RSS Parrot

‘You Will Not Speak on Flock Tonight’: County Commissioner Refuses to Let Residents Opposing Flock Speak at Meeting

https://www.404media.co/you-will-not-speak-on-flock-tonight-county-commissioner-refuses-to-let-residents-opposing-flock-speak-at-meeting/

Published: June 12, 2026 16:10

"I’ve spoken. I’m not debating this."

Behind the Blog: World Cup Madness and Film Reviews

https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-world-cup-madness-and-film-reviews/

Published: June 12, 2026 15:01

This week, we discuss Trump fucking up the World Cup, some thoughts on ICE coverage, and movies.

Software Update Automatically Turns off Amazon Delivery Drivers’ AC During Dangerous Summer Heat

https://www.404media.co/software-update-automatically-turns-off-amazon-delivery-drivers-ac-during-dangerous-summer-heat/

Published: June 11, 2026 18:59

A new software update is turning off the AC in Amazon delivery vans after 10 minutes or 30 seconds under certain conditions.

Amazon Data Centers In Mississippi Have Already Raised Electricity Rates for Local Customers, Report Suggests

https://www.404media.co/amazon-data-centers-in-mississippi-have-already-raised-electricity-rates-for-local-customers-report-suggests/

Published: June 11, 2026 15:52

Three Amazon data centers aren't even open yet, but local residents are already paying at least $10.60 extra per month for them, according to a new study.

Flock Leaked Cops’ License Plate Searches via DuckDuckGo, Bing

https://www.404media.co/flock-leaked-cops-license-plate-searches-via-duckduckgo-bing/

Published: June 11, 2026 15:21

Flock, the automatic license plate reader (ALPR) company, exposed some of the license plate cops were looking for and the reason for doing so.

Chatbots Keep Telling Stories About Lighthouse Keeper 'Elias Thorne'. We Might Know Why

https://www.404media.co/elias-thorne-chatbots-llms-chatgpt-lighthouse-keeper-story/

Published: June 11, 2026 13:00

LLMs including ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are obsessed with telling stories about lighthouse keepers and clockmakers, and one character named 'Elias Thorne' has made his way from chatbots to Amazon books. Researchers are trying to discover why.

Scientists Just Accidentally Discovered a Strange, Hidden Rule of Human Nature

https://www.404media.co/scientists-just-accidentally-discovered-a-strange-hidden-rule-of-human-nature/

Published: June 10, 2026 13:39

Researchers report a "serendipitous" discovery while watching videos of crowds: an inexplicable bias toward counterclockwise turning that may be rooted in biology.

Podcast: Google Employees Meme About How Bad Their AI Is

https://www.404media.co/podcast-google-employees-meme-about-how-bad-their-ai-is/

Published: June 10, 2026 13:36

Memes at Google; Microsoft wants to make its new AI assistant addictive; and manipulating Reddit.

Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Using Flock to Stalk People

https://www.404media.co/cops-keep-getting-arrested-for-using-flock-to-stalk-people/

Published: June 10, 2026 13:22

There have been more than a dozen cases around the country where police use Flock to obsessively and illegally stalk people.

FCC Wants to Kill Burner Phones By Forcing Telecoms to Get All Customers’ IDs

https://www.404media.co/fcc-wants-to-kill-burner-phones-by-forcing-telecoms-to-get-all-customers-ids/

Published: June 9, 2026 15:11

The FCC wants to legally force telecoms to collect new and renewing customers’ government issued identity number and physical address, impacting everyone from the privacy-conscious to domestic abuse survivors. “We never thought that would happen here.”

Judge Learns Lawyers on Both Sides of Case Used AI, Cancels Trial, Kicks Everyone Off the Case

https://www.404media.co/judge-learns-lawyers-on-both-sides-of-case-used-ai-cancels-trial-kicks-everyone-off-the-case/

Published: June 9, 2026 14:30

When two AIs argue against each other, the legal system loses.

“Sloppenheimer:” Amazon Employees Mock the Company’s AI on Slack

https://www.404media.co/sloppenheimer-amazon-employees-mock-the-companys-ai-on-slack/

Published: June 9, 2026 13:44

Amazon employees have a Slack channel for memes where the mock and commiserate about the company’s faulty AI coding product.

This Company Will Add Phone, AirPod, and Smartwatch Trackers to License Plate Readers

https://www.404media.co/this-company-will-add-phone-airpod-and-smartwatch-trackers-to-license-plate-readers/

Published: June 8, 2026 19:08

SignalTrace “links devices that regularly travel together, correlating them to license plate.” It is a surveillance product that will sweep up and add all sorts of Bluetooth and other data to license plate readers, linking specific devices—and people—to…

Microsoft Hacked to Deliver Malware to Claude and Gemini Users

https://www.404media.co/microsoft-hacked-to-deliver-malware-to-claude-and-gemini-users/

Published: June 8, 2026 15:50

Microsoft took the highly unusual step of shutting down more than 70 of its own GitHub repositories after hackers pushed malware that would steal credentials from AI coding agent users.

