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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
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
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
Google has updated the Play Store page for the Mobile Identify app, saying Google has verified it is affiliated a government entity. This is the app DHS is giving to local police departments around the country to identify immigrants with just a photo of their face

www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...
November 5, 2025 at 5:37 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
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
josephcox.bsky.social
The Play Store page doesn't mention facial recognition. But that's what it does. As well as source I looked at the code: clear references to face scanning, etc www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...
November 4, 2025 at 6:09 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
The app is specifically for agencies in the 287(g) program. This gives local law enforcement (Sheriff Offices, police departments) certain immigration enforcement powers. ACLU has criticized the program for including agencies that support inhumane treatment www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...
The 287 TFM app is designed to support local law enforcement officers in their duties under a specific federal partnership. This app facilitates functions authorized by Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This provision of federal law allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to delegate specific immigration enforcement authorities to state and local law enforcement agencies. Through a formal agreement, or Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), with DHS, participating agencies like your Sheriff's Department can have designated officers who are trained, certified, and authorized to perform certain immigration enforcement functions, helping to identify and process individuals who may be in the country unlawfully. This tool is built to streamline those responsibilities securely and efficiently, directly in the field.
November 4, 2025 at 6:00 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Here's an example of what the app looks like. A source with knowledge of the app said it doesn't return names. Instead it tells users to contact ICE and provides a reference number, or to not detain the person depending on the result.

www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...
November 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Here is the app, called Mobile Identify (a variation on Mobile Fortify, which is the app CBP made for ICE we revealed). It's publicly available on the Google Play Store. It's specifically for local cops part of 287(g), the program for helping ICE detain immigrants www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...
November 4, 2025 at 5:52 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
New from 404 Media: logins for Flock, the company behind the nationwide AI-camera network, are included in malware infections. Includes government and police accounts, meaning hackers could potentially break in. Senator Wyden asking FTC to investigate Flock

www.404media.co/flock-logins...
November 3, 2025 at 5:02 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
You can see the document for yourself here: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

We don't paywall articles based on public records like this. And we try to publish as many records as we can, like here. You can support 404 Media by becoming a paid subscriber here: 404media.co/membership/
October 31, 2025 at 2:41 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
I think this may be the first time a component of DHS has confirmed it is using Mobile Fortify too. Main DHS declined to comment. So I went to CBP instead. CBP confirmed www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to comment on ICE’s use of facial recognition technology, with its statement saying “DHS is not going to confirm or deny law enforcement capabilities or methods.” CBP, meanwhile, confirmed it is using Mobile Fortify. “CBP relies on a variety of technological capabilities that enhance the effectiveness of agents on the ground. This is one of many tools we are using as we enforce the laws of our nation,” a CBP spokesperson said in an email.
October 29, 2025 at 9:19 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
ICE and CPB agents are scanning peoples' faces on the street to verify citizenship. ICE says the result of this app can override a birth certificate too www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
October 29, 2025 at 3:41 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
New incredible detail here: ICE says a match in its facial recognition app Mobile Fortify is a "definitive" determination of a person's status, and that this overrides birth certificates. This is an app ICE is using in the field to scan people

www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
Ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee Bennie G. Thompson said in a statement “Mobile Fortify is a dangerous tool in the hands of ICE, and it puts American citizens at risk of detention and even deportation.” He also said “ICE officials have told us that an apparent biometric match by Mobile Fortify is a ‘definitive’ determination of a person’s status and that an ICE officer may ignore evidence of American citizenship—including a birth certificate—if the app says the person is an alien. ICE using a mobile biometrics app in ways its developers at CBP never intended or tested is a frightening, repugnant, and unconstitutional attack on Americans’ rights and freedoms.”
October 29, 2025 at 3:03 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
"One of the best true crime thrillers I've read in years"

"A jaw-dropping page turner"

In a few days my book DARK WIRE will release in paperback. Updated epilogue with all new details. 404 Media subs have a discount code in their email.

