Mastodawn

"What I did not account for—shamefully, considering how much time I spend thinking and writing about technology in my professional life—was that the machine was perfecting the art of making me feel weird, broke, and ugly." https://www.404media.co/wedding-planning-algorithm-weddingtok/

I Almost Lost My Mind in the Bridal Algorithm

As a #2026Bride, the constant, aggressive content started to make me feel like I was losing sight of what mattered. And I'm far from alone.

404 Media

404 Media 3h ago

“True story. I was at a public meeting a few weeks ago and went slightly over my speaking time and got thrown in the slammer there in China, I mean Rogers county." https://www.404media.co/farmer-arrested-for-speaking-too-long-at-datacenter-town-hall-vows-to-fight/

Farmer Arrested for Speaking Too Long at Datacenter Town Hall Vows to Fight

Darren Blanchard went a few seconds over his three minute time limit and found himself in handcuffs.

404 Media

404 Media 6h ago

"I did what anyone should do—I raised the alarm. Thomson Reuters’ response was to fire me.” https://www.404media.co/thomson-reuters-fired-worker-for-speaking-out-about-ice-former-employee-says/

Thomson Reuters Fired Worker For Speaking Out About ICE, Former Employee Says

“When I saw evidence that our products were being used to harm people and undermine the law, I did what anyone should do—I raised the alarm. Thomson Reuters’ response was to fire me.”

404 Media

404 Media 9h ago

An entire industry of companies offers Airbnb hosts AI to speak to guests on their behalf. 404 Media poked around the industry after one AI tool offered a guest a recipe for French toast.
https://www.404media.co/airbnb-hosts-dont-want-to-talk-to-guests-anymore-are-outsourcing-messages-to-ai/

Airbnb Hosts Don't Want to Talk to Guests Anymore, Are Outsourcing Messages to AI

An entire industry of companies offers Airbnb hosts AI to speak to guests on their behalf. 404 Media poked around the industry after one AI tool offered a guest a recipe for French toast.

404 Media

404 Media 1d ago

“a16z is the antichrist. sponsored by doublespeed.ai,” the meme says. It includes images of a16z co-founder Marc Andreessen; a woman pole dancing; and occult symbol Baphomet.

https://www.404media.co/hacker-compromises-a16z-backed-phone-farm-tries-to-post-memes-calling-a16z-the-antichrist/

Hacker Compromises a16z-Backed Phone Farm, Tries to Post Memes Calling a16z the ‘Antichrist’

Doublespeed uses a phone farm to flood social media with AI-generated influencers. A hacker managed to get into a backend system of the company.

404 Media

404 Media 1d ago

“In many ways fines have come to replace taxes,” he said. “What I’m trying to show here is, ‘How is enforcement failing?’" https://www.404media.co/google-microsoft-meta-all-tracking-you-even-when-you-opt-out-according-to-an-independent-audit/

Google, Microsoft, Meta All Tracking You Even When You Opt Out, According to an Independent Audit

“This is the Strait of Hormuz in the data economy. If you want to make a change, this is where you cut it off. Anything short of that is theatrical political posture.”

404 Media

404 Media 1d ago

Signal already has a setting that blocks message content from displaying in push notifications; the case highlights why such a feature might be important for some users to turn on. https://www.404media.co/fbi-extracts-suspects-deleted-signal-messages-saved-in-iphone-notification-database-2/

FBI Extracts Suspect’s Deleted Signal Messages Saved in iPhone Notification Database

The case was the first time authorities charged people for alleged “Antifa” activities after President Trump designated the umbrella term a terrorist organization.

404 Media

404 Media 1d ago

Reproductive technologies have enabled children to be posthumously conceived from the frozen eggs and sperm of deceased parents, raising legal, ethical, and practical questions.

https://www.404media.co/babies-born-from-dead-parents-will-increase-with-new-tech-are-we-ready/

Babies Born from Dead Parents Will Increase with New Tech. Are We Ready?

Reproductive technologies have enabled children to be posthumously conceived from the frozen eggs and sperm of deceased parents, raising legal, ethical, and practical questions.

404 Media

404 Media 1d ago

"It must be their interpersonal social bonds and daily conflicts, reconciliations, and avoidances—all those dynamics. If that's the case with chimps, to what extent is it the case in humans? It’s a hypothesis to be tested.”
https://www.404media.co/worlds-largest-group-of-chimps-waging-deadly-civil-war-scientists-discover/

World’s Largest Group of Chimps Waging Deadly ‘Civil War,’ Scientists Discover

At least 24 chimpanzees have been killed in a war that has split the Ngogo group of wild chimpanzees in two, turning former kin into enemies.

404 Media

404 Media 2d ago

You won’t go to jail for filming ICE with a drone, but the government may still shoot it down and it expanded the list of protected agencies to include the Department of Justice.

https://www.404media.co/faa-scraps-civil-and-criminal-penalties-for-flying-drones-near-ice-vehicles/

FAA Scraps Civil and Criminal Penalties for Flying Drones Near ICE Vehicles

You won’t go to jail for filming ICE with a drone, but the government may still shoot it down and it expanded the list of protected agencies to include the Department of Justice.

404 Media