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josephcox.bsky.social
Joseph Cox
@josephcox.bsky.social
68K followers 720 following 1.4K posts
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: [email protected]
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josephcox.bsky.social
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...
josephcox.bsky.social
Our new FOIA Forum is next week, Weds 19th! In this hour+ live-streamed event, we'll show you how researchers got Flock "network audits," which show what cops are tapping into Flock's nationwide network of AI surveillance cameras for, including helping ICE

Details: www.404media.co/our-new-foia...
Our New FOIA Forum! 11/19, 1PM ET
Come learn how researchers and others learned what cops were using Flock's nationwide network of cameras for, including searches for ICE.
www.404media.co
November 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
New from 404 Media: a small town is fighting a $1.2 billion AI datacenter for America's nuclear weapon scientists. It is fighting the construction of a "high-performance computing facility" that would service a nuclear weapons laboratory 1,500 miles away.

www.404media.co/a-small-town...
A Small Town Is Fighting a $1.2 Billion AI Datacenter for America's Nuclear Weapon Scientists
Ypsilanti, Michigan has officially decided to fight against the construction of a 'high-performance computing facility' that would service a nuclear weapons laboratory 1,500 miles away.
www.404media.co
November 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
404media.co
Trump wants to erase any "negative" content from educational sites at National Parks.

This week, @samleecole.bsky.social speaks to a group of data preservationists behind "Save Our Signs" who want to save the real history of parks before the administration erases it.
Volunteers Archived 10,000 Signs from National Parks (with Jenny McBurney and Lynda Kellam)
YouTube video by 404 Media
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:15 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
DHS has built a facial recognition app for local cops to scan peoples' faces in an attempt to find immigrants. Says whether to detain the person or not www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...
November 10, 2025 at 2:16 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Here's our interview with the creators of Save Our Signs, a project to archive signs and placards from national parks as the Trump administration attempts to rewrite history by having many removed.

YouTube here, subscribe for an interview like this every week: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrCE...
Volunteers Archived 10,000 Signs from National Parks (with Jenny McBurney and Lynda Kellam)
YouTube video by 404 Media
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:09 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
OpenAI's Sora 2 is flooding social media with videos of women being strangled. Yet another example of generative AI companies failing to prevent users from creating media that violates their own policies against violent content.

www.404media.co/openais-sora...
OpenAI’s Sora 2 Floods Social Media With Videos of Women Being Strangled
X and TikTok accounts are dedicated to posting AI-generated videos of women being strangled.
www.404media.co
November 7, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social
today in yikes www.404media.co/openais-sora...
OpenAI’s Sora 2 Floods Social Media With Videos of Women Being Strangled
X and TikTok accounts are dedicated to posting AI-generated videos of women being strangled.
www.404media.co
November 7, 2025 at 3:37 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Today is last chance to get 20% off the paperback of my true crime book DARK WIRE, about how the FBI secretly ran a tech company for criminals to wiretap the world.

In a couple hours 404 Media subs will get the discount emailed to them. Buy here: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josep...
November 7, 2025 at 2:47 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Librarians told 404 Media they are being inundated with new pitches for AI library tech and catalogs are being flooded with AI slop books that they need to wade through. AI maximalism across society is supercharging the ideological war on libraries, schools, academics
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
jasonkoebler.bsky.social
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:

www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
The FBI is trying to unmask the owner of infamous archiving site Archive.is, according to a subpoena the site posted. No other information given, the site quietly posted the document a few days ago. FBI telling domain registrar to hand over all sorts of ID'ing info
www.404media.co/fbi-tries-to...
FBI Tries to Unmask Owner of Infamous Archive.is Site
The FBI has subpoenaed the domain registrar of archive.today, demanding information about the owner.
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 3:16 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
This week on the 404 Media Podcast we talk all about the $60 mod people are buying to disable the privacy-protecting recording light on Meta's Ray-Ban AI glasses. Light is supposed to warn others you're recording. Now, possibly to film without anyone knowing

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAmh...
A $60 Mod to Meta’s Ray-Bans Disables Its Privacy-Protecting Recording Light
YouTube video by 404 Media
www.youtube.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
eff.org
“Putting a powerful surveillance tool like this in the hands of state & local law enforcement officials around the country will only further erode peoples’ Fourth Amendment rights, for citizens & non-citizens alike,” EFF’s @cooperq.com told @404Media.co.
www.404media.co/cbp-quietly...
CBP Quietly Launches Face Scanning App for Local Cops To Do Immigration Enforcement
The app, called Mobile Identify and available on the Google Play Store, is specifically for local and regional law enforcement agencies working with ICE on immigration enforcement.
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
jasonkoebler.bsky.social
Going to go ship a bunch of merch orders right now. Orders placed in the next ~hour will go out today. We have a bunch of new designs! And old favs!

404media.myshopify.com?srsltid=AfmB...
November 5, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
samleecole.bsky.social
is a hot dog a sandwich? is cereal soup? is ravioli, dumplings? are glasses iphones????
November 5, 2025 at 3:44 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
In less than a week (Nov 11) the paperback of DARK WIRE goes on sale. Updated epilogue with more details. The true story of how the FBI secretly ran a tech company to wiretap the world. 404 Media readers have a 20% discount code in email or on our podcast www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josep...
"A tense, deep, beautifully told tale that could be a top-notch technothriller... except it's all true." -- Cory Doctorow "This extraordinary story highlights the devious lengths to which law enforcement agencies will go to ensnare criminals." -- Financial Times
November 5, 2025 at 3:54 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Essentially every time we write about abuse of Meta's Ray-Ban AI glasses, Meta tries to convince us the glasses are no different from an iPhone. Here's a helpful guide for Meta PR about the difference between AI glasses and phones 😊

