Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Getting Political
This week: getting "political" and what it means to be technology journalists in this day and age.
News
Historic Newspaper Uses Janky AI Newscasters Instead of Human Journalists
Hawaii’s The Garden Island newspaper is producing video news segments with AI. The union at its parent company calls it “digital colonialism.”
AI
AI-Generated Deepfakes Pushed Taylor Swift to Endorse Kamala Harris
Taylor Swift is one of the most deepfaked women in the world, but AI-generated images showing her and her fans endorsing Donald Trump were her last straw.
Podcast
Podcast: Fraudsters Say 'We Know Where You Live'
The new wave of scary sextortion emails that include your address; the rise of right to repair for your body; and a years old Reddit mystery solved.
News
In Wake of Durov Arrest, Some Cybercriminals Ditch Telegram
Hackers, fraudsters, and drug dealers are all leaving the platform in one way or another. Some are worried that Telegram may start providing user data to the authorities.
FOIA
The DEA Really Didn’t Want to Release Records About Its Retirement Medals for Some Reason
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request over some frivolous records shows how agencies are increasingly refusing to release details on what the U.S. government spends its money on.
Internet Mysteries
'Celebrity Number Six' Internet Mystery Is Solved
Spanish model Leticia Sardá is Celebrity Number Six.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Party Time
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 discuss last night's shindig.
News
Kamala Harris Campaign Experiments With Ads for an Audience With “Brain Rot”
The Harris campaign is creating “overstimulation,” “ADHD,” or “content sludge” videos designed to appeal to a very online audience with a short attention span.
Podcast
Podcast: Is Criticizing AI Ableist?
On the podcast this week: generative AI Doom, drama in NaNoWriMo, and Apple's face swap problem.
DIY
‘Right to Repair for Your Body’: The Rise of DIY, Pirated Medicine
Four Thieves Vinegar Collective has made DIY medicine cheaper and more accessible to the masses.
News
Sextortion Scammers Try to Scare People by Sending Photos of Their Homes
If you got an email containing your address and a PDF with a photo of your street, don't freak out: it's a fake sextortion scheme.
LobbyMatic
Big Tech ‘Clients’ of Jacob Wohl’s Secret AI Lobbying Firm Say They've Never Heard of It
Pfizer, Microsoft, Palantir, Home Depot, and Lockheed Martin were all shown as "clients" of LobbyMatic. All of them say they haven't worked with the company.