Behind the Blog: Company Comments and a Party Recap
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.
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404 Media is a new independent media company founded by technology journalists Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg, Samantha Cole, and Joseph Cox. Read more about us here.
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Crooks Allegedly Stole Truck Full of $1.5 Million of Oculus Headsets
News

Crooks Allegedly Stole Truck Full of $1.5 Million of Oculus Headsets

The truck thieves also stole trucks hauling electronics from Microsoft and Logitech.
Spotify Has A Pirated Software Problem
spotify

Spotify Has A Pirated Software Problem

Playlists and "podcast" episode descriptions are hiding malware and piracy sites in plain sight on the streaming platform.
I Don't Own a Cellphone. Can This Privacy-Focused Network Change That?
News

I Don't Own a Cellphone. Can This Privacy-Focused Network Change That?

A small tech company called Cape has been selling a privacy-focused cellphone service to the U.S. military. Now Cape will be offering its product to high-risk members of the public.
Podcast: Buzzfeed's AI Ads Are a Disaster
Podcast

Podcast: Buzzfeed's AI Ads Are a Disaster

We chat Buzzfeed's AI-powered ads, a big Graykey leak, and the wave of publishers making deals with AI companies.
Inside the Booming 'AI Pimping' Industry
wired

Inside the Booming 'AI Pimping' Industry

AI-generated influencers that steal content from human models and adult content creators have taken over Instagram.
AI Companies Are Trying to Get MIT Press Books
AI

AI Companies Are Trying to Get MIT Press Books

The non-profit, university press asked its authors for input on how they'd prefer to see any hypothetical AI training deals handled, and plans to base future decisions on what they say, MIT Press told 404 Media.
Pokémon Go Players Have Unwittingly Trained AI to Navigate the World
News

Pokémon Go Players Have Unwittingly Trained AI to Navigate the World

Niantic says it is using data generated by Pokémon Go players to create a “Large Geospatial Model” that can navigate the real world and power robots.
Graphic Design for ISIS Is His Passion, FBI Alleges in Filing
ISIS

Graphic Design for ISIS Is His Passion, FBI Alleges in Filing

"The text on the top needs effects as well … shining … blood spots or a line surrounding it, etc."
Leaked Documents Show What Phones Secretive Tech ‘Graykey’ Can Unlock
News

Leaked Documents Show What Phones Secretive Tech ‘Graykey’ Can Unlock

The documents provide never-been-seen insight into the current cat-and-mouse game between forensics companies and phone manufacturers Apple and Google.
HarperCollins Confirms It Has a Deal to Sell Authors' Work to AI Company
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.
AI-Powered Buzzfeed Ads Suggest You Buy Hat of Man Who Died by Suicide
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.
We’ve Got Uranus All Wrong
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.