Alle afleveringen
235 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
-
A Massive Breach Reveals the Truth Behind 'Secret Desires AI'
26 november 2025 · 55 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
Luxury Surveillance (With Chris Gilliard)
24 november 2025 · 1 uur 3 min
Jason talks to Chris Gilliard, the author of the upcoming book Luxury Surveillance. Gilliard has studied the rise of companies like Ring and Flock, as well as the dynamics that lead people to surveil themselves and each other. Lees meer
YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/4kBgnjn5cC0
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Epstein Email Dump Is a Mess
19 november 2025 · 57 min
We start this week with a rant from Jason about how the latest dump of Epstein emails were released. It would be a lot easier to cover them if they were published differently! After the break, we talk about Joseph’s piece about a contractor hiring essentially randos off LinkedIn to physically track immigrants for $300. In the subscribers-only section, Sam tells us about a new adult industry code of conduct that has been a long time coming. Lees meer
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
3:08 - First Segment
34:23 - Second Segment
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/_6tVI4jh__Y
Our New FOIA Forum! 11/19, 1PM ET
Contractor Recruiting People on LinkedIn to Physically Track Immigrants for ICE, Will Pay $300
Major Porn Studios Join Forces to Establish Industry ‘Code of Conduct’
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Video Game Industry’s Existential Crisis (with Jason Schreier)
17 november 2025 · 1 uur 5 min
The video game industry has had a turbulent few years. The pandemic made people play more and caused a small boom, which then subsided, resulting in wave after wave of massive layoffs. Microsoft, one of the major console manufacturers, is shifting its strategy for Xbox as the company shifts its focus to AI. And now, Electronic Arts, once a load-bearing publisher for the industry with brands like The Sims and Madden, is going private via a leveraged buyout in a deal involving Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner. Lees meer
Video games are more popular than ever, but many of the biggest companies in the business seem like they are struggling to adapt and convert that popularity into stability and sustainability. To try and understand what the hell is going on, this week we have a conversation between Emanuel and Jason Schreier, who reports about video games for Bloomberg and one of the best journalists on this beat.
Jason helps us unpack why Microsoft is now aiming for higher-than-average profit margins at Xbox and why the company is seemingly bowing out of the console business despite a massive acquisition spree. We also talk about what the EA deal tells us about other game publishers, and what all these problems tell us about changing player habits and the future of big budget video games.
YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/6ydF7hD6cFI
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Microsoft Pushes Xbox Division to Hit Higher Profit Margins
EA's Deal to Go Private Could Be Good for Investors, Bad for Employees
EA Buyout Highlights Gaming Struggles as Growth Slows
The Video-Game Industry Has a Problem: There Are Too Many Games
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
Inside a Small Town's Fight Against a $1.2 Billion AI Datacenter
12 november 2025 · 50 min
We start with Matthew Gault’s dive into a battle between a small town and the construction of a massive datacenter for America’s nuclear weapon scientists. After the break, Joseph explains why people are 3D-printing whistles in Chicago. In the subscribers-only section, Jason zooms out and tells us what librarians are seeing with AI and tech, and how that is impacting their work and knowledge more broadly. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/rHk580uKwHw
6:03 - Our New FOIA Forum! 11/19, 1PM ET7:50 - A Small Town Is Fighting a $1.2 Billion AI Datacenter for America's Nuclear Weapon Scientists12:27 - 'A Black Hole of Energy Use': Meta's Massive AI Data Center Is Stressing Out a Louisiana Community21:09 - 'House of Dynamite' Is About the Zoom Call that Ends the World30:35 - The Latest Defense Against ICE: 3D-Printed Whistles
SUBSCRIBER'S STORY: AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
A Massive Archiving Effort at National Parks (with Jenny McBurney and Lynda Kellam)
10 november 2025 · 46 min
If you’ve been to a national park in the U.S. recently, you might have noticed some odd new signs about “beauty” and “grandeur.” Or, some signs you were used to seeing might now be missing completely. An executive order issued earlier this year put the history and educational aspects of the parks system under threat–but a group of librarians stepped in to save it. Lees meer
This week we have a conversation between Sam and two of the leaders of the independent volunteer archiving project Save Our Signs, an effort to archive national park signs and monument placards. It’s a community collaboration project co-founded by a group of librarians, public historians, and data experts in partnership with the Data Rescue Project and Safeguarding Research & Culture.
Lynda Kellam leads the Research Data and Digital Scholarship team at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries and is a founding organizer of the Data Rescue Project. Jenny McBurney is the Government Publications Librarian and Regional Depository Coordinator at the University of Minnesota Libraries. In this episode, they discuss turning “frustration, dismay and disbelief” at parks history under threat into action: compiling more than 10,000 images from over 300 national parks into a database to be preserved for the people.
YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/xrCElwgY5Co
‘Save Our Signs’ Archive and Submission Site
'Save Our Signs' Wants to Save the Real History of National Parks Before Trump Erases It
‘Save Our Signs’ Preservation Project Launches Archive of 10,000 National Park Signs
Archivists Work to Identify and Save the Thousands of Datasets Disappearing From Data.gov
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
People Are Modding Meta Ray-Bans to Spy On You
5 november 2025 · 53 min
We have something of a Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses bumper episode this week. We start with Joseph and Jason’s piece on a $60 mod that disables the privacy-protecting recording light in the smart glasses. After the break, Emanuel tells us how some people are abusing the glasses to film massage workers, and he explains the difference between a phone and a pair of smartglasses, if you need that spelled out for you. In the subscribers-only section, Jason tells us about the future of advertising: AI-generated ads personalized directly to you. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/tAmhRnHc16Q
1:00 - A $60 Mod to Meta’s Ray-Bans Disables Its Privacy-Protecting Recording Light
18:03 - Meta's Ray-Ban Glasses Users Film and Harass Massage Parlor Workers
SUBSCRIBER'S STORY: The Future of Advertising Is AI Generated Ads That Are Directly Personalized to You
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Crackdown on ICE Spotting Apps (with Joshua Aaron)
3 november 2025 · 45 min
Joseph speaks to Joshua Aaron, the creator of ICEBlock. Apple recently removed ICEBlock from its App Store after direct pressure from the Department of Justice. Joshua and Joseph talk about how the idea for ICEBlock came about, Apple and Google’s broader crackdown on similar apps, and what this all means for people trying to access information about ICE. Lees meer
ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’
Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/WLpyObHkPqc
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Grokipedia Is Cringe
29 oktober 2025 · 40 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
Hackers Dox ICE
22 oktober 2025 · 50 min
We start this week with Joseph’s articles about a hacking group that doxed DHS, ICE, FBI, and DOJ officials. The group then sent us the personal data of officials from the NSA and a bunch of other government agencies. After the break, Emanuel revisits Wikipedia’s AI problem. In the subscribers-only section, Sam explains OpenAI’s inevitable path to an AI sex bot.0:00 - Intro0:50 - How Artists Are Keeping 'the Lost Art' of Neon Signs Alive4:42 - Hackers Dox Hundreds of DHS, ICE, FBI, and DOJ Officials Lees meer
13:53 - Hackers Say They Have Personal Data of Thousands of NSA and Other Government Officials
31:58 - Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors
SUBSCRIBER'S SEGMENT: OpenAI Catches Up to AI Market Reality: People Are Horny
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/7P2a4Y7P5UESubscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Meta Tells Workers to ‘Go 5x Faster’ with AI
15 oktober 2025 · 47 min
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). Lees meer
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 -
The End of Windows 10 Support Is an Environmental Disaster (With Nathan Proctor)
13 oktober 2025 · 1 uur 6 min
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 Lees meer -
The Final Boss of AI Slop
8 oktober 2025 · 53 min
We start this week with a couple of our articles about Sora 2, OpenAI’s new AI slop app. People are already using tools to remove watermarks from its AI-generated videos. Great! After the break, we talk about Apple and Google removing various ICE-spotting apps from their app stores, with Apple doing it after direct pressure from the U.S. government. In the subscribers-only section, we have a substantial update to a story concerning Flock and a woman who self-administered an abortion. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/fTz5ODv_uZQ
4:55 - OpenAI’s Sora 2 Copyright Infringement Machine Features Nazi SpongeBobs and Criminal Pikachus
14:30 - People Are Farming and Selling Sora 2 Invite Codes on eBay
