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
Is Your Local Police Department Using Fusus AI-Enabled Cameras? Find Out Here
404 Media has obtained a new dataset which shows the spread of Fusus cameras across the country. Check the map to see if your local law enforcement agency has signed up.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Open Source Platforms and Impactful Journalism
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 tenacity in blogging, seeing results from journalism, and open-source platforms.
Google Formally Endorses Right to Repair, Will Lobby to Pass Repair Laws
Google says repair should be easy and "parts pairing" should be illegal.
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks’ New, Bass Pro Shops-Exclusive CD: The 404 Media Review
With 'Time Traveler,' Garth Brooks created the most memorable album in recent memory by making me go to a Bass Pro Shop.
News
Hackers Break into AI Hiring Chatbot, Could Hire and Reject Fast Food Applicants
Chat logs sent to 404 Media show the chatbot automatically denying at least one applicant on certain criteria.
Hacking
Researchers Install Ransomware on Internet-Connected Wrench
“We were able to make the device completely inoperable by preventing a local operator from controlling the drill through the onboard display and disabling the trigger button."
Impact
Impact: FTC Stops Data Broker X-Mode Selling Sensitive Location Data
Years ago I revealed a data broker was harvesting location data from Muslim prayer and dating apps. The FTC has now banned X-Mode from selling location data related to places of worship and other sensitive locations including family planning facilities.
dating
Man Sues 27 Women After Facebook Users Call Him ‘Clingy’ and ‘Psycho’
Nikko D’Ambrosio filed a complaint against a long list of individuals and platforms, seeking damages he alleges he incurred because of a ‘Are We Dating the Same Guy’ Facebook group.
Podcast
Podcast: Deepfaked Celeb Scam Ads Are All Over YouTube
This week we've got deepfaked celebrities; bizarre FOIA responses; and hackers popping trains.
YouTube
Deepfaked Celebrity Ads Promoting Medicare Scams Run Rampant on YouTube
Joe Rogan, Taylor Swift, Andrew Tate, Steve Harvey, The Rock, and Oprah have been cloned by AI for scam ads that, in total, have been viewed more than 195 million times on YouTube.
News
Sealed Indictment Shows Case Against Hacker Behind Massive T-Mobile Data Breach
A sealed indictment obtained by 404 Media describes the case against John Binns, who allegedly hacked into T-Mobile, stole 40 million user records, and then sold them.
age verification
Texas Health Department Claims It Has Nothing to Do With Warnings on Porn From Texas Health Department
An age verification law in Texas demands that porn sites put up a warning from Health and Human Services about the dangers of porn. But the department claims it has nothing to do with it, and no records to show.