Notices by Joseph Cox (josephcox@infosec.exchange)

A new tool has scraped YouTube comments, lets harassers or anyone else search for a specific user, use AI to approximate where the person might be from based on their comments. Developer says it's for cops, but there are no checks. We signed up and used it https://www.404media.co/developer-builds-tool-that-scrapes-youtube-comments-uses-ai-to-predict-where-users-live/

New from 404 Media: iconic hacking con HOPE has sold 50% fewer tickets this year, with event just a few months away. Organizers say it's due to U.S. immigration crackdown. A speaker already pulled out, said friends' devices seized at border. Will impact the event https://www.404media.co/hacker-conference-hope-says-fewer-people-buying-tickets-because-u-s-immigration-crackdown/

New from 404 Media: authors are getting caught leaving AI prompts in their novels, telling the AI to follow someone else's style. We bought a copy to confirm.

https://www.404media.co/authors-are-accidentally-leaving-ai-prompts-in-their-novels/

New from 404 Media: Civitai, the AI model sharing site backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is allowing users to AI generate nonconsensual porn of real people, despite the site’s policies against this type of content https://www.404media.co/configuration-issue-allows-civitai-users-to-ai-generate-nonconsensual-porn-videos/

New from 404 Media: Flock, the license plate reader company that has cameras all across the U.S., is now building a massive people lookup tool using hacked data. The plan is to "jump from LPR to person." Won't require a warrant. This is according to leak we obtained.

https://www.404media.co/license-plate-reader-company-flock-is-building-a-massive-people-lookup-tool-leak-shows/

New from 404 Media: the Signal clone the Trump administration uses was just hacked. TeleMessage makes a modified version of Signal that archives messages for government agencies, Waltz used it. A hacker got some users' messages, group chats. Hugely significant breach https://www.404media.co/the-signal-clone-the-trump-admin-uses-was-hacked/

Update to the researchers who secretly ran a massive unauthorized AI persuasion experiment on Reddit users by pushing AI bots into a debate subreddit: Reddit is issuing "formal legal demands" against the researchers. University tells us researchers not publishing now https://www.404media.co/reddit-issuing-formal-legal-demands-against-researchers-who-conducted-secret-ai-experiment-on-users/

Trump Demands Amazon Deny the Reality of What His Tariffs Are Doing to Prices https://www.404media.co/trump-demands-amazon-deny-the-reality-of-what-his-tariffs-are-doing-to-prices/

Read this: Meta's AI chatbots, available to children, lie about being licensed therapists, fabricating qualifications and even license numbers. Easy for users to mistake for real therapy now so much is online. Another bot said 'the CIA is staked outside your house'

https://www.404media.co/instagram-ai-studio-therapy-chatbots-lie-about-being-licensed-therapists/

New from 404 Media: we've published the full internal Palantir wiki in which it argues why it is working with ICE. It is rare for outsiders to get insight from a tech company on why it might decide to work on a project like this. Spelled out acronyms but left unedited https://www.404media.co/this-is-palantirs-justification-for-building-ices-master-database/

Shout out to the people who left a bunch of positive reviews on the 404 Media Podcast this week after we explained how important that stuff is. Podcasts have a crazy discoverability problem so every little helps, thank you.

The FBI says it can't find "missing" records about hacking tools it purchased https://www.404media.co/the-fbi-cant-find-missing-records-of-its-hacking-tools/

New from 404 Media: we've obtained a leak from inside Palantir describing Palantir's plan to help ICE find people to deport. Includes peoples' location. Palantir is expecting a backlash, preparing comments for employees to tell their family. Says ICE "mature partner"

https://www.404media.co/leaked-palantirs-plan-to-help-ice-deport-people/

An entire economy of AI spammers has emerged whose members take real disaster and misery, and then exploit those for profit https://www.404media.co/inside-the-economy-of-ai-spammers-getting-rich-by-exploiting-disasters-and-misery/

New from 404 Media: the US Army says it had a lot of success using AI to “process targets” during a recent deployment. Used AI to identify 55 targets a day but could get that number up to 5,000 a day with “advanced artificial intelligence tools in the future.” https://www.404media.co/u-s-army-says-it-could-acquire-targets-faster-with-advanced-ai/

Google stopped replying to my emails asking what should be a simple question: did you provide the IP addresses of everyone who viewed specific YouTube videos? Experts say unconstitutional because it could turn ordinary viewers into suspects. Related to this:

https://www.404media.co/elon-musk-was-a-prolific-money-launderer-for-hackers-and-drug-traffickers-it-was-secretly-the-fbi/

New from 404 Media: we've seen an ICE database that filters people by hundreds of different, highly specific categories. Experts say possibly helping ICE identify and deport people. Scars, location data, immigration status, eye color, much more. Created by Palantir

https://www.404media.co/inside-a-powerful-database-ice-uses-to-identify-and-deport-people/

A 'US-made iPhone' is pure fantasy.

Look at their suppliers, which Apple publishes itself

https://www.404media.co/a-us-made-iphone-is-pure-fantasy/

Framework is going to stop selling some of its laptops in the U.S. due to tariffs. The company is one of the few that makes truly upgradeable and repairable laptops. Expect a lot, lot more of this

https://www.404media.co/framework-stops-selling-some-of-its-laptops-in-the-u-s-due-to-tariffs/

That newswire called Benzinga which falsely reported that Trump was considering a 90-day break on tariffs, causing the stock market to dramatically jump before crashing again, blames users on X in an email to me. Didn't answer why they picked up unverified news from X https://www.404media.co/benzinga-news-service-that-falsely-reported-a-possible-90-day-break-in-tariffs-blames-x/