Sam Cole
@samleecole.bsky.social
journalist / co-founder @404media.co
signal: sam.404 (sensitive comms)
[email protected] (everything else)
complain about the paywall catch a block
signal: sam.404 (sensitive comms)
[email protected] (everything else)
complain about the paywall catch a block
Pinned
Sam Cole
@samleecole.bsky.social
· Aug 22
404 Media at Two Years: How We've Grown, and What's Next
We're reflecting on the impact our journalism had in year two, how we've grown with your support, and what we aspire to accomplish in year three.
www.404media.co
it's been two wild years, and we can't wait to keep rocking into year three www.404media.co/two-years-40...
Reposted by Sam Cole
in random news…
@evystadium.bsky.social has more. full story by @mjgault.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/theres-a-loo...
@evystadium.bsky.social has more. full story by @mjgault.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/theres-a-loo...
January 16, 2026 at 9:05 PM
in random news…
@evystadium.bsky.social has more. full story by @mjgault.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/theres-a-loo...
@evystadium.bsky.social has more. full story by @mjgault.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/theres-a-loo...
Reposted by Sam Cole
the Pentagon has confirmed that the Lucky Box vending machine lingers still, ready to offer a gem mint Charizard to whoever is bold enough to claim it
There’s a Lootbox With Rare Pokémon Cards Sitting in the Pentagon Food Court
Frowned upon in video games, loot boxes are back in real life–and one’s in the Pentagon.
www.404media.co
January 15, 2026 at 7:12 PM
the Pentagon has confirmed that the Lucky Box vending machine lingers still, ready to offer a gem mint Charizard to whoever is bold enough to claim it
apparently there's not a fursuit maker left on the planet willing to take a custom commission from this administration. comrades I see your resistance www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-mar-a...
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Hosts Deranged ‘Furry’ Marie Antoinette Party
Some commentators compared the dog-friendly fundraiser to unsettling scenes in ‘Eyes Wide Shut.’
www.thedailybeast.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:28 PM
apparently there's not a fursuit maker left on the planet willing to take a custom commission from this administration. comrades I see your resistance www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-mar-a...
“When combined with what we know from ICE testimony and other public information, it gives us a blueprint into how ICE is going into communities and identifying people for arrest in real-time.” www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid
Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activit...
www.404media.co
January 15, 2026 at 2:15 PM
“When combined with what we know from ICE testimony and other public information, it gives us a blueprint into how ICE is going into communities and identifying people for arrest in real-time.” www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
Reposted by Sam Cole
This piece is based on leaked ICE material, sworn testimony from an ICE official we obtained, and public procurement records. ELITE's full name is "Enhanced Leads Identification & Targeting for Enforcement". Specifically for finding communities and people to target www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
January 15, 2026 at 2:11 PM
This piece is based on leaked ICE material, sworn testimony from an ICE official we obtained, and public procurement records. ELITE's full name is "Enhanced Leads Identification & Targeting for Enforcement". Specifically for finding communities and people to target www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
Reposted by Sam Cole
“I’ll never get rid of my dashcam now though. I feel like it adds another layer of safety.”
How One Guy Crowdsourced More Than 500 Dashcams for Minneapolis to Film ICE
‘We have to make sure people are watching. We have to make sure we’re keeping track of our community members.’
www.404media.co
January 14, 2026 at 4:31 PM
“I’ll never get rid of my dashcam now though. I feel like it adds another layer of safety.”
Reposted by Sam Cole
New: I got body camera footage from a case in which a cop used Flock to wrongfully accuse an innocent woman of stealing a package: "Nothing gets in or out of the town without us knowing about it"
www.404media.co/cop-used-flo...
www.404media.co/cop-used-flo...
Cop Used Flock to Wrongfully Accuse a Woman Then Refused to Look at Evidence That Exonerated Her, Body Camera Shows
"Nothing gets in or out of the town without us knowing about it," the cop told her.
www.404media.co
January 14, 2026 at 3:40 PM
New: I got body camera footage from a case in which a cop used Flock to wrongfully accuse an innocent woman of stealing a package: "Nothing gets in or out of the town without us knowing about it"
www.404media.co/cop-used-flo...
www.404media.co/cop-used-flo...
Reposted by Sam Cole
Here is our breakdown of Webloc, the phone surveillance tool ICE has bought which lets the agency track phones in entire neighborhoods. See phones it has data on in an area, follow them home or to work, see the exact route they took www.youtube.com/watch?v=rurJ...
The ICE Tool That Tracks Entire Neighborhoods
YouTube video by 404 Media
www.youtube.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Here is our breakdown of Webloc, the phone surveillance tool ICE has bought which lets the agency track phones in entire neighborhoods. See phones it has data on in an area, follow them home or to work, see the exact route they took www.youtube.com/watch?v=rurJ...
