Mastodawn

New from 404 Media: Flock exposed some of its AI-powered cameras to the internet. We know because we tracked ourselves with them. These cameras zoom in on passersby, sometimes so close we could read a random person's phone screen. Required no login to view cameras
https://www.404media.co/flock-exposed-its-ai-powered-cameras-to-the-internet-we-tracked-ourselves/

Joseph Cox 3d ago

For this week's Behind the Blog, our weekly behind the scenes stuff, I wrote more about the case of a man charged for allegedly wiping a phone before CBP could search it https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-resisting-demoralization/

Behind the Blog: Resisting Demoralization

This week, we discuss history repeating itself, a phone wipe scandal, Meta's relationship with links and more.

404 Media

Joseph Cox 4d ago

Really good that the Oversight Democrats releasing Epstein dumps pushed out the latest photos with a Dropbox comment section that people are piling on

https://www.404media.co/the-government-added-a-comments-section-to-the-epstein-photo-dump/

The Government Added a Comments Section to the Epstein Photo Dump

Oversight Democrats released a new trove of Epstein pictures on Dropbox and left the comments on.

404 Media

Joseph Cox 4d ago

New from 404 Media: ICE just paid hundreds of thousands to company making bounty hunter AI agents. The company says its AI agents “deliver rapid acceleration in finding persons of interest and mapping their entire network.” Comes as ICE spends millions on skip tracers https://www.404media.co/ice-contracts-company-making-bounty-hunter-ai-agents/

ICE Contracts Company Making Bounty Hunter AI Agents

AI Solutions 87 says on its website its AI agents “deliver rapid acceleration in finding persons of interest and mapping their entire network.”

404 Media

Joseph Cox 5d ago

404 Media 5d ago

A hacker gained control of a 1,100 mobile phone farm powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok.

https://www.404media.co/hack-reveals-the-a16z-backed-phone-farm-flooding-tiktok-with-ai-influencers/

Hack Reveals the a16z-Backed Phone Farm Flooding TikTok With AI Influencers

A hacker gained control of a 1,100 mobile phone farm powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok.

404 Media

Joseph Cox 5d ago

This is a wild hack. a16z gave a million dollars to startup called Doublespeed. They use a phone farm to flood social media with AI generated influencers and ads. A hacker remotely broke into the phone farm, unmasking the AI influencers/fake accounts, gave us the data https://www.404media.co/hack-reveals-the-a16z-backed-phone-farm-flooding-tiktok-with-ai-influencers/

Hack Reveals the a16z-Backed Phone Farm Flooding TikTok With AI Influencers

A hacker gained control of a 1,100 mobile phone farm powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok.

404 Media

Joseph Cox 6d ago

This is wild: Jason Clinton is the deputy CISO of Anthropic. Also a mod of a queer gamers Discord. Clinton forced a version of Anthropic's AI on the server, despite the community's wishes, and it's killed the server. AI was reading messages it shouldn't be too
https://www.404media.co/anthropic-exec-forces-ai-chatbot-on-gay-discord-community-members-flee/

Anthropic Exec Forces AI Chatbot on Gay Discord Community, Members Flee

“We’re bringing a new kind of sentience into existence,” Anthropic's Jason Clinton said after launching the bot.

404 Media

Joseph Cox Dec 15

Here's interview with US citizen scanned by ICE's facial recognition tech. Walking home from gym, authorities come over. He says he's a citizen. Put him in car. Only release after scanning his face

“Flagrant violation of rights and incompatible with a free society”

https://www.404media.co/how-a-us-citizen-was-scanned-with-ices-facial-recognition-tech/

How a US Citizen Was Scanned With ICE's Facial Recognition Tech

Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.

404 Media

Joseph Cox Dec 13

New: here's how a U.S. citizen was scanned with ICE's facial recognition tech. Jesus Gutiérrez was stopped in Chicago by agents, he said he was a citizen. Still detained, put in a car. Only after they scanned his face did they let him go. From 404 Media and Reveal: https://www.404media.co/how-a-us-citizen-was-scanned-with-ices-facial-recognition-tech/

How a US Citizen Was Scanned With ICE's Facial Recognition Tech

Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.

404 Media

Joseph Cox Dec 11

You may have just heard about Anom, the FBI's secret startup for criminals, on an episode of the Search Engine podcast that aired last week. Coincidentally, the book all about that is on sale. DARK WIRE tells that story from the agents and crooks who were there https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Wire-Incredible-Largest-Operation/dp/1541702700