Behind the Blog: In Our Lane
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: In Our Lane

This week, we discuss choosing what to cover, fishing expeditions, and the library.
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404 Media is a new 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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No One Knows How to Deal With 'Student-on-Student' AI CSAM
News

No One Knows How to Deal With 'Student-on-Student' AI CSAM

A new report from Stanford finds that schools, parents, police, and our legal system are not prepared to deal with the growing problem of minors using AI to generate CSAM of other minors.
Developer Builds Tool That Scrapes YouTube Comments, Uses AI to Predict Where Users Live
News

Developer Builds Tool That Scrapes YouTube Comments, Uses AI to Predict Where Users Live

The developer claims the tool is for cops, but anyone can sign up and use it for targeted harassment.
Texas Solicitor General Resigned After Fantasizing Colleague Would Get 'Anally Raped By a Cylindrical Asteroid'
texas

Texas Solicitor General Resigned After Fantasizing Colleague Would Get 'Anally Raped By a Cylindrical Asteroid'

Judd Stone resigned after admitting to the statements, a letter circulated at the Texas Attorney General's office states.
Inside the Discord Community Developing Its Own Hair Loss Drugs
Features

Inside the Discord Community Developing Its Own Hair Loss Drugs

HairDAO is a “decentralized autonomous organization” trying to cure hair loss.
Podcast: ICE's 'Backdoor' Into a Nationwide AI Surveillance Network
Podcast

Podcast: ICE's 'Backdoor' Into a Nationwide AI Surveillance Network

How ICE is accessing data from Flock cameras; a new invasive surveillance product; and the radical changes made at AI platform Civitai.
Civitai Ban of Real People Content Deals Major Blow to the Nonconsensual AI Porn Ecosystem
News

Civitai Ban of Real People Content Deals Major Blow to the Nonconsensual AI Porn Ecosystem

Citing pressure from payment processors and new legislation, a critical resource for producing nonconsensual content bans AI models depicting the likeness of real people.
ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows
FOIA

ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows

Flock's automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are in more than 5,000 communities around the U.S. Local police are doing lookups in the nationwide system for ICE.
The CIA Secretly Ran a Star Wars Fan Site
News

The CIA Secretly Ran a Star Wars Fan Site

The site, starwarsweb.net, was a covert CIA communications tool. It has pictures of Yoda and C-3PO on it.
Penguin Poop Helps Antarctica Stay Cool
The Abstract

Penguin Poop Helps Antarctica Stay Cool

Penguin guano helps clouds form in coastal Antarctica, making these birds an important factor in the region’s climate.
Behind the Blog: Feeling Wowed, Getting Cozy
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Feeling Wowed, Getting Cozy

This week, we discuss the benefits of spending 14 hours a day on the internet, getting cozy for AI slop, and a what a new law in Sweden means for the rest of us.
Authors Are Accidentally Leaving AI Prompts In their Novels
News

Authors Are Accidentally Leaving AI Prompts In their Novels

‘I’ve rewritten the passage to align more with the J. Bree style’ appeared in the middle of a tense scene with a scaled dragon prince.
Pocket, One of the Only Apps I Ever Liked, Is Shutting Down
apps

Pocket, One of the Only Apps I Ever Liked, Is Shutting Down

Pocket, the app for saving articles to read later, announced it is shutting down on July 8.