Contractor Recruiting People on LinkedIn to Physically Track Immigrants for ICE, Will Pay $300
ICE

Contractor Recruiting People on LinkedIn to Physically Track Immigrants for ICE, Will Pay $300

“The more I listened to it, the more I’m like, something doesn’t sound right,” a person who was briefed on the pilot plans told 404 Media.
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404 Media is an 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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Behind the Blog: Chatbot 'Addiction' and a Reading List
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Chatbot 'Addiction' and a Reading List

This week, we discuss wrestling over a good headline, what to read this summer, and Super 8 film.
Fine-Tuning LLMs For ‘Good’ Behavior Makes Them More Likely To Say No
llms

Fine-Tuning LLMs For ‘Good’ Behavior Makes Them More Likely To Say No

Researchers took inspiration from r/AmITheAsshole to find out if chatbots are likely to demonstrate an exaggerated version of human beings’ “bias for inaction.”
DNA from Prehistoric Proto-City Reveals 'Surprising' Signs of Female-Centered Society
The Abstract

DNA from Prehistoric Proto-City Reveals 'Surprising' Signs of Female-Centered Society

An unprecedented study reveals maternal lineages, female-centered practices, and a “surprising shift” in a 9,000-year-old settlement associated with a goddess cult.
Inside ‘AI Addiction’ Support Groups, Where People Try to Stop Talking to Chatbots

Inside ‘AI Addiction’ Support Groups, Where People Try to Stop Talking to Chatbots

People are self treating themselves and other community members in subreddits like character_ai_recovery, ChatBotAddiction, and AIAddiction.
ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People, Leaked Emails Show
News

ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People, Leaked Emails Show

The new tool, called Mobile Fortify, uses the CBP system which ordinarily takes photos of people when they enter or exit the U.S., according to internal ICE emails viewed by 404 Media. Now ICE is using it in the field.
'My Bad:' Babyface Vance Meme Creator On Norwegian Tourist's Detainment
vance

'My Bad:' Babyface Vance Meme Creator On Norwegian Tourist's Detainment

404 Media spoke to Dave McNamee, the original creator of the babyface Vance meme, about free speech, our rights, and how it feels to see the thing you created being blamed for someone's denial of entry to the U.S.
Airline-Owned Data Broker Selling Your Flight Info to DHS Finally Registers as a Data Broker
News

Airline-Owned Data Broker Selling Your Flight Info to DHS Finally Registers as a Data Broker

It’s a legal requirement for data brokers to register in the state of California. ARC, the airlines-owned data broker that has been selling your flight information to the government for years, only just registered after being contacted by the office of Senator Ron Wyden.
A Deepfake Nightmare: Stalker Allegedly Made Sexual AI Images of Ex-Girlfriends and Their Families
Deepfakes

A Deepfake Nightmare: Stalker Allegedly Made Sexual AI Images of Ex-Girlfriends and Their Families

An Ohio man is accused of making violent, graphic deepfakes of women with their fathers, and of their children. Device searches revealed he searched for "undress" apps and "ai porn."
Flock Removes States From National Lookup Tool After ICE and Abortion Searches Revealed
Flock

Flock Removes States From National Lookup Tool After ICE and Abortion Searches Revealed

Following 404 Media’s reporting and in light of new legislation, automatic license plate reader (ALPR) company Flock has stopped agencies reaching into cameras in California, Illinois, and Virginia.
Balatro Ported to the Gameboy Advance’s e-Reader
News

Balatro Ported to the Gameboy Advance’s e-Reader

A software engineer made a version of the game that runs off code printed onto a small card.
Podcast: This Site Unmasks Cops With Facial Recognition
Podcast

Podcast: This Site Unmasks Cops With Facial Recognition

A tool that uses facial recognition to reveal cops' names, a big and complicated AI ruling, and the AI slop between Iran and Israel.
AI Models And Parents Don’t Understand ‘Let Him Cook’
News

AI Models And Parents Don’t Understand ‘Let Him Cook’

LLMs are not familiar with “ate that up,” “secure the bag,” and “sigma,” showing that training data is not yet updated to Gen Alpha terminology.