News
Verizon Gave Phone Data to Armed Stalker Who Posed as Cop Over Email
The data transfer is a massive failure by Verizon, which fell for a low quality scam that may have put someone’s physical safety in danger.
FOIA Forum
Here's the Video For Our Second FOIA Forum: AI Surveillance and Pickleball
Our second FOIA Forum tackled the serious stuff: surveillance and, uhh, pickleball!
News
Reuters Takes Down Blockbuster Hacker-for-Hire Investigation After Indian Court Order
The investigation gave unprecedented insight into how hacker-for-hire shops operated. Reuters says it stands by the reporting.
Podcast
Podcast: a16z Funded AI Platform Generated Images That “Could Be Categorized as Child Pornography,” Leaked Documents Show
On this week's episode we focus on Emanuel's new investigation into OctoML, the engine behind the a16z funded AI startup Civitai and how it generated images that “could be categorized as child pornography,” according to internal Slack chats.
News
Here's a Warrant Showing the U.S. Government is Monitoring Push Notifications
The findings come on the heels of a letter from Senator Ron Wyden warning that governments are demanding data related to push notifications from Apple and Google.
News
Hidden Cameras, GPS Data, and License Plate Readers: How the USPIS Tracks Down Mail Thieves
A court record shows how the oft overlooked United States Postal Inspection Service turned to all manner of tech to investigate someone stealing from mailboxes.
News
The Mystery Customer for Palmer Luckey’s Aircraft-Killing Drone Is U.S. Special Forces
Records reviewed by 404 Media reveal that U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has signed at least $12.5 million to buy the new autonomous aircraft.
Podcast
Podcast: Male Tech Conference Founder Runs Popular Woman-in-Tech Account (???)
In this week's episode, we talk about the bizarre tale of a tech conference founder who listed a fake, "auto-generated" woman as a speaker, and how he is also behind a popular woman-in-tech social media personality.
FOIA
CBP Is Testing Palmer Luckey's AI-Powered Surveillance Towers in the Great Lakes
Documents obtained by 404 Media show an expansion of Anduril's surveillance technology on the U.S.-Canada border.
News
Sneakers and Armored Cars: How a Shoe Company Empire Allegedly Used a Chinese Money Laundering Ring
James Regis Whitner, Jr. is a known figure in the world of sneakers and fashion. A wide spanning investigation alleges his companies, including Social Status, used a Chinese money laundering ring to move massive amounts of cash.
Podcast
Podcast: OpenAI, Harry Potter Fanfic, and Hackers Who Gamble
In this week's episode, we take a unique angle on the OpenAI drama, talk Twitter and sex work, then get into how hackers gamble away stolen Bitcoin at online casinos.
News
Hugging Face Removes Singing AI Models of Xi Jinping But Not of Biden
The removals come as Hugging Face is banned in China, which the company called “regrettable.”