Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Paywall Jumping and Smart Glasses
This week, we discuss archiving to get around paywalls, hating on smart glasses, and more.
Meta
AI Chatbot Added to Mushroom Foraging Facebook Group Immediately Gives Tips for Cooking Dangerous Mushroom
The chatbot said that a mushroom that hyperaccumulates arsenic can be prepared by "sautéing in butter."
FOIA
'FYI. A Warrant Isn’t Needed': Secret Service Says You Agreed To Be Tracked With Location Data
The Secret Service has used a technology called Locate X which uses location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on phones. Because users agreed to an opaque terms of service page, the Secret Service believes it doesn't need a warrant.
News
Here’s the Indictment Against the Alleged Snowflake and AT&T Hacker
The indictment also charges a second hacker that 404 Media previously reported as being linked to the AT&T breach.
News
Amazon Confirms Breach of Employee Data
The breach includes the employees’ name, work contact information, and what location they work at.
Surveillance
The Open Source Project DeFlock Is Mapping License Plate Surveillance Cameras All Over the World
DeFlock has mapped the locations of more than a thousand ALPRs around the United States and thousands more around the world.
The Abstract
This Black Hole Is Eating So Much Matter that It Defies Known Science
May I present: a hungry singularity, movie brains, Pompeii bling, and elephant showers.
News
Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops
On Thursday 404 Media reported that police were freaking out about mysteriously rebooting iPhones. Now multiple experts have found that Apple introduced code that reboots locked phones after a period of time.
News
Nintendo Sues Streamer of Emulated, Pre-Released Games
The streamer, who opened new channels when Nintendo shut them down, said he “can do this all day.”
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: iPhone Mysteries and Sex Strikes
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 talk about the question "are people nutting to that?", doomscrolling on election night, and calls for Lysistrata 2024.
Donald Trump
Why the Work Still Matters
When Donald Trump won in 2016, we weren't sure if good journalism mattered anymore. Now, we're more sure than ever it does.
TikTok
South Korea's ‘4B’ Movement Goes Viral in US After Trump Elected
No heterosexual marriage, childbirth, dating, or sex with men
News
Police Freak Out at iPhones Mysteriously Rebooting Themselves, Locking Cops Out
Law enforcement believe the activity, which makes it harder to then unlock the phones, may be due to a potential update in iOS 18 which tells nearby iPhones to reboot if they have not been in contact with a cellular network for some time, according to a document obtained by 404 Media.