The 404 Media Podcast

In this special interview episode of the 404 Media podcast, I talked to Susanna Gibson, a nurse practitioner who ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2023 and is now a victim advocate for folks targeted by non-consensual intimate imagery online—after becoming one herself last year. 

Most people probably recognize Gibson from her candidacy and the news stories surrounding it. While she was running for office, images of her having sex with her then-husband started circulating on the internet without her consent. But I had the chance to get to know her a little deeper: We got into why she became a nurse, what inspired her to enter politics, and the moment she found out about the videos. The experience changed the trajectory of her life.

We talk about her shift to advocacy with her nonprofit, MyOwn Image, which has the mission of fighting technology-facilitated gendered violence. Gibson recently introduced model legislation for states that provides a framework for addressing image-based sexual abuse. 

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This week we start with a massive story about location data. Privacy advocates gained access to a tool bought by multiple U.S. agencies called Locate X, which tracks smartphones around the world. We focused on how it can be used to track abortion clinic visitors. After the break we have a special guest: Becky Ferreira, author of our recently launched column The Abstract! Becky tells us all about her journey into science journalism and a couple of the studies she's covered. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains how he found a Musk-funded PAC was targeting opposing Snapchat ads to Muslim and Jewish voters in the U.S.

YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGsobtws2MU

• Inside the U.S. Government-Bought Tool That Can Track Phones at Abortion Clinics
• Is There Life on Europa?
• This Is Exactly How an Elon Musk-Funded PAC Is Microtargeting Muslims and Jews With Opposing Messages

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We start this week's episode with the ongoing (and pretty confusing!) conflict between Wordpress.com and WP Engine. It might sound like drama, but it actually could have ramifications for the wider web. Sam talks us through it. After the break, Jason explains how he used AI to apply to more than a dozen jobs over breakfast, and how tons of other people are using these tools themselves. In the subscribers-only section, Jason talks about a presentation inside the National Archives which shows the agency's big push towards AI.

YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H_E4yjTJZQ

• ‘The Community Is In Chaos:’ WordPress.org Now Requires You Denounce Affiliation With WP Engine To Log In
• ‘I Applied to 2,843 Roles’: The Rise of AI-Powered Job Application Bots
• ‘AI-Mazing Tech-Venture’: National Archives Pushes Google Gemini AI on Employees

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This week we start with Joseph's piece about a couple of Harvard students who cobbled together a pair of Meta's smart glasses that automatically dox people just by looking at them. After break, Sam and Emanuel talk about two Hurricane Helene stories about data and AI. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph talks about a hacked dataset that shows the prompts used on an AI companion site. Heavy content warning for that section.

YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z3QcY6aGpQ

• Someone Put Facial Recognition Tech onto Meta's Smart Glasses to Instantly Dox Strangers
• Hurricane Helene Knocked One of the World’s Largest Climate Data Archives Offline
• Hurricane Helene and the ‘Fuck It’ Era of AI-Generated Slop
• Hacked ‘AI Girlfriend’ Data Shows Prompts Describing Child Sexual Abuse

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This is a trailer for the subscribers-only podcast for 404 Media's one year anniversary! We go long on the business, subscriber numbers, what people value, how to get our articles in front of people, and what we're looking to do next year! If you want to hear the rest, please become a subscriber at 404media.co.

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Over the past two weeks we've had a ton of stories where AI and other companies have opted users into data collection and processing by default. What the hell is going on??? They're all doing it at once! Jason starts us off with how Udemy created an 'opt-out window'. If you missed it, you're out of luck until next year. Then after the break, Sam and Joseph discuss similar stories with PayPal and LinkedIn. In the subscribers-only section, Sam talks about how a woman was essentially trapped in a driverless Waymo.