25:27 - Sora 2 Watermark Removers Flood the Web
29:08 - ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
37:39 - Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’
BONUS STORY: Police Said They Surveilled Woman Who Had an Abortion for Her 'Safety.' Court Records Show They Considered Charging Her With a Crime
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 -
Landlords Demand Your Workplace Logins to Scrape Paystubs
1 oktober 2025 · 49 min
We start this week with Joseph’s article about landlords and income verification companies demanding login details from potential renters so the companies can log in and scrape their paystubs. That has some potential legal issues for everyone involved! After the break, 18 lawyers tell us why they used AI. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel breaks down the massive drama around Ruby. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/KtvSBb6rtHE
Landlords Demand Tenants’ Workplace Logins to Scrape Their Paystubs
18 Lawyers Caught Using AI Explain Why They Did It
How Ruby Went Off the Rails
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
We're Suing ICE. Here's Why
24 september 2025 · 53 min
We start this week with some news: we are suing ICE for access to its $2 million contract with a company that sells powerful spyware. Paragon sells tech for remotely breaking into phones and reading messages from encrypted chat apps without a target even clicking a link. After the break, we talk about a couple of stories about AI ‘workslop’ and the engineers who fix peoples’ vibe coding. In the subscribers-only section, we start with a malicious game on Steam stealing cryptocurrency from a cancer patient, then we talk about Silk Song. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/NWuDzmKE8kg
We’re Suing ICE for Its $2 Million Spyware Contract
AI ‘Workslop’ Is Killing Productivity and Making Workers Miserable
The Software Engineers Paid to Fix Vibe Coded Messes
Steam Hosted Malware Game that Stole $32,000 from a Cancer Patient Live on Stream
Does Silksong Seem Unreasonably Hard? You Probably Took a Wrong Turn
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The (Hacked) Spy In Your Car
17 september 2025 · 52 min
We start this week with Joseph’s investigation into Nexar, a popular dashcam company that was catastrophically hacked. Nexar is also uploading user footage to a publicly available map without some drivers’ knowledge. After the break, Sam tells us about her trip to San Diego to cover the sentencing of someone she has covered for years. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about the Charlie Kirk assassination and our reporting around that. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/-51f4patIkw
This Company Turns Dashcams into ‘Virtual CCTV Cameras.’ Then Hackers Got In
Michael Pratt, GirlsDoPorn Ringleader, Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison
Comcast Executives Warn Workers To Not Say The Wrong Thing About Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
AI Slop Is Drowning Out Human YouTubers
10 september 2025 · 59 min
This week, we talk about how 'Boring History' AI slop is taking over YouTube and making it harder to discover content that humans spend months researching, filming, and editing. Then we talk about how Meta has totally given up on content moderation. In the bonus segment, we discuss the 'AI Darwin Awards,' which is, uhh, celebrating the dumbest uses of AI.YouTube Version: Lees meer
AI Generated Boring History Videos Are Flooding YouTube And Drowning Out Real History
Instagram Account Promotes Holocaust Denial T-Shirts To 400,000 Followers
AI Darwin Awards Shows AI's Biggest Problem Is Human
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
404 Media Live: LA! [TEASER]
4 september 2025 · 9 min
This is a recording of our live show in Los Angeles in July! In this show we spoke all about ICE's technology and our reporting on it. Facial recognition, Palantir, Flock, and more. And we take questions from the audience. Thank you to everyone who came and we hope you enjoy the discussion! Lees meer
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
Trump Take LEGO
3 september 2025 · 46 min
We start this week with our articles about Trump’s tariffs, and how they’re impacting everything from LEGO to cameras to sex toys. After the break, Emanuel explains how misfired DMCA complaints designed to help adult creators are targeting other sites, including ours. In the subscribers-only section, we do a wrap-up of a bunch of recent ChatGPT stories about suicide and murder. A content warning for suicide and self-harm for that section. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/srdUOWq_hfg
