Joseph Cox

Joseph Cox

Joseph is an award-winning investigative journalist focused on generating impact. His work has triggered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fines, shut down tech companies, and much more.
383 posts
Gone Fishin': 404 Media Summer Break 2025
PSA

Gone Fishin': 404 Media Summer Break 2025

404 Media is closed this week. School's out.
Behind the Blog: Chatbot 'Addiction' and a Reading List
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Chatbot 'Addiction' and a Reading List

This week, we discuss wrestling over a good headline, what to read this summer, and Super 8 film.
ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People, Leaked Emails Show
News

ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People, Leaked Emails Show

The new tool, called Mobile Fortify, uses the CBP system which ordinarily takes photos of people when they enter or exit the U.S., according to internal ICE emails viewed by 404 Media. Now ICE is using it in the field.
Airline-Owned Data Broker Selling Your Flight Info to DHS Finally Registers as a Data Broker
News

Airline-Owned Data Broker Selling Your Flight Info to DHS Finally Registers as a Data Broker

It’s a legal requirement for data brokers to register in the state of California. ARC, the airlines-owned data broker that has been selling your flight information to the government for years, only just registered after being contacted by the office of Senator Ron Wyden.
Flock Removes States From National Lookup Tool After ICE and Abortion Searches Revealed
Flock

Flock Removes States From National Lookup Tool After ICE and Abortion Searches Revealed

Following 404 Media’s reporting and in light of new legislation, automatic license plate reader (ALPR) company Flock has stopped agencies reaching into cameras in California, Illinois, and Virginia.
Podcast: This Site Unmasks Cops With Facial Recognition
Podcast

Podcast: This Site Unmasks Cops With Facial Recognition

A tool that uses facial recognition to reveal cops' names, a big and complicated AI ruling, and the AI slop between Iran and Israel.
Here's the Video for Our Sixth FOIA Forum: Massive Blue
FOIA Forum

Here's the Video for Our Sixth FOIA Forum: Massive Blue

Here is the video archive for our FOIA Forum where we explained how we got records about Massive Blue, a company selling AI personas to cops.
Behind the Blog: The Omnipresence Is the Point
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: The Omnipresence Is the Point

This week, we discuss Deadheads and doxxing sites.
Podcast: Airlines Sold Your Flight Data to DHS—And Covered It Up
Podcast

Podcast: Airlines Sold Your Flight Data to DHS—And Covered It Up

Airlines selling detailed flight data to DHS; how AI scrapers are hammering open archives; and the casual surveillance relationship between ICE and local cops.
California Cops Investigate ‘Immigration Protest’ With AI-Camera System
FOIA

California Cops Investigate ‘Immigration Protest’ With AI-Camera System

New data obtained by 404 Media also shows California cops are illegally sharing Flock automatic license plate reader (ALPR) data with other agencies out of state, who in turn are performing searches for ICE.
The People Search Sites in the Suspected Minnesota Killer's Notebook Are a Failure of Congress
News

The People Search Sites in the Suspected Minnesota Killer's Notebook Are a Failure of Congress

The list of sites in the suspect's notebook, which can easily reveal where someone lives, are a simple Google search away, have been for years, and lawmakers could make changes if they wanted. They have before.
I Tried Pre-Ordering the Trump Phone. The Page Failed and It Charged My Credit Card the Wrong Amount
News

I Tried Pre-Ordering the Trump Phone. The Page Failed and It Charged My Credit Card the Wrong Amount

I got a confirmation email saying I'll get another confirmation when it's shipped. But I haven't provided a shipping address.