The 404 Media Podcast

We start this week with Joseph’s article about landlords and income verification companies demanding login details from potential renters so the companies can log in and scrape their paystubs. That has some potential legal issues for everyone involved! After the break, 18 lawyers tell us why they used AI. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel breaks down the massive drama around Ruby. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/KtvSBb6rtHE Landlords Demand Tenants’ Workplace Logins to Scrape Their Paystubs 18 Lawyers Caught Using AI Explain Why They Did It How Ruby Went Off the Rails Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with some news: we are suing ICE for access to its $2 million contract with a company that sells powerful spyware. Paragon sells tech for remotely breaking into phones and reading messages from encrypted chat apps without a target even clicking a link. After the break, we talk about a couple of stories about AI ‘workslop’ and the engineers who fix peoples’ vibe coding. In the subscribers-only section, we start with a malicious game on Steam stealing cryptocurrency from a cancer patient, then we talk about Silk Song. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/NWuDzmKE8kg We’re Suing ICE for Its $2 Million Spyware Contract AI ‘Workslop’ Is Killing Productivity and Making Workers Miserable The Software Engineers Paid to Fix Vibe Coded Messes Steam Hosted Malware Game that Stole $32,000 from a Cancer Patient Live on Stream Does Silksong Seem Unreasonably Hard? You Probably Took a Wrong Turn Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s investigation into Nexar, a popular dashcam company that was catastrophically hacked. Nexar is also uploading user footage to a publicly available map without some drivers’ knowledge. After the break, Sam tells us about her trip to San Diego to cover the sentencing of someone she has covered for years. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about the Charlie Kirk assassination and our reporting around that. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/-51f4patIkw This Company Turns Dashcams into ‘Virtual CCTV Cameras.’ Then Hackers Got In Michael Pratt, GirlsDoPorn Ringleader, Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison Comcast Executives Warn Workers To Not Say The Wrong Thing About Charlie Kirk Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we talk about how 'Boring History' AI slop is taking over YouTube and making it harder to discover content that humans spend months researching, filming, and editing. Then we talk about how Meta has totally given up on content moderation. In the bonus segment, we discuss the 'AI Darwin Awards,' which is, uhh, celebrating the dumbest uses of AI.YouTube Version: AI Generated Boring History Videos Are Flooding YouTube And Drowning Out Real History Instagram Account Promotes Holocaust Denial T-Shirts To 400,000 Followers AI Darwin Awards Shows AI's Biggest Problem Is Human Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a recording of our live show in Los Angeles in July! In this show we spoke all about ICE's technology and our reporting on it. Facial recognition, Palantir, Flock, and more. And we take questions from the audience. Thank you to everyone who came and we hope you enjoy the discussion! Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with our articles about Trump’s tariffs, and how they’re impacting everything from LEGO to cameras to sex toys. After the break, Emanuel explains how misfired DMCA complaints designed to help adult creators are targeting other sites, including ours. In the subscribers-only section, we do a wrap-up of a bunch of recent ChatGPT stories about suicide and murder. A content warning for suicide and self-harm for that section. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/srdUOWq_hfg Trump Take LEGO Trump Tariffs Cause Chaos on Ebay as Every Hobby Becomes Logistical Minefield How OnlyFans Piracy Is Ruining the Internet for Everyone ChatGPT Encouraged Suicidal Teen Not To Seek Help, Lawsuit Claims ChatGPT Answered 'High Risk' Questions About Suicide, New Study Finds Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's the podcast recorded at our recent second anniversary party in New York! We answered a bunch of reader and listener questions. Thank you to everyone that came and thank you for listening to this podcast too! Thanks again to DeleteMe, use code 404media for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s investigation into people selling custom patches for the Flipper Zero, a piece of hacking tech that car thieves can now use to break into a wide range of vehicles. After the break, Jason tells us about the new meta in AI slop: making 80s nostalgia videos. In the subscribers-only section, we all talk about Citizen, and how the app is pushing AI-written crime alerts without human intervention. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/nV3qShvuoKw Inside the Underground Trade of ‘Flipper Zero’ Tech to Break into Cars 80s Nostalgia AI Slop Is Boomerfying the Masses for a Past That Never Existed Citizen Is Using AI to Generate Crime Alerts With No Human Review. It’s Making a Lot of Mistakes VICE News Presents: Vigilante, Inc. Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Emanuel’s big investigation into the Tea app, and especially how it aggressively grew by raiding women safety groups. After the break, we talk about TikTok Shop selling GPS trackers. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph explains how Grok was exposing some of its AI persona prompts, and the sometimes NSFW nature of them. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vRFaNoU-cGI You're Invited: 404 Media's Second Anniversary Party and LIVE PODCAST! How Tea’s Founder Convinced Millions of Women to Spill Their Secrets, Then Exposed Them to the World TikTok Shop Sells Viral GPS Trackers Marketed to Stalkers Grok Exposes Underlying Prompts for Its AI Personas: ‘EVEN PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR ASS’ Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Jason’s article about a CBP official wearing Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses to an immigration raid. A lot of stuff happened after we published that article too. After the break, Sam tells us about the bargain that voice actors are making with AI. In the subscribers-only section, Jason tells us how a DEA official used a cop’s password to AI cameras to then do immigration surveillance. YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxHFsQSVRkE Get your subscriber code and tickets for the live event here A CBP Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles Voiceover Artists Weigh the 'Faustian Bargain' of Lending Their Talents to AI Feds Used Local Cop's Password to Do Immigration Surveillance With Flock Cameras Congress Launches Investigation into Flock After 404 Media Reporting Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Joseph’s story about nearly 100,000 ChatGPT conversations being indexed by Google. There’s some sensitive stuff in there. After the break, Emanuel tells us about Wikipedia’s new way of dealing with AI slop. In the subscribers-only section, Sam explains how we got to where we are with Steam and Itch.io; that history goes way back. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/mQJvOTHu61I Nearly 100,000 ChatGPT Conversations Were Searchable on Google Wikipedia Editors Adopt ‘Speedy Deletion’ Policy for AI Slop Articles The Anti-Porn Crusade That Censored Steam and Itch.io Started 30 Years Ago Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Emanuel’s and Joseph’s coverage of Tea, a women’s dating safety app that was breached multiple times. After the break, Sam and Emanuel talk about how a new UK law about age verification is impacting peoples’ ability to see footage about current events. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains that LeBron James is not in fact pregnant. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/q17GRPq7K3o Women Dating Safety App 'Tea' Breached, Users' IDs Posted to 4chan A Second Tea Breach Reveals Users’ DMs About Abortions and Cheating UK Users Need to Post Selfie or Photo ID to View Reddit's r/IsraelCrimes, r/UkraineWarFootage Credit Card Companies Are Hurting the Future of Video Games Steam Bends to Payment Processors on Porn Games LeBron James' Lawyers Send Cease-and-Desist to AI Company Making Pregnant Videos of Him Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Emanuel's wild story about Spotify publishing AI generated tracks that look like they come from artists' official accounts. One problem: those artists died a long time ago. After the break, Joseph tells us about a company that is selling data hacked from computers to debt collectors. In the subscribers-only section, we talk all about the Astronomer CEO and its privacy implications. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/lFYyNOWVJV0 404 Media Live in Los Angeles Spotify Publishes AI-Generated Songs From Dead Artists Without Permission A Startup is Selling Data Hacked from Peoples’ Computers to Debt Collectors The Astronomer CEO's Coldplay Concert Fiasco Is Emblematic of Our Social Media Surveillance Dystopia Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with a series of articles from Emanuel about a crackdown in the AI industry. After the break, Sam tells us about the ‘Save Our Signs’ campaign which hopes to preserve the history of national parks. In the subscribers-only section, Jason rants about how AI will not save the media industry.  YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-fo7O8B_mk 404 Media Los Angeles event details (free for subscribers; $10 otherwise) a16z-Backed AI Site Civitai Is Mostly Porn, Despite Claiming Otherwise Hugging Face Is Hosting 5,000 Nonconsensual AI Models of Real People Payment Processors Are Pushing AI Porn Off Its Biggest Platforms 'Save Our Signs' Wants to Save the Real History of National Parks Before Trump Erases It The Media's Pivot to AI Is Not Real and Not Going to Work Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back! We start this week with Emanuel’s article about Anubis, an open source piece of software that is saving the internet from AI bot scrapers. After the break, Joseph tells us about the new facial recognition app ICE is using and which he revealed. In the subscribers-only section, we do a lightning round runthrough of a bunch of our recent stories about LLMs and how to trick them, or what they don’t understand. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/lqJL1u8UhmE The Open-Source Software Saving the Internet From AI Bot Scrapers ICE Is Using a New Facial Recognition App to Identify People, Leaked Emails Show AI Models And Parents Don’t Understand ‘Let Him Cook’ Fine-Tuning LLMs For ‘Good’ Behavior Makes Them More Likely To Say No Researchers Jailbreak AI by Flooding It With Bullshit Jargon Thumbnail credit: Mascot by CELPHASE. Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s podcast, I’m talking to our friend Casey Johnston, a tech journalist turned fitness journalist turned independent journalist. Casey studied physics, which led her to tech journalism; she did some of my favorite coverage of Internet culture as well as Apple’s horrendous butterfly laptop keyboards. We worked together at VICE, where Casey was an editor and where she wrote Ask a Swole Woman, an advice column about weightlifting. After she left VICE, Casey founded She’s a Beast, an independent site about weightlifting, but also about the science of diet culture, fitness influencers on the internet, the intersections of all those things, etc.  She just wrote A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting, a really great reported memoir about how our culture and the media often discourages people from lifting, and how this type of exercise can be really beneficial to your brain and your body. I found the book really inspiring and actually started lifting right after I read it. In this interview we talk about her book, about journalism, about independent media, and how doing things like lifting weights and touching grass helps us navigate the world. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/vV0esl4LLIU Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Emanuel and Joseph’s coverage of ‘FuckLAPD.com’, a website that uses facial recognition to instantly reveal a LAPD officer’s name and salary. The creator has relaunched their similar tool for identifying ICE employees too. After the break, Jason tells us about a massive AI ruling that opens the way for AI companies to scrape everyone’s art. In the subscribers-only section, our regular contributor Matthew describes all the AI slop in the Iran and Israel conflict, and why it matters. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/1eieXQIaALA ‘FuckLAPD.com’ Lets Anyone Use Facial Recognition to Instantly Identify Cops Judge Rules Training AI on Authors' Books Is Legal But Pirating Them Is Not The AI Slop Fight Between Iran and Israel Thumbnail credit: Photo by Sean Lee/Unsplash Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we start with Joseph’s article about the U.S’s major airlines selling customers’ flight information to Customs and Border Protection and then telling the agency to not reveal where the data came from. After the break, Emanuel tells us how AI scraping bots are breaking open libraries, archives, and museums. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains the casual surveillance relationship between ICE and local cops, according to emails he got. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/Auc7NPD2ig4 Our New FOIA Forum! 6/18, 1PM ET Airlines Don't Want You to Know They Sold Your Flight Data to DHS AI Scraping Bots Are Breaking Open Libraries, Archives, and Museums Emails Reveal the Casual Surveillance Alliance Between ICE and Local Police Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Much of this episode is about the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. We start with Joseph explaining how he monitored surveillance aircraft flying over the protests, including what turned out to be a Predator drone. After the break, Jason tells us about the burning Waymos. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about the owner of Girls Do Porn, a sex trafficking ring on Pornhub, pleading guilty (a content warning for that one). YouTube version: https://youtu.be/o8Pb9l9FPaA DHS Black Hawks and Military Aircraft Surveil the LA Protests DHS Flew Predator Drones Over LA Protests, Audio Shows Waymo Pauses Service in Downtown LA Neighborhood Where They're Getting Lit on Fire Girls Do Porn Ringleader Pleads Guilty, Faces Life In Prison Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Sam's dive into a looming piece of anti-porn legislation, prudish algorithms, and eggs. After the break, Matthew tells us about the open source software that powered Ukraine's drone attack against Russia. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains how even pro-AI subreddits are dealing with people having AI delusions. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/daEt3CptlRU The Egg Yolk Principle: Human Sexuality Will Always Outsmart Prudish Algorithms and Hateful Politicians Ukraine's Massive Drone Attack Was Powered by Open Source Software Pro-AI Subreddit Bans 'Uptick' of Users Who Suffer from AI Delusions  Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices