Security
Do Spencer’s Vibrators Have Malware on Them? An Investigation
We tested the vibrator that a Spencer's customer claims almost gave their computer malware.
News
‘What Was She Supposed to Report?:’ Police Report Shows How a High School Deepfake Nightmare Unfolded
An in-depth police report obtained by 404 Media shows how a school, and then the police, investigated a wave of AI-powered “nudify” apps in a high school.
FOIA
What Is the Governor of Iowa Hiding About a Satanic Temple Statue at the Capitol?
Kim Reynolds redacts 27 pages of public documents about the government's response to a Baphomet display at the Iowa Capitol.
Mastodon
Taliban Shuts Down 'queer.af' Domain, Breaking Mastodon Instance
After years in limbo, the Taliban recently began reoperating Afghanistan's .af TLD, which is breaking parts of the internet.
repair
Apple Is Lobbying Against Right to Repair Six Months After Supporting Right to Repair
"It is our belief that the bill’s current language around parts pairing will undermine the security, safety, and privacy of Oregonians by forcing device manufacturers to allow the use of parts of unknown origin in consumer devices."
Stract
This Guy Has Built an Open Source Search Engine as an Alternative to Google in His Spare Time
"I found it very weird that there essentially is no way to browse the web in an open manner. So that's what I am trying to build," the founder of Stract said.
Hacking
The Viral Smart Toothbrush Botnet Story Is Not Real
"FortiGuard Labs has not observed Mirai or other IoT botnets target toothbrushes or similar embedded devices."
Data Brokers
Woman Got Cremation Ads in the Mail After Getting Chemotherapy
"This matter has brought to light the close interplay between data brokers and data analytics firms in the digital marketing landscape.”
Apple Vision Pro
A ‘$3,500 Chastity Belt’: Early Apple Vision Pro Adopters Alarmed to Learn VR Porn Doesn't Work
"So uhh.. where is all the 3d porn?"
Announcements
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Impact
YouTube Deletes 1,000 Videos of Celebrity AI Scam Ads
But plenty of deepfake scam videos are still on the platform.
AI
Iceland Has Its Own AI George Carlin Moment, Considers Law Against Deepfaking the Dead
The national broadcaster has started a nationwide controversy after it reanimated a beloved Icelandic comedian for its New Year's Eve celebration.