transparency
The Government Just Made it Harder to See What Spy Tech it Buys
On Wednesday, the government stopped supporting FPDS.gov, an indispensable resource for finding what ICE, the FBI, and every other agency is buying. Its replacement site completely sucks.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Using Your Brain
This week, we discuss wishes made for better privacy, god complexes, and the point of it all.
Impact
Lawmakers Demand DHS Define ‘Domestic Terrorist’ As It Uses Vast Array of Surveillance Tools
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson and a host of other Democrats made the demand in a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “Your actions are abhorrent, blatantly unconstitutional, and corrosive to the functioning of a
peaceful society.”
News
Company Helps Men Scrub Negative Posts About Them from Tea App
“We just want to take down posts about people who are being defamed," the company's founder said. “And when I say defamed, it means like, ‘this guy has a small penis,’ or ‘this guy smells.’"
transparency
The Government Just Made it Harder to See What Spy Tech it Buys
On Wednesday, the government stopped supporting FPDS.gov, an indispensable resource for finding what ICE, the FBI, and every other agency is buying. Its replacement site completely sucks.
News
The Islamic State Is Using AI to Resurrect Dead Leaders and Platforms Are Failing to Moderate It
The group is talking about Epstein and filming propaganda videos in Roblox as a form of 'digital Jihad,' researchers say.
Amazon
Amazon Change Means Wishlists Might Expose Your Address
Amazon is allowing gift senders to choose items from third-party sellers, which could open recipients up to new privacy risks.
Podcast
Podcast: Ring Is Just Getting Started
A leaked Ring email; looksmaxxing; and another Grok screwup.
Court Watch
FBI Got Grok to Hand Over Prompts Used to Create Nonconsensual Porn
The FBI obtained prompts used to make more than 200 sexual videos of a woman in a harassment case.
News
What’s the Point of School When AI Can Do Your Homework?
The creator of the AI agent “Einstein” wants to free humans from the burden of academic labor. Critics say that misses the point of education entirely.
Privacy
This App Warns You if Someone Is Wearing Smart Glasses Nearby
The creator of Nearby Glasses made the app after reading 404 Media's coverage of how people are using Meta's Ray-Bans smartglasses to film people without their knowledge or consent. “I consider it to be a tiny part of resistance against surveillance tech.”
The Abstract
A Billion Years Are Mysteriously Missing From Earth’s History. Now, We Know Why.
The Great Unconformity — a gap in Earth’s geological record — has puzzled scientists for 150 years. New research suggests it was created by shifting continents, rather than “snowball Earths” or Cambrian life.
News
Meta's AI Patent to Simulate Dead People Shows the Dangers of 'Spectral Labor'
Researchers say Meta’s patent for simulating dead users could be a “turning point” in “AI resurrections.”