Scientists have predicted that human linguistic diversity flourished between 3,000 and 1,000 years ago, before declining with the rise of multinational states and colonial expansion.

This week, we discuss astrology, Flock on the brain, The Odyssey, and more.

A judge in Indiana warns a court reporter than it's their job to proofread their work, after catching errors likely made by AI transcription services.

Flock's CEO Garrett Langley says people don't understand the capabilities of its ALPR system, but they do.

In an internal email shared with creators, CEO Jack Conte wrote that AI doesn’t replace human creativity — but it does affect how the company operates.

Instagram influencers are creating fake cease-and-desist letters, making themselves go viral and muddying the waters about mass surveillance.

From phone location data, to social media monitoring, to online undercover tools, a document obtained by 404 Media lays out the surveillance tech available across ICE agency wide.

A team captured first-of-its-kind footage of orcas holding a sunfish carcass still and ramming it so hard that it burst into fragments, which may be a form of social play. “We could hear the sound,” said one researcher.

Join us for our latest FOIA Forum where we teach you how to pry records from the government.

My small town in South Carolina will soon have more Flock cameras than police officers.

"For the time being, if you or someone on your crew has availability to secure black plastic bags (or something else) over the cameras, that would be great."

How cops are using Flock to look for specific people; the company buying mountains of books for AI companies; and the big Suno hack.

Here's how your personal address travels from your credit card provider, through middlemen companies, and ends up with ICE.

Do you have to show ID to get unlimited pasta at Olive Garden? Yes. Is this the same as secure voting? Definitely not. 

For a year, Apple knew that an issue in its Hide My Email feature was exposing customers’ real email addresses. Apple only fixed the issue after 404 Media covered it.

ISBNdb, a company that sources printed books for AI companies to turn into training data, tells clients “the optics problem is real.”

Cops and drone companies seem increasingly eager to put weapons on their drones.

The mummified remains of 4,000-year-old Egyptian royals suggest that they were buried with weapons because they could use them, not for symbolic reasons.

We're celebrating with TWO NIGHTS of good times: A live taping of the podcast, and a party the following night! Paid 404 Media subscribers get free and discounted access. Details below.

This week, we discuss AI music, slop bowls, and the endless quest for optimization.

A new procurement record says ICE wants access to personal data, including names, Social Security numbers, and ethnicity, to investigate in part what the agency calls “voters fraud.” It also plans to use the data to investigate immigration fraud.

For the first time, scientists found that a rocky planet in the habitable zone of its star has an atmosphere. It’s the best place to look for alien biosignatures, scientists say.

Cops have used Flock's FreeForm search feature to look for people with tattoos and wearing specific sport shirts, and searches sometimes include the target's race, according to data reviewed by 404 Media.

ChatGPT flyers are everywhere; how Waymo drove some kids to the cops; and a $3,000 suit that electrocutes your muscles.

Hacked source code reveals how Suno scraped decades worth of music and podcasts from the internet to train its AI tool.

Remap Radio’s Rob Zacny and Emanuel dive deep into their current favorite game, Marathon, and what its middling success says about the future of games.

Vibecoding has made it possible to create a cheap rip off of a video game in just a few hours.

This week we’re joined by Dr. Angela Jones, who asks these questions and much more in their new book, Sex in Public.

The Los Angeles Police Department let its Flock contract expire over the weekend in part because it was regularly "investigating" and surveilling innocent people.

Celebrities like George Clooney have praised the expensive Katalyst suit. For me, it derailed my other exercises and made me reassess my obsession with fitness and efficiency.