Trump Take LEGO
Trump Tariffs Cause Chaos on Ebay as Every Hobby Becomes Logistical Minefield
How OnlyFans Piracy Is Ruining the Internet for Everyone
ChatGPT Encouraged Suicidal Teen Not To Seek Help, Lawsuit Claims
ChatGPT Answered 'High Risk' Questions About Suicide, New Study Finds
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
404 Media Live: NYC!
28 augustus 2025 · 47 min
Here's the podcast recorded at our recent second anniversary party in New York! We answered a bunch of reader and listener questions. Thank you to everyone that came and thank you for listening to this podcast too! Lees meer
Thanks again to DeleteMe, use code 404media for 20% off
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Underground Trade of Car Hacking Tech
27 augustus 2025 · 48 min
We start this week with Joseph’s investigation into people selling custom patches for the Flipper Zero, a piece of hacking tech that car thieves can now use to break into a wide range of vehicles. After the break, Jason tells us about the new meta in AI slop: making 80s nostalgia videos. In the subscribers-only section, we all talk about Citizen, and how the app is pushing AI-written crime alerts without human intervention. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/nV3qShvuoKw
Inside the Underground Trade of ‘Flipper Zero’ Tech to Break into Cars
80s Nostalgia AI Slop Is Boomerfying the Masses for a Past That Never Existed
Citizen Is Using AI to Generate Crime Alerts With No Human Review. It’s Making a Lot of Mistakes
VICE News Presents: Vigilante, Inc.
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Inside Story of Tea
20 augustus 2025 · 48 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
Why Are DHS Agents Wearing Meta Ray-Bans?
13 augustus 2025 · 56 min
We start this week with Jason’s article about a CBP official wearing Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses to an immigration raid. A lot of stuff happened after we published that article too. After the break, Sam tells us about the bargain that voice actors are making with AI. In the subscribers-only section, Jason tells us how a DEA official used a cop’s password to AI cameras to then do immigration surveillance. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxHFsQSVRkE
Get your subscriber code and tickets for the live event here
A CBP Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
Voiceover Artists Weigh the 'Faustian Bargain' of Lending Their Talents to AI
Feds Used Local Cop's Password to Do Immigration Surveillance With Flock Cameras
Congress Launches Investigation into Flock After 404 Media Reporting
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Google Is Exposing Peoples’ ChatGPT Secrets
6 augustus 2025 · 46 min
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. Lees meer
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
-
The Tea Breach Just Keeps Getting Worse
30 juli 2025 · 56 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
Spotify Is Publishing AI Tracks of Dead Artists
23 juli 2025 · 45 min
We start this week with Emanuel's wild story about Spotify publishing AI generated tracks that look like they come from artists' official accounts. One problem: those artists died a long time ago. After the break, Joseph tells us about a company that is selling data hacked from computers to debt collectors. In the subscribers-only section, we talk all about the Astronomer CEO and its privacy implications. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/lFYyNOWVJV0
404 Media Live in Los Angeles
Spotify Publishes AI-Generated Songs From Dead Artists Without Permission
A Startup is Selling Data Hacked from Peoples’ Computers to Debt Collectors
The Astronomer CEO's Coldplay Concert Fiasco Is Emblematic of Our Social Media Surveillance Dystopia
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The AI Exodus Begins
16 juli 2025 · 47 min
We start this week with a series of articles from Emanuel about a crackdown in the AI industry. After the break, Sam tells us about the ‘Save Our Signs’ campaign which hopes to preserve the history of national parks. In the subscribers-only section, Jason rants about how AI will not save the media industry. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-fo7O8B_mk
404 Media Los Angeles event details (free for subscribers; $10 otherwise)
a16z-Backed AI Site Civitai Is Mostly Porn, Despite Claiming Otherwise
Hugging Face Is Hosting 5,000 Nonconsensual AI Models of Real People
Payment Processors Are Pushing AI Porn Off Its Biggest Platforms
'Save Our Signs' Wants to Save the Real History of National Parks Before Trump Erases It
The Media's Pivot to AI Is Not Real and Not Going to Work
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
How to Fight Back Against AI Bot Scrapers
9 juli 2025 · 40 min
We’re back! We start this week with Emanuel’s article about Anubis, an open source piece of software that is saving the internet from AI bot scrapers. After the break, Joseph tells us about the new facial recognition app ICE is using and which he revealed. In the subscribers-only section, we do a lightning round runthrough of a bunch of our recent stories about LLMs and how to trick them, or what they don’t understand. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/lqJL1u8UhmE
The Open-Source Software Saving the Internet From AI Bot Scrapers
ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People, Leaked Emails Show
AI Models And Parents Don’t Understand ‘Let Him Cook’
Fine-Tuning LLMs For ‘Good’ Behavior Makes Them More Likely To Say No
Researchers Jailbreak AI by Flooding It With Bullshit Jargon
Thumbnail credit: Mascot by CELPHASE.
