Podcast
Podcast: AI-Powered TikTok Hustlers
The wild world of AI-powered content hustlers on TikTok and Instagram; Etsy ripoffs; and a development in Oregon that could have global ramifications for Apple.
Podcast
Podcast: Byron Tau on the New U.S. Surveillance State
We're trying out a new interview episode for the podcast! Our first guest is investigative journalist and author Byron Tau on the adtech surveillance industry.
Impact
FTC Fines Avast $16.5 Million For Selling Browsing Data Harvested by Antivirus
I previously revealed that Jumpshot, part of the cybersecurity company Avast, was selling products based on users’ browsing data harvested by its antivirus software. Now the FTC has issued a multimillion dollar fine in response.
Podcast
Podcast: A Deepfake Nightmare + Vibrator Malware
How a deepfake nudify app rocked a high school; the spread of fake funeral livestream scams on Facebook; and a very serious investigation into whether a particular brand of vibrator is distributing malware.
News
Fake Funeral Live Stream Scams Are All Over Facebook
Scammers are copying genuine funeral service announcements, making their own Facebook accounts, then directing vulnerable victims to a fake livestream page. “It causes panic on the day where you shouldn't be thinking of that,” one impacted person said.
News
University of Michigan Sells Recordings of Study Groups and Office Hours to Train AI
The data is being offered for tens of thousands of dollars to outside third-parties. It is unclear if the speakers provided informed consent.
Podcast
Podcast: An Open Source Search Engine to Replace Google
This week we chat about an annoying recruitment tool, a new open source search engine, and how a botnet of toothbrushes wasn't real.
FOIA
Broker That Sold Abortion Clinic Data Contracted with Air Force for ‘Targeting’
New documents show that SafeGraph, a company that previously sold location related to abortion clinics, was contracted to explicitly help the Air Force with “targeting” in “contested geographies.”
News
Security Researcher Allegedly Hacked Apple’s Backend, Scammed $2.5 Million
Staggeringly, Apple thanked the defendant, Noah Roskin-Frazee, in a security update less than two weeks after he was arrested.
Podcast
Podcast: Inside a Fraud Factory
This week we have fake IDs at the click of a mouse; AI audio porn; a low tech response to the wave of deepfake abuse; and the Instagram ad to investment scam pipeline. A packed episode!
Impact
‘Neural Network’ Fake ID Site Goes Dark After 404 Media Investigation
OnlyFake said it used “neural networks” as part of its automated fake ID generation service. The site has gone offline after 404 Media tested and exposed the service.