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The FAIK Files

The FAIK Files

By: Perry Carpenter | N2K Networks
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 The FAIK Files explores the mysterious and often wacky intersection of AI, technology, and humanity. From cognitive warfare to digital deception, we examine how AI is reshaping our reality through news, research, and real-world examples. Join us for a thought-provoking journey into a world where anything can be faked, truth is increasingly elusive, and human nature meets artificial intelligence head-on.© 8th Layer Media Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Business of Scamming (feat. Maël Le Touz, threat researcher w/Infoblox)

    The Business of Scamming (feat. Maël Le Touz, threat researcher w/Infoblox)
    Feb 20 2026
    Welcome back to The FAIK Files! In this week's episode, we sat down with Maël Le Touz, who works as a threat researcher at Infoblox.com (a DDI security provider). We asked him about: Defining "pig butchering" and how it differs from traditional online scams. The human trafficking nightmare behind the scamming compounds in Southeast Asia. How Infoblox uses DNS security to track industrial-scale scam operations and their ties to organized crime. The rise of "Scamming as a Service" and how AI is supercharging the deception. Debunking VPN myths and practical advice on how to safely help a victim of a scam. Check out INFOBLOX here: https://www.infoblox.com Want to leave us a voicemail? Here's the magic link to do just that: ⁠⁠⁠https://sayhi.chat/FAIK⁠⁠⁠ You can also join our Discord server here: ⁠⁠⁠https://faik.to/discord⁠⁠⁠ *** NOTES AND REFERENCES *** What is Pig Butchering?: Mael from Infoblox explains the long-term emotional manipulation involved in pig butchering, leading to massive financial losses. Unlike traditional quick scams, these attackers spend weeks or months building deep trust before pulling the rug. Inside the Scam Compounds: The tragic reality that many of the people perpetrating these scams are actually human trafficking victims themselves. Individuals are lured with fake job offers, trapped in heavily guarded compounds in Cambodia and Myanmar, and forced to meet strict financial quotas under threat of violence. Tracking Scams via DNS: How Infoblox monitors DNS resolution to uncover massive clusters of fraudulent domains. The surprising connections between scam infrastructure, illegal casinos, and organized crime triads laundering billions. The Industrialization of Scams & AI: Scammers now buy "Scamming as a Service" kits, complete with fake websites, coherent social media personas, and proxy networks. AI is being weaponized to automate initial contact, provide real-time translation, and generate detailed shift summaries for scammers working around the clock. VPN Myths and Helping Victims: Mael clarifies what VPNs actually do and highlights the hidden dangers of cheap streaming boxes secretly acting as residential proxies for criminals. Practical advice on how to gently guide someone into realizing they are being scammed without making them defensive or pushing them further away. *** THE BOILERPLATE *** About The FAIK Files: The FAIK Files is an offshoot project from Perry Carpenter's most recent book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions. Get the Book: ⁠FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions⁠ (Amazon Associates link) Check out the website for more info: ⁠https://thisbookisfaik.com⁠ Check out Perry & Mason's other show, the Digital Folklore Podcast: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-folklore/id1657374458⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2v1BelkrbSRSkHEP4cYffj?si=u4XTTY4pR4qEqh5zMNSVQA⁠ Want to connect with us? Here's how: Connect with Perry: Perry on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrycarpenter⁠ Perry on X: ⁠https://x.com/perrycarpenter⁠ Perry on BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/perrycarpenter.bsky.social⁠ Connect with Mason: Mason on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-amadeus-a853a7242/⁠ Mason on BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/wickedinterest.ing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • The FAIK Files is CHANGING (for the better!)

