Joseph Cox
@josephcox.bsky.social
Hacking/crime/privacy journalist. Author of DARK WIRE, buy here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/joseph-cox/dark-wire/9781541702691/#preorder Co-founder of 404 Media. Signal: joseph.404 Email: joseph@404media.co
Pinned
Joseph Cox
@josephcox.bsky.social
· Oct 8
Today's the day: DARK WIRE, my book on how the FBI secretly ran a tech company for criminals and wiretapped the world, coming to paperback. Updated with many more details. An Economist and FT book of the year. 404 Media subs: you just got 20% to your email www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josep...
As we finish up the year, 404 Media will have stuff publishing over the holidays. Some horrible (you'll see on Xmas day), some fun. Subscribers will still get a story each day.
In the meantime, here's some of our best coverage this year, starting with Flock + ICE: www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...
In the meantime, here's some of our best coverage this year, starting with Flock + ICE: www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...
ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows
Flock's automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are in more than 5,000 communities around the U.S. Local police are doing lookups in the nationwide system for ICE.
www.404media.co
December 23, 2025 at 5:47 PM
As we finish up the year, 404 Media will have stuff publishing over the holidays. Some horrible (you'll see on Xmas day), some fun. Subscribers will still get a story each day.
In the meantime, here's some of our best coverage this year, starting with Flock + ICE: www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...
In the meantime, here's some of our best coverage this year, starting with Flock + ICE: www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
iCloud, Mega, and as a torrent. Archivists have uploaded the 60 Minutes episode Bari Weiss spiked.
Archivists Posted the 60 Minutes CECOT Segment Bari Weiss Killed
iCloud, Mega, and as a torrent. Archivists have uploaded the 60 Minutes episode Bari Weiss spiked.
www.404media.co
December 23, 2025 at 12:15 AM
iCloud, Mega, and as a torrent. Archivists have uploaded the 60 Minutes episode Bari Weiss spiked.
New: archivists have distributed the 60 Minutes episode Bari Weiss killed. iCloud, Mega, torrent too. Shows won’t be able to keep this episode offline www.404media.co/archivists-p...
Archivists Posted the 60 Minutes CECOT Segment Bari Weiss Killed
iCloud, Mega, and as a torrent. Archivists have uploaded the 60 Minutes episode Bari Weiss spiked.
www.404media.co
December 22, 2025 at 11:58 PM
New: archivists have distributed the 60 Minutes episode Bari Weiss killed. iCloud, Mega, torrent too. Shows won’t be able to keep this episode offline www.404media.co/archivists-p...
New from 404 Media: Flock exposed some of its AI-powered cameras to the internet. We know because we tracked ourselves with them. These cameras zoom in on passersby, sometimes so close we could read a random person's phone screen. Required no login to view cameras
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
December 22, 2025 at 4:11 PM
New from 404 Media: Flock exposed some of its AI-powered cameras to the internet. We know because we tracked ourselves with them. These cameras zoom in on passersby, sometimes so close we could read a random person's phone screen. Required no login to view cameras
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
For this week's Behind the Blog, our weekly behind the scenes stuff, I wrote more about the case of a man charged for allegedly wiping a phone before CBP could search it www.404media.co/behind-the-b...
Behind the Blog: Resisting Demoralization
This week, we discuss history repeating itself, a phone wipe scandal, Meta's relationship with links and more.
www.404media.co
December 19, 2025 at 4:34 PM
For this week's Behind the Blog, our weekly behind the scenes stuff, I wrote more about the case of a man charged for allegedly wiping a phone before CBP could search it www.404media.co/behind-the-b...
The main 404 Media account (@404media.co) posts these videos about our articles. Follow there if you want more of them, I don't think we'll post them from our own individual accounts most of the time
bsky.app/profile/404m...
bsky.app/profile/404m...
December 19, 2025 at 4:14 PM
The main 404 Media account (@404media.co) posts these videos about our articles. Follow there if you want more of them, I don't think we'll post them from our own individual accounts most of the time
bsky.app/profile/404m...
bsky.app/profile/404m...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
A Discord for gay gamers is in disarray after an exec at Anthropic forced an AI chatbot on the Discord.
When confronted, the exec said he would not submit to mob rule and that AIs have emotions. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.
Story by @mjgault.bsky.social
www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
When confronted, the exec said he would not submit to mob rule and that AIs have emotions. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.
Story by @mjgault.bsky.social
www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
December 16, 2025 at 3:43 PM
A Discord for gay gamers is in disarray after an exec at Anthropic forced an AI chatbot on the Discord.
When confronted, the exec said he would not submit to mob rule and that AIs have emotions. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.
Story by @mjgault.bsky.social
www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
When confronted, the exec said he would not submit to mob rule and that AIs have emotions. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.
Story by @mjgault.bsky.social
www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
thanks for the question william b fuckley.
if some rando deployed an AI chatbot into a Discord channel we wouldn't cover it. this is an Anthropic exec, and here's what he said in his justification to push Claude into this Discord for gay gamers:
read now: www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
if some rando deployed an AI chatbot into a Discord channel we wouldn't cover it. this is an Anthropic exec, and here's what he said in his justification to push Claude into this Discord for gay gamers:
read now: www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
December 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
thanks for the question william b fuckley.
if some rando deployed an AI chatbot into a Discord channel we wouldn't cover it. this is an Anthropic exec, and here's what he said in his justification to push Claude into this Discord for gay gamers:
read now: www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
if some rando deployed an AI chatbot into a Discord channel we wouldn't cover it. this is an Anthropic exec, and here's what he said in his justification to push Claude into this Discord for gay gamers:
read now: www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
Really good that the Oversight Democrats releasing Epstein dumps pushed out the latest photos with a Dropbox comment section that people are piling on
www.404media.co/the-governme...
www.404media.co/the-governme...
The Government Added a Comments Section to the Epstein Photo Dump
Oversight Democrats released a new trove of Epstein pictures on Dropbox and left the comments on.
www.404media.co
December 18, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Really good that the Oversight Democrats releasing Epstein dumps pushed out the latest photos with a Dropbox comment section that people are piling on
www.404media.co/the-governme...
www.404media.co/the-governme...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
is this good: www.404media.co/ice-contract...
ICE Contracts Company Making Bounty Hunter AI Agents
AI Solutions 87 says on its website its AI agents “deliver rapid acceleration in finding persons of interest and mapping their entire network.”
www.404media.co
December 18, 2025 at 5:40 PM
is this good: www.404media.co/ice-contract...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
NEW: ICE has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a company that makes “AI agents” to rapidly track down targets.
AI Solutions 87 did not respond to a request for comment on how its AI agents work.
AI Solutions 87 did not respond to a request for comment on how its AI agents work.
ICE Contracts Company Making Bounty Hunter AI Agents
AI Solutions 87 says on its website its AI agents “deliver rapid acceleration in finding persons of interest and mapping their entire network.”
www.404media.co
December 18, 2025 at 5:53 PM
NEW: ICE has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a company that makes “AI agents” to rapidly track down targets.
AI Solutions 87 did not respond to a request for comment on how its AI agents work.
AI Solutions 87 did not respond to a request for comment on how its AI agents work.
New from 404 Media: ICE just paid hundreds of thousands to company making bounty hunter AI agents. The company says its AI agents “deliver rapid acceleration in finding persons of interest and mapping their entire network.” Comes as ICE spends millions on skip tracers www.404media.co/ice-contract...
ICE Contracts Company Making Bounty Hunter AI Agents
AI Solutions 87 says on its website its AI agents “deliver rapid acceleration in finding persons of interest and mapping their entire network.”
www.404media.co
December 18, 2025 at 5:21 PM
New from 404 Media: ICE just paid hundreds of thousands to company making bounty hunter AI agents. The company says its AI agents “deliver rapid acceleration in finding persons of interest and mapping their entire network.” Comes as ICE spends millions on skip tracers www.404media.co/ice-contract...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
Social media companies attempt to detect and remove this type of astroturfing for violating their inauthentic behavior policies, which is why Doublespeed uses a bank of phones to emulate the behavior of real users.
@evystadium.bsky.social explains more here: www.404media.co/hack-reveals...
@evystadium.bsky.social explains more here: www.404media.co/hack-reveals...
