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.
397 posts
'Enhanced' Photos of Kate Middleton Are Just More AI Bullshit
Kate Middleton

'Enhanced' Photos of Kate Middleton Are Just More AI Bullshit

Unblurring screengrabs of Kate Middleton just means creating a brand new, AI-altered image that is less real than the blurry one.
Facebook’s Algorithm Is Boosting AI Spam That Links to AI-Generated, Ad-Laden Click Farms
AI

Facebook’s Algorithm Is Boosting AI Spam That Links to AI-Generated, Ad-Laden Click Farms

Viral 'Shrimp Jesus' and AI-generated pages like it are part of spam and scam campaigns that are taking over Facebook.
How a Foul Ball From 2014 Became Part of a Russian Disinformation Campaign
Baseball

How a Foul Ball From 2014 Became Part of a Russian Disinformation Campaign

Using OSINT and Baseball Reference to determine the exact pitch that was used in a Russian disinformation video.
The U.S. Wants to Ban TikTok for the Sins of Every Social Media Company
TikTok

The U.S. Wants to Ban TikTok for the Sins of Every Social Media Company

The TikTok situation is an untenable mess. Banning it will further balkanize the internet.
Amazon's Hidden Chatbot Recommends Nazi Books and Lies About Amazon Working Conditions
Amazon

Amazon's Hidden Chatbot Recommends Nazi Books and Lies About Amazon Working Conditions

An AI tool created to let people search reviews actually lets you use it like any other chatbot.
‘Young Indian Method’ Teaches TikTok Spammers How to Hire and Control 'Third World Country Workers'
TikTok

‘Young Indian Method’ Teaches TikTok Spammers How to Hire and Control 'Third World Country Workers'

“Do not be scared to get rid of any indians slacking, wasting time, or offering poor quality within the team. Remember, these guys are easily replaceable. They are exactly like soldiers,” it says. 
Here's the Video for Our Third FOIA Forum: Temple of Satan and Iterative FOIAs
FOIA

Here's the Video for Our Third FOIA Forum: Temple of Satan and Iterative FOIAs

How to use public meetings to inform FOIA requests, and vice versa.
NYTimes Files Copyright Takedown Against Hundreds of Wordle Clones
Wordle

NYTimes Files Copyright Takedown Against Hundreds of Wordle Clones

The takedown is also affecting games that definitively aren't Wordle.
LA Car Culture Warriors In Shambles After Overwhelming Vote for New Bike Lines
Los Angeles

LA Car Culture Warriors In Shambles After Overwhelming Vote for New Bike Lines

A survey of Nextdoor users losing their minds after voters overwhelmingly supported HLA, which will add new bike and bus lanes.
Oregon Passes Bill That Would Make iPhones More Repairable Everywhere
repair

Oregon Passes Bill That Would Make iPhones More Repairable Everywhere

The bill was passed over the objections of Apple lobbyists and would ban Apple's favorite repair restriction.
Inside the World of TikTok Spammers and the AI Tools That Enable Them
TikTok

Inside the World of TikTok Spammers and the AI Tools That Enable Them

This is where AI generated formats, Minecraft splitscreens, Reddit stories, 'Would You Rather' videos, and deep sea story spam come from.
A WordPress ‘Firehose’ Allows AI Companies to Buy Access to a Million Posts a Day
automattic

A WordPress ‘Firehose’ Allows AI Companies to Buy Access to a Million Posts a Day

There is a complex chain of companies buying access to WordPress and Tumblr posts through a company called SocialGist.