Doublespeed, a startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) that uses a phone farm to manage at least hundreds of AI-generated social media accounts and promote products has been hacked. The hack reveals what products the AI-generated accounts are promoting, often without the required disclosure that these are advertisements, and allowed the hacker to take control of more than 1,000 smartphones that power the company.The hacker, who asked for anonymity because he feared retaliation from the company, said he reported the vulnerability to Doublespeed on October 31. At the time of writing, the hacker said he still has access to the companys backend, including the phone farm itself. Doublespeed did not respond to a request for comment.I could see the phones in use, which manager (the PCs controlling the phones) they had, which TikTok accounts they were assigned, proxies in use (and their passwords), and pending tasks. As well as the link to control devices for each manager, the hacker told me. I could have used their phones for compute resources, or maybe spam. Even if they're just phones, there are around 1100 of them, with proxy access, for free. I think I could have used the linked accounts by puppeting the phones or adding tasks, but haven't tried.As I reported in October, Doublespeed raised $1 million from a16z as part of its Speedrun accelerator program, a fastpaced, 12-week startup program that guides founders through every critical stage of their growth. Doublespeed uses generative AI to flood social media with accounts and posts to promote certain products on behalf of its clients. Social media companies attempt to detect and remove this type of astroturfing for violating their inauthentic behavior policies, which is why Doublespeed uses a bank of phones to emulate the behavior of real users. So-called click farms or phone farms often use hundreds of mobile phones to fake online engagement of reviews for the same reason.The hacker told me he had access to around 1,100 smartphones Doublespeed operates. One way the hacker proved he had access to devices was by taking control of one phones camera, which seemingly showed it in a rack with other phones. Images the hacker captured from some of the phones in Doublespeed's phone farm.The hacker also shared a list with me of more than 400 TikTok accounts Doublespeed operates. Around 200 of those were actively promoting products on TikTok, mostly without disclosing the posts were ads, according to 404 Medias review of them. Its not clear if the other 200 accounts ever promoted products or were being warmed up, as Doublespeed describes the process of making the accounts appear authentic before it starts promoting in order to avoid a ban.Ive seen TikTok accounts operated by Doublespeed promote language learning apps, dating apps, a Bible app, supplements, and a massager.One health-themed Doublespeed Tiktok account named Chloe Davis posted almost 200 slideshows featuring a middle-aged AI-generated woman. In the posts, the woman usually discusses various physical ailments and how she deals with them. The last image in the slide always includes a picture of someone using a massage roller from a company called Vibit. Vibit did not respond to a request for comment.A Doublespeed TikTok account promoting a Vibit massager. Another Doublespeed-operated TikTok account named pattyluvslife posted dozens of slideshows of a young woman who, according to her bio, is a student at UCLA. All the posts from this account talk about how big pharma and the supplements industry is a scam. But the posts also always promoted a moringa supplement from a company called Rosabella. The AI-generated woman in these TikTok posts often holds up the bottle of supplements, but its obviously AI-generated as the text on the bottle is jumbled gibberish.An AI-generated image promoting a Rosabella supplement.Rosabellas site also claims the product is viral on TikTok. Rosabella did not respond to a request for comment.An image from Rosabella's site claiming its brand is viral on TikTok.While most of the content Ive seen on Doublespeed-operated TikTok accounts included AI-generated slideshows and still images, Doublespeed is also able to AI-generate videos as well. One Doublespeed-operated account posted several AI-generated videos of a young woman voguing at the camera. The account was promoting a company called Playkit, a TikTok content agency that pays users to promote products on behalf of its clients. Notably, this is the exact kind of business Doublespeed would in theory be able to replace with AI-generated accounts. Playkit did not respond to a request for comment. 0:00 /0:04 1 An AI-generated video promoting Playkit, a TikTok content agency. TikTok told me that itsCommunity Guidelinesmake clear thatit requires creators tolabelAI-generated or significantly edited content that shows realistic-looking scenes or people. After I reached out for comment, TikTok added a label to the Doublespeed-operated accounts I flagged indicating they're AI-generated.A16z did not respond to a request for comment.Doublespeed has said it has the ability to and soon plans to launch its services on Instagram, Reddit, and X, but so far seems to only be operating on TikTok. In October, a Reddit spokesperson told me that Doublespeeds service would violate its terms of service. Meta did not respond to a request for comment. As we noted in October, Marc Andreessen, after whom half of Andreessen Horowitz is named, sits on Metas board of directors. Doublespeeds business would clearly violate Metas policy on authentic identity representation.

Joseph had to use a different mic this week, that will be fixed next time! We start this week talking about a very unusual case: someone is being charged for allegedly wiping a phone before CBP could search it. There are a lot of questions remaining, but a super interesting case. After the break, we talk about Matthews article on an Anthropic exec forcing AI onto a queer gamer Discord. In the subscribers-only section, we all chat about the Disney and OpenAI deal.Listen to the weekly podcast onApple Podcasts,Spotify, orYouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism.If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player. Timestamps:00:48 -Man Charged for Wiping Phone Before CBP Could Search It17:44 -Anthropic Exec Forces AI Chatbot on Gay Discord Community, Members Flee41:17 -Disney Invests $1 Billion in the AI Slopification of Its Brand

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03612-5Although development of a jab for the H5N1 strain of avian flu is well under way, other strains are receiving less attention and political obstacles to research could hamper progress.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03608-1Scientists are deploying an array of technologies that are making a vaccine against all varieties of influenza seem more achievable.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03598-0Influenza isnt just a respiratory disease. Measures to stop its transmission, such as vaccination, could prevent thousands of heart-attack deaths.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03602-7Avian influenza is sweeping the globe and infecting dozens of species. Advocates of an approach called One Health are calling for broad surveillance of wildlife, livestock and pets.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03607-2The death toll and economic damage associated with flu highlight its role as one of the most harmful viruses in history.