December 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Social media companies attempt to detect and remove this type of astroturfing for violating their inauthentic behavior policies, which is why Doublespeed uses a bank of phones to emulate the behavior of real users.
@evystadium.bsky.social explains more here: www.404media.co/hack-reveals...
@evystadium.bsky.social explains more here: www.404media.co/hack-reveals...
This is a wild hack. a16z gave a million dollars to startup called Doublespeed. They use a phone farm to flood social media with AI generated influencers and ads. A hacker remotely broke into the phone farm, unmasking the AI influencers/fake accounts, gave us the data www.404media.co/hack-reveals...
Hack Reveals the a16z-Backed Phone Farm Flooding TikTok With AI Influencers
A hacker gained control of a 1,100 mobile phone farm powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok.
www.404media.co
December 17, 2025 at 2:35 PM
This is a wild hack. a16z gave a million dollars to startup called Doublespeed. They use a phone farm to flood social media with AI generated influencers and ads. A hacker remotely broke into the phone farm, unmasking the AI influencers/fake accounts, gave us the data www.404media.co/hack-reveals...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
NEW: A Discord community for gay gamers is in disarray after one of its moderators and an executive at Anthropic forced the company’s AI chatbot, Claude, on the Discord, despite protests from members.
Anthropic Exec Forces AI Chatbot on Gay Discord Community, Members Flee
“We’re bringing a new kind of sentience into existence,” Anthropic's Jason Clinton said after launching the bot.
www.404media.co
December 16, 2025 at 3:06 PM
NEW: A Discord community for gay gamers is in disarray after one of its moderators and an executive at Anthropic forced the company’s AI chatbot, Claude, on the Discord, despite protests from members.
This is wild: Jason Clinton is the deputy CISO of Anthropic. Also a mod of a queer gamers Discord. Clinton forced a version of Anthropic's AI on the server, despite the community's wishes, and it's killed the server. AI was reading messages it shouldn't be too
www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
Anthropic Exec Forces AI Chatbot on Gay Discord Community, Members Flee
“We’re bringing a new kind of sentience into existence,” Anthropic's Jason Clinton said after launching the bot.
www.404media.co
December 16, 2025 at 3:02 PM
This is wild: Jason Clinton is the deputy CISO of Anthropic. Also a mod of a queer gamers Discord. Clinton forced a version of Anthropic's AI on the server, despite the community's wishes, and it's killed the server. AI was reading messages it shouldn't be too
www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
www.404media.co/anthropic-ex...
Here's interview with US citizen scanned by ICE's facial recognition tech. Walking home from gym, authorities come over. He says he's a citizen. Put him in car. Only release after scanning his face
“Flagrant violation of rights and incompatible with a free society”
www.404media.co/how-a-us-cit...
“Flagrant violation of rights and incompatible with a free society”
www.404media.co/how-a-us-cit...
How a US Citizen Was Scanned With ICE's Facial Recognition Tech
Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.
www.404media.co
December 15, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Here's interview with US citizen scanned by ICE's facial recognition tech. Walking home from gym, authorities come over. He says he's a citizen. Put him in car. Only release after scanning his face
“Flagrant violation of rights and incompatible with a free society”
www.404media.co/how-a-us-cit...
“Flagrant violation of rights and incompatible with a free society”
www.404media.co/how-a-us-cit...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.
How a US Citizen Was Scanned With ICE's Facial Recognition Tech
Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.
www.404media.co
December 13, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.
New: here's how a U.S. citizen was scanned with ICE's facial recognition tech. Jesus Gutiérrez was stopped in Chicago by agents, he said he was a citizen. Still detained, put in a car. Only after they scanned his face did they let him go. From 404 Media and Reveal: www.404media.co/how-a-us-cit...
How a US Citizen Was Scanned With ICE's Facial Recognition Tech
Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.
www.404media.co
December 13, 2025 at 3:50 PM
New: here's how a U.S. citizen was scanned with ICE's facial recognition tech. Jesus Gutiérrez was stopped in Chicago by agents, he said he was a citizen. Still detained, put in a car. Only after they scanned his face did they let him go. From 404 Media and Reveal: www.404media.co/how-a-us-cit...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
NEW: an activist has been charged for allegedly wiping a Google Pixel phone before CBP could search it. Search was by a secretive CBP Tactical Terrorism Response Team, which ACLU says "interrogate innocent travelers." We uploaded the indictment here: www.404media.co/man-charged-...
