News
‘Things Are Going to Get Intense:’ How a Musk Ally Plans to Push AI on the Government
404 Media has obtained audio of a meeting held by Thomas Shedd, a Musk-associate who is now heading a team of government coders. In the call one employee pushed back and said one of the planned moves is an “illegal task.”
AI
HarperCollins Confirms It Has a Deal to Sell Authors' Work to AI Company
The Big Five publisher made a deal with an unnamed “artificial intelligence technology company” and is allowing authors to opt-in if they want to join the agreement.
News
AI-Powered Buzzfeed Ads Suggest You Buy Hat of Man Who Died by Suicide
Buzzfeed is using an AI-powered ad platform that recommends products that attempts to match objects in disturbing images on its site.
The Abstract
We’ve Got Uranus All Wrong
An anomalous encounter with Uranus, a lost world preserved in Antarctic amber, ChatGPT at the poetry slam, and an exceptional nudibranch.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Political Perspectives and Platforms
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. This week, we talk about data storage, political perspectives and platforms.
Bluesky
The Great Migration to Bluesky Gives Me Hope for the Future of the Internet
Or: Why Threads is not it.
‘Not a Scam 😂:’ Caitlyn Jenner Is Being Sued For Memecoin Securities Fraud
The plaintiffs allege they've lost tens of thousands of dollars on investments into Caitlyn Jenner's $JENNER memecoin.
News
Pregnancy Tracking App ‘What to Expect’ Refuses to Fix Issue that Allows Full Account Takeover
Vulnerabilities in the popular What to Expect app include one that allows a full account take over, and another that exposes that email address of forum admins.
AI
Absurd AI Slop About How Elon Musk Will Fix America Is Megaviral on Facebook
Some of the most popular content on Facebook leading up to the election was AI-generated Elon Musk inspiration porn made by people in other countries that went viral in the US.
Podcast
Podcast: How Apple is Locking Out Cops
We talk about Apple's latest security change, the big move to Bluesky, and how we plan to cover the next administration.
Meta
AI Chatbot Added to Mushroom Foraging Facebook Group Immediately Gives Tips for Cooking Dangerous Mushroom
The chatbot said that a mushroom that hyperaccumulates arsenic can be prepared by "sautéing in butter."
FOIA
'FYI. A Warrant Isn’t Needed': Secret Service Says You Agreed To Be Tracked With Location Data
The Secret Service has used a technology called Locate X which uses location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on phones. Because users agreed to an opaque terms of service page, the Secret Service believes it doesn't need a warrant.
News
Here’s the Indictment Against the Alleged Snowflake and AT&T Hacker
The indictment also charges a second hacker that 404 Media previously reported as being linked to the AT&T breach.