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Chorus' Creator Incubator: Controversy and Hope

2025-08-28
Chorus' Creator Incubator: Controversy and Hope

Chorus, an organization aiming to support progressive content creators, launched a creator incubator program to help them produce high-quality political content. However, the program has faced controversy. Some creators accused Chorus of using their images for fundraising without permission and attempting to become a middleman between progressive political leaders and independent media. Despite this, many creators applied to join the program, hoping to gain funding and resources to produce better content and influence the political process. The future direction of the program and whether it can truly help independent media remains to be seen.

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(www.wired.com)
Misc

Bluesky Blocks Mississippi: Defying Strict Age Verification Laws

2025-08-23
Bluesky Blocks Mississippi: Defying Strict Age Verification Laws

Social media platform Bluesky announced it's blocking all Mississippi IP addresses in protest of a recent Supreme Court decision upholding the state's strict age verification law. Bluesky argues the law's requirements—identifying and tracking all users under 18 and demanding sensitive personal information from all users—are impossible to meet with current resources and disproportionately harm smaller platforms and free speech. This makes Bluesky the first major platform to take such drastic action in response to the law.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Adobe Acrobat Studio: AI Reimagines the PDF, Ushering in a New Era of Software?

2025-08-21
Adobe Acrobat Studio: AI Reimagines the PDF, Ushering in a New Era of Software?

Adobe's 1993 release of the PDF revolutionized document handling. Now, Adobe integrates generative AI into Acrobat Studio, introducing 'PDF Spaces' and an AI assistant, aiming to redefine the PDF. This isn't just a feature upgrade; it's a landmark event signifying AI's deep integration into everyday software. While AI functionality is attracting attention, concerns about AI's impact remain. Whether Adobe's move will lead the industry like its transparency support did remains to be seen, but it undeniably marks the arrival of the AI-dominated software era.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

24/7 AI Sales Avatars Outsell Humans on Taobao

2025-08-21
24/7 AI Sales Avatars Outsell Humans on Taobao

A Shanghai marketing company, PLTFRM, has created AI avatars that are revolutionizing livestream ecommerce in China. These AI salespeople stream 24/7 on platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo, consistently outperforming human counterparts. Brother printers, for example, reported a 30% increase in livestream sales after switching to an AI avatar. While platforms like Douyin remain cautious, the widespread adoption of these AI avatars raises concerns about potential job displacement for human livestreamers and affiliate marketers. The technology's accessibility and affordability are fueling this trend, hinting at a future dominated by AI-generated content and sales.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech Livestream Ecommerce

US Border Searches of Phones and Devices Surge, Raising Privacy Concerns

2025-08-20
US Border Searches of Phones and Devices Surge, Raising Privacy Concerns

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have broad authority to search anyone's phone upon entry, including US citizens. Newly released figures reveal a record number of phone and device searches over the past three months. From April to June 2025, CBP searched 14,899 devices belonging to international travelers. This surge coincides with the second Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies, raising concerns about privacy and freedom of speech. While CBP claims the percentage of searches is small, the practice creates a chilling effect, particularly for those critical of the administration, lawyers, and journalists. CBP's plans to procure advanced digital forensics tools further amplify these concerns.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech phone searches

Handwriting: More Important Than You Think

2025-08-20
Handwriting: More Important Than You Think

In the digital age, handwriting seems to be fading into obsolescence. But new research suggests that handwriting is crucial for children's cognitive development and literacy. While technology has made typing mainstream, practicing handwriting enhances fine motor skills and helps students better understand and retain information. Although not all experts agree on the necessity of learning cursive, there's a general consensus that handwriting skills significantly benefit cognitive development; it's not just nostalgia, but about children's learning and development.

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(www.wired.com)
Education cognitive development

AI-Generated Deepfakes Flood YouTube: A New Battleground for Misinformation

2025-08-16
AI-Generated Deepfakes Flood YouTube: A New Battleground for Misinformation

YouTube is awash with AI-generated fake interview videos, some mimicking the voices and appearances of celebrities, raising public concerns. These videos often feature controversial topics to incite outrage and sharing, thereby generating traffic and revenue. Creators leverage AI to lower content production barriers and amplify reach through duplication and multi-channel publishing. While some creators claim the videos are fictional, their purpose isn't purely artistic, but rather economically driven. This highlights the information security risks posed by AI misuse and the challenges of platform regulation.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Palantir: The Data Integration Powerhouse Behind the Scenes

2025-08-15
Palantir: The Data Integration Powerhouse Behind the Scenes

Palantir provides data integration and analysis software for both government agencies and businesses. Its software seamlessly integrates data from various sources, even handling messy legacy systems. It allows clients to replace numerous dashboards and programs with a single system, without requiring a complete overhaul of their underlying architecture. The software is user-friendly, accessible to non-technical users via its two main platforms: Foundry (commercial) and Gotham (government and law enforcement). Gotham is a powerful investigative tool connecting people, places, and events of interest. Palantir's success stems from its timely response to the rise of 'Big Data', offering a practical solution for organizations struggling with legacy system upgrades. Supporting tools include Apollo for software updates and an AI platform.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Data Brokers Hide Data Deletion Options in California

2025-08-14
Data Brokers Hide Data Deletion Options in California

California law requires data brokers to provide ways for consumers to delete their data, but many companies are making it incredibly difficult to find these options. An investigation by The Markup and CalMatters revealed that over 30 data brokers used code to prevent search engines from indexing their data deletion pages. This makes it nearly impossible for Californians to exercise their right to data removal. While some companies removed the code after being contacted, others either didn't respond or claimed the code was to prevent spam. This highlights the challenges of data privacy protection and the passive resistance of some companies to comply with the law.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech California Consumer Privacy Act

US Cybersecurity in Flux: Political Headwinds and a Generational Gap

2025-08-11
US Cybersecurity in Flux: Political Headwinds and a Generational Gap

The US cybersecurity landscape is facing a perfect storm. Trump-era policy shifts have led to personnel purges and unclear priorities, evident at this week's Black Hat and DEFCON conferences. A conversation between former NSA and Cyber Command chief Paul Nakasone and DEFCON founder Jeff Moss highlighted key challenges: the politicization of technology, a significant generational gap between government officials and the tech sector, and escalating conflicts with adversaries like China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The discussion also touched upon the rampant rise of ransomware and the uncertainty fueled by geopolitical conflicts, painting a picture of a complex and increasingly perilous cybersecurity future.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Critical Flaw Found in Widely Used TETRA Encryption

2025-08-07
Critical Flaw Found in Widely Used TETRA Encryption

Researchers have uncovered critical vulnerabilities in the encryption algorithms used in TETRA radio systems, widely adopted by police and military forces globally. The study reveals that TEA1, one of the TETRA standard's encryption algorithms, has a key reduction vulnerability, weakening it to a mere 32 bits and making it crackable in under a minute. Furthermore, flaws in the end-to-end encryption (E2EE) implementation reduce the key size to 56 bits, potentially allowing interception of voice and data communications. These vulnerabilities affect numerous users employing the TCCA E2EE scheme, including law enforcement and military agencies across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. While some algorithms have geographical usage restrictions, TEA1 is also used in critical infrastructure in the US and elsewhere. The findings highlight significant global communication security risks and necessitate urgent security updates to TETRA systems.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Palantir Teams Up with Accenture and Deloitte to Accelerate AI in US Government

2025-08-04
Palantir Teams Up with Accenture and Deloitte to Accelerate AI in US Government

Palantir is partnering with Accenture Federal Services and Deloitte to accelerate the adoption of AI across US government agencies, tackling their top operational challenges. This combines Palantir's expertise in government software with Accenture and Deloitte's extensive experience in the federal government sector. The aim is to modernize and reinvent government operations with stronger data flows, transparency, and resilience. While concerns exist regarding competition and fairness due to Palantir's expanding reach, this is a shrewd business move, leveraging the established relationships of larger contractors to rapidly scale Palantir's operations.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Military Casinos Rake in Millions, While Soldiers Struggle with Gambling Addiction

2025-08-04
Military Casinos Rake in Millions, While Soldiers Struggle with Gambling Addiction

In the aftermath of 9/11, US Army officer Dave Yeager found solace in the slot machines at his Seoul base, spiraling into a devastating gambling addiction. This highlights a concerning trend: veterans and service members are more prone to gambling disorders than civilians, often hesitant to seek help due to fear of repercussions. The Army Recreation Machine Program (ARMP) generates tens of millions of dollars annually from its overseas slot machine operations, yet critics argue insufficient funds are allocated to problem gambling education, creating a stark contrast between the program's profitability and the suffering of those it potentially harms.

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(www.wired.com)
Misc slot machines

Tesla Found Liable in Autopilot Crash: $243M Verdict Sends Shockwaves

2025-08-02
Tesla Found Liable in Autopilot Crash: $243M Verdict Sends Shockwaves

A Miami jury found Tesla partially liable for a 2019 fatal crash involving Autopilot, awarding $243 million in damages. The jury assigned one-third responsibility to Tesla and two-thirds to the driver, who was reportedly distracted. Tesla plans to appeal, arguing the driver's negligence was the sole cause. This marks the first time Tesla has been held liable for an Autopilot-related fatality, raising concerns about the safety and marketing of autonomous driving technologies.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Children Could Hold the Key to an HIV Cure

2025-08-02
Children Could Hold the Key to an HIV Cure

Research suggests children's immune systems may be more effective at suppressing HIV than adults'. Some HIV-infected children, after early antiretroviral therapy, maintