News
The Signal Clone the Trump Admin Uses Was Hacked
TeleMessage, a company that makes a modified version of Signal that archives messages for government agencies, was hacked.
Impact
Public Library Ebook Service to Cull AI Slop After 404 Media Investigation
Hoopla has emailed librarians saying it’s removing AI-generated books from the platform people use to borrow ebooks from public libraries.
Meta Sues Alleged Violent Extortionist For Holding Instagram Accounts Hostage
Idriss Qibaa, a “professional when it comes to the banning and unbanning of Instagram accounts" who ran “Unlocked 4 Life,” claimed he made more than $600,000 a month.
Humane
The Humane AI Pin: A $700 Brick of E-Waste
In Loving Memory of Humane AI Pin (April 2024-Feb 2025).
Podcast
Podcast: DOGE's Website, Hacked
DOGE left its website backend exposed; lawyers own up to using AI; and a YouTube true crime documentary channel where all the murders are AI-generated.
Elon Musk
Musk Ally Demands Admin Access to System That Lets Government Text the Public
A worker resigned in protest rather than giving Thomas Shedd access to Notify.gov, which they said would allow him to see "all personally identifiable information moving through the Notiy system, including phone numbers," 404 Media has learned.
News
Why Is a Government Contractor Trying to Buy iPhone Hacking Tech From Us?
A contractor for the Air Force and other government agencies wanted to get a good deal on some Graykeys from us (we're journalists FYI).
The Abstract
Antarctica's Only Insect
This week: A tale of creative cryopreservation, Transylvania's 16th-century weather reports, and dancing turtles.
dei
Researcher Captures Contents of ‘DEI.gov’ Before It Was Hidden Behind a Password
The list includes budget claims like "$3.4 million for Malaysian drug-fueled gay sex app" and "Disbursed $15,000 to 'queer' Muslim writers in India."
News
Trump Admin Adds Note Rejecting ‘Gender Ideology’ on Sites Court Ordered Them to Restore
FDA and HHS sites now note that “The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children.”
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Backdoors and the Miracle of Wikipedia
This week, we discuss Apple's iCloud, Wikipedia as a miracle of humankind, and good soup.
AI
Lawyers Caught Citing AI-Hallucinated Cases Call It a 'Cautionary Tale'
The attorneys filed court documents referencing eight non-existent cases, then admitted it was a "hallucination" by an AI tool.