Data Brokers
Woman Got Cremation Ads in the Mail After Getting Chemotherapy
"This matter has brought to light the close interplay between data brokers and data analytics firms in the digital marketing landscape.”
Apple Vision Pro
A ‘$3,500 Chastity Belt’: Early Apple Vision Pro Adopters Alarmed to Learn VR Porn Doesn't Work
"So uhh.. where is all the 3d porn?"
Announcements
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Impact
YouTube Deletes 1,000 Videos of Celebrity AI Scam Ads
But plenty of deepfake scam videos are still on the platform.
AI
Iceland Has Its Own AI George Carlin Moment, Considers Law Against Deepfaking the Dead
The national broadcaster has started a nationwide controversy after it reanimated a beloved Icelandic comedian for its New Year's Eve celebration.
FOIA
These Are the Notorious NSA Furby Documents Showing Spy Agency Freaking Out About Embedded AI in Children's Toy
"Apparently, these stuffed critters learn from nearby speech patterns. That would definitely be a security concern."
Kayak
KAYAK Lets Users Filter Out Boeing 737 Max 9 Flights After Door Blows Off Plane
A previously small feature has seen a 15x increase in usage and has been made more powerful and prominent following the 737 Max 9 incident.
Wikipedia
Wikimedia's Pornographers
Wikipedia's highly specific and pedantic editing culture and expansive copyright ethos extends to dick pics and porn.
Court Records
‘Russian Economist’ Had Passports Confiscated at Airport, Was Allowed to Sneak Onto Flight to LAX Without a Ticket Anyway
Here's what happens when you sneak onto a flight to the US without a passport or a ticket.
FOIA
‘Student Should Have a Healthy-Looking BMI’: How Universities Bend Over Backwards to Accommodate Food Delivery Robots
Internal emails show how universities make nonsentient, profit-seeking Starship robots feel comfortable on campus.
Google Search Really Has Gotten Worse, Researchers Find
"The majority of high-ranking product reviews in the result pages of commercial search engines use affiliate marketing, and significant amounts are outright SEO product review spam."
repair
YouTube Commenters and the Grassroots Movement Pushed Google to Support Right to Repair
Google says its own customers drove it to ultimately support a strong version of right to repair.