Reposted by Sam Cole
New: Police have released info about millions of surveillance targets nationwide from thousands of different police departments because of a public records redaction error in Flock data. Reveals active police investigations, border patrol & ICE targets, lots more:
www.404media.co/police-unmas...
www.404media.co/police-unmas...
Police Unmask Millions of Surveillance Targets Because of Flock Redaction Error
Flock is going after a website called HaveIBeenFlocked.com that has collated public records files released by police.
www.404media.co
January 13, 2026 at 3:46 PM
New: Police have released info about millions of surveillance targets nationwide from thousands of different police departments because of a public records redaction error in Flock data. Reveals active police investigations, border patrol & ICE targets, lots more:
www.404media.co/police-unmas...
www.404media.co/police-unmas...
Reposted by Sam Cole
After years of trying to push subscriptions with meaningless verifications and making X so toxic it bleeds users by the millions, Elon Musk might have found a way: by monetizing abuse at the source. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.
@samleecole.bsky.social story: www.404media.co/x-premium-gr...
@samleecole.bsky.social story: www.404media.co/x-premium-gr...
January 9, 2026 at 4:58 PM
After years of trying to push subscriptions with meaningless verifications and making X so toxic it bleeds users by the millions, Elon Musk might have found a way: by monetizing abuse at the source. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.
@samleecole.bsky.social story: www.404media.co/x-premium-gr...
@samleecole.bsky.social story: www.404media.co/x-premium-gr...
Reposted by Sam Cole
Infuriating.
Can sex negative feminists and even the most puritan women finally join forces with sex workers against digital abuse?
We have been telling you where things lead to and here we are
Techbros making money out of deepfakes of YOU while YOU can not post your body even if you wanted to
Can sex negative feminists and even the most puritan women finally join forces with sex workers against digital abuse?
We have been telling you where things lead to and here we are
Techbros making money out of deepfakes of YOU while YOU can not post your body even if you wanted to
sir, this will surely stop your company from bleeding cash and users. clutch move, sir www.404media.co/x-premium-gr...
Masterful Gambit: Musk Attempts to Monetize Grok's Wave of Sexual Abuse Imagery
In an attempt to push more people toward a paying subscription, Grok now refuses to generate images in replies. The paywall is pretty leaky, though.
www.404media.co
January 9, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Infuriating.
Can sex negative feminists and even the most puritan women finally join forces with sex workers against digital abuse?
We have been telling you where things lead to and here we are
Techbros making money out of deepfakes of YOU while YOU can not post your body even if you wanted to
Can sex negative feminists and even the most puritan women finally join forces with sex workers against digital abuse?
We have been telling you where things lead to and here we are
Techbros making money out of deepfakes of YOU while YOU can not post your body even if you wanted to
sir, this will surely stop your company from bleeding cash and users. clutch move, sir www.404media.co/x-premium-gr...
Masterful Gambit: Musk Attempts to Monetize Grok's Wave of Sexual Abuse Imagery
In an attempt to push more people toward a paying subscription, Grok now refuses to generate images in replies. The paywall is pretty leaky, though.
www.404media.co
January 9, 2026 at 3:22 PM
sir, this will surely stop your company from bleeding cash and users. clutch move, sir www.404media.co/x-premium-gr...
putting it behind a paywall is not "turning it off" lol what www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
Editing function to be limited to paying subscribers after X threatened with fines and regulatory action
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:27 PM
putting it behind a paywall is not "turning it off" lol what www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Sam Cole
New: we've obtained material explaining how an ICE surveillance system, called Webloc, works. Draw shape on a map, see all phones available there, follow them home. All without warrant
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods
404 Media has obtained material that explains how Tangles and Webloc, two surveillance systems ICE recently purchased, work. Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or t...
www.404media.co
January 8, 2026 at 2:03 PM
New: we've obtained material explaining how an ICE surveillance system, called Webloc, works. Draw shape on a map, see all phones available there, follow them home. All without warrant
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency.” www.404media.co/inside-ices-...
twitter was always exactly this. what we're seeing this week is a culmination of years and years of abuse run rampant on the platform, supercharged by a megalomaniac's greed and fantasy www.404media.co/grok-ai-sexu...
Grok's AI Sexual Abuse Didn't Come Out of Nowhere
With xAI's Grok generating endless semi-nude images of women and girls without their contest, it follows a years-long legacy of rampant abuse on the platform.
www.404media.co
January 8, 2026 at 3:46 PM
twitter was always exactly this. what we're seeing this week is a culmination of years and years of abuse run rampant on the platform, supercharged by a megalomaniac's greed and fantasy www.404media.co/grok-ai-sexu...
might go outside and scream until I puke
Just seen Grok putting the body of the victim of the ICE shooting in Minneapolis into a bikini. Digital corpse desecration now available to the public.
