The 404 Media Podcast
Welcome to the podcast from 404 Media where Joseph, Sam, Emanuel, and Jason catch you up on the stories we published this week. 404 Media is a journalist-owned digital media company exploring the way technology is shaping–and is shaped by–our world. We bring you unparalleled access to hidden worlds both online and IRL through investigative reporting, smart blogging, and breaking news. At 404 Media you’ll read, and hear, stories you can’t find anywhere else written by journalists who are leading experts on their beats. Subscribe to 404 Media at 404media.co to gain access to an ad-free version of this podcast, as well as a bonus podcast episodes. Subscribers are the bedrock of building a sustainable business for our journalism.
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- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 45 minutes
- Episodes
- 119
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
Meta Goes Mask Off
We're back! And holy moly what a start to the year. We just published a bunch of stories. First, Jason talks about blowback inside Meta to its new board member, and Meta's subsequent censoring of tho…
00:50:31 |
Wed 08 Jan 2025
The 404 Media Year in Review
Here's a special year in review episode! We riff on the last year in AI, media, journalism, and more. We'll be back with a normal news show in the new year!
YouTube version: https://youtu.be/t5RuHgk…
01:04:24 |
Tue 31 Dec 2024
Why We Cover AI the Way We Do
This is a re-upload that was previously only for paying subscribers! It gives a lot more context on the how and why we cover AI they way we do. Subscribe at 404media.co for more bonus content like th…
01:03:35 |
Wed 25 Dec 2024
The New Jersey Drone Panic
This week Jason, as both a drones and aliens reporter, tells us what is most likely happening with the mysterious drones flying over New Jersey. After the break, Joseph explains how cops in Serbia ar…
00:42:18 |
Wed 18 Dec 2024
3D Printed Guns and UnitedHealthcare
This week we start with Joseph's story about how the weapon found on the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO murderer was a particular 3D printed design. Then Jason tells us what he found about the alleged …
00:59:43 |
Wed 11 Dec 2024
Your Bluesky Posts Are Probably Training AI
We start this week with Sam's stories about multiple people building big datasets of Bluesky users' posts. People are not happy! After the break, Jason talks all about reverse-engineering Redbox mach…
00:43:39 |
Wed 04 Dec 2024
Pokémon Go to The Military Industrial Complex
This week we start with Emanuel's couple of stories about Niantic, the company that makes Pokémon Go, and its plan to build an AI model based on data collected by its users. After the break, Jason an…
00:51:01 |
Wed 27 Nov 2024
Buzzfeed's AI Ads Are a Disaster
We start this week with Emanuel's story on how AI-powered ads on Buzzfeed are recommending people buy things like a hat worn by a person who died by suicide. After the break, Joseph talks about an un…
00:46:03 |
Wed 20 Nov 2024
How AI Is Being Used by Hackers and Criminals (Sponsored)
This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. Friend of 404 Media Matthew Gault talks to Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, about the ways scammers and criminals are using AI, and how it's changing …
00:30:34 |
Fri 15 Nov 2024
How Apple is Locking Out Cops
This week Joseph starts with his scoop on how Apple quietly introduced code that reboots iPhones, locking out cops. After the break, we all talk about the big Blue Sky migration. In the subscribers-o…
00:48:19 |
Wed 13 Nov 2024
The Plan to Use AI to Purge Voter Rolls
On Election Day in the U.S. Jason tells us about EagleAI, a piece of software that could be used to purge voter rolls in the country. After the break, Sam breaks down Microsoft's mistake around gende…
00:46:01 |
Wed 06 Nov 2024
An Elon Musk-Funded PAC Is Running a Democrat Impersonation Campaign
An Elon Musk-funded super PAC has expanded an advertising campaign in which it is impersonating Democrats and targeting registered Republicans with policies unpopular with conservatives they say Kama…
00:50:13 |
Wed 30 Oct 2024
How Politician Turned Advocate Susanna Gibson Battles Non-Consensual Imagery
In this special interview episode of the 404 Media podcast, I talked to Susanna Gibson, a nurse practitioner who ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2023 and is now a victim advocate…
01:02:59 |
Fri 25 Oct 2024
How the U.S. Government Tracks Your Phone
This week we start with a massive story about location data. Privacy advocates gained access to a tool bought by multiple U.S. agencies called Locate X, which tracks smartphones around the world. We …
00:55:03 |
Wed 23 Oct 2024
Why the WordPress Chaos Matters
We start this week's episode with the ongoing (and pretty confusing!) conflict between Wordpress.com and WP Engine. It might sound like drama, but it actually could have ramifications for the wider w…
00:44:21 |
Wed 16 Oct 2024
The Smart Glasses That Dox Strangers
This week we start with Joseph's piece about a couple of Harvard students who cobbled together a pair of Meta's smart glasses that automatically dox people just by looking at them. After break, Sam a…
00:45:39 |
Wed 09 Oct 2024
One Year Anniversary Subscriber Bonanza
This is a trailer for the subscribers-only podcast for 404 Media's one year anniversary! We go long on the business, subscriber numbers, what people value, how to get our articles in front of people,…
00:06:40 |
Fri 04 Oct 2024
AI Companies Are Opting You In By Default
Over the past two weeks we've had a ton of stories where AI and other companies have opted users into data collection and processing by default. What the hell is going on??? They're all doing it at o…
00:40:47 |
Wed 02 Oct 2024
Telegram is Working With the Cops
We have two related stories this week. First, Joseph, Emanuel, and Sam break down their experiences with Telegram, and the social network's massive policy shift. The company says it will now process …
00:46:35 |
Wed 25 Sep 2024
Hezbollah's Exploding Pagers
We chime in on the developing story coming out of Lebanon about a wave of exploding pagers. Jason has some unusual expertise that is pretty relevant here. After the break, Jason breaks down why Larry…
00:44:23 |
Wed 18 Sep 2024
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