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.
481 posts
The Discord Hack is Every User’s Worst Nightmare
News

The Discord Hack is Every User’s Worst Nightmare

A hack impacting Discord’s age verification process shows in stark terms the risk of tech companies collecting users’ ID documents. Now the hackers are posting peoples’ IDs and other sensitive information online.
Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses
News

Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses

Eyes Up's purpose is to "preserve evidence until it can be used in court." But it has been swept up in Apple's crackdown on ICE-spotting apps.
Podcast: The Final Boss of AI Slop
Podcast

Podcast: The Final Boss of AI Slop

We talk all about Sora 2, Apple and Google removing ICE-spotting apps, and a massive update to our Flock reporting.
Cocaine in Private Jets and Sex Toys: What the FBI Found on its Secretly Backdoored Chat App
News

Cocaine in Private Jets and Sex Toys: What the FBI Found on its Secretly Backdoored Chat App

New leaked documents show how the FBI convinced a judge to let its partners collect a mass of encrypted messages from thousands of phones around the world.
Police Said They Surveilled Woman Who Had an Abortion for Her 'Safety.' Court Records Show They Considered Charging Her With a Crime
Flock

Police Said They Surveilled Woman Who Had an Abortion for Her 'Safety.' Court Records Show They Considered Charging Her With a Crime

Court records show that the narrative Flock and a Texas Sheriff's Office has told the public isn't the whole story, and that police were conducting a 'death investigation' into the abortion.
Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’
News

Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’

The move comes as Apple removed ICEBlock after direct pressure from U.S. Department of Justice officials and signals a broader crackdown on ICE-spotting apps.
Behind the Blog: Open-Source Drama and Saudi-Approved Humor
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Open-Source Drama and Saudi-Approved Humor

This week, we discuss characters in open source, that Saudi comedy festival, and asking ourselves if we're haters.
ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
News

ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’

Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” the developer said.
404 Media and Freedom of the Press Foundation Sue DHS
Announcements

404 Media and Freedom of the Press Foundation Sue DHS

Both organizations are seeking a copy of a data sharing agreement that is giving the personal data of nearly 80 million Medicaid patients to ICE.
Podcast: Landlords Demand Your Workplace Logins to Scrape Paystubs
Podcast

Podcast: Landlords Demand Your Workplace Logins to Scrape Paystubs

How companies working for landlords are scraping data inside corporate environments; lawyers explain why they used AI (after getting caught); and all the Ruby drama.
ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day
News

ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day

Documents show that ICE has gone back on its decision to not use location data remotely harvested from peoples' phones. The database is updated every day with billions of pieces of location data.
Landlords Demand Tenants’ Workplace Logins to Scrape Their Paystubs
News

Landlords Demand Tenants’ Workplace Logins to Scrape Their Paystubs

Screenshots shared with 404 Media show tenant screening services ApproveShield and Argyle taking much more data than they need. “Opt-out means no housing.”