• Massive E-Learning Platform Udemy Gave Teachers a Gen AI 'Opt-Out Window'. It's Already Over.
• Paypal Opted You Into Sharing Data Without Your Knowledge
• LinkedIn Is Training AI on User Data Before Updating Its Terms of Service
• Men Harassed A Woman In A Driverless Waymo, Trapping Her In Traffic

*This show is sponsored by BetterHelp*

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We have two related stories this week. First, Joseph, Emanuel, and Sam break down their experiences with Telegram, and the social network's massive policy shift. The company says it will now process valid legal requests from law enforcement for user data. After the break, Joseph tells us how the walls are closing in on one of the most disruptive hackers in recent memory. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains why Nintendo's lawsuit against Palworld is bad, and why Nintendo will probably win.

YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90T71r3h7oc

• Telegram Changes Policy, Says It Will Provide User Data to Authorities
• The Walls Are Closing in on the Snowflake Hacker
• ‘Cold-Blooded Business’: Nintendo Is Patent Trolling Palworld Because It Got Too Big

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We chime in on the developing story coming out of Lebanon about a wave of exploding pagers. Jason has some unusual expertise that is pretty relevant here. After the break, Jason breaks down why Larry Ellison's AI-powered surveillance dystopia is already here. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains how he figured out what is, and is not, happening with Snapchat's future AI selfie ads.

• Experts: Lebanon Pager Explosions Likely Not Lithium Batteries Alone
• Larry Ellison's AI-Powered Surveillance Dystopia Is Already Here
• Snapchat Reserves the Right to Use AI-Generated Images of Your Face in Ads

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We've got a really varied one today. First, Sam talks about the new wave of sextortion emails which send a target their home address to scare them into paying. After the break, Jason talks about the rise of the right to repair movement, but for your body and prescription drugs. In the subscribers-only section, Jason breaks down a years old Reddit mystery that is finally solved, thanks to some facial recognition tech.

• Sextortion Scammers Try to Scare People by Sending Photos of Their Homes
• ‘Right to Repair for Your Body’: The Rise of DIY, Pirated Medicine
• 'Celebrity Number Six' Internet Mystery Is Solved

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The organization that runs National Novel Writing Month, a November challenge to write 50,000 words, said "the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones." Does it?

Also Discussed:

NaNoWriMo Says Condemning AI Is ‘Classist and Ableist’

This Is Doom Running on a Diffusion Model

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Emanuel and Jason break down the arrest of Telegram cofounder Pavel Durov, a slide deck showing "active listening" advertising based on microphone data, and a concerning new study that shows AI-generated CSAM is more common than you think. 

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This month Joseph went to the annual DEF CON hacking conference and spoke to a bunch of interesting hackers, researchers, and technologists. We wanted to provide our paying subscribers with a snapshot of what it's like to be at DEF CON—the sounds, the vibe, the people, the hacks. Become a paying subscriber now at 404media.co to listen!

• The Golden Age of Hackers in Vegas Is Over

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This week Sam starts with how Taylor Swift could sue Donald Trump for posting a series of fake, AI-generated images that claimed she wanted fans to vote for the presidential candidate. After the break, Joseph pieces together how the U.S. has been quietly using hacked messages from an encrypted phone company to prosecute alleged cocaine traffickers. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about how Sam triggered a lawsuit against Nvidia for scraping YouTube, and go longer on why we generate impact and how.

• Swift Could Sue Trump Under State Law for Fake AI Endorsement
• US Feds Are Tapping a Half Billion Encrypted Messaging Goldmine
• Nvidia Sued for Scraping YouTube After 404 Media Investigation

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We're dedicating a whole episode to Sam's new narrative piece on how a ragtag group of friends hunted down a wanted sex trafficking ringleader. First we give you all the context for why this person, Michael Pratt, eventually ended up on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Then Sam breaks down the hunt for Pratt, told through the eyes of the people who were there. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains how and why hackers are "Airbnb hopping."

