Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Lighting Money on Fire and the Meaning of Vetting
This week, we discuss an exciting revamp of The Abstract, tech betrayals, and the "it's for cops" defense.
FOIA
A Texas Cop Searched License Plate Cameras Nationwide for a Woman Who Got an Abortion
The sheriff said the woman self-administered the abortion and her family were concerned for her safety, so authorities searched through Flock cameras. Experts are still concerned that a cop in a state where abortion is illegal can search cameras in others where it's a human right.
Podcast
Podcast: ICE's 'Backdoor' Into a Nationwide AI Surveillance Network
How ICE is accessing data from Flock cameras; a new invasive surveillance product; and the radical changes made at AI platform Civitai.
FOIA
ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows
Flock's automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are in more than 5,000 communities around the U.S. Local police are doing lookups in the nationwide system for ICE.
News
The CIA Secretly Ran a Star Wars Fan Site
The site, starwarsweb.net, was a covert CIA communications tool. It has pictures of Yoda and C-3PO on it.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Feeling Wowed, Getting Cozy
This week, we discuss the benefits of spending 14 hours a day on the internet, getting cozy for AI slop, and a what a new law in Sweden means for the rest of us.
News
Hacker Conference HOPE Says U.S. Immigration Crackdown Caused Massive Crash in Ticket Sales
One scheduled speaker has also pulled out of the New York-based event and specifically pointed to Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
Podcast
Podcast: AI Slop Summer
How the Chicago Sun-Times printed an AI-generated summer guide; how schools were not prepared for ChatGPT; and those funny little guys from Star Wars.
News
Student Makes Tool That Identifies ‘Radicals’ on Reddit, Deploys AI Bots to Engage With Them
The tool scans for users writing certain keywords on Reddit and assigns those users a so-called “radical score,” before deploying an AI-powered bot to automatically engage with the users to de-radicalize them.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: The Art of the 'Catharticle'
This week, we discuss Star Wars' weird little guys, catharticles, and spectacular views.
News
License Plate Reader Company Flock Is Building a Massive People Lookup Tool, Leak Shows
Flock, which has license plate readers (LPRs) all around the country, wants police to be able to “jump from LPR to person,” according to leaked audio obtained by 404 Media.
Podcast
Podcast: AI Avatar of Killed Man Testifies in Court
A killed man's AI avatar testifies in court; Meta is developing facial recognition for its smart glasses; and how AI is changing baseball.