FOIA
DHS Is Deploying a Powerful Surveillance Tool at College Football Games
Public records show DHS is deploying the "Homeland Security Information Network" at college protests and football games.
News
ElevenLabs Block on Cloning Biden's Voice Easily Bypassed
Hyped AI startup ElevenLabs introduced a 'no-go voices' policy after its tools were used as part of a robocall impersonating Biden. But those protections are easily circumvented, 404 Media has found in its own tests.
Features
How Hackers Dox Doctors to Order Mountains of Oxy and Adderall
Hackers and fraudsters are gaining access to sensitive drug ordering tools and then advertising some of the most tightly controlled drugs in the country, including fentanyl.
nyc
Governor Says National Guard, More Surveillance Coming to NYC Subways
Governor Kathy Hochul announced "a new program bill that will allow judges to ban people convicted of an assault within the system from using MTA services as part of sentencing."
Los Angeles
LA Car Culture Warriors In Shambles After Overwhelming Vote for New Bike Lines
A survey of Nextdoor users losing their minds after voters overwhelmingly supported HLA, which will add new bike and bus lanes.
Podcast
Podcast: AI-Powered TikTok Hustlers
The wild world of AI-powered content hustlers on TikTok and Instagram; Etsy ripoffs; and a development in Oregon that could have global ramifications for Apple.
repair
Oregon Passes Bill That Would Make iPhones More Repairable Everywhere
The bill was passed over the objections of Apple lobbyists and would ban Apple's favorite repair restriction.
TikTok
Inside the World of TikTok Spammers and the AI Tools That Enable Them
This is where AI generated formats, Minecraft splitscreens, Reddit stories, 'Would You Rather' videos, and deep sea story spam come from.
News
Google’s Gemini AI Doesn’t Want to Talk About Palestine
Google’s supposedly “woke” AI will also not say where Gaza is, but will locate Israel and Tel Aviv.
nypd
That Cosplay Steampunk Gun Blade the NYPD Confiscated Could Be Yours
The gun blade is for sale on Amazon and other retailers, but maybe don't go swinging it around in Queens.
News
A Small Steam Game Shows How LLMs Could Kill the Dialogue Tree
Verbal Verdict is the best use of generative AI I’ve seen.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Corporate PR Stonewalling and The Sandwich Simulacrum
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss the corporate PR strategy of stonewalling the press, digital comradery, and the AI sandwich simulacrum.