• 'She Turned Ghost White:' How a Ragtag Group of Friends Tracked Down a Sex Trafficking Ringleader
• ‘Airbnb Hopping’: How Hunted Hackers Stay on the Run From Kidnappers

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This is a big one. Sam got hold of a massive leak of internal Nvidia emails, Slack messages, and documents which show how the tech giant is scraping YouTube and Netflix for its own purposes. In the second half of the show, Jason peels back the curtain on who is behind the wave of AI spam on Facebook and how they're doing it; finally an answer after months of investigation. In the subscribers-only section, we talk DEF CON, our experiences at the conference, and give a little preview of something DEF CON-related for our paying subscribers coming soon.

• Leaked Documents Show Nvidia Scraping ‘A Human Lifetime’ of Videos Per Day to Train AI
• Where Facebook's AI Slop Comes From
• Hotel to Search Rooms During DEF CON Hacking Conference

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This is a special interview episode with Meredith Whittaker, the president of the Signal Foundation. I'm sure you all know, and maybe even use, the Signal messaging app. Here we sat down with Whittaker to talk all about the state of Signal today, the threat of AI to end-to-end encryption, what backdoors actually look like, and much more. This is a wide-ranging discussion where one of the few journalists who has revealed new details about backdoors (Joseph) gets to speak to one of the most important people in the world of encryption (Whittaker). Definitely take a listen. Paid subscribers got access to this episode early by the way.

• Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever
• Signal page on government data requests
• Microsoft Will Switch Off Recall by Default After Security Backlash
• Telegram CEO Pavel Durov interview

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We've got a bumper episode today. First off, a whole series of stories about robots.txt and its increased use against AI, as well as Reddit only being available in Google results now (and not other search engines like DuckDuckGo). Then after the break, Sam discusses her amazing scoop which showed that multibillion dollar company Runway scraped videos from individual YouTube creators. In the subscribers-section, everyone educates Joseph on what Skibidi is.

• The Backlash Against AI Scraping Is Real and Measurable
• Websites are Blocking the Wrong AI Scrapers (Because AI Companies Keep Making New Ones)
• Google Is the Only Search Engine That Works on Reddit Now Thanks to AI Deal
• AI Video Generator Runway Trained on Thousands of YouTube Videos Without Permission
• Skibidi Toilet Copyright Takedown Request to Garry’s Mod Is Very Dumb

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Some weeks are just crazy. On Friday, Windows machines around the world went down due to a faulty update to CrowdStrike's security software. We discuss what happened, and why, and the impact. After the break, Sam tells us how she vaped the internet (yep). In the subscribers-only section, we describe some leaked Cellebrite documents we got, which show what phones Cellebrite can (and can't) unlock.

• To Fix CrowdStrike Blue Screen of Death Simply Reboot 15 Straight Times, Microsoft Says
• CrowdStrike ‘Deeply Sorry for the Inconvenience’
• CrowdStrike Outage Impacted U.S. Government Agencies
• I Tried to Vape the Internet

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Sometimes a hack just completely blows you away. Late last week we learned that hackers had taken the call and text records of "nearly all" AT&T customers. That's absolutely staggering! We break down why it matters in the first half of the show, as well as discuss one of the hackers linked to the incident. After the break, Emanuel tells us about what the new Vice President hopeful JD Vance could mean for the AI industry. In the subscribers-only section, we talk all about a site selling faces for fraud.

• Hackers Steal Text and Call Records of ‘Nearly All’ AT&T Customers
• American Hacker in Turkey Linked to Massive AT&T Breach
• Dunking on J.D. Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Is ‘Unusual Behavior,’ Goodreads Says
• AI Maxers Thrilled with Trump’s Vice President Pick JD Vance
• Inside the Face Fraud Factory

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So, the Ticketmaster hack got a lot, lot worse. Jason breaks down why in the first half of the show. After the break, we talk more Ticketmaster, and how scalpers have teamed up with hackers to liberate "non-transferable" tickets. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains the latest with sales of netflow data to the U.S. government.

