News
Real Estate ‘Visionary’ Allegedly Behind Massive, Viral Airbnb Fraud Charged
Shray Goel allegedly duped guests to properties that didn’t exist and then refused to issue refunds. Years after a media report outed his scheme, authorities caught up with Goel last month.
Podcast
Podcast: These Companies Say They're Using Microphone Audio to Target Ads
On this week's episode we discuss how marketers might actually be listening to conversations through smart devices. Here's everything we know.
News
Verizon Gave Her Data to a Stalker. ‘This Has Completely Changed My Life’
A stalker haphazardly posing as a cop demanded sensitive data from Verizon. Verizon complied, and the stalker drove to an address armed with a knife. 404 Media spoke to the victim.
AI
Company Brags About Using Smart Device Microphone Audio to Target Ads on Their Podcast
MindSift is the tiny company that says it’s using device microphone data to target ads.
News
Marketing Company Claims That It Actually Is Listening to Your Phone and Smart Speakers to Target Ads
“What would it mean for your business if you could target potential clients who are actively discussing their need for your services in their day-to-day conversations? No, it's not a Black Mirror episode—it's Voice Data, and CMG has the capabilities to use it to your business advantage.”
Podcast
Podcast: How Did a 'Russian Economist' Fly into LAX With No Ticket, No Passport, No Memory of How He Got There?
On this week's episode we discuss the bizarre case of Sergey Ochigava, who somehow flew from Denmark to the US with no ticket or passport. What happened? No one knows.
FOIA
The Navy Bought ‘Global’ Surveillance Data Through Adtech Company Owned by Military Contractor
nContext looks like an ordinary adtech or marketing company. It's actually owned by military contracting giant Sierra Nevada Corporation.
News
Verizon Gave Phone Data to Armed Stalker Who Posed as Cop Over Email
The data transfer is a massive failure by Verizon, which fell for a low quality scam that may have put someone’s physical safety in danger.
FOIA Forum
Here's the Video For Our Second FOIA Forum: AI Surveillance and Pickleball
Our second FOIA Forum tackled the serious stuff: surveillance and, uhh, pickleball!
News
Reuters Takes Down Blockbuster Hacker-for-Hire Investigation After Indian Court Order
The investigation gave unprecedented insight into how hacker-for-hire shops operated. Reuters says it stands by the reporting.
Podcast
Podcast: a16z Funded AI Platform Generated Images That “Could Be Categorized as Child Pornography,” Leaked Documents Show
On this week's episode we focus on Emanuel's new investigation into OctoML, the engine behind the a16z funded AI startup Civitai and how it generated images that “could be categorized as child pornography,” according to internal Slack chats.
News
Here's a Warrant Showing the U.S. Government is Monitoring Push Notifications
The findings come on the heels of a letter from Senator Ron Wyden warning that governments are demanding data related to push notifications from Apple and Google.