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The post Travis Kelce Worried Patrick Mahomess ACL Tear Will Derail Harlem Shake Groomsmen Entrance appeared first on The Onion.

NEW YORKIn a continuation of their post-MSNBC rebranding effort, cable news network MS NOW was reportedly luring in new viewers Wednesday with a slowly rotating gyro spit in the corner of all its programming. With linear TV viewership in decline and audiences increasingly turning to social media for their news, we knew that we needed to offer something no other outlet could: a tender spit of succulent lamb that looks so good you can almost taste it, said MS NOW president Rebecca Kutler, noting that the change was made after the network conducted a study of the content that was most appealing to viewers and noticed that delicious meat scored far higher than political analysis. Weve researched what keeps viewers from changing the channel, and while breaking news tickers and dynamic sets move the needle, nothing is more effective than the slow rotation of a sumptuous, juicy gyro. And soon, well be adding a side of tzatziki sauce that we believewillkeep viewers glued to the TV during our midterm election coverage. At press time, ratings for MS NOW were up 700%.The post MS NOW Lures New Viewers With Rotating Gyro Spit In Corner Of Screen appeared first on The Onion.

CAMDEN, NJRevealing that the products offered customers multiple protection options in a delicious range of flavors, food processing giant Campbells announced Thursday it had launched a new line of self-defense soups. Whether you attach the can to a strap and use it as a flail or heat up the soup to create a thermal weapon, we guarantee these powerful security devices will be ready in under five minutes, said company spokesperson Cheryl Turner, who stressed the importance of always having something on hand that can be prepared quickly in the event of an unexpected home intruder. The soups are also a convenient option for customers on the go, because you can wear one on a lanyard when out walking at night, warning potential attackers that youre prepared to dole out the homemade taste of punishment. We recommend using our Chunky Beef with Country Vegetables variety for bludgeoning, while our cream-based soups like Homestyle Broccoli Cheddar work best for scalding enemies. Stock your pantry arsenal today! Campbells executives told reporters the company was also developing a long-range aerosol version of its Spicy Nacho Cheese soup to spray in the eyes of assailants.The post Campbells Unveils New Line Of Self-Defense Soups appeared first on The Onion.

MINNEAPOLISExcitedly revealing to the staff that she had a special surprise, local data analyst Kayla Herrera reportedly delighted coworkers Wednesday upon returning from Europe by bringing back a Latvian man for everyone to share. I couldnt get enough of him when I was abroad, said Herrera, grinning as her colleagues struggled to pronounce the Latvian mans name. Im always excited to try something new, so I wanted to bring back some Baltic goodies for the office to enjoy. At first I was going to get some black currant chocolates, but then locals told me that this man is one of the most popular treats in Eastern Europe. Dont be greedy now, make sure theres enough for everyone! At press time, Herrera was forced to throw the Latvian man away after realizing he had expired. The post Coworker Returning From European Vacation Brings Back Latvian Man For Everyone To Share appeared first on The Onion.

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Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04135-9Plasma physicist Nuno Loureiro was helping to develop clean-energy fusion devices.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03505-7Immense progress in gene-editing, drug discovery and conservation are just some of the reasons to be cheerful about 2025.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-04024-1The colour of regret.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03613-4Avian influenza is devastating poultry operations, spreading in dairy cattle and infecting farm workers. Why isnt the United States doing more to stop it?

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03599-zFlu-jab efficacy is often unimpressive. Improvements could come through nasal delivery.

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Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03606-3Researchers are striving to understand the impact a phenomenon known as original antigenic sin has on immunity to the virus.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03777-zKey mutations and animal spread could raise the risk to humans.

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Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03820-zVideo-call glitches might seem harmless, but they can reduce peoples chances of getting hired, closing a business deal or following a doctors recommendation. Human brains expect video calls to feel like in-person conversations. When glitches break that illusion, it feels unsettling and strange, harming judgements of trustworthiness, likeability and credibility.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09838-7An architecture inspired by Hopfield networks based on a programmable, stable, room-temperature optoelectronic oscillator-based photonics Ising machine is introduced that can be used to efficiently address optimization and combinatorics problems.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09798-yDevelopment and application of the integrated linkage disequilibrium score (iLDS) reveals both selective pressures impacting the human gut microbiome and the mechanisms by which gut bacteria adapt to meet them.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09880-5Mu opioid receptor agonists with a preference for the non-GTP-bound state of the G protein promote GTP release, thereby potentiating antinociceptive effects of drugs such as morphine and fentanyl without also increasing their respiratory or cardiac effects.

Nature, Published online: 17 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09873-4Using lipid nanoparticle delivery of mRNAs to the liver in aged mice, T cell function and declining immune cues can be restored.

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A three-judge panel voted unanimously to allow troops to stay in the capital for the duration of the appeal, citing the citys unique legal status.