mikael-thalen

Mikael Thalen


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

cops in camouflage posing outside with convict as a man takes photo of the group

‘Embarrassing … this isn’t 1880s Arizona’: Police dragged for taking group selfie with escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante after capture

'So embarrassing for law enforcement to do. This isn’t 1880’s Arizona.'

On Sep 13, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

man painting roof blue (l&r) man with 'the blue roof conspiracy' caption (c)

Unearthed FEMA program to distribute blue tarps after disasters has space lasers crowd convinced they’re right about Maui fires

Painting your roof blue won't protect you from imaginary government space lasers.

On Sep 12, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

aaron rodgers jets

Aaron Rodgers anti-vax, 9/11 takes come back up after Jets debut ends in catastrophe

'Rodgers begging the doctors for the needle (ivermectin).'

On Sep 12, 2023 by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, Mikael Thalen

A Phone with DuckDuckGo on it. The Daily Dot newsletter web_crawlr column logo for 'Your Password Sucks' is in the top right corner.

Y0ur P@ssw0rd S*cks: Do browsers like DuckDuckGo really keep my online browsing and surfing safer?

If privacy is your biggest concern, using DuckDuckGo is definitely a better option than Google.

On Sep 12, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

Man sends college diploma to be crushed by hydraulic press YouTube channel in protest of university's DEI policy

Hydraulic Press YouTube dives into culture war, agrees to crush UCLA diploma to protest DEI policies

'I disavow my business economics degree from UCLA.'

On Sep 11, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

Joe Biden

‘Just incredible timing’: White House faces backlash after posting praise for Saudi Arabia on 9/11

'Probably not the best day to announce an infrastructure deal with the Saudis.'

On Sep 11, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

Trump and Giuliana

A picture of Trump and Giuliani with their pants hiked up to their chest is fooling people, despite quite the Easter egg

'Whoever created the picture... let me know so I can credit you with such wonderful photoshop work.'

On Sep 11, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

Homepage article image

Senate confirms Anna Gomez—fully staffing Biden’s FCC for the first time

Anna Gomez's confirmation gives Democrats a 3-2 lead on the FCC panel.

On Sep 7, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

Liberty Safe up close with handle

‘Liberty Not So Safe’: Gun safe company flamed for giving FBI access to alleged Capitol rioter’s firearms

'Goodbye Liberty Safe. Traitors to Freedom and your customers.'

On Sep 6, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

Mark Cuban in front of white green and blue background (l) woman speaking (c) Stephen Miller speaking in front of blue and American Flag background (r)

Stephen Miller, Mark Cuban locked in heated feud over 29-year-old TikToker’s lack of children

A TikToker who praised her freedom as a childless woman received death threats from conservatives.

On Sep 6, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

man in hat pointing at article in background

No, the military didn’t arrest a FEMA employee over ‘mass grave site’ in Hawaii

One video about the conspiracy theory was viewed 3.3 million times.

On Sep 6, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

Rioters clash with police trying to enter Capitol building January 6, 2021

Why Ukraine is now being accused of secretly orchestrating the Capitol riot

Conservatives have blamed everyone—Antifa, the FBI, Ukraine—but themselves for Jan. 6.

On Sep 5, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

AI woman headshot with smashorpass.ai game

Harvard bro sparks immediate backlash with new ‘SmashOrPassAI’ site, where users rate AI-generated women

'Begging techbros to think about the things they make for, like, 10 seconds before jumping in.'

On Sep 5, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

hand holding phone with X logo on screen in front of X open on computer

Twitter again verifies account with N-word in handle

The account's verification comes as Twitter owner Elon Musk threatens to sue the ADL.

On Sep 5, 2023 by Mikael Thalen

ted cruz pushing biden two beers conspiracy

Ted Cruz pushes claim Biden will limit Americans to 2 beers—stages cringe group swig video to protest

Conservatives believe President Joe Biden is coming for their beer.

On Aug 31, 2023 by Mikael Thalen