Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Activism and Evangelism
This week, we discuss the phrase "activist journalist," waiting in line for a Switch 2, and teledildonics.
News
Apple Gave Governments Data on Thousands of Push Notifications
Push notification data can sometimes include the unencrypted content of notifications. Requests include from the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Israel.
Podcast
Podcast: Anti-Porn Laws' Real Target Is Free Speech
How human sexuality will outsmart prudish algorithms and hateful politicians; the open source software behind the Ukraine drone attack; and how even pro-AI subreddits are dealing with AI delusions.
Flock
Flock Decides Not to Use Hacked Data in People Search Tool
The move comes after internal pressure and 404 Media’s reporting.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Lighting Money on Fire and the Meaning of Vetting
This week, we discuss an exciting revamp of The Abstract, tech betrayals, and the "it's for cops" defense.
News
A Texas Cop Searched License Plate Cameras Nationwide for a Woman Who Got an Abortion
The sheriff said the woman self-administered the abortion and her family were concerned for her safety, so authorities searched through Flock cameras. Experts are still concerned that a cop in a state where abortion is illegal can search cameras in others where it's a human right.
Podcast
Podcast: ICE's 'Backdoor' Into a Nationwide AI Surveillance Network
How ICE is accessing data from Flock cameras; a new invasive surveillance product; and the radical changes made at AI platform Civitai.
News
ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows
Flock's automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are in more than 5,000 communities around the U.S. Local police are doing lookups in the nationwide system for ICE.
News
The CIA Secretly Ran a Star Wars Fan Site
The site, starwarsweb.net, was a covert CIA communications tool. It has pictures of Yoda and C-3PO on it.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Feeling Wowed, Getting Cozy
This week, we discuss the benefits of spending 14 hours a day on the internet, getting cozy for AI slop, and a what a new law in Sweden means for the rest of us.
News
Hacker Conference HOPE Says U.S. Immigration Crackdown Caused Massive Crash in Ticket Sales
One scheduled speaker has also pulled out of the New York-based event and specifically pointed to Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
Podcast
Podcast: AI Slop Summer
How the Chicago Sun-Times printed an AI-generated summer guide; how schools were not prepared for ChatGPT; and those funny little guys from Star Wars.