Privacy
‘The Government Hopes To Set a Precedent’: An Interview With the Man Charged for Allegedly Wiping His GrapheneOS Phone
The U.S. government has charged Samuel Tunick with allegedly typing in a passcode to wipe his phone before officers could search it. “I hope people understand that the charges against me are meant to intimidate people,” he said.
Court Watch
FBI Got Grok to Hand Over Prompts Used to Create Nonconsensual Porn
The FBI obtained prompts used to make more than 200 sexual videos of a woman in a harassment case.
News
What’s the Point of School When AI Can Do Your Homework?
The creator of the AI agent “Einstein” wants to free humans from the burden of academic labor. Critics say that misses the point of education entirely.
Privacy
This App Warns You if Someone Is Wearing Smart Glasses Nearby
The creator of Nearby Glasses made the app after reading 404 Media's coverage of how people are using Meta's Ray-Bans smartglasses to film people without their knowledge or consent. “I consider it to be a tiny part of resistance against surveillance tech.”
The Abstract
A Billion Years Are Mysteriously Missing From Earth’s History. Now, We Know Why.
The Great Unconformity — a gap in Earth’s geological record — has puzzled scientists for 150 years. New research suggests it was created by shifting continents, rather than “snowball Earths” or Cambrian life.
News
Meta's AI Patent to Simulate Dead People Shows the Dangers of 'Spectral Labor'
Researchers say Meta’s patent for simulating dead users could be a “turning point” in “AI resurrections.”
Podcast
Podcast: Privacy Under Pressure (With Harlo Holmes)
Harlo and Sam discuss the important privacy and security work she does every day alongside and for journalists, and why it’s only becoming more crucial.
News
Meta Director of AI Safety Allows AI Agent to Accidentally Delete Her Inbox
Meta Superintelligence Labs’ director of alignment called it a “rookie mistake.”
ICE
How ICE and CBP Use Free Walkie-Talkie App ‘Zello’ to Power Their Operations
404 Media found multiple users of Zello, an app previously used by January 6 insurrectionists, linked to ICE officials. An officer at the scene of an CBP official shooting a U.S. citizen also used the app.
The Abstract
At the World’s Largest General Science Meeting, Surviving Trump Is the Topic
“This is really a turning point and we’re in a historical transition at present.”
The Abstract
The U.S. Military Is Reviving Microbes from 40,000-Year-Old Ice
Researchers discovered 26 new microbial species in ancient Alaskan permafrost, hoping their frost-fighting chemistry could help soldiers and civilians alike survive extreme cold.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Nothing to Hide Here
This week, we discuss parenting blogs, Pinterest sawing its own legs off, and legal guardrails.
News
Man Opposing Data Center Arrested for Speaking Slightly Too Long
An Oklahoma man tried to talk about a data center coming to his community. Police arrested him when he went a few seconds over his time limit.