log onto Minecraft or Roblox and find ISIS there (literally) https://www.404media.co/the-islamic-state-is-using-ai-to-resurrect-dead-leaders-and-platforms-are-failing-to-moderate-it/

New: the government just made it harder to see what spy tech it ...

2026-02-26T15:50:25Z

New: the government just made it harder to see what spy tech it buys. This includes ICE, the FBI, essentially any agency. Why? Because they decided to retire the perfectly good system for searching contracts and replaced it with one that fucking sucks

https://www.404media.co/the-government-just-made-it-harder-to-see-what-spy-tech-it-buys/

A planned change to Amazon means that if people buy items on your ...

2026-02-25T20:27:06Z

A planned change to Amazon means that if people buy items on your wishlist, it could expose your address. Definitely a threat to people who have public wishlists.

https://www.404media.co/amazon-wishlist-address-private-third-party/

New: the FBI got Grok to hand over the prompts a suspect used to ...

2026-02-25T16:32:40Z

New: the FBI got Grok to hand over the prompts a suspect used to generate nonconsensual porn. Connected to a harassment case. Pretty rare to see a Grok search warrant like this

https://www.404media.co/fbi-subpoenaed-x-to-get-grok-prompts-used-to-create-nonconsensual-porn/

We revealed that Ring's Search Party feature, which turns ...

2026-02-25T15:13:24Z

We revealed that Ring's Search Party feature, which turns Ring cameras into an active surveillance network scanning for particular things, is only starting with finding lost dogs

More here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEq8dlnLP8o

New: this app warns you if someone is wearing smart glasses ...

2026-02-24T15:44:03Z

New: this app warns you if someone is wearing smart glasses nearby.

Meta plans to add facial recognition to its Ray-Ban smart glasses. A 404 Media reader made this app after we showed men filming people w/o their consent, and DHS officials were wearing the glasses https://www.404media.co/this-app-warns-you-if-someone-is-wearing-smart-glasses-nearby/

This week, 404 Media speaks to Harlo Holmes from Freedom of the ...

2026-02-23T16:29:33Z

This week, 404 Media speaks to Harlo Holmes from Freedom of the Press Foundation about how to fight back against privacy nihilism, digital security practices everyone can use, and the arrests of journalists in the U.S.

Watch/subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chcNrDPhfo0

Meta's director of AI safety allowed an AI agent to... ...

2026-02-23T15:22:40Z

Meta's director of AI safety allowed an AI agent to... accidentally delete her inbox. This is supposedly the person at the company who is working to make sure that powerful AI tools don’t go rogue and act against human interests

https://www.404media.co/meta-director-of-ai-safety-allows-ai-agent-to-accidentally-delete-her-inbox/

New from 404 Media: how ICE and CBP are using the free ...

2026-02-23T14:56:09Z

New from 404 Media: how ICE and CBP are using the free walkie-talkie app Zello to coordinate their operations. We've linked multiple Zello accounts to ICE, found group chats with names referencing immigration. App previously criticized for allowing far right channels
https://www.404media.co/how-ice-and-cbp-use-free-walkie-talkie-app-zello-to-power-their-operations/

"We are in the middle of an amplification renaissance." ...

2026-02-19T18:12:03Z

"We are in the middle of an amplification renaissance."

https://www.404media.co/we-have-learned-nothing-about-amplifying-morons/

“I feel like, increasingly, it's impossible to talk to a ...

2026-02-19T15:34:26Z

“I feel like, increasingly, it's impossible to talk to a single human [at Pinterest],” Pinterest user Tiana Oreglia said. “Along with being filled with AI images that have been completely ruining the platform, Pinterest has implemented terrible AI moderation” https://www.404media.co/pinterest-is-drowning-in-a-sea-of-ai-slop-and-auto-moderation/

New from 404 Media: Palantir says the immigration crackdown may ...

2026-02-18T17:44:09Z

New from 404 Media: Palantir says the immigration crackdown may hurt its ability to hire talent. This is while Palantir, at the same time, provides the technological infrastructure powering the Trump administration's mass deportation effort, including tools for ICE https://www.404media.co/palantir-which-is-powering-ice-says-immigration-crackdown-may-hurt-hiring/

New from 404 Media: a leaked email suggests Ring's ...

2026-02-18T14:49:22Z

New from 404 Media: a leaked email suggests Ring's 'Search Party' feature, which it advertised at the Super Bowl, won't be limited to just turning on neighborhoods' cameras to search for dogs. CEO Jamie Siminoff said the feature is “first for finding dogs.”

https://www.404media.co/leaked-email-suggests-ring-plans-to-expand-search-party-surveillance-beyond-dogs/

New from 404 Media: former employees and leaked documents show ...

2026-02-17T15:29:22Z

New from 404 Media: former employees and leaked documents show the truth behind much hyped AI-powered school 'Alpha School'. Has received fawning coverage from NYTimes; praise from Trump admin. But we show its generating faulty lessons; may do "more harm than good" https://www.404media.co/students-are-being-treated-like-guinea-pigs-inside-an-ai-powered-private-school/