It’s So Not Over for Hollywood (with Devindra Hardawar)

https://www.404media.co/its-so-not-over-for-hollywood-with-devindra-hardawar/

Published: June 8, 2026 14:11

Emanuel talks to Devindra Hardawar about AI in Hollywood and the state of the movie industry.

A Farmer Donated Land to Turn into a Park. The City Is Building a Massive Data Center Instead

https://www.404media.co/a-farmer-donated-land-to-turn-into-a-park-the-city-is-building-a-massive-data-center-instead/

Published: June 8, 2026 13:00

In 1999, a farmer gave away 87 acres of land to a small Texas city to use as a park. The city sold to a data center developer for $10 million.

Scientists Discover Hidden Symmetry on Earth That Nobody Can Explain

https://www.404media.co/scientists-discover-hidden-symmetry-on-earth-that-nobody-can-explain/

Published: June 6, 2026 13:36

The north-south albedo symmetry may be fading as both hemispheres get darker.

ICE’s Plan to Let Cops Around the Country Scan Faces to Verify Immigration Status

https://www.404media.co/ices-plan-to-let-cops-around-the-country-scan-faces-to-verify-immigration-status/

Published: June 5, 2026 16:51

ICE plans to give potentially more than a thousand agencies access to a facial recognition app that verifies a person's immigration status.

Behind the Blog: Dangerous Memes

https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-dangerous-memes/

Published: June 5, 2026 15:51

This week, we discuss controversial memes, good times at Meta, and more.

The U.S. Military Quietly Turned GPS Into a Global ‘Numbers Station,’ Evidence Suggests

https://www.404media.co/the-u-s-military-quietly-turned-gps-into-a-global-numbers-station-evidence-suggests/

Published: June 5, 2026 15:28

A random sequence in an innocuous GPS message field is likely encrypted traffic from the U.S. military's system for remotely updating cryptographic keys around the world.

K-pop Fans Are Calling Out Creepy Deepfakes of Idols

https://www.404media.co/k-pop-fans-deepfakes-ai-generated-idols/

Published: June 5, 2026 14:52

With some fans making sexualized AI-generated images and videos of idols, the rest of the fandom is standing up against the behavior.

Satya Nadella ‘Not Sure’ Who Said Microsoft Wanted to Make Addictive AI, Is Looking for Guy Who Did This

https://www.404media.co/satya-nadella-not-sure-who-said-microsoft-wanted-to-make-addictive-ai-is-looking-for-guy-who-did-this/

Published: June 4, 2026 22:03

Microsoft's CEO seems unaware of what's going on at his own company.

I Must Attempt to Explain the LEGO Scandal Rocking YouTube, Entire State of Utah

https://www.404media.co/the-lego-bricks-and-minifigs-reckless-benyoutube-scandal-has-broken-containment-can-no-longer-be-ignored/

Published: June 4, 2026 19:02

The Bricks & Minifigs / Reckless Ben beef is breaking containment and can no longer be ignored.

Immigrant Rights Lawyers File Lawsuit Over Palantir’s ELITE

https://www.404media.co/immigrant-rights-lawyers-file-lawsuit-over-palantirs-elite/

Published: June 4, 2026 18:34

Just Futures Law is seeking a wealth of documents related to the tech Palantir provides to ICE.

Watch These Judges Rip Into Lawyers For Citing Cases That Don't Exist

https://www.404media.co/new-york-court-ai-citations-landberg-case/

Published: June 4, 2026 14:33

“It's striking, concerning, disappointing, and saddening to think that members of the bar would forward cases to a court that don't exist, and to think that the lawyers on the other side of that didn’t read it for whatever reason, didn’t check it.”

Google Employees Internally Share Memes About How Its AI Sucks

https://www.404media.co/google-employees-internally-share-memes-about-how-its-ai-sucks/

Published: June 4, 2026 13:30

Google’s CEO says 75% of the company’s code is AI-generated. The people who write that code say the AI they’re using is overhyped.

Demand Is Booming for New No Tech, Repairable Tractor

https://www.404media.co/demand-is-booming-for-ursa-ag-new-no-tech-repairable-tractor/

Published: June 3, 2026 18:07

"There is consumer pressure to back away from technology that is unnecessary to perform everyday tasks."

Podcast: Hackers Asked Meta AI To Let Them In. It Worked

https://www.404media.co/podcast-hackers-asked-meta-ai-to-let-them-in-it-worked/

Published: June 3, 2026 16:22

The insane Meta AI hack; Amazon's internal AI leaderboard; and our lawsuit against ICE.

Companies Are Using Reddit to Manipulate ChatGPT and Google AI Search

https://www.404media.co/companies-are-using-reddit-to-manipulate-chatgpt-and-google-ai-search/

Published: June 3, 2026 14:29

Peptide companies have been doing AI-engine optimization by spamming the biohackers subreddit to manipulate ChatGPT and Google.

