This week we start with Joseph's piece about a couple of Harvard students who cobbled together a pair of Meta's smart glasses that automatically dox people just by looking at them. After break, Sam and Emanuel talk about two Hurricane Helene stories about data and AI. In the subscribers-only section, Joseph talks about a hacked dataset that shows the prompts used on an AI companion site. Heavy content warning for that section.

YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z3QcY6aGpQ

Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a trailer for the subscribers-only podcast for 404 Media's one year anniversary! We go long on the business, subscriber numbers, what people value, how to get our articles in front of people, and what we're looking to do next year! If you want to hear the rest, please become a subscriber at 404media.co.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past two weeks we've had a ton of stories where AI and other companies have opted users into data collection and processing by default. What the hell is going on??? They're all doing it at once! Jason starts us off with how Udemy created an 'opt-out window'. If you missed it, you're out of luck until next year. Then after the break, Sam and Joseph discuss similar stories with PayPal and LinkedIn. In the subscribers-only section, Sam talks about how a woman was essentially trapped in a driverless Waymo.

*This show is sponsored by BetterHelp*

Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have two related stories this week. First, Joseph, Emanuel, and Sam break down their experiences with Telegram, and the social network's massive policy shift. The company says it will now process valid legal requests from law enforcement for user data. After the break, Joseph tells us how the walls are closing in on one of the most disruptive hackers in recent memory. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains why Nintendo's lawsuit against Palworld is bad, and why Nintendo will probably win.

YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90T71r3h7oc

Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We chime in on the developing story coming out of Lebanon about a wave of exploding pagers. Jason has some unusual expertise that is pretty relevant here. After the break, Jason breaks down why Larry Ellison's AI-powered surveillance dystopia is already here. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel explains how he figured out what is, and is not, happening with Snapchat's future AI selfie ads.

Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got a really varied one today. First, Sam talks about the new wave of sextortion emails which send a target their home address to scare them into paying. After the break, Jason talks about the rise of the right to repair movement, but for your body and prescription drugs. In the subscribers-only section, Jason breaks down a years old Reddit mystery that is finally solved, thanks to some facial recognition tech.

Subscribe at 404media.co for access to bonus content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The organization that runs National Novel Writing Month, a November challenge to write 50,000 words, said "the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones." Does it?

Also Discussed:

NaNoWriMo Says Condemning AI Is ‘Classist and Ableist’

This Is Doom Running on a Diffusion Model

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emanuel and Jason break down the arrest of Telegram cofounder Pavel Durov, a slide deck showing "active listening" advertising based on microphone data, and a concerning new study that shows AI-generated CSAM is more common than you think. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month Joseph went to the annual DEF CON hacking conference and spoke to a bunch of interesting hackers, researchers, and technologists. We wanted to provide our paying subscribers with a snapshot of what it's like to be at DEF CON—the sounds, the vibe, the people, the hacks. Become a paying subscriber now at 404media.co to listen!

• The Golden Age of Hackers in Vegas Is Over

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Sam starts with how Taylor Swift could sue Donald Trump for posting a series of fake, AI-generated images that claimed she wanted fans to vote for the presidential candidate. After the break, Joseph pieces together how the U.S. has been quietly using hacked messages from an encrypted phone company to prosecute alleged cocaine traffickers. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about how Sam triggered a lawsuit against Nvidia for scraping YouTube, and go longer on why we generate impact and how.

Subscribe at 404media.co for bonus content.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices