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 Flock blogging, “rare” books, and Jesus Christ. EMANUEL: I was out last Friday so I want to talk about the story I ...
Category: 404 Media
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Flock Pitched a Plan To Turn Uber and Lyft Drivers Into Roaming Surveillance VehiclesFlock Pitched a Plan To Turn Uber and Lyft Drivers Into Roaming Surveillance Vehicles
Flock planned to use dashcams installed in hundreds of thousands Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers’ vehicles to scan license plates those drivers travelled passed, essentially turning Uber and Lyft drivers into roaming surveillance vehicles, according to a Flock presentation shared with 404 Media. The document provides more details on Flock’s ...
Software Giant SAP Stops Most Travel and Hiring Because of AI’s Soaring CostSoftware Giant SAP Stops Most Travel and Hiring Because of AI’s Soaring Cost
SAP, one of the world’s biggest software companies, suspended most travel and hiring last month because of AI’s soaring cost, with exceptions only being made for AI-related travel or hires, according to an internal SAP email obtained by 404 Media. Bloomberg reported on the email and the freezes in July, ...
Cities Are Ditching Flock, Immediately Replacing It With Axon License Plate ReadersCities Are Ditching Flock, Immediately Replacing It With Axon License Plate Readers
A handful of cities across the U.S. have ditched Flock’s automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras and immediately replaced them with equivalent systems from law enforcement contracting giant Axon, according to local media reports and government documents from around the country. Axon, for example, advertises AI-powered cameras that attach to ...
Scientists Designed a Virtual Alien Lifeform to Hunt for ExtraterrestrialsScientists Designed a Virtual Alien Lifeform to Hunt for Extraterrestrials
🌘 Subscribe to 404 Media to get The Abstract, our newsletter about the most exciting and mind-boggling science news and studies of the week. Scientists have designed a virtual model of an alien cell and dropped it onto a hypothetical exoplanet to see how it behaves, an approach that could ...
Apple’s ‘Private Relay’ Is Exposing Users’ Real IP AddressesApple’s ‘Private Relay’ Is Exposing Users’ Real IP Addresses
A series of issues in Apple’s web browser engine — the tech underlying all browsers on iOS — means that Apple’s iCloud Private Relay tool, which is supposed to hide a user’s IP address, in many cases doesn’t actually work. Instead, the issues mean a malicious attacker can set up ...
Podcast: This Man Might Go to Prison for Wiping His PhonePodcast: This Man Might Go to Prison for Wiping His Phone
We start this week with Joseph’s article about Samuel Tunick, the man charged with allegedly wiping his phone before DHS officials could search it. It’s a wild case with a lot to unpack. After the break, Jason tells us all about a TikTok Shop scheme powered by AI. In the ...
Cops Used Flock to Track a Man Across State Lines to Create Pretext to Search His Car for WeedCops Used Flock to Track a Man Across State Lines to Create Pretext to Search His Car for Weed
Police in Wisconsin used Flock to determine that a man “travels to Michigan frequently,” where marijuana is legal, then back to Wisconsin, where it is illegal. They then used his travel across state lines as tracked by Flock as part of the probable cause justification to search his car for ...
The SEC Bought Airline Data to Monitor Flights WorldwideThe SEC Bought Airline Data to Monitor Flights Worldwide
📄 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. The ...
‘DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE’: How Cops Are Trying to Hide Their Use of Flock‘DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE’: How Cops Are Trying to Hide Their Use of Flock
When cops use Flock to arrest someone in Wapello County, Iowa, they don’t want them to know. A usage policy for the automated license plate reader cameras in the county tells police, in no uncertain terms, to keep them a secret: “DO NOT MENTION ALPR USAGE TO THE OCCUPANTS OF ...