• Ticketmaster Confirms Hack in SEC Filing
• The Ticketmaster Hack Is Becoming a Logistical Nightmare for Fans and Brokers
• Scalpers Work With Hackers to Liberate Ticketmaster's ‘Non-Transferable’ Tickets
• U.S. Nuke Agency Buys Internet Backbone Data

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We start this episode talking about some exciting updates for the podcast! For the first story, Joseph explains how an ID verification service for TikTok, Uber, and X exposed driver licenses, in a sign of what may be come as more sites demand to know our real identities. After the break, Jason breaks down what the FBI found when it investigated a specific Zoom Bombing ring. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel and Joseph talk all about TLO, a powerful data tool that is being advertised on Fiverr to dox anyone for $30.

• ID Verification Service for TikTok, Uber, X Exposed Driver Licenses
• 'Local Residents' Terrorizing City Council Meetings Were Actually Overseas, Feds Allege
• Fiverr Freelancers Offer to Dox Anyone With Powerful U.S. Data Tool

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Here's a fun one: Emanuel made his own ChatGPT-powered news site that ripped off our work and that of WIRED, The Verge, and others to show just how easy spinning up one of these AI click farms really is. After the break, we listen to some of the AI-generated music that has major record labels suing some startups. In the subscribers-only section, Sam tells us all about how a bunch of chatbots suddenly changed personality overnight.

• I Paid $365.63 to Replace 404 Media With AI
• Listen to the AI-Generated Ripoff Songs That Got Udio and Suno Sued
• ‘No Bot is Themselves Anymore:’ Character.ai Users Report Sudden Personality Changes to Chatbots

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Joseph is out this week, so the leftover crew considers what it means for Google image search to be taken over by AI images, talks about #finance, and discusses how an already sensationalist NY Times article about internet in the Amazon rainforest got further sensationalized.

Articles discussed:

AI Images in Google Search Results Have Opened a Portal to Hell

You Probably Unwittingly Voted to Give Elon Musk a Huge Raise

First Google Search Result for Tiananmen Square “Tank Man” Is AI Generated Selfie

‘Remote’ Amazonian Tribes Have Been Using the Internet for a Long Time

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It feels way longer than a week since our last episode, weird. Anyway this week we start with a wild story with Emanuel, about how people in the US are paying a company, which in turn hires people in the Philippines to then call around U.S. pharmacies to check whether certain drugs are in stock. It shows just how bad the Adderall shortage in the U.S. has gotten. After the break, Sam tells us about a particularly alarming AirTags stalking case, and how the FBI flipped the script on the suspect. In the subscribers-only section, Jason breaks down a bunch of new information regarding the (alleged?) bankruptcy of media organization the Gateway Pundit.

• Americans Are Hiring People in the Philippines to Help Them Find Adderall
• A Suspected Human Smuggler Used AirTags to Track and Control The Woman He Brought Into the U.S.
• Gateway Pundit Bankruptcy Is a 'Delay Tactic,' Election Workers Suing the Company Say

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A something extra for our listeners this week. Joseph went on an episode of Whale Hunting to talk about his new book DARK WIRE, in which the FBI secretly ran its own encrypted messaging app to wiretap the world. Whale Hunting is a great podcast that has journalists go behind-the-scenes on their own stories. It is absolutely worth listening to if you don't already!

• Whale Hunting Podcast
• DARK WIRE

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We start this week with a massive leak from inside Google. We obtained a copy of an internal Google database the company uses to track potential privacy and security issues. It's incredibly rare to get this sort of insight into a big tech company, and we explain what's inside the data itself. After the break, Sam tells us who deepfake legislation may leave behind. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains how he tracked down the earliest known source of the All Eyes on Rafah image: a Facebook group dedicated to the AI industry.

• Inside the Biggest FBI Sting Operation in History
• Google Leak Reveals Thousands of Privacy Incidents
• Google Contractor Used Admin Access to Leak Info From Private Nintendo YouTube Video
• Laws About Deepfakes Can’t Leave Sex Workers Behind
• Viral ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ Image Came From Facebook Group to Make ‘AI Industry Prosper’

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We revisit our Why Google Is Shit Now episode with something of an update: Google got worse! Of course we're talking about the embarrassing rollout of Google's AI-powered answers. Jason explains the supply chain of data, and especially how it comes from Reddit posts. After the break, Emanuel continues the Google theme with a Google researcher written study which shows that AI is now a leading disinformation vector. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about Sam's and Emaunel's piece on AI-generated CSAM not being a victimless crime.

