A network of Instagram accounts is using AI to steal content from human creators and deepfake their faces to make them look like they have Down syndrome. 404 Media was able to determine the accounts are linked because they reuse Instagram bios, videos, and in some cases link to the same OnlyFans competitors pages where…
We start this week with Joseph’s story about the 200+ sites an ICE contractor called ShadowDragon is monitoring. A lot of surprising ones on there. After the break, Emanuel explains why NASA, Yale, and Stanford scientists are considering leaving the U.S. for France. In the subscribers-only section, Emanuel breaks down the fascinating reason why Super…
📄 This article was primarily reported using public records requests. We are making it available to all readers as a public service. FOIA reporting can be expensive, please consider subscribing to 404 Media to support this work. Or send us a one time donation via our tip jar here. Using the Freedom of Information Act,…
A website called “DOGEQUEST” has posted on a searchable map what it claims to be the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of Tesla owners across the United States, and says it will remove the data if an individual proves that they have sold their Tesla. The map also includes the addresses of Tesla…
In recent days, various high profile commentators have been having a conniption about the fact that the Trump administration and the National Archives have not yet released new records about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy after Trump signed an executive order to create a “plan” to declassify and release new documents. This hit…
Consider, for a moment, that this AI-generated video of a bizarre creature turning into a spider, turning into a nightmare giraffe inside of a busy mall has been viewed 362 million times. That means this short reel has been viewed more times than every single article 404 Media has ever published, combined and multiplied tens…
Welcome back to the Abstract! In the immortal words of a wise crab: “Darling it’s better down where it’s wetter, take it from me.” That’s why we’re going to be under the sea for most of this week’s column, though the wonderful things that surround us will be 1) massive flesh-eating sharks 2) conveyor belts…
The Transport Security Administration has a freeze on credit card purchases for its bomb-sniffing dogs, TSA confirmed to 404 Media on Friday. The statement follows the leak of an alleged internal email which said TSA was cutting off requests for dog food and vet visits. A TSA spokesperson told 404 Media: “Our heroic canines are…
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss companies’ responses to being monitored by an ICE contractor, caring about the little things, weight loss drug ads, and how our SXSW shindig went. JOSEPH: This week…
Mahmoud Khalil, the green card holding legal permanent resident arrested by ICE on Saturday, and a group of other students are suing Columbia University, the university’s trustees, and a number of other officials, according to newly filed court records. The move is the latest episode in one of the most high profile immigration cases in…
