Paywalled article

And if you have crypto on your PC, make sure it's stored safely, with encryption, as well as a cold storage backup somewhere else.

It is just their anti-AI thing, not a paywall. 404 are good journalists that published tonnes of great stories.

I keep mine cold stored in the cellar but the crisper drawer of the fridge is also okay

Be sure to use archival grade paper!

Okay, an Account Wall so they can sell my email address. Same difference.

The article says he is a pump.fun streamer. That's not even real crypto. It's literally a pump and dump website where anyone can make a new fake token by giving it a name and a picture. Then the price is set algorithmically until it gets enough people buying it that it converts into a real token. There are no fundamentals or differentiating factors between the tokens. It's all a scam built upon the greater fool theory. At least different crypto currencies have different attributes and reasons to use them over others. You wouldn't want cold storage of any tokens on that site since they'll be worthless the next day. But, tbf, I don't know if it was pump.fun slop that was stolen or a real crypto currency.

For context, here's an article about another pump.fun streamer: [Teen creates memecoin, dumps it, earns $50,000](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/12/teen-creates-memecoin-dumps-it-and-earns-50000/). Regretably, I don't have any articles on-hand about the tens of thousands of people that are losing money to this scam.

Their passwordless login system is annoying as hell. I think I'd rather an actual paywall for all articles and a normal password over that system.

What, specifically, makes you think an independent media organization that reports on privacy, data breaches, corporate malfeasance, and the “dark” sides of the internet,would turn around and do that to the readers their jobs depend on? If you knew about any of the four reporters that founded 404 Media, or the incredibly high quality journalism they produce, this thought wouldn’t have even crossed your mind. 404 Media, as other commenters have said, are completely up front and transparent about why they require a login, and how much they dislike the fact that it’s necessary.

sounds like using crypto is a huge contributor to even being affected here. Maybe next time, an ETF might be more lucrative in the long run (can't crypto-steal that) and more secure...

(another company that was bought by a massive company for fuck-all dollars just to harvest its user database): First time?

Dark Mode, LLC?

> If you knew about any of the four reporters that founded 404 Media, or the incredibly high quality journalism they produce, this thought wouldn’t have even crossed your mind. If one could ever actually *read* anything on 404 Media in the first place, maybe one would know that. But as somebody who doesn't have the preexisting knowledge of who founded the org or what sort of reporting they do, it's hard to glean anything useful when the articles are cut off by a paywall.

That’s totally fair and understandable. I hate the login too. But it’s a small annoyance to get to read their free articles, since you still have to pay to read everything. But that’s their entire business model. It’s expensive to do the shit they do independently, but I totally get that not everyone can pay or can glean the values of an organization without already being familiar with their work. I realize I came on a bit strong, I just see a lot of people dismiss 404’s reasoning for adding that extra friction for their free stuff.

Can someone pleae tell me the name of the game so I can be sure I don't have it

> Plavnieks had installed a game called *BlockBlasters*, a 2D platformer listed on Steam that launched July 31, 2025 to a small audience who’d given it positive reviews. But the game was a scam and an August patch injected malware into the game that was meant to scan a user’s hard drive for data and, ultimately, their crypto. *BlockBlasters* is no longer listed on Steam and has been [*flagged as malicious*](https://archive.ph/o/lTwJJ/https://x.com/SteamDB/status/1970113742349140093?ref=404media.co) by the independent Steam archiving site SteamDB. Valve did not respond to 404 Media’s request for comment. There you are.

Not a paywall. Free.

You're paying with your data.