• Google Is Paying Reddit $60 Million for Fucksmith to Tell Its Users to Eat Glue
• Google Researchers Say AI Now Leading Disinformation Vector (and Are Severely Undercounting the Problem)
• AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material Is Not a ‘Victimless Crime’

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Really excited about this one. We spend the entire episode talking about SS7, the fundamental network and protocol which is both at the heart of the world's telecommunications infrastructure, and crucial for governments, spy firms, and criminals to monitor people or intercept texts. In the first half we break ton what SS7 is, why it's an issue, and our nearly 10 years of experience covering it. Then, we talk about the news we revealed about a U.S. cybersecurity official breaking rank with his agency to expose SS7 attacks in the U.S. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about Axon's new ChatGPT-like tool which automatically creates narratives from police bodycam audio, and all the implications that might have.

• Cyber Official Speaks Out, Reveals Mobile Network Attacks in U.S.
• Here Is What Axon’s Bodycam Report Writing AI Looks Like

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We've got something of a John Deere special episode this week. We start with Jason's piece on how the recent solar storm knocked out GPS for John Deere tractors, having a direct impact on farming across the country. After the break, Jason breaks down his deep dive into the various walls closing around John Deere's right to repair monopoly. In the subscribers-only section, we've got two wild Amazon stories: one on the bots used by Amazon workers to book time off, and another on "Swag Bucks," Amazon's internal employee cash system.

• Solar Storm Knocks Out Farmers' Tractor GPS Systems During Peak Planting Season
• The Walls Are Closing in on John Deere’s Tractor Repair Monopoly
• Amazon Workers Use Bots to Claim Limited Supply of Time Off
• Amazon’s Swag Store Sells Neck Fans to Prevent Workers from Overheating

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Apologies for some audio issues this week, they'll be fixed next time, but for now we have a super packed episode! We start with Jason's months-long deep dive into what Facebook has become with all of that AI-generated garbage on the site. It's not the dead internet, it's something much worse. After the break, Emanuel explains how Pokemon Go players are manipulating mapping technology to cheat at the game. Then in the subscribers-only section, Jason breaks down the latest cat and mouse game between ticket sellers and brokers.

• Facebook’s AI Spam Isn’t the ‘Dead Internet’: It’s the Zombie Internet
• Pokémon Go Players Invent Fake Beaches on Real Maps to Catch Rare Wigletts
• How Resellers Are Transferring Billie Eilish's 'Untransferable' Tickets

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We start this week's episode with a mystery: where did a 17-second music snippet that has puzzled online sleuths for years really come from? Sam breaks it down. After the break, Joseph explains how an online service was scraping and selling Discord server messages for as little as $5. Then in the subscribers-only section, Jason takes us into the world of influencers who are using AI livestream apps, complete with fake audiences, and how they're being used to target women.

• Long Lost Song Hunted By Thousands Found in 80s Porno
• Discord Shuts Down ‘Spy Pet’ Bots That Scraped, Sold User Messages
• Men Use Fake Livestream Apps With AI Audiences to Hit on Women

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This is a long one! First Joseph previews his upcoming book, DARK WIRE. Go to the link below and enter "DW20" for 20% off! Also make sure to redeem your preorder behind-the-scenes bonus content. As for this week's stories, we start off with Jason explaining why we can, we must, dunk on the Humane Ai Pin, a piece of hardware that is AI's Juicero moment. After the break, Emanuel shows that Instagram is advertising deepfake nudify apps, the sort that are being abused right now in schools. In the subscribers-only section, we talk a bunch about Reddit, and especially how a tool has been made to sprinkle AI-generated product placements into popular Reddit threads.

• Preorder DARK WIRE for bonus content and 20% off with code "DW20"
• We Can, and We Must, Clown on the Humane AI Pin Forever
• Instagram Advertises Nonconsensual AI Nude Apps
• AI Is Poisoning Reddit to Promote Products and Game Google With 'Parasite SEO'

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We start this episode with Joseph's latest fly-on-the-wall investigation into the Com, the nebulous online entity and culture that is linked to some of the most high profile and brazen data breaches in recent history. Joseph sat in their chatrooms while rival hackers and criminals doxed and physically robbed one another. A true melding of digital and physical crime. After the break, Jason breaks down why some researchers are calling out Google on some of its AI science research. In the subscribers-only section, Sam explains why a guy made an AI-powered (kinda) sex box.

• Inside the ‘Com World War’: Robberies, Brickings, and ‘Drama’
• Is Google's AI Actually Discovering 'Millions of New Materials?'
• This Man Wants to ‘Save the World’ By Letting You Jerk Off Into a Computer

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We start the episode with an announcement: we've brought on our first 404 Media fellow Jules Roscoe! They did amazing work at Motherboard, and we're stoked to have them on board to cover labor for us and getting our work to audiences wherever they are. As for this week's stories, we start with Jason's wild one about grifters who are taking influencer's videos, deepfaking an AI face onto them, and then driving people to OnlyFans-style accounts. After the break, Sam talks about the couple who have finally got porn onto the Apple Vision Pro. In the subscribers-only section, Jules tells us what they saw when visiting a particular, Zoom-powered chicken shop in NYC.

• ‘AI Instagram Influencers’ Are Deepfaking Their Faces Onto Real Women’s Bodies
• How Amateur Performers Are Making Porn in the Apple Vision Pro
• NYC Chicken Shop Replaces Cashier With Woman in Philippines On Zoom

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This is a super fun episode with a lot of labor themes throughout. Jason starts off by describing the totally wild Xz backdoor which, in a way, was an open source labor issue. Then Emanuel takes us through how AI might be sneaking into the peer-review process. Then in the subscribers-only section, Sam explains why a major journal has decided to stop the use of an infamous image in its papers.

• The Xz Backdoor Highlights the Vulnerability of Open Source Software—and Its Strengths
• ChatGPT Looms Over the Peer-Review Crisis
• Scientific Journal Bans Images of ‘Lena,’ Researchers’ Favorite Centerfold

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A jam packed episode this week. First, Jason explains how a 'study' that says surveillance company Flock is “instrumental in solving 10 percent of reported crime in the US” is heavily flawed. He got a bunch of internal emails and spoke to those involved. After the break, Sam and Emanuel tell us how people are being pushed to far sketchier parts of the web after Pornhub pulled out of Texas. Then in the subscribers-only section, Jason and Joseph detail how they dug into the new owners of Deadspin, and what that all means for the wider media industry.

• Let’s Talk About the Flock Study That Says It Solves Crime
• Age Verification Laws Drag Us Back to the Dark Ages of the Internet
• Deadspin Is Becoming a Gambling Referral Site

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Shrimp Jesus. Shrimp Jesus. Shrimp Jesus. That is what the first story is about! We now have robust academic research into the mass of AI-generated garbage flooding Facebook. Jason takes us through what this era of Facebook means. After the break, Sam explains why Pornhub pulled out of Texas. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph shows how two of the biggest safe lock manufacturers in the world have put backdoors into their products.

• Facebook’s Algorithm Is Boosting AI Spam That Links to AI-Generated, Ad-Laden Click Farms
• Pornhub Pulls Out of Texas
• Massively Popular Safe Locks Have Secret Backdoor Codes

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Somehow we filled a whole hour and it felt like five minutes! First Joseph explains his deep story on how hackers and fraudsters are injecting themselves into the electronic prescription system to order mountains of drugs. Then Emanuel breaks down how 404 Media, bizarrely, is included in a fake Netflix trailer that was probably made for the benefit of the Russian state. Then in the subscribers-only section, the group chats about ElevenLabs, and how Emanuel bypassed the company's "no-go voice" policy.

• How Hackers Dox Doctors to Order Mountains of Oxy and Adderall
• Why Is 404 Media Included in a Fake Netflix Trailer Made by Russia?
• ElevenLabs Block on Cloning Biden's Voice Easily Bypassed

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We go long (and play some bonus audio) for Jason's story inside the wild world of TikTok and Instagram hustlers who are using AI to swarm platforms with automatically generated garbage content. Some of them are making a killing in the process. After the break, we talk about Sam's story on Etsy sellers stealing fan fiction writers' work. Then in the subscriber-only section, Jason breaks down why a right to repair victory in Oregon is a massive deal for Apple globally.

• Inside the World of TikTok Spammers and the AI Tools That Enable Them
• Fanfiction Community Rocked By Etsy Sellers Turning Their Work Into Bound Books
• Oregon Passes Bill That Would Make iPhones More Repairable Everywhere

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New format alert! We are experimenting with publishing additional interview episodes! These will not replace the normal weekly show. Rather, we'll upload an interview with people we find interesting whenever we feel a good opportunity comes up. Subscribers as usual get early and ad-free access. This episode is with Byron Tau, an investigative journalist and author of the new book Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government is Creating a New American Surveillance State. Joseph's and Byron's work on location data has bounced off each others' for years. Finally, the pair sit down and talk all about the adtech surveillance industry.

• Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government is Creating a New American Surveillance State

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A ton of stuff to talk about this week. We start with Jason and Emanuel's dive into how a deepfake nudify app rocked a high school. We got a copy of the police report, and more than anything else it shows we're simply not ready for what deepfakes will mean for ordinary people. Then Joseph talks about uncovering a network of fake funeral livestream scams on Facebook. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about Jason and Sam's very serious investigation into whether a certain brand of vibrator is actually delivering malware or not.

• ‘What Was She Supposed to Report?:’ Police Report Shows How a High School Deepfake Nightmare Unfolded
• Fake Funeral Live Stream Scams Are All Over Facebook
• Do Spencer’s Vibrators Have Malware on Them? An Investigation

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We've got a real variety this week. First, Emanuel talks about Paradox.ai, a tool that massive brands like McDonald's, CVS, and FedEx are using to screen job applicants. It uses a bit of AI, but really this is more of a labor story. Then Jason breaks down Stract, an open source search engine that is trying to do search better than the increasingly bad experience of Google. In the subscribers-only section, the group goes long on how a viral story about a botnet of toothbrushes turned out to not be true, and how we've dealt with similar stories before.

• Service Jobs Now Require Bizarre Personality Test From AI Company
• This Guy Has Built an Open Source Search Engine as an Alternative to Google in His Spare Time
• The Viral Smart Toothbrush Botnet Story Is Not Real

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This week we start with Joseph's investigation into OnlyFake, an underground website that lets anyone generate convincing photos of fake IDs at the click of a mouse. Joseph successfully used one of these to bypass the identity verification process at a cryptocurrency exchange. This really will have massive implications for crime and cybersecurity more generally. After the break, we have a double feature with a story about AI audio porn and then a likely low tech response to the ongoing deepfake crisis. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel tells us about how he investigated the Instagram ad to investment scam pipeline.

• Inside the Underground Site Where ‘Neural Networks’ Churn Out Fake IDs
• ‘Neural Network’ Fake ID Site Goes Dark After 404 Media Investigation
• AI-Generated Grandma Porn Is Flooding the Internet
• ‘DignifAI:’ 4chan Is Editing Pictures to Clothe Women
• Fake Bill Ackman and Jim Cramer Instagram Ads are Trying to Take My Money

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(I went in and fixed the audio issue! Please make sure your podcast client has the latest version downloaded. Okay, back to working on an investigation now, thank you for bearing with us) This week's episode is a banger. First, we go long with Sam and Emanuel, the two journalists who have followed deepfakes and generative AI more closely than anyone. Their latest piece talks about what is going to happen next: a clampdown in the AI and social media industries that may be an overcorrection, with impacts for everyone. Keeping with AI, Emanuel then explains how the founder of the extremism group The Base told his followers to use uncensored AI. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph talks about how an Iranian linked drug trafficker hired a member of the Hells Angel to carry out a hit on U.S. soil. Yes, that's the sentence.

