The 404 Media Podcast

Discussion on the degradation of Google, including AI-generated articles on Google News and the decline in search result quality. The impact of AI on journalism and the concerns about disinformation. Bypassing Google's SEO process and criticizing search results. The challenges of paywalls and upcoming detailed write-up on the media industry. Discussion on global phone spying tool in the subscribers-only section.

Google officially endorses right to repair after pressure from consumers and activists. Court case about online dating safety discussed. Bonus content reveals which police departments use AI surveillance platform Fusus.

Jason decided to publish our first story minutes before recording, so here is some hot off the presses material. That piece was about scam ads on YouTube involving deepfaked celebrities. After the break, Sam discussed a very bizarre FOIA response from Texas. Then in the subscribers-only section, Jason tells the long and very entertaining saga of the Polish hackers who fixed a bunch of trains, and faced legal threats in response. Deepfaked Celebrity Ads Promoting Medicare Scams Run Rampant on YouTube Texas Health Department Claims It Has Nothing to Do With Warnings on Porn From Texas Health Department Polish Hackers Say Manufacturer's Repair DRM Killed Train's Power, Broke Compressor Subscribe for access to bonus content at 404media.co. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discussion includes a $7 million Airbnb scam and flawed refund system, access restrictions on Pornhub in North Carolina and Montana, challenges of implementing age verification for porn sites, Pornhub's public protest and speculation on regulating explicit content on social media platforms.

Companies using microphone audio to target ads, AI dataset taken offline, stolen AI-generated art on Facebook, controversy and privacy concerns surrounding microphone audio for ads, Lion 5B dataset for AI research, investigation into child abuse material in AI datasets, software security issue with AI-generated images on Facebook

A man mysteriously flew into LAX without a ticket or passport, leaving DHS clueless. Patreon bans adbl furries, creating uproar. Verizon's massive failure with phone data protection. Host avoids using a phone for safety reasons.

In this podcast, the hosts discuss a sensitive investigation into an AI platform funded by A16Z that generated images categorized as child pornography. They explore the partnership between OctoML and Civitai, the use of negative prompts, leaked documents and internal debates surrounding the platform's controversial image generation. They also touch on ads, content moderation challenges, and speculate on the company's strategy to avoid being solely viewed as a porn company.

So much drama this episode but with an important message behind it all. For the first half, Sam and Jason break down their stories about Eduards Sizovs, a tech conference founder who listed a fake, "auto-generated" woman as a conference speaker. Sizovs is also behind a highly popular woman-in-tech account. There are layers here. After the break, Jason explains how Plex is leaking users' viewing habits to one another. Then in the subscribers-only section, Joseph runs us through how an established figure in the sneaker world is connected to a Chinese money laundering ring. Tech Conference Collapses After Organizer Admits to Making Fake ‘Auto-Generated’ Female Speaker Male Tech Conference Founder Is Behind Popular Woman Coding Influencer Account Plex Users Fear New Feature Will Leak Porn Habits to Their Friends and Family Sneakers and Armored Cars: How a Shoe Company Empire Allegedly Used a Chinese Money Laundering Ring Subscribe for access to bonus content at 404media.co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest is OpenAI CEO candidate and Harry Potter fanfic character. Topics include OpenAI CEO drama, Harry Potter fanfic as an effective altruist recruiting tool, Twitter's impact on sex workers, SIM swappers gambling with stolen Bitcoin.

We recorded this immediately after publishing some breaking news: we discovered that venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is funding Civitai, an AI marketplace we've repeatedly shown is an engine for nonconsensual AI porn. Just this week Emanuel reported Civitai had introduced a "bounty" system, that financially rewards people for making AI-models of specific targets. We talk about both stories in the first section of the podcast. Then after the break of this episode of "The Emanuel Maiberg Show," Emanuel talks about his deep investigation into working conditions in Labcorp, one of the biggest lab companies in the country, and how Amazon-like metrics may put patients at risk. Then in the subscribers-only section, Emanuel and Jason discuss their article on how the "brand safety" industry is stopping news websites from receiving vital funding. Giant AI Platform Introduces ‘Bounties’ for Deepfakes of Real People Andreessen Horowitz Invests in Civitai, Which Profits From Nonconsensual AI Porn ‘Literally Impossible:’ Labcorp Workers Say Productivity Goals Are Pushing Them to the Brink Advertisers Don’t Want Sites Like Jezebel to Exist Subscribe at 404media.co for this podcast's bonus content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices