The 404 Media Podcast

Go to https://surfshark.com/404Media to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN, with the reassurance of a 30-day money-back guarantee, or just use code 404MEDIA at checkout. That's https://surfshark.com/404Media.

This week, we talk to William Gude, who runs Film the Police LA. Film the Police LA is a YouTube channel, Instagram account, and Twitter account where William does exactly what it says in the name: He films police in Los Angeles to hold them accountable. William has been doing this for years, and has captured a series of police abuses during what are supposed to be routine traffic stops or other encounters that don’t need to be so tense.

What I like about William’s work is that it’s a mix of very serious accountability journalism mixed with some humor—William is a funny guy whose rapport with cops in the videos he makes often palpably brings the tension down between the police and the people they have pulled over. William also documents surveillance in Los Angeles, and has taken to filming and talking to the Serve delivery robots in and around Hollywood as they often screw up, get stuck, or are messed with. We talk about the utility of filming the police, how people can get into police watching, what he’s learned over the years, the state of the LAPD, the spread of surveillance, and what it means to surveil the police right back.

This week, we talk to William Gude, who runs Film the Police LA. Film the Police LA is a YouTube channel, Instagram account, and Twitter account where William does exactly what it says in the name: He films police in Los Angeles to hold them accountable. William has been doing this for years, and has captured a series of police abuses during what are supposed to be routine traffic stops or other encounters that don’t need to be so tense.

What I like about William’s work is that it’s a mix of very serious accountability journalism mixed with some humor—William is a funny guy whose rapport with cops in the videos he makes often palpably brings the tension down between the police and the people they have pulled over. William also documents surveillance in Los Angeles, and has taken to filming and talking to the Serve delivery robots in and around Hollywood as they often screw up, get stuck, or are messed with. We talk about the utility of filming the police, how people can get into police watching, what he’s learned over the years, the state of the LAPD, the spread of surveillance, and what it means to surveil the police right back.

00:00 Intro: William Gude
03:06 How George Floyd Protests Changed His Life
04:31 Documenting Traffic Stops & Police Accountability
07:56 Why Civilian Filming Matters
09:22 How Police React to Being Filmed Today
12:03 The Copyright Music Tactic
13:41 Filming Protests & Police Stops
20:50 Delivery Robots, Waymo & Everyday Surveillance
24:23 Flock License Plate Readers & False Stops
30:30 The Biggest Problem with LAPD
35:33 Pokémon GO Cops & Public Records Delays
42:30 ICE Raids & Facial Recognition
45:27 Memorable Police Encounters
47:42 Has Police Accountability Improved?
48:58 Advice for New Cop Watchers

YouTube version: https://youtu.be/aIfe9XQzpYY

Find William on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@FilmThePoliceLA

This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co

Listen to our weekly podcasts:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co

Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code 404 at https://oneskin.co/404

We start this week with Joseph’s article about Samuel Tunick, the man charged with allegedly wiping his phone before DHS officials could search it. It’s a wild case with a lot to unpack. After the break, Jason tells us all about a TikTok Shop scheme powered by AI. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about possibly the dumbest AI tool ever made.

You're Invited: 404 Media's Third Anniversary Live Podcast and Party!

‘The Government Hopes To Set a Precedent’: An Interview With the Man Charged for Allegedly Wiping His GrapheneOS Phone

Inside an AI TikTok Shop Slop Factory That Shills Supplements Recalled By the FDA

Google Earth’s New AI Lets Anyone Fabricate Completely Bullshit Satellite Images

Youtube Version: https://youtu.be/lmikqHw1lX8

This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co

Listen to our weekly podcasts:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co

Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take control of your data footprint risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Go tohttps://incogni.com/404Mediaand use code 404MEDIA for 60% off an annual plan. That's code 404MEDIA athttps://incogni.com/404Media

This week Joseph speaks to Jonathan Paz, a former Flock employee and now candidate for Congress in Massachusetts’ 5th District. They talk all about Paz’s work at Flock, how he was tasked with trying to convince cities to buy Flock cameras, and when he ultimately quit the company. It’s a rare peek inside a company that so many people are talking about.

ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows

YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/BKYYpLC9u5I

This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co

Listen to our weekly podcasts:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co

Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this week with Matthew’s experience of what happened when Flock came to his small town. It’s a microcosm of what is happening all across the United States. After the break, Sam tells us about a bunch of no phone Luddite events. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains why anti-Flock influencers making up BS are bad, actually.

Our New FOIA Forum! 7/30, 1PM ET

What Happened When Flock Came to My Town

Being a Luddite Is Fun Again

The Rise of Anti-Flock Influencers Who Make Things Up for Clout

YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/C0Sb0HqPXBI

This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co

Listen to our weekly podcasts:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co

Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go to https://⁠surfshark.com/404Media⁠ to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN, with the reassurance of a 30-day money-back guarantee, or just use code 404MEDIA at checkout. That's https://⁠surfshark.com/404Media⁠.

This week Joseph talks to Mike Yeagley. As you’ll hear, he is a very interesting guy. He introduced parts of the government to the whole idea of commercially sourced location data. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars buying the data, and showing what could be done with it. It’s a fascinating conversation.

- How the Pentagon Learned to Use Targeted Ads to Find Its Targets—and Vladimir Putin

This is a production of 404 Media, a journalist-owned tech website. Learn more and subscribe at: htttps://404media.co

Listen to our weekly podcasts:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-404-media-podcast/id1703615331?ref=404media.co
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F3oY47l2XgoBMaAmIaw29?ref=404media.co
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS00MDQtbWVkaWEtcG9kY2FzdA?ref=404media.co

Become a paid subscriber for access to bonus content: https://404media.co/membership
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices