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
Amazon Turkers Who Train AI Say They’re Locked Out of Their Work and Money
“Our labor is what makes AI work, and it could not function without us. We are the data that makes the machine work.”
TikTok
TikTok Literally Silences Cat Janice, Pop Star Who Died of Cancer, Because of Licensing Dispute
The fallout of a TikTok licensing dispute with Universal Music Group is not just the loss of backing soundtracks, but things like Janice talking about her fight with cancer, over music that she herself created.
etsy
Fanfiction Community Rocked By Etsy Sellers Turning Their Work Into Bound Books
Several popular shops, which clearly violated Etsy's terms of use and IP laws, were deleted after 404 Media reached out for comment.
News
AI-Generated Kara Swisher Biographies Flood Amazon
Why Read Swisher’s Burn Book when you can read KARA SWISHER : The Heroic Biography of a defining force in Tech Journalism (The Silicon Valley’s most powerful tech journalist).
tumblr
Tumblr and WordPress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools
Internal documents obtained by 404 Media show that Tumblr staff compiled users' data as part of a deal with Midjourney and OpenAI.
News
Ghost Kitchens Are Advertising AI-Generated Food on DoorDash and Grubhub
Reality bending, AI-generated cheesesteaks and pasta dishes are flooding food delivery services.
Podcast
Podcast: Byron Tau on the New U.S. Surveillance State
We're trying out a new interview episode for the podcast! Our first guest is investigative journalist and author Byron Tau on the adtech surveillance industry.
pornhub
Texas Sues Pornhub, Claiming It’s Ignoring Age Verification Law
Attorney General Ken Paxton said he "looks forward" to preventing minors from seeing "harmful, obscene material" on the internet.
FOIA
Police Bodycam Shows Sheriff Hunting for 'Obscene' Books at Library
Body camera footage from Idaho reveals a sheriff hunting for a YA book he could use for a political stunt.
AI
Romance Authors Riled by 'From Meet-Bot to AI-Do' Writing Workshop
A chapter of the Romance Writers of America organization planned a program called “From Meet-Bot to AI-Do: Crafting Romances in the Realm of AI," but it's since been scrubbed from the site after backlash from authors.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: VICE’s Legacy and the Idea That ‘The Internet Is Forever’
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 reflect on VICE's legacy, archiving, and whether the internet is really forever.
FOIA Forum
Our Third FOIA Forum! 3/6, 2PM EST
We are hosting our third FOIA Forum at the start of March. Join the livestream, file FOIAs with us, get tips, and more.