Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: The TikTok Letter, Brand Safety, and AI Girlfriends Gone Offline
This week, we discuss the bin Laden TikTok controversy, how brand safety shapes the internet, and Instagram's enforcement of its own rules (or lack thereof).
advertising
Elon Musk Is Making His Advertising Crisis a Problem for Sex Workers
Adult content creators are seeing an influx of "sensitive content" labels on Twitter, which could be tied to the site's newly implemented sensitivity settings for advertisers.
scams
Why Does Wildlife Photographer Paul Nicklen Have Dozens of Catfish Scam Impersonators?
People are editing Paul Nicklen into hospital bed pictures, faking his passports, and scamming fans out of thousands of dollars through social media impersonation.
News
Pornhub ‘Deeply Regrets’ Hosting Girls Do Porn Content
Pornhub’s parent company has reached an agreement with the US Attorney’s office after an FBI investigation.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: RIP Omegle, Refund Scams, and Tablet Thieves
This week, we discuss a groundbreaking investigation into Labcorp labor issues, the role of court records in our reporting, how "brand safety" has doomed the news industry, and the demise of a controversial website.
Minnesotans Have Some Really Good Flag Redesign Ideas
Minnesota asked the people to design a new state flag, and the people delivered.
News
Omegle, the Site That Paired Strangers for Video Chats, Is Dead
The owner of the site took it offline as of Wednesday, and wrote a long message to users alluding to "attacks" against the site.
Crypto
'Couldn't See Anymore:' Bored Ape Conference Attendees Wake Up With Searing Eye Pain, Vision Loss
“Been to lots of concerts, festivals, Burning Man, and never have I ever experienced fucked eyes like this.”
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Adblock Wars, Livestreaming Trauma, and Deepfake Bella Hadid
This week, we discuss why FOIA about surveillance is so important, more misinfo around Israel-Palestine, adblockers, and a controversial livestream.
AI
A Viral Deepfake Made It Look Like Bella Hadid Said She ‘Stands With Israel’
An AI-generated fake of Hadid, who recently wrote that leaders should "ensure that innocent Palestinian civilians are not the forgotten casualties of this war," went viral on social media for literally putting words in her mouth.
AI
Instagram Is Hiding Its 'Palestinian Terrorists' Translation Problem Inside a Black Box
While we still don't know for sure what happened, researchers are looking at ways faulty AI models could have caused Instagram to auto-translate Arabic text into calling Palestinians “terrorists.”
AI
Riley Reid on AI: ‘I Don’t Want Porn to Get Left Behind’
Riley Reid talks about creating her virtual self with Clona.ai, and how compassion and consent play a role in AI's future.