Los Angeles
LA Car Culture Warriors In Shambles After Overwhelming Vote for New Bike Lines
A survey of Nextdoor users losing their minds after voters overwhelmingly supported HLA, which will add new bike and bus lanes.
repair
Oregon Passes Bill That Would Make iPhones More Repairable Everywhere
The bill was passed over the objections of Apple lobbyists and would ban Apple's favorite repair restriction.
TikTok
Inside the World of TikTok Spammers and the AI Tools That Enable Them
This is where AI generated formats, Minecraft splitscreens, Reddit stories, 'Would You Rather' videos, and deep sea story spam come from.
automattic
A WordPress ‘Firehose’ Allows AI Companies to Buy Access to a Million Posts a Day
There is a complex chain of companies buying access to WordPress and Tumblr posts through a company called SocialGist.
YouTube
Unionized YouTube Workers Learn Google Laid Them All Off During City Council Meeting
“They just laid us all off. Our jobs are ended today. Effective immediately.” A bell rings. “I’m sorry, your time has expired."
TikTok
TikTok Literally Silences Cat Janice, Pop Star Who Died of Cancer, Because of Licensing Dispute
The fallout of a TikTok licensing dispute with Universal Music Group is not just the loss of backing soundtracks, but things like Janice talking about her fight with cancer, over music that she herself created.
FOIA
Police Bodycam Shows Sheriff Hunting for 'Obscene' Books at Library
Body camera footage from Idaho reveals a sheriff hunting for a YA book he could use for a political stunt.
FOIA Forum
Our Third FOIA Forum! 3/6, 2PM EST
We are hosting our third FOIA Forum at the start of March. Join the livestream, file FOIAs with us, get tips, and more.
Reddit: 'We Are in the Early Stages of Monetizing Our User Base'
Reddit's filing with the SEC makes clear that training AI with user posts is a core part of Reddit's new business model.
Courtwatch
Darknet Drug Dealers Arrested After Packages of Meth-Laced Adderall Repeatedly Returned to Sender
'Professional Paper Filing Inc.' was a fictitious name. But the return address went to a real, uninvolved business.
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.