News
Bodycam Shows Moment Cops Arrested a Man for Speaking Too Long at Data Center Meeting
We spoke to Darren Blanchard, the man arrested while speaking out against data centers at a community meeting. He's sharing the bodycam footage of his arrest for the first time with 404 Media.
News
How a Money Laundering Crew Allegedly Moved Millions Through FanDuel
While sports betting has opened up for fans around the country, it has also introduced a greater attack surface for money laundering.
AI
Is Google's AI Actually Discovering 'Millions of New Materials?'
"In the DeepMind paper there are many examples of predicted materials that are clearly nonsensical."
repair
Apple Announces Half Measure to Make iPhones More Repairable Immediately After Law Banned Its Repair Practices
Apple will partially ease its "parts pairing" policy on the same day Colorado is considering a right-to-repair bill that would ban parts pairing, and weeks after Oregon banned the practice.
Instagram Will Automatically Blur Nudes in Direct Messages
This will also apply to end-to-end encrypted messages, because the processing is done on device, according to Meta.
News
How Hackers Can Hijack 2FA Calls with Sneaky Call Forwarding
In a crude but potentially effective attack, a hacker sends a malicious link which quickly sets up call forwarding for a target’s phone number. The result is the interception of 2FA calls, including for Gmail.
science
Paper-Crumpling Study About the Nature of Anger Is the Best Thing I've Read in a Long Time
Science has found that writing down your feelings and performatively disposing of them can make you less angry.
Music
These Songs Are Still Legal in Chechnya
Making 80 to 116 BPM music illegal won't stop stomp-clap or ska.
Features
Inside the ‘Com World War’: Robberies, Brickings, and ‘Drama’
A wave of robberies and other violent acts has swept across the nebulous crime culture known as Com. I watched it all unfold in real time.
Podcast
Podcast: The Wild World of Fake AI Influencers
We introduce our new 404 Media fellow Jules Roscoe; go long on fake AI Instagram influencers; talk about the couple making porn for the Apple Vision Pro; and the bizarre sight at a particular New York City chicken shop.
age verification
Arizona Governor Strikes Down Age Verification Bill, Says It Violates First Amendment
“While we look for a solution, it should be bipartisan and work within the bounds of the First Amendment, which this bill does not," Arizona governor Katie Hobbs wrote.
‘AI Instagram Influencers’ Are Deepfaking Their Faces Onto Real Women’s Bodies
AI 'influencers' on Instagram have racked up hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views by stealing reels from real women to make the AI seem more "believable."
work
NYC Chicken Shop Replaces Cashier With Woman in Philippines On Zoom
The Zoom meeting info and password is written on a note facing customers.
