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Main Header Menu

The Daily Dot

Anna is a freelance writer with far too much time on her hands. When she&#8217;s not writing about memes and internet slang, she can be found running TTRPGs online.

Anna Good

Left: Text box reading "Do not give discord your ID" in all capital letters 7 times. Right: Discord app logo.

Tech

“They lie about deleting photos”: Discord rushes to walk back age verification after users abandon the platform

discord welcome screen next to a furby and text that says "age verification? i waited in line for Toys R Us to open the first day they went on sale"

Discord announced the new “Teen By Default” program, and the internet answered with the “Age Verification” meme

Left: Screenshot from Amazon Ring Super Bowl 2026 ad showing a man giving a child a yellow lab puppy, she's got her hands over her eyes. Right: Hand pressing the button on a Ring camera outside of a brick home. Tweet text overlay reads, "this is ….. not about dogs."

Culture

“Skynet”: Ring’s Super Bowl ad about finding lost pets backfires into a surveillance state freakout

Rachel Kiley is a writer who sometimes writes things and sometimes is based in L.A., but is definitely always on Twitter @rachelkiley.

Rachel Kiley

Left: Text over man's face reading "6 signs you've been watchlisted!" Right: Man in a camo cap looking into the camera.

“What soft surveillance looks like”: Lawyer explains 6 signs that might mean you’re on a government watchlist

Lindsey is a Seattle area writer interested in all things society, including internet culture, politics, and mental health. Outside of the Daily Dot, her work can be found in publications such as The Mary Sue, Truthout, and YES! Magazine.

Lindsey Weedston

massive attack playing in front of the faces of its crowd

“A clever warning for what’s to come”: Massive Attack is forcing the issue of facial identification tech by using it on their own audience

Alexandra Samuels is a national political reporter and contributor to the Daily Dot, where she started as an intern covering politics in the summer of 2016. She enjoys all things Marvel, keeping up with the latest TikTok trends, long walks with her pup, and reading murder-mystery novels.

Alexandra Samuels

Two panel image. Inside car with caption that reads: "P.O.V. you thought it would be funny to honk the horn in the Waymo but they call you to tell you it's a violation (crying emojis)" on left. Back of Waymo car on right.

‘Any reason why you used the horn?’: Women get in Waymo, press the horn. Then they get a phone call

Mikael Thalen is a tech and security reporter covering social media, data breaches, hackers, and more.

Mikael Thalen

A photo collage of a device floating in the middle of cellular network towers.

I built a cell phone surveillance detector for $20 and you can too

Nate Wolf is a reporter based in New York City. His work has appeared in the Chief, InsuranceNewsNet, and Deadspin.

Nate Wolf

photo collage of the MTA logo surrounded by a radar screen and school children with backpacks.

‘It’s an appalling betrayal’: Is the MTA tracking thousands of New York City schoolchildren through their metro cards?

Mustafa Gatollari has been an internet culture writer for over a decade. He has a passion for connecting what’s trending on social media to solid research—helping to separate clout-chasing claims from facts.

Mustafa Gatollari

Two panel design with the inside of a door in one, next to an image of a GPS tracking graphic

‘Check your ODB port’: Man discovers Toyota dealership’s GPS tracker in his Tacoma. Then he shows how to remove it

Woman talking(l), Owl peeking over fence(r)

‘That owl is just too suspicious’: Woman thinks she’s being filmed on a hidden camera by her neighbor. Is she right?

Phil West is a veteran professional writer and editor, and his works include two nonfiction books and articles in myriad print and online publications.

Phil West

Amazon driver gets flagged simply for touching his eye

‘These netradyne cameras suck’: Amazon driver gets flagged simply for touching his eye

Marlon Ettinger writes about politics, crime, and culture.

Marlon Ettinger

Assassin Thomas Crook's CONNECTIONS map (l) Trump shot in ear (r)

The Heritage Foundation is trying to claim Thomas Matthew Crooks has FBI ties using dubious cell phone data points

Grace Fowler is freelancer reporter and past summer media fellow with the Daily Dot. She&#8217;s a graduate of Texas State University, where she studied mass communications.

Grace Fowler

Man says Alibaba dashcam company allowed him remote access to live video feeds

‘This also works for Ring’: Man says Alibaba dashcam company allowed him remote access to live video feeds

David Covucci was the senior politics and technology editor at the Daily Dot, covering the nexus between Washington and Silicon Valley. His work has appeared in Vice, the Huffington Post, Jezebel, Gothamist, and other publications.

David Covucci

Back of Joe Biden's head(l+r), Front of Joe Biden(c)

Deplatformed: Biden’s mask off moment 

iphone users freak after apple warns some users being targeted for surveillance

Surveillance