Google Is Quietly Buying Code From Play Store Developers to Train AI

https://www.404media.co/google-is-quietly-buying-code-from-play-store-developers-to-train-ai/

Published: June 3, 2026 00:16

Google is trying to buy code from some Android developers as part of a "confidential" program.

Microsoft Wants to 'Make People Addicted' to its New AI Assistant, Internal Documents Reveal

https://www.404media.co/microsoft-wants-to-make-people-addicted-to-scout-its-new-ai-assistant-internal-documents-reveal/

Published: June 2, 2026 18:46

Planning documents for "Scout" say the plan is to "make people addicted" to the tool before adding new features.

Nvidia and Microsoft Researchers Say AI Agents Don't Care About Safety or Reliability

https://www.404media.co/nvidia-and-microsoft-researchers-say-ai-agents-dont-care-about-safety-or-reliability/

Published: June 2, 2026 15:03

The researchers compared AI to the near-sighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, who can’t see he’s stumbling through dangerous situations.

Here is the Contract for Palantir’s Super API for the IRS

https://www.404media.co/here-is-the-contract-for-palantirs-super-api-for-the-irs/

Published: June 2, 2026 14:08

The API would make IRS data available to any app the agency wishes. The Criminal Investigation arm of the IRS is also modernizing its own systems.

Amazon Shuts Down Internal AI Leaderboard After Employees Cheated

https://www.404media.co/amazon-shuts-down-internal-ai-leaderboard-after-employees-cheated/

Published: June 1, 2026 17:15

Employees admitted to 404 Media they had cheated to climb the leaderboard's ranks.

Hackers Simply Asked Meta AI to Give Them Access to High-Profile Instagram Accounts. It Worked

https://www.404media.co/hackers-simply-asked-meta-ai-to-give-them-access-to-high-profile-instagram-accounts-it-worked/

Published: June 1, 2026 17:03

The exploit shows the extreme risk of offloading technical support to AI.

We Sued ICE to Get Its Spyware Contract. The Agency Is Redacting Essentially Everything

https://www.404media.co/we-sued-ice-to-get-its-spyware-contract-the-agency-is-redacting-essentially-everything/

Published: June 1, 2026 13:57

Paragon's software is capable of remotely breaking into phones and accessing messages from encrypted messaging apps. Our lawsuit aims to pry records about it from ICE.

AI Grifters Are Making Anti-Data Center Slop With AI

https://www.404media.co/ai-grifters-are-making-anti-data-center-slop-with-ai/

Published: June 1, 2026 13:49

There are hundreds of anti-data center Facebook pages churning out AI-generated slopaganda.

‘Highly Plausible’ Aliens on Europa Are Earthlings’ Descendants, Study Says

https://www.404media.co/highly-plausible-aliens-on-europa-are-earthlings-descendants-study-says/

Published: May 30, 2026 13:00

A new study suggests that bacteria dispersed through space on dust grains could potentially arrive intact and alive on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Behind the Blog: Being New and Some Numbers

https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-being-new-and-some-numbers/

Published: May 29, 2026 16:06

This week, we discuss going deeper and Google's search changes.

New Study Reveals the Manipulative ‘Dark Patterns’ of AI Chatbots

https://www.404media.co/new-study-reveals-the-manipulative-dark-patterns-of-ai-chatbots/

Published: May 29, 2026 13:16

A new study by the Center for Democracy & Technology shows how chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, Replika and more can lead users down paths they didn't intend.

Cities Are Covering Flock Cameras With Trash Bags

https://www.404media.co/cities-are-covering-flock-cameras-with-trash-bags/

Published: May 28, 2026 16:18

Regretful cities aren't sure how to cancel their surveillance contracts, so they are literally covering their cameras.

The Sun Is Undergoing a Mysterious Change and Nobody Knows Why

https://www.404media.co/sun-magnetic-activity-changes-study/

Published: May 28, 2026 15:28

Astronomers discovered that magnetic activity in the Sun is being squeezed into a more tightly confined area under its surface, which has implications for space weather forecasts and heliophysics.

‘Cracked Oura’ Is an App For Using the Oura Ring Without the Monthly Subscription

https://www.404media.co/cracked-oura-can-you-use-oura-without-monthly-subscription/

Published: May 28, 2026 14:40

On Thursday Oura announced the nearly $500 Ring 5. But what if you don't want to pay a monthly subscription to access your health data?

Headway Therapy Patients Forced to Scan Their Faces to Keep Getting Care

https://www.404media.co/headway-therapy-facial-scan-biometric-data-identity-verification/

Published: May 28, 2026 13:53

A popular virtual therapy platform is telling providers and patients they'll have to do facial scanning soon, forcing some to choose between handing over their data and continuing care.