Jason Koebler

Jason Koebler

Jason is a cofounder of 404 Media. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Motherboard. He loves the Freedom of Information Act and surfing.
238 posts
Internal Emails Reveal How Hate Overwhelmed Springfield After Trump's Lies About Haitian Immigrants
FOIA

Internal Emails Reveal How Hate Overwhelmed Springfield After Trump's Lies About Haitian Immigrants

Internal emails from Springfield, Ohio reveal what has happened in the city after Donald Trump and JD Vance spread the conspiracy that Haitians are eating pets.
Hidden ‘BopSpotter’ Microphone Is Constantly Surveilling San Francisco for Good Music
Projects

Hidden ‘BopSpotter’ Microphone Is Constantly Surveilling San Francisco for Good Music

“This is culture surveillance. No one notices, no one consents. But it's not about catching criminals. It's about catching vibes."
Massive E-Learning Platform Udemy Gave Teachers a Gen AI 'Opt-Out Window'. It's Already Over.
AI

Massive E-Learning Platform Udemy Gave Teachers a Gen AI 'Opt-Out Window'. It's Already Over.

Teachers are surprised they have been opted into having their classes scraped for AI training.
Steam Removes Forced Arbitration Clause, Gamers Can Now Sue Valve
Gaming

Steam Removes Forced Arbitration Clause, Gamers Can Now Sue Valve

"The updated Steam Subscriber Agreement (SSA) now provides that any disputes are to go forward in court instead of arbitration."
Paralyzed Jockey Loses Ability to Walk After Manufacturer Refuses to Fix Battery For His $100,000 Exoskeleton
repair

Paralyzed Jockey Loses Ability to Walk After Manufacturer Refuses to Fix Battery For His $100,000 Exoskeleton

Michael Straight learned to walk again with the help of an exoskeleton. After an accessory to the device broke, the company refused to fix it.
Major Private Music Torrenting Site Suffers ‘Massive Peer Scraping Attack’
Piracy

Major Private Music Torrenting Site Suffers ‘Massive Peer Scraping Attack’

Orpheus Network tells users: "With great displeasure we need to inform you that a malicious actor has successfully carried out a massive peer scraping attack on our tracker."
Project Analyzing Human Language Usage Shuts Down Because ‘Generative AI Has Polluted the Data’
Generative AI

Project Analyzing Human Language Usage Shuts Down Because ‘Generative AI Has Polluted the Data’

Wordfreq shuts down because "I don’t think anyone has reliable information about post-2021 language usage by humans.”
Delivery Robot Knocked Over Pedestrian, Company Offered ‘Promo Codes’ to Apologize
Starship

Delivery Robot Knocked Over Pedestrian, Company Offered ‘Promo Codes’ to Apologize

When a Starship employee talked to the police, the report says, he asked for the employee’s information “so he could contact her and offer their insurance information for her injuries and ‘promo codes.’”
Experts: Lebanon Pager Explosions Likely Not Lithium Batteries Alone
Lebanon

Experts: Lebanon Pager Explosions Likely Not Lithium Batteries Alone

Lithium-ion battery fires are dangerous, but small batteries alone don't usually cause this much damage.
Larry Ellison's AI-Powered Surveillance Dystopia Is Already Here
Oracle

Larry Ellison's AI-Powered Surveillance Dystopia Is Already Here

"Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on."
Stalker Allegedly Created AI Chatbot on NSFW Platform to Dox and Harass Woman

Stalker Allegedly Created AI Chatbot on NSFW Platform to Dox and Harass Woman

"If another user interacting with the chatbot asked the ‘Victim’ where she lived, the chatbot could provide the Victim’s true home address followed by ‘Why don’t you come over?'"
'Celebrity Number Six' Internet Mystery Is Solved
Internet Mysteries

'Celebrity Number Six' Internet Mystery Is Solved

Spanish model Leticia Sardá is Celebrity Number Six.