The End of Privacy is a Taylor Swift Fan TikTok Account Armed with Facial Recognition Tech
Features

The End of Privacy is a Taylor Swift Fan TikTok Account Armed with Facial Recognition Tech

A viral account is using off-the-shelf facial recognition tech to dox random people on the internet for the amusement of millions of viewers. One victim said they “felt a bit violated really.”
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.
Support our reporting. Subscribe.
The End of Privacy is a Taylor Swift Fan TikTok Account Armed with Facial Recognition Tech
Features

The End of Privacy is a Taylor Swift Fan TikTok Account Armed with Facial Recognition Tech

A viral account is using off-the-shelf facial recognition tech to dox random people on the internet for the amusement of millions of viewers. One victim said they “felt a bit violated really.”
Behind the Blog: Busted Slots and Shadowy Surveillance
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Busted Slots and Shadowy Surveillance

Joseph talks about why he focused on a surveillance vendor's politics, and Emanuel on the fallout from Google surfacing an AI-generated "selfie" of the infamous Tank Man.
iOS 17 Could Break Crucial Diabetic Glucose Monitor Alerts, Manufacturer Warns
News

iOS 17 Could Break Crucial Diabetic Glucose Monitor Alerts, Manufacturer Warns

The maker of the FreeStyle Libre 3 glucose monitor is warning users to 'disable automatic system updates on your iPhone' because it could break a core functionality of the device.
Why Scalpers Can Get Olivia Rodrigo Tickets and You Can't
News

Why Scalpers Can Get Olivia Rodrigo Tickets and You Can't

Ticketmaster's "Verified Fan" system doesn't help fans. It helps scalpers who have hundreds of accounts, use special internet browsers, and have dozens of credit cards.
White Supremacists Are Hijacking City Council Meetings All Over America
News

White Supremacists Are Hijacking City Council Meetings All Over America

Topics discussed by people who called into San Diego’s city council meeting Monday included the following: Sea lions, burning synagogues, electric scooters, criminalizing interracial sex, mental health, and "white fucking power."
DIY Chatbots Unleash Large Language Models’ Repressed Sexuality
Features

DIY Chatbots Unleash Large Language Models’ Repressed Sexuality

Trains with boobs and horny goblins: erotic roleplay chatbot character creation represents a hobby that's born out of AI companies pushing sex to the margins.
Congress Introduces Bill That Would Let Farmers Repair John Deere Tractors Without Hacking Them
News

Congress Introduces Bill That Would Let Farmers Repair John Deere Tractors Without Hacking Them

The federal legislation would ensure right to repair for farmers nationwide.
Deepfaked Drake Sings Transphobic Lyrics in Trump Rapper’s Music Video
News

Deepfaked Drake Sings Transphobic Lyrics in Trump Rapper’s Music Video

The world of AI-generated music is getting increasingly weird.
Podcast: The Tool That ICE Can Use to Track Pregnancy Websites and Fortnite
Podcast

Podcast: The Tool That ICE Can Use to Track Pregnancy Websites and Fortnite

In this week's episode, Joseph, Sam, and Emanuel chat about ShadowDragon, a tool ICE has access to that hoovers up all sorts of data.
First Google Search Result for Tiananmen Square “Tank Man” Is AI Generated Selfie
News

First Google Search Result for Tiananmen Square “Tank Man” Is AI Generated Selfie

"Tank man" has become something of a litmus test for shitty technology.
iFixit Drastically and Retroactively Reduces ‘Repairability Score’ of the Current iPhone
iPhone

iFixit Drastically and Retroactively Reduces ‘Repairability Score’ of the Current iPhone

The iPhone 14 is actually not that repairable in practice because of error messages Apple sends if "nongenuine" parts are used.
Here's the Video Archive of the First FOIA Forum
FOIA

Here's the Video Archive of the First FOIA Forum

For those who couldn't make it, here is a video recording of our recent FOIA forum.