Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Company Comments and a Party Recap
This week, we discuss companies' responses to being monitored by an ICE contractor, caring about the little things, weight loss drug ads, and how our SXSW shindig went.
AI
I Went to the Premiere of the First Commercially Streaming AI-Generated Movies
“With premium original content, precise ad-targeting capability, and an AI-powered, innovative engaging viewing experience, TCL’s content service will continue its double-digit growth next year.”
Podcast
Podcast: 3D Printed Guns and UnitedHealthcare
This week we talk about the weapon used by the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO murderer; the sad state of OSINT after a suspect's name is released; how health insurance companies have tried to scrub leadership from the web; moderation challenges on Reddit; and deepfake apps.
Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione Played 'Among Us,' Breathes Air
The ritualized rifling through old internet accounts usually muddies the story more than it informs the public.
pornhub
Pornhub Sees Surge of Interest in Tradwife Content, ‘Modesty,’ and Mindfulness
Pornhub's Year in Review report for 2024 reveals a search for something very mindful, and very demure.
News
Congress Pushes Apple to Remove Deepfake Apps After 404 Media Investigation
Congress is asking Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other big tech companies why they can’t get their deepfake problem under control.
News
Location Data Firm Offers to Help Cops Track Targets via Doctor Visits
Fog Data Science is a location tracking company that takes data harvested from smartphones and makes it accessible to cops. A document obtained by 404 Media shows the company explicitly says it will use doctors visits to unmask a target if needed.
News
UnitedHealthcare Shooting Person of Interest Had 3D Printed Glock
In what might be the first assassination in the United States using a 3D printed weapon, multiple people told 404 Media an image of the weapon found on the person of interest in the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO looks like a specific design of 3D printed Glock.
Announcements
404 Media Objects to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Subpoena to Access Our Reporting
404 Media's reporting on an internal Google privacy violation database has been subpoenaed by the State of Texas. We are fighting it.
The Abstract
An Alternate Theory for How Life-Giving Water Came to Earth
Come along for a tale of mammoth meals, Venusian deserts, orbital splash parks, and slingshot-wielding spiders.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Healthcare and its Stakeholders
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 health insurance.
Moderators Across Social Media Struggle to Contain Celebrations of UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Assassination
While Reddit mods and admin try to keep up with the site's "no violence" terms of use, Facebook and LinkedIn is reacting with tens of thousands of laughing emojis.
News
The Unauthorized Effort to Archive Netflix’s Disappeared Interactive Shows
A group of fans are reverse engineering Netflix and creating unauthorized archives of interactive shows like Battle Kitty and Minecraft: Story Mode