FOIA
This ‘College Protester’ Isn’t Real. It’s an AI-Powered Undercover Bot for Cops
Massive Blue is helping cops deploy AI-powered social media bots to talk to people they suspect are anything from violent sex criminals all the way to vaguely defined “protesters.”
LAPD
LAPD Publishes Crime Footage It Got From a Waymo Driverless Car
Police are starting to realize they can demand footage from driverless cars.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: The Economy, Robot Umpires, and Monsters
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together.
Interviews
How a $2,000 'Made in the USA' Phone Is Manufactured
"You could count the number of skilled electronics engineers on US soil, and there's probably a million in Shenzhen alone."
ICE
Inside a Powerful Database ICE Uses to Identify and Deport People
The database allows filtering according to hundreds of different categories, including visa status, “unique physical characteristics (e.g. scars, marks, tattoos),” “criminal affiliation,” license plate reader data, and more.
iPhone
A 'US-Made iPhone' Is Pure Fantasy
"The army of millions and millions of people screwing in little, little screws to make iPhones, that kind of thing is going to come to America."
'Careless People' Is the Book About Facebook I've Wanted for a Decade
I've reported on Facebook for years and have always wondered: Does Facebook care what it is doing to society? Careless People makes clear it does not.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Ancient Civilizations and Modern-Day Driving
This week, we discuss learning from civilizations past and learning to drive.
News
Big Tech Backed Trump for Acceleration. They Got a Decel President Instead
Effective accelerationists didn’t just accidentally shoot themselves in the foot. They methodically blew off each of their toes with a .50 caliber sniper rifle.
Podcast
Podcast: OpenAI's Studio Ghibli AI Is 'An Insult to Life Itself'
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.
Switch 2
'Sea of Idiocy:' Economists Say Trump Tariffs Will Raise Price of Switch 2 and Everything Else
“The policy announcement is astonishing for its stupidity. It seems like a joke!"
T-Mobile
T-Mobile Shows Users the Names, Pictures, and Exact Locations of Random Children
"I would log in and I couldn’t see my children but I could see a kid in California. I refreshed and would see a different child.”