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Life Changing Power of Lifting (feat. Casey Johnston)
2 juli 2025 · 1 uur 4 min
For this week’s podcast, I’m talking to our friend Casey Johnston, a tech journalist turned fitness journalist turned independent journalist. Casey studied physics, which led her to tech journalism; she did some of my favorite coverage of Internet culture as well as Apple’s horrendous butterfly laptop keyboards. We worked together at VICE, where Casey was an editor and where she wrote Ask a Swole Woman, an advice column about weightlifting. After she left VICE, Casey founded She’s a Beast, an independent site about weightlifting, but also about the science of diet culture, fitness influencers on the internet, the intersections of all those things, etc. Lees meer
She just wrote A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting, a really great reported memoir about how our culture and the media often discourages people from lifting, and how this type of exercise can be really beneficial to your brain and your body. I found the book really inspiring and actually started lifting right after I read it. In this interview we talk about her book, about journalism, about independent media, and how doing things like lifting weights and touching grass helps us navigate the world.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vV0esl4LLIU
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
This Site Unmasks Cops With Facial Recognition
25 juni 2025 · 51 min
We start this week with Emanuel and Joseph’s coverage of ‘FuckLAPD.com’, a website that uses facial recognition to instantly reveal a LAPD officer’s name and salary. The creator has relaunched their similar tool for identifying ICE employees too. After the break, Jason tells us about a massive AI ruling that opens the way for AI companies to scrape everyone’s art. In the subscribers-only section, our regular contributor Matthew describes all the AI slop in the Iran and Israel conflict, and why it matters. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/1eieXQIaALA
‘FuckLAPD.com’ Lets Anyone Use Facial Recognition to Instantly Identify Cops
Judge Rules Training AI on Authors' Books Is Legal But Pirating Them Is Not
The AI Slop Fight Between Iran and Israel
Thumbnail credit: Photo by Sean Lee/Unsplash
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Airlines Sold Your Flight Data to DHS—And Covered It Up
18 juni 2025 · 47 min
This week we start with Joseph’s article about the U.S’s major airlines selling customers’ flight information to Customs and Border Protection and then telling the agency to not reveal where the data came from. After the break, Emanuel tells us how AI scraping bots are breaking open libraries, archives, and museums. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains the casual surveillance relationship between ICE and local cops, according to emails he got. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/Auc7NPD2ig4
Our New FOIA Forum! 6/18, 1PM ET
Airlines Don't Want You to Know They Sold Your Flight Data to DHS
AI Scraping Bots Are Breaking Open Libraries, Archives, and Museums
Emails Reveal the Casual Surveillance Alliance Between ICE and Local Police
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Feds Flew Predator Drones Over The LA Protests
11 juni 2025 · 52 min
Much of this episode is about the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. We start with Joseph explaining how he monitored surveillance aircraft flying over the protests, including what turned out to be a Predator drone. After the break, Jason tells us about the burning Waymos. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about the owner of Girls Do Porn, a sex trafficking ring on Pornhub, pleading guilty (a content warning for that one). Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/o8Pb9l9FPaA
DHS Black Hawks and Military Aircraft Surveil the LA Protests
DHS Flew Predator Drones Over LA Protests, Audio Shows
Waymo Pauses Service in Downtown LA Neighborhood Where They're Getting Lit on Fire
Girls Do Porn Ringleader Pleads Guilty, Faces Life In Prison
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Anti-Porn Laws' Real Target Is Free Speech
4 juni 2025 · 45 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
ICE's Backdoor Into a Nationwide AI Surveillance Network
28 mei 2025 · 47 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
AI Slop Summer
21 mei 2025 · 46 min
We start this week with Jason's couple of stories about how the Chicago Sun-Times printed a summer guide that was basically all AI-generated. Jason spoke to the person behind it. After the break, a bunch of documents show that schools were simply not ready for AI. In the subscribers-only section, we chat all about Star Wars and those funny little guys. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/P2GzbKKeAFc
Chicago Sun-Times Prints AI-Generated Summer Reading List With Books That Don't Exist
Viral AI-Generated Summer Guide Printed by Chicago Sun-Times Was Made by Magazine Giant Hearst
American Schools Were Deeply Unprepared for ChatGPT, Public Records Show
Star Wars Shows the Future of AI Special Effects and It Sucks
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
AI Avatar of Killed Man Testifies in Court
14 mei 2025 · 52 min
We start this week with Jason and Matthew's story about an AI avatar that testified in court. It might be a sign of things to come. After the break, well, well, well, Meta is developing facial recognition for its smart glasses. In the subscribers-only section, Jason tells us all about AI in baseball. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/Mq4gqNS0vRw
'I Loved That AI:' Judge Moved by AI-Generated Avatar of Man Killed in Road Rage Incident
Well, Well, Well: Meta to Add Facial Recognition To Glasses After All
The Simulation Says the Orioles Should Be Good
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Trump Admin's Signal Clone Was Hacked
7 mei 2025 · 48 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
Meta's AI Chatbots Are a Disaster
30 april 2025 · 55 min
This week we start with Sam's very in-depth story on Meta's AI chatbots, and how they're essentially posing as licensed therapists. After the break, Jason breaks down the wildly unethical AI-powered research that took place on Reddit. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains how the age of realtime deepfake fraud is here after he got a bunch of videos showing scammers do their thing. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/H5380M-hnJ4
Instagram's AI Chatbots Lie About Being Licensed Therapists
Researchers Secretly Ran a Massive, Unauthorized AI Persuasion Experiment on Reddit Users
Reddit Issuing 'Formal Legal Demands' Against Researchers Who Conducted Secret AI Experiment on Users
The Age of Realtime Deepfake Fraud Is Here
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Cops Are Using AI Bots to Surveil People
23 april 2025 · 55 min
We start this week with Emanuel and Jason's big story on Massive Blue, a company that is selling AI-powered undercover bots posing as protesters and children to the cops. After the break, Sam tells us about visiting the millennial saint. In the subscribers-only section, we talk business and the state of 404 Media. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/E98i9OFJbW4
Leaked: Palantir’s Plan to Help ICE Deport People
ICE Plans Central Database of Health, Labor, Housing Agency Data to Find Targets
This ‘College Protester’ Isn’t Real. It’s an AI-Powered Undercover Bot for Cops
I Went to See ‘God’s Influencer,’ the Millennial Saint Carlo Acutis
How 404 Media Is Navigating 'Economic Headwinds'
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
AI Slop Is Breaking the Internet as We Know It (Live at SXSW)
18 april 2025 · 1 uur 1 min
Jason, Sam, and Blood in the Machine's Brian Merchant discuss how AI slop has taken over the internet, how it is a brute-force attack against the algorithms that control what we see on social media, and what we can do to fight back against it. This panel was held at Speakeasy in Austin, Texas at SXSW on March 10, 2025. Thanks to our friends at Flipboard for giving us the space and to DeleteMe for sponsoring the event. Lees meer
Use code "404Media" for 20% off an annual plan of DeleteMe: https://www.404media.co/r/5d94373c?m=e247fe06-53d6-4c05-9484-be3684d4f655
Find Brian's work at Blood in the Machine: https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/
Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Inside the ICE Deportation Tool
16 april 2025 · 44 min
This week we start with a couple of Jason and Joseph's stories about the tool ICE uses to lookup an incredible amount of information about people. After the break, Joseph explains how he tested an AI service that calls your parents in case you can't be bothered. In the subscribers-only section, our new regular contributor Matthew Gault tells us all about the hack of 4chan and how we got here. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/gFmvCvvaB4k
Inside a Powerful Database ICE Uses to Identify and Deport People
I Tested The AI That Calls Your Elderly Parents If You Can't Be Bothered
4chan Is Down Following What Looks to Be a Major Hack Spurred By Meme War
Subscribe at 404media.co
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
How a $2,000 'Made in the USA' Phone Is Manufactured
10 april 2025 · 1 uur 5 min