• The Taylor Swift Deepfakes Disaster Threatens to Change the Internet As We Know It
• Founder of Neo-Nazi Group the Base Instructs Followers to Use 'Uncensored' AI
• Encrypted Phone ‘Sky’ Linked to Murder-for-Hire Plot in Maryland

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We're doing something a little different this episode. For the whole free section of the podcast, we're talking all about the degradation of Google. That includes AI-generated articles making their way onto Google News, and how researchers found that, yes, Google search really is getting worse. This is a long, rich, and fun discussion. Then in the subscribers-only section, Joseph breaks down his latest investigation into a phone spying capability that is monitoring billions. Google (to their credit) cut-off a linked company in response to our inquiries. 

• Google News Is Boosting Garbage AI-Generated Articles
• Google Search Really Has Gotten Worse, Researchers Find
• Inside a Global Phone Spy Tool Monitoring Billions

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Well, that was a pleasant surprise: Google has formally endorsed right to repair! Jason not only broke this news but then had a long conversation with Google about why it made the change (spoiler: it was the concerted effort of consumers, activists, and journalists). Jason explains why this change matters in the first part of the show. After the break, Sam takes us through a pretty unusual court case and what it means for online dating. Then in the subscribers-only section, Joseph talks about a new map we just published showing which local police departments and public agencies have invested in the AI surveillance platform Fusus. Is your police department one of them? Take a look.

• Google Formally Endorses Right to Repair, Will Lobby to Pass Repair Laws
• YouTube Commenters and the Grassroots Movement Pushed Google to Support Right to Repair
• Man Sues 27 Women After Facebook Users Call Him ‘Clingy’ and ‘Psycho’
• Is Your Local Police Department Using Fusus AI-Enabled Cameras? Find Out Here

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Jason decided to publish our first story minutes before recording, so here is some hot off the presses material. That piece was about scam ads on YouTube involving deepfaked celebrities. After the break, Sam discussed a very bizarre FOIA response from Texas. Then in the subscribers-only section, Jason tells the long and very entertaining saga of the Polish hackers who fixed a bunch of trains, and faced legal threats in response.

• Deepfaked Celebrity Ads Promoting Medicare Scams Run Rampant on YouTube
• Texas Health Department Claims It Has Nothing to Do With Warnings on Porn From Texas Health Department
• Polish Hackers Say Manufacturer's Repair DRM Killed Train's Power, Broke Compressor

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We are back for 2024! We hit the ground running this week with a story about charges against a man for allegedly orchestrating a massive, nationwide Airbnb scam. Then Sam speaks about how Pornhub is blocking access to visitors in North Carolina and Montana, who are now (predictably) using VPNs as a workaround. Then in the subscribers-only section we talk about the life and death of the encrypted app Wickr. RIP Wickr.

• Real Estate ‘Visionary’ Allegedly Behind Massive, Viral Airbnb Fraud Charge
• I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
• North Carolina and Montana Just Lost Access to Pornhub
• Wickr is Dead

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In this week's show, we start with a couple of articles about how companies might *actually* be listening to conversations through smart device microphones to target ads. Plenty of questions remain, but we discuss everything we know so far. After the break, Sam explains a new Stanford study which has resulted in one of AI's most important datasets being taken offline (check the article itself for a clarification on Google's connection to the story which we learned after recording). In the subscribers-only section, Jason tells us how he dug into the wave of stolen, AI-generated art all over Facebook.

• Marketing Company Claims That It Actually Is Listening to Your Phone and Smart Speakers to Target Ads
• Company Brags About Using Smart Device Microphone Audio to Target Ads on Their Podcast
• Largest Dataset Powering AI Images Removed After Discovery of Child Sexual Abuse Material
• Facebook Is Being Overrun With Stolen, AI-Generated Images That People Think Are Real

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