Man Charged for Wiping Phone Before CBP Could Search It
The exact circumstances around the search are not known. But activist Samuel Tunick is charged with deleting data from a Google Pixel before CBP’s Tactical Terrorism Response Team could search it.
www.404media.co
December 9, 2025 at 3:25 PM
NEW: an activist has been charged for allegedly wiping a Google Pixel phone before CBP could search it. Search was by a secretive CBP Tactical Terrorism Response Team, which ACLU says "interrogate innocent travelers." We uploaded the indictment here: www.404media.co/man-charged-...
You may have just heard about Anom, the FBI's secret startup for criminals, on an episode of the Search Engine podcast that aired last week. Coincidentally, the book all about that is on sale. DARK WIRE tells that story from the agents and crooks who were there www.amazon.com/Dark-Wire-In...
December 11, 2025 at 8:30 PM
You may have just heard about Anom, the FBI's secret startup for criminals, on an episode of the Search Engine podcast that aired last week. Coincidentally, the book all about that is on sale. DARK WIRE tells that story from the agents and crooks who were there www.amazon.com/Dark-Wire-In...
Disney just invested $1 billion into OpenAI, in other words, a billion in the AI slopification of its brand. Disney princesses have also become one of the most common fictional subjects of AI porn on the internet
www.404media.co/disney-inves...
www.404media.co/disney-inves...
Disney Invests $1 Billion in the AI Slopification of Its Brand
With OpenAI investment, Disney will officially begin putting AI slop into its flagship streaming product.
www.404media.co
December 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Disney just invested $1 billion into OpenAI, in other words, a billion in the AI slopification of its brand. Disney princesses have also become one of the most common fictional subjects of AI porn on the internet
www.404media.co/disney-inves...
www.404media.co/disney-inves...
Google suspended a developer’s accounts after he uploaded AI training data to his GDrive. Unbeknownst to him, the widely used dataset, which is cited in a number of academic papers, contained child sexual abuse material, so Google banned his 14 year old Gmail www.404media.co/a-developer-...
A Developer Accidentally Found CSAM in AI Data. Google Banned Him For It
Mark Russo reported the dataset to all the right organizations, but still couldn't get into his accounts for months.
www.404media.co
December 10, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Google suspended a developer’s accounts after he uploaded AI training data to his GDrive. Unbeknownst to him, the widely used dataset, which is cited in a number of academic papers, contained child sexual abuse material, so Google banned his 14 year old Gmail www.404media.co/a-developer-...
“I hate it,” VanderMeer said in an email. “If I post content, I want to be the one contextualizing it, not some third party. It's especially bad because they're using the most click-bait style of headline generation, which is antithetical to how I try to be on social” www.404media.co/instagram-is...
Instagram Is Generating Inaccurate SEO Bait for Your Posts
Instagram is generating headlines for Instagram posts that appear on Google Search results. Users say they are misrepresenting them.
www.404media.co
December 9, 2025 at 6:55 PM
“I hate it,” VanderMeer said in an email. “If I post content, I want to be the one contextualizing it, not some third party. It's especially bad because they're using the most click-bait style of headline generation, which is antithetical to how I try to be on social” www.404media.co/instagram-is...
Reposted by Joseph Cox
Instagram is creating 2014 Buzzfeed-style SEO headlines for your Instagram posts and guess what? They're often misleading. Thanks to @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social and @mrdang.photos for flagging this to me www.404media.co/instagram-is...
Instagram Is Generating Inaccurate SEO Bait for Your Posts
Instagram is generating headlines for Instagram posts that appear on Google Search results. Users say they are misrepresenting them.
www.404media.co
December 9, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Instagram is creating 2014 Buzzfeed-style SEO headlines for your Instagram posts and guess what? They're often misleading. Thanks to @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social and @mrdang.photos for flagging this to me www.404media.co/instagram-is...