    The FAIK Files is CHANGING (for the better!)
    Feb 6 2026
    Hey there! Mason here with an update about our plans for this show. In a nutshell: we're going bi-weekly, and we're doing project-based experiments as well as interviews. It's gonna be a lot more fun, a lot more experimental, and still just as informative as ever. Here are the links I mentioned: - Join our Discord: https://faik.to/discord - Buy the book FAIK: https://amzn.to/4cIAjww - Subscribe to The FAIK Files on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theFAIKfiles - Check out the Digital Folklore Podcast: https://digitalfolklore.com/ - Subscribe to Digital Folklore on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@digitalfolklorepodcast *** THE BOILERPLATE *** About The FAIK Files: The FAIK Files is an offshoot project from Perry Carpenter's most recent book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions. Get the Book: https://amzn.to/4cIAjww⁠⁠ (Amazon Associates link) Check out the website for more info: ⁠⁠https://thisbookisfaik.com⁠⁠ Check out Perry & Mason's other show, the Digital Folklore Podcast: Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-folklore/id1657374458⁠⁠ Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2v1BelkrbSRSkHEP4cYffj?si=u4XTTY4pR4qEqh5zMNSVQA⁠⁠ Want to connect with us? Here's how: Connect with Perry: Perry on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrycarpenter⁠⁠ Perry on X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/perrycarpenter⁠⁠ Perry on BlueSky: ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/perrycarpenter.bsky.social⁠⁠ Connect with Mason: Mason on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-amadeus-a853a7242/⁠⁠ Mason on BlueSky: ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/wickedinterest.ing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    9 mins
  • Sound, Fury, and Anonymity

    Sound, Fury, and Anonymity
    Jan 30 2026
    Welcome back to The FAIK Files! In this week's episode: Apple and Google officially partner to bring Gemini-powered answers to Siri. We discuss QWEN 3 TTS, a new open-source model with no guardrails. A deep dive into GenAI.mil, the military's new secure AI platform. GHOSTLINE: A new tool for secure, anonymous, P2P video interviews. Want to leave us a voicemail? Here's the magic link to do just that: ⁠⁠⁠https://sayhi.chat/FAIK⁠⁠⁠ You can also join our Discord server here: ⁠⁠⁠https://faik.to/discord⁠⁠⁠ *** NOTES AND REFERENCES *** Apple && Google Make a Deal on Siri: Report from The Information: https://www.theinformation.com/newsletters/ai-agenda/apple-using-gemini-give-chatgpt-like-answers Joint statement from Apple & Google: https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/company-announcements/joint-statement-google-apple/ Rumored Rollout Date: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/25/siri-google-gemini-release-date/ QWEN 3 TTS a new Open Source TTS Model: Can run on local hardware. No guardrails. Easy to use. https://qwen.ai/blog?id=qwen3tts-0115 https://huggingface.co/spaces/Qwen/Qwen3-TTS What is GenAI.mil?: It operates on NIPRNET: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIPRNet Was preceded by NIPRGPT: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-shutting-down-ai-chatbot-niprgpt/ Guide to DOD Impact Levels: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/compliance/offerings/offering-dod-il5 First impressions and limitations: https://defensescoop.com/2026/01/12/a-first-look-at-genai-mil-evolving-a-secure-platform-into-a-warfighting-edge/ Grok is part of it: https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4366573/the-war-department-to-expand-ai-arsenal-on-genaimil-with-xai/ How Google Cloud Protects Data: https://blog.alphabravo.io/google-cloud-platforms-government-capabilities-a-comprehensive-guide-to-gcps-public-sector-offerings/ GHOSTLINE Interview Platform: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chrisglanden_ghostline-anonymous-video-interviews-activity-7421996882777788416-CQ5p “GHOSTLINE” interview platform with realtime video/ voice masking, P2P connections, secure local recording, and nothing ever hitting a server: https://suspecturl.com/ *** THE BOILERPLATE *** About The FAIK Files: The FAIK Files is an offshoot project from Perry Carpenter's most recent book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions. Get the Book: ⁠FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions⁠ (Amazon Associates link) Check out the website for more info: ⁠https://thisbookisfaik.com⁠ Check out Perry & Mason's other show, the Digital Folklore Podcast: Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-folklore/id1657374458⁠ Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2v1BelkrbSRSkHEP4cYffj?si=u4XTTY4pR4qEqh5zMNSVQA⁠ Want to connect with us? Here's how: Connect with Perry: Perry on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrycarpenter⁠ Perry on X: ⁠https://x.com/perrycarpenter⁠ Perry on BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/perrycarpenter.bsky.social⁠ Connect with Mason: Mason on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-amadeus-a853a7242/⁠ Mason on BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/wickedinterest.ing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 7 mins
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