Samantha Cole

Samantha Cole

Sam Cole is writing from the far reaches of the internet, about sexuality, the adult industry, online culture, and AI. She's the author of How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex.
169 posts
Behind the Blog: The Tasks In Front of Us
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: The Tasks In Front of Us

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss crushing and publishing stories and what goes into reporting on a leak.
Cops Used Facial Recognition on Lost iPhone Lock Screen to Find Post Office Robbers

Cops Used Facial Recognition on Lost iPhone Lock Screen to Find Post Office Robbers

Two men face felony charges after allegedly losing an iPhone in the snow after a break-in at a post office.
Leaked Documents Show Nvidia Scraping ‘A Human Lifetime’ of Videos Per Day to Train AI
AI

Leaked Documents Show Nvidia Scraping ‘A Human Lifetime’ of Videos Per Day to Train AI

Internal emails, Slack conversations and documents obtained by 404 Media show how Nvidia created a yet-to-be-released video foundational model.
Behind the Blog: Olympic Posting and Reddit Gone Wild
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Olympic Posting and Reddit Gone Wild

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss Olympics posting, Reddit wildness, and "hacktivism."
Scammer Allegedly Makes $600,000 a Month Holding Instagram Accounts Hostage
Instagram

Scammer Allegedly Makes $600,000 a Month Holding Instagram Accounts Hostage

The case of Unlocked4Life, who outed himself on Adam-22's No Jumper podcast, shows how Instagram account scammers have escalated to violence and intimidation too.
Behind the Blog: Winning Awards and Cranky Babies
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Winning Awards and Cranky Babies

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss winning awards, sim swapping dumpster fires, and push notifications for infants.
AI Video Generator Runway Trained on Thousands of YouTube Videos Without Permission
AI

AI Video Generator Runway Trained on Thousands of YouTube Videos Without Permission

A leaked document obtained by 404 Media shows company-wide effort collected thousands of YouTube videos and pirated content for training data.
An Astronomy Technique Could Detect Deepfakes Through People’s Eyes
Deepfakes

An Astronomy Technique Could Detect Deepfakes Through People’s Eyes

Looking at the light reflections of eyes could be a clue to detecting AI-generated impersonations.
Behind the Blog: Blue Screens of Death
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Blue Screens of Death

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss election coverage, blue screens, and audio engineering.
I Tried to Vape the Internet
technology

I Tried to Vape the Internet

After a vape with a screen showing Twitter and Facebook icons on it went viral, I ordered the “Swype Vape 30K Puffs Touch Screen Disposable" to see if I could inhale some social media myself.
You're Invited: 404 Media's First Anniversary Party
events

You're Invited: 404 Media's First Anniversary Party

We're throwing a party and you're invited!
Dunking on J.D. Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Is ‘Unusual Behavior,’ Goodreads Says
reviews

Dunking on J.D. Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Is ‘Unusual Behavior,’ Goodreads Says

Goodreads attempts to protect Vance's "poverty porn" memoir from review-bombing, now that he's the vice presidential candidate.