Earlier this week we wrote an article called “A US-Made iPhone Is Pure Fantasy." The long and short of it is that Trump’s dream of moving all high tech manufacturing to the US is extremely difficult because global supply chains are so intricate, manufacturing expertise exists primarily in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other countries, and the components that go into a phone are often made in other countries as well. Lees meer
But there is currently one smartphone that qualifies for a “Made in the USA” title from the FTC. It’s the Liberty Phone, which is made by a company called Purism. The phone is a version of Purism’s Librem 5. The Made-in-China Librem 5 costs $800, and the Liberty phone costs $2,000. It has 4 GB of memory, and reviewers say that its specs are pretty outdated. Not every single component in the Liberty Phone is made in the USA, but the company has been trying very hard to make it as American-made as possible. The fact that it exists at all is kind of a miracle, and the way that Purism is approaching manufacturing is really interesting, so I called Purism’s founder, Todd Weaver, to talk about smartphone supply chains, making tech products in the United States, and tariffs. Here’s our discussion
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The FBI Secretly Ran a Massive Money Laundering Ring
9 april 2025 · 57 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
OpenAI's Studio Ghibli AI: 'An Insult to Life Itself'
2 april 2025 · 50 min
Jason, Sam, and Emanuel talk about Miyazaki being turned into a meme, the guys suing OnlyFans after being surprised to learn they were not actually talking to models, and the depravity of "brainrot" AI. Lees meer
Articles discussed:
Hayao Miyazaki, Who Said AI Is ‘Insult to Life Itself,” Reduced to AI-Generated Meme by OpenAI: https://www.404media.co/hayao-miyazaki-who-said-ai-is-insult-to-life-itself-reduced-to-ai-generated-meme-by-openai/OnlyFans Sued After Two Guys Realized They Might Not Actually Be Talking to Models: https://www.404media.co/onlyfans-sued-after-two-guys-realized-they-might-not-actually-be-talking-to-models/
Subscribers Only:
'Brainrot' AI on Instagram Is Monetizing the Most Fucked Up Things You Can Imagine (and Lots You Can't): https://www.404media.co/brainrot-ai-on-instagram-is-monetizing-the-most-fucked-up-things-you-can-imagine-and-lots-you-cant/
Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
The DNA of 15 Million People Is For Sale
26 maart 2025 · 49 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
The Websites An ICE Contractor is Monitoring
19 maart 2025 · 43 min
We start this week with Joseph's story about the 200+ sites an ICE contractor called ShadowDragon is monitoring. A lot of surprising ones on there. After the break, Emanuel explains why NASA, Yale, and Stanford scientists are considering leaving the U.S. for France. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel breaks down the fascinating reason why Super Nintendos are getting faster as they age. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/LBUsFawJ6E0
The 200+ Sites an ICE Surveillance Contractor is Monitoring
NASA, Yale, and Stanford Scientists Consider 'Scientific Exile,' French University Says
Super Nintendo Hardware Is Running Faster as It Ages
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
We're Not Ready for Chinese AI Video Generators
12 maart 2025 · 47 min
We start this week with Emanuel's great investigation into Chinese AI video models, and how they have far fewer safeguards than their American counterparts. A content warning for that section due to what the users are making. After the break, Joseph explains how police are using AI to summarize evidence seized from mobile phones. In the subscribers-only section, we chat about an AI-developed game that is making a ton of money. But your AI-generated game probably won't. Lees meer
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/_Sy_nw4gJVY
Chinese AI Video Generators Unleash a Flood of New Nonconsensual Porn
Alibaba Releases Advanced Open Video Model, Immediately Becomes AI Porn Machine
Cellebrite Is Using AI to Summarize Chat Logs and Audio from Seized Mobile Phones
This Game Created by AI 'Vibe Coding' Makes $50,000 a Month. Yours Probably Won’t
Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Tesla Protests Come for Cybertruck Owners
5 maart 2025 · 44 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
The Rise of AI Book Ripoffs
26 februari 2025 · 41 min
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. Lees meer
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 -
DOGE's Website, Hacked
19 februari 2025 · 40 min
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. Lees meer
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