www.404media.co/whats-the-di...
What’s the Difference Between AI Glasses and an iPhone? A Helpful Guide for Meta PR
Meta thinks its camera glasses, which are often used for harassment, are no different than any other camera.
www.404media.co
November 5, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social
Meta PR has been challenging us to philosophical debates about the difference between its AI glasses harassment machine and an iPhone, this is my answer www.404media.co/whats-the-di...
What’s the Difference Between AI Glasses and an iPhone? A Helpful Guide for Meta PR
Meta thinks its camera glasses, which are often used for harassment, are no different than any other camera.
www.404media.co
November 5, 2025 at 3:36 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
The 404 Media Podcast is up! This week
- the $60 mod that disables the privacy-protecting light in Meta Ray-Ban smartglasses
- how people are harassing others with the glasses
- subscribers: the future of AI powered advertising

Apple/Spotify/YouTube: www.404media.co/podcast-peop...
Podcast: People Are Modding Meta Ray-Bans to Spy On You
We talk all about our articles on Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, and AI-generated ads personalized just for you.
www.404media.co
November 5, 2025 at 2:17 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
We've found DHS is giving local cops a new facial recognition app to find immigrants. Point camera at face, tells the cop to detain person or not. The app is available on Google's Play Store. Google took down apps that report ICE sightings but now hosts this app

www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...
DHS Gives Local Cops a Facial Recognition App To Find Immigrants
The app, called Mobile Identify and available on the Google Play Store, is specifically for local and regional law enforcement agencies working with ICE on immigration enforcement.
www.404media.co
November 5, 2025 at 2:07 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
ICE is setting up a national call center to handle thousands of calls a day, focused on finding children. This is for 287(g) agencies, those hundreds of local police departments etc around the country that explicitly work with ICE to detain people. 287(g) next phase of mass deportation
DHS ICE has an immediate need to establish and maintain a 287(g) National Call Center (NCC) using data-enabled technology to receive and process 6,000 to 7,000 calls per day for the purpose of supporting 287(g) partner encounters in the field, integrating and leveraging 287(g) resources focused on locating Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC), and integrating 287(g) resources along with technology to reduce the Non-Detained Docket backlog. The 287(g) NCC will be a physical location where all plant, labor, equipment, and services will be provided by an industry partner; federal employee presence will be minimal and limited to tasks that are inherently governmental or require Title 8 authority. 287(g) National Call Center (NCC) Construct The NCC is planned to be located in the greater Nashville, TN metro area and would require on-site full-time industry partner staff. The primary function of the NCC is to receive electronic and telephonic inquiries from 287(g) partners in the field, analyze data, perform database cross-checks, and confirm enforcement actions in the field. The NCC will be organized around three eight-hour shifts and a seven-day work week. Other functions residing at the NCC will require a 40-hour-per-week cycle. Key NCC Sub-Functions 287(g) Partner Support Call Center Cell  Maintain 24/7/365 operations to support receiving telephonic as well as electronic calls from 287(g) partners.  Qualifying information received and providing confirmation for appropriate enforcement actions  Coordinate with other NCC Cells and local law enforcement to integrate 287(g) resources enhanced efficacy. Integration and Location Cell - Unaccompanied Children  Provide 287(g) partners and Field Offices with UAC targeting focus and material.  Track 287(g) partner UAC location results and reporting.  Liaison with Juvenile and Family Management Division. Integration and Automation Cell – Non-Detained Docket Reduction  Develop implementation strategy for using 287(g) resources to Reduce the Non-Detained Docket size.  Provide 287(g) partners and Field Offices with Non-Detained Docket Reduction targeting focus and material.  Track 287(g) partner non-Detained Docket Reduction results and reporting.  Liaison with Non-Detained HQ Division.  Apply technology to reduce the Non-Detained Docket.
November 5, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
oaklandprivacy.bsky.social
CBP has quietly launched a face-scanning app for local police to use in immigration enforcement.

www.404media.co/cbp-...

#immigration #surveillance #privacy #civilrights #facialrecognition
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CBP Quietly Launches Face Scanning App for Local Cops To Do Immigration Enforcement
The app, called Mobile Identify and available on the Google Play Store, is specifically for local and regional law enforcement agencies working with ICE on immigration enforcement.
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
404media.co
SCOOP: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has publicly released an app that Sheriff Offices, police departments, and other local or regional law enforcement can use to scan someone’s face as part of immigration enforcement, 404 Media has learned.
CBP Quietly Launches Face Scanning App for Local Cops To Do Immigration Enforcement
The app, called Mobile Identify and available on the Google Play Store, is specifically for local and regional law enforcement agencies working with ICE on immigration enforcement.
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 5:44 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
New from 404 Media: CBP has quietly launched a facial recognition app for local cops to do immigration enforcement. Scans their face, tells cops whether to contact ICE about this person or not. A truly rapid expansion of ICE's facial recognition app to local cops
www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...
CBP Quietly Launches Face Scanning App for Local Cops To Do Immigration Enforcement
The app, called Mobile Identify and available on the Google Play Store, is specifically for local and regional law enforcement agencies working with ICE on immigration enforcement.
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Reposted by Joseph Cox
404media.co
When you book a flight through major travel sites, a data broker owned by U.S. airlines will sell details about your flight—your name, credit card used, and where you’re flying to the government.

We found out how to opt-out of ARC selling your travel data. A guide:
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
How to Opt-Out of Airlines Selling Your Travel Data to the Government
The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), owned by major U.S. airlines, collects billions of ticketing records and sells them to the government to be searched without a warrant. I managed to opt-out…
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 2:48 PM