Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Resisting Demoralization
This week, we discuss history repeating itself, a phone wipe scandal, Meta's relationship with links and more.
News
Real Footage Combined With AI Slop About DC Is Creating a Disinformation Mess on TikTok
What is going on in DC? Do not ask TikTok
Wikipedia
Jimmy Wales Says Wikipedia Could Use AI. Editors Call It the 'Antithesis of Wikipedia'
Wikipedia's founder said he used ChatGPT in the review process for an article and thought it could be helpful. Editors replied to point out it was full of mistakes.
Features
Inside the Underground Trade of ‘Flipper Zero’ Tech to Break into Cars
“Kia Boys will be Flipper Boys by 2026,” one person in the reverse engineering community said.
Immigration
Pentagon Asks Its Civilian Employees If They Want to Work for ICE
The Department of Defense asks its civilian workers to apply for a "volunteer force" to support ICE that may involve working under "austere conditions.
News
A National Guard Tactical Vehicle T-Boned a Civilian Car in D.C.
Emergency workers sent a civilian to the hospital after an Afghanistan War era military vehicle smashed into their car.
News
DC National Guard Is Being Trained to Carry Pistols Known to Fire at Random
The Sig Sauer P320 has a reputation for firing on its own. The National Guard is training to use them on the streets of D.C.
News
AI at the World’s Biggest Games Event Booked Random Meetings for Attendees
The Gamescom app spammed attendees with AI-generated meetings before organizers disabled it.
Podcast
Podcast: The Inside Story of Tea
The inside story of how Tea undercut women's safety groups to get people to join its app; GPS trackers sold on TikTok; and Grok exposes its prompts.
wired
Chinese Livestreaming 'Virtual Human' Salespeople Are Outselling Their Human Counterparts
Built using AI technology from Baidu and DeepSeek, these virtual livestreamers sell everything from wet wipes to printers and work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Features
How Tea’s Founder Convinced Millions of Women to Spill Their Secrets, Then Exposed Them to the World
A 404 Media investigation reveals how the man who started Tea, the ‘women dating safety’ app, tried to hire a female ‘face’ for the company and then hijack her grassroots community.
TikTok
TikTok Shop Sells Viral GPS Trackers Marketed to Stalkers
"If your girl says she’s just out with friends every night, you’d better slap one of these on her car."
News
Grok Exposes Underlying Prompts for Its AI Personas: ‘EVEN PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR ASS’
The website for Elon Musk's Grok is exposing prompts for its anime girl, therapist, and conspiracy theory AI personas.