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.”
News
Who’s this Medieval Dead Guy at the Bottom of a Castle Well?
This week, we toast to the saga of the Well-man, tip a hat to the tardigrades, catch a contest of eyestalks, and observe gorilla democracy in action.
Podcast
Podcast: How Politician Turned Advocate Susanna Gibson Battles Non-Consensual Imagery
The former candidate for Virginia House of Delegates Susanna Gibson on how she went from full-time nurse, to running for office, to being targeted by non-consensual intimate imagery and harassment—and how her new model legislation and nonprofit are focused on helping other victims of NCII.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Perverse Virality
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 going viral, what we're watching lately, and a trip to Best Buy.
Car Repair
It Is Now Legal to Hack McFlurry Machines (and Medical Devices) to Fix Them
A new federal rule makes it legal to bypass software locks on commercial food equipment for the purposes of repair.
Redbox
Redbox's Last DVD: 'Twister' Is Unrentable in Remaining Redbox Kiosks and No One Knows Why
Twister was one of the first DVDs ever released. Now it's stuck in still-functioning Redbox machines.
Chinese T-Shirt Maker Flooded Facebook with Ads Promising to Donate Money to Harris, Trump, SuperPACs
The company is selling Kamala Harris and Donald Trump merch, and falsely promising to donate proceeds from the sales to the campaigns and other political causes.
Podcast
Podcast: How the U.S. Government Tracks Your Phone
A massive story on how a U.S. government-bought tool can track phones at abortion clinics; a very special guest drops by to talk about The Abstract; and how we found where a Musk-funded PAC is targeting Snapchat ads.
Features
Inside the U.S. Government-Bought Tool That Can Track Phones at Abortion Clinics
Privacy advocates gained access to a powerful tool bought by U.S. law enforcement agencies that can track smartphone locations around the world. Abortion clinics, places of worship, and individual people can all be monitored without a warrant.
Amazon
Amazon Says It Has a First Amendment Right to Union Bust
In response to an NLRB complaint, Amazon argues that preventing it from holding captive-audience meetings violates the U.S. Constitution.
News
Encrypted Chat App ‘Session’ Leaves Australia After Visit From Police
After federal police came to an employee’s house to ask questions, encrypted messaging company Session has decided to leave Australia and switch to a foundation model based in Switzerland.
Surveillance
Lawsuit Argues Warrantless Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras Is Unconstitutional
"It is functionally impossible for people to drive anywhere without having their movements tracked, photographed, and stored in an AI-assisted database that enables the warrantless surveillance of their every move. This civil rights lawsuit seeks to end this dragnet surveillance program."
News
Twitch Quietly Blocked New Users From Israel and Palestine Since October 7
“We deeply regret this unacceptable miss, and the confusion it has caused,” Twitch said.