The 404 Media Podcast

Hosted by Intercept reporter Mickayla Lacey, this special 404 Media collaboration explores the privatization of mass surveillance and the integration of AI into warfare.

404 Media investigates "Project Lily," revealing that OpenAI hires contractors to read real ChatGPT user prompts to improve model responses, despite buried privacy disclosures.

Jenny Rose Halperin, executive director of Library Futures, discusses the challenges libraries face from corporate dependence, restrictive vendor contracts, and the rise of "neo-censorship.

Host Joseph and co-founders Sam Cole and Jason Keble discuss a new investigation revealing that DHS Border Patrol uses "Predictive Intelligence…

Lindsay Isaacs and her attorney Patrick McGahan discuss her false arrest and 13-day imprisonment resulting from a Florida Highway Patrol error using…

The 404 Media Podcast discusses an update on Amazon’s warehouse that destroys books for AI training, revealing they are recycled into paper products in Mexico.

Host Erin West and scam expert Paul Raphael discuss their investigative trip to Nigeria to track down sexortion scammers.

This episode examines a Florida police sting where a man was charged with felonies for destroying a 3D-printed decoy Flock camera, raising legal questions about property value and intent.

404 Media CEO Sam Biddle interviews Bridget Todd about her audiobook, *Love at First Prompt*, exploring AI’s role in intimacy and grief.

Hosts Joseph, Sam, Emmanuel, and Jason discuss an investigation tracking rare books to an Amazon facility where they are scanned for AI training and destroyed.

Host Emmanuel Dagher interviews Hany Farid, creator of PhotoDNA and co-founder of GetReal, about combating online abuse and AI-generated media.

Jason Kebler interviews William Goode of Film the Police LA about his work documenting police accountability and surveillance in Los Angeles.

Hosts Joseph, Emmanuel, and Jason discuss Samuel Tunik, an activist charged for wiping his Graphene OS phone at the border using a duress PIN.

Host Joseph Cox interviews Jonathan Pass, a former Flock government affairs manager and congressional candidate, about his insider experience with the license plate reader company.

Host Joe Bates interviews Mike Yeagley, a former government contractor who pioneered the use of commercial location data for intelligence.

Hosts Joseph, Sam, Emmanuel, and Jason discuss Flock’s “free form” searches, revealing how police use vague descriptors to track people and cars, leading to wrongful arrests.

Hosts Jason and Sam join guests Dexter Thomas and Gita Jackson for a live discussion at the LA Public Library on how AI is flooding the internet with low-effort content.

The 404 Media Podcast explores the rise of generic, AI-generated flyers that small businesses are using, sparking backlash from designers and customers who view them as lazy.

The 404 Media Podcast hosts Dr.

Host Sam and co-founders Emmanuel and Jason discuss the rise of "LARPing," where influencers fake wealth to sell courses.

Host Joseph Cox and guest Robert Zachary analyze Bungie’s extraction shooter *Marathon*, discussing its genre roots and unique design.

The 404 Media Podcast explores the "token apocalypse," where companies like Accenture, Uber, and Walmart are scrambling to curb soaring AI costs after employees wasted tokens on trivial tasks.

Jason Kebler interviews Cornell researchers Hal Triedman and Tingwei Zhang about their study on poisoning AI search results via user-generated content.

The 404 Media Podcast discusses a satirical paper arguing that if LLMs are sentient, so is Age of Empires 2, using goat-based logic gates to critique anthropomorphism.

Jake Hammerhan, founder of Popular Front and Away Days, discusses the challenges independent journalists face with platform censorship and monetization.

The 404 Media Podcast discusses the FCC’s proposal to mandate government ID for all phone purchases, aiming to curb scams but threatening anonymity and privacy for vulnerable groups.

Host Imani Thompson discusses her "Catch Me Outside" workshops, which teach digital security and privacy through community events like self-doxing exercises and de-googling parties.

404 Media hosts discuss Google employees mocking AI coding tools via internal memes, highlighting a disconnect between corporate claims and worker sentiment.

Hosts discuss the integration of AI in film with Devendra Hardwar, critiquing Darren Aronofsky’s AI shorts as soulless "slop" while remaining open to Steven Soderbergh’s experimental use.

The 404 Media Podcast discusses hackers exploiting Meta’s AI support chatbot to steal high-profile Instagram accounts by tricking the bot into resetting credentials.