January 8, 2026 at 2:53 PM
might go outside and scream until I puke
they think we're fucking stupid www.404media.co/dhs-is-lying...
DHS Is Lying To You About ICE Shooting a Woman
At least four videos show what really happened when ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday. DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
www.404media.co
January 7, 2026 at 10:30 PM
they think we're fucking stupid www.404media.co/dhs-is-lying...
github mass-suspended a bunch of developers making mods for popular erotic games, without warning or explanation. even when users try their best to stay withing platforms' rules, they get fucked www.404media.co/github-ban-s...
Github Banned a Ton of Adult Game Developers and Won’t Explain Why
In the aftermath of Github banning or suspending dozens of popular accounts, the erotic game modding community wonders if they should move to platforms like GitGoon instead.
www.404media.co
January 7, 2026 at 3:13 PM
github mass-suspended a bunch of developers making mods for popular erotic games, without warning or explanation. even when users try their best to stay withing platforms' rules, they get fucked www.404media.co/github-ban-s...
this site needs a saved drafts feature
January 6, 2026 at 10:59 PM
this site needs a saved drafts feature
Reposted by Sam Cole
Worried about the surveillance dystopia? There are ways to disguise yourself from facial recognition systems, and it doesn’t require owning clothes with a special design or high-tech gear. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.
Full guide by @samleecole.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/the-state-of...
Full guide by @samleecole.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/the-state-of...
January 6, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Worried about the surveillance dystopia? There are ways to disguise yourself from facial recognition systems, and it doesn’t require owning clothes with a special design or high-tech gear. @evystadium.bsky.social has more.
Full guide by @samleecole.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/the-state-of...
Full guide by @samleecole.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/the-state-of...
Reposted by Sam Cole
the AI is coming for your spicy french romance novels
HarperCollins Will Use AI to Translate Harlequin Romance Novels
The publisher is teaming with a company that claims its proprietary AI can ‘provide 2 to 3 times higher quality translations’ than other large language models.
www.404media.co
January 6, 2026 at 3:04 PM
the AI is coming for your spicy french romance novels
Reposted by Sam Cole
Today ICE is allowed to resume using Medicaid data in deportation cases. The transfer of Medicaid data to ICE was unprecedented and put on hold. It's now back. We've uploaded the data sharing agreement here: www.404media.co/here-is-the-...
Here is the Agreement Giving ICE Medicaid Patients' Data
On Tuesday, ICE was allowed to continue using Medicaid data in deportation cases.
www.404media.co
January 6, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Today ICE is allowed to resume using Medicaid data in deportation cases. The transfer of Medicaid data to ICE was unprecedented and put on hold. It's now back. We've uploaded the data sharing agreement here: www.404media.co/here-is-the-...
Reposted by Sam Cole
So grateful to have been part of this piece, and part of the movement to use art to help people better understand surveillance tech, and decide for themselves what space it should or shouldn’t take up in their lives. Thank you!
I talked to designers and technologists about how evading surveillance is less about cool patterns and fooling cameras, and more about working with what you've got www.404media.co/the-state-of...
The State of Anti-Surveillance Design
The most effective surveillance-evading gear might already be in your closet.
www.404media.co
January 5, 2026 at 6:33 PM
So grateful to have been part of this piece, and part of the movement to use art to help people better understand surveillance tech, and decide for themselves what space it should or shouldn’t take up in their lives. Thank you!
I talked to designers and technologists about how evading surveillance is less about cool patterns and fooling cameras, and more about working with what you've got www.404media.co/the-state-of...
The State of Anti-Surveillance Design
The most effective surveillance-evading gear might already be in your closet.
www.404media.co
January 5, 2026 at 5:30 PM
I talked to designers and technologists about how evading surveillance is less about cool patterns and fooling cameras, and more about working with what you've got www.404media.co/the-state-of...
Reposted by Sam Cole
We finally bought 404media.com. We couldn't afford this when we launched a couple of years ago, but it recently became available. You can read the transcript of some of the group call here: “This is so fucking stressful.” Only possible thanks to our subscribers.
www.404media.co/we-bought-40...
www.404media.co/we-bought-40...
We Bought 404media.com
Don’t worry, we’re not changing our website. But we’re finally the owners of the real deal: a .com domain.
www.404media.co
January 5, 2026 at 3:13 PM
We finally bought 404media.com. We couldn't afford this when we launched a couple of years ago, but it recently became available. You can read the transcript of some of the group call here: “This is so fucking stressful.” Only possible thanks to our subscribers.
www.404media.co/we-bought-40...
www.404media.co/we-bought-40...