Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: We Have Recommendations For You
This week, we discuss our recommendations for the year.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Hearing AI Voices and 'Undervolting'
This week, we discuss PC woes, voice deepfakes, and mutual aid.
ICE
DHS’s Immigrant-Hunting App Removed from Google Play Store
The app, called Mobile Identify, was launched in November, and lets local cops use facial recognition to hunt immigrants on behalf of ICE. It is unclear if the removal is temporary or not.
News
Kohler's Smart Toilet Camera Not Actually End-to-End Encrypted
Gives new meaning to the 'internet of shit.'
The Abstract
Scientists Are Increasingly Worried AI Will Sway Elections
AI models can meaningfully sway voters on candidates and issues, including by using misinformation, and they are also evading detection in public surveys according to three new studies.
News
‘Atoms for Algorithms:’ The Trump Administration’s Top Nuclear Scientists Think AI Can Replace Humans in Power Plants
A presentation at the International Atomic Energy Agency unveiled Big Tech’s vision of an AI and nuclear fueled future.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT Told a Violent Stalker to Embrace the 'Haters,' Indictment Says
A newly filed indictment claims a wannabe influencer used ChatGPT as his "therapist" and "best friend" in his pursuit of the "wife type," while harassing women so aggressively they had to miss work and relocate from their homes.
News
The Last Video Rental Store Is Your Public Library
Audio-visual librarians are quietly amassing large physical media collections amid the IP disputes threatening select availability.
Podcast
This Podcast Will Hack You
Something very strange is happening on Apple Podcasts; someone seemingly changed a map of the Ukraine war in connection with a betting site; and now half of the U.S. requires a face or ID scan to watch porn.
age verification
Half of the US Now Requires You to Upload Your ID or Scan Your Face to Watch Porn
Missouri’s age verification law, enacted on November 30, is the halfway mark for the sweep of age verification laws across the country.
News
'Unauthorized' Edit to Ukraine's Frontline Maps Point to Polymarket's War Betting
It looks like someone invented a fake Russia advance in Ukraine to manipulate online gambling markets.
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Podcast
Inside the Biggest Sting Operation Ever (with Michael Bobbitt)
Joseph talks to a former FBI official about how the FBI secretly ran an encrypted phone for organized criminals, sweeping up tens of millions of messages.