Get yours here: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josep...
"One of the best true crime thrillers I've read in years. With its tremendously flawed and persistent characters and crazy plot, it felt instantly like a television show." - Bradley Hope "A jaw-dropping page turner that truly terrified me. The story of how the FBI subverted an encrypted messaging program should send chills down the spine of anyone who cares about privacy and a free society." - Julia Angwin.
October 27, 2025 at 1:41 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
a $60 mod to Meta's Ray-Ban AI glasses mean you can never really be sure if someone wearing them is filming you or not www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
October 23, 2025 at 2:05 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Here is the mod in action. We paid for a pair and of glasses and for the hobbyist to mod the glasses. Shows that the light is disabled, and yet taking photos/recording still works www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
October 23, 2025 at 1:56 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE), the long running hacking conference, announce the passing of Greg Newby, one of the main organizers of the conference
Friends, We write today with some very sad news. Our dear friend and one of the main organizers of the HOPE conferences, Greg Newby, has passed away after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Greg had been involved with HOPE since 2000 and helped make the conference grow and get past some phenomenal challenges. He also was an everpresent figure at the events, often serving as stage manager while decked out in anything from a zoot suit to a graduation gown. He was the one who found our new location at St. John's University, right when it seemed like there was no way we could continue after the closure of the Hotel Pennsylvania. He designed 2600's digital delivery system and helped find a way around Amazon's domination of material for Kindles and other readers. In short, Greg never shied away from a challenge - and he never gave up. In addition, Greg was an expert in supercomputing who was in demand all over the world, from Canada to Saudi Arabia to all parts of the United States. We were far from the only ones who recognized his genius. He also devoted a great deal of time to the development of Project Gutenberg, the world's oldest digital library. And, of course, he had a particular passion for raising and training sled dogs in the far north. There are so many amazing people in our community. Greg was truly one of them and we are honored to have been a part of his world, albeit for far too brief a time. His loved ones request that donations to Project Gutenberg be made in Greg's honor. We will never forget him. In sadness, The HOPE Staff
October 22, 2025 at 7:58 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
OpenAI is finally admitting what we've been saying but they didn't want to do: AI growth is in AI sex bots. They're finally doing it.

More: www.404media.co/podcast-hack...
October 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
A lot of agencies in this data: NSA, DIA, FTC, FAA, CDC, ATF, Air Force, FDA, HHS, and the State Department. Member said it's from their breaches of Salesforce customers

www.404media.co/hackers-say-...
They sent 404 Media personal data related to DIA, FTC, FAA, CDC, ATF and Air Force members. They also sent personal information on officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the State Department. 404 Media verified parts of the data by comparing them to previously breached data collected by cybersecurity company District 4 Labs. It showed that many parts of the private information did relate to government officials with the same name, agency, and phone number.
October 20, 2025 at 3:33 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
I wrote about using breached data to confirm the dox of DHS, ICE, FBI, DOJ officials that hackers posted www.404media.co/behind-the-b...
Now some may think, oh, so you report on companies selling hacked or breached data to governments for law enforcement investigations, or to debt collectors. How is this any different? In my opinion it comes down to use case and control of the data (who, exactly, can access it and why). Frankly, I think a journalist surfacing information in the public interest is a more worthwhile use case for this or similar data than skip tracers trying to chase someone down for a debt, given how I’ve seen how predatory that industry can be through my reporting into it. Journalism comes with various ethical norms that journalists, I hope, follow when using this sort of data. No looking up love interests or anything like that, or using it for personal gain, for example. But having just anyone, or even just any journalist, access a tool or database like this could be bad, obviously. District 4 Labs knows who I am, knows the sort of public interest material I publish, and so reached out to offer access to the tool.
October 17, 2025 at 4:07 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
ICE had access to a nationwide network of AI-enabled surveillance cameras that constantly track vehicles', and by extension peoples, movements without a warrant www.404media.co/ice-secret-s...
October 16, 2025 at 3:55 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
Senator Wyden says local officials can best protect their constituents from Flock abuses by removing the cameras entirely www.404media.co/ice-secret-s...
“I now believe that abuses of your product are not only likely but inevitable, and that Flock is unable and uninterested in preventing them,” Senator Wyden’s letter, addressed to Flock CEO Garrett Langley, reads. “Cities around the country, including in Oregon, are currently reevaluating their decision to install Flock cameras. I commend and support this reexamination. In my view, local elected officials can best protect their constituents from the inevitable abuses of Flock cameras by removing Flock from their communities.”
October 16, 2025 at 1:56 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
They're animating the law enforcement seizure notices now. This was just uploaded to the Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters site that was threatening to dump Salesforce customer data. The dark web version remains online.
October 9, 2025 at 10:41 PM
josephcox.bsky.social
the discord hack is every user's worst nightmare www.404media.co/the-discord-...
October 9, 2025 at 5:09 PM