Generative AI
AI Slop Is a Brute Force Attack on the Algorithms That Control Reality
Generative AI spammers are brute forcing the internet, and it is working.
TikTok
AI-Generated Pro-North Korean TikToks Are Also Bizarre Ads for Supplements
These AI-generated people are big fans of North Korea and of Reus Research’s Nicotinamide Riboside.
The Abstract
Apocalyptic Asteroid Impact Was Great for Ants
Ants farm as Earth burns, back on the Sun beat, and a spirit animal for introverts.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Newsworthy FOIA Files and the Art and Science of Paywalling
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 FOIAing after those racist pet-eating claims, the art and science of paywalling, and gambling with journalism.
Podcast
Podcast: One Year Anniversary Subscriber Bonanza
In this special podcast episode, we talk subscriber numbers, what people value, how to get our articles in front of people, and what we're looking to do next year.
News
Residents File Class Action Lawsuit Against BioLab for Toxic Plume
This isn't even the first time an incident at the Conyers, Georgia BioLab plant has forced residents out of their homes.
News
Telegram Confirms it Gave U.S. User Data to the Cops
Telegram finally updated its transparency bot to provide data on law enforcement requests.
Courtwatch
Men Stole Over $1 Million From DoorDash Delivery Drivers By Impersonating Them to Customer Service
The men called DoorDash customer service and pretended they had lost access to the accounts, then drained them, the indictment alleges.
FOIA
Internal Emails Reveal How Hate Overwhelmed Springfield After Trump's Lies About Haitian Immigrants
Internal emails from Springfield, Ohio reveal what has happened in the city after Donald Trump and JD Vance spread the conspiracy that Haitians are eating pets.
News
Someone Put Facial Recognition Tech onto Meta's Smart Glasses to Instantly Dox Strangers
The technology, which marries Meta’s smart Ray Ban glasses with the facial recognition service Pimeyes and some other tools, lets someone automatically go from face, to name, to phone number, and home address.
Podcast
Podcast: AI Companies Are Opting You In By Default
LinkedIn, Udemy, PayPal, they've all had weird opt-in, opt-out stories. And, a dangerous side effect of Waymo's driverless cars.
News
Hurricane Helene Knocked One of the World’s Largest Climate Data Archives Offline
NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), which is headquartered in Asheville, has been down for days.
News
A Network of AI ‘Nudify’ Sites Are a Front for Notorious Russian Hackers
Fin7 has made multiple ‘nudify’ sites that promise to use AI to undress photos of people but which are actually vehicles for malware, according to researchers. 404 Media found one advertised on one of the web's biggest porn aggregators.