We start this week with a couple of our articles about Sora 2, OpenAI’s new AI slop app. People are already using tools to remove watermarks from its AI-generated videos. Great! After the break, we talk about Apple and Google removing various ICE-spotting apps from their app stores, with Apple doing it after direct pressure from the U.S. government. In the subscribers-only section, we have a substantial update to a story concerning Flock and a woman who self-administered an abortion.
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/fTz5ODv_uZQ
0:00 - Intro
4:55 - OpenAI’s Sora 2 Copyright Infringement Machine Features Nazi SpongeBobs and Criminal Pikachus
14:30 - People Are Farming and Selling Sora 2 Invite Codes on eBay
25:27 - Sora 2 Watermark Removers Flood the Web
29:08 - ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
37:39 - Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’
BONUS STORY: Police Said They Surveilled Woman Who Had an Abortion for Her 'Safety.' Court Records Show They Considered Charging Her With a Crime
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52:29
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52:29
Landlords Demand Your Workplace Logins to Scrape Paystubs
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
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48:40
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48:40
We're Suing ICE. Here's Why
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
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52:57
The (Hacked) Spy In Your Car
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
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51:30
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51:30
AI Slop Is Drowning Out Human YouTubers
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
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Welcome to the podcast from 404 Media where Joseph, Sam, Emanuel, and Jason catch you up on the stories we published this week. 404 Media is a journalist-owned digital media company exploring the way technology is shaping–and is shaped by–our world. We bring you unparalleled access to hidden worlds both online and IRL through investigative reporting, smart blogging, and breaking news. At 404 Media you’ll read, and hear, stories you can’t find anywhere else written by journalists who are leading experts on their beats. Subscribe to 404 Media at 404media.co to gain access to an ad-free version of this podcast, as well as a bonus podcast episodes. Subscribers are the bedrock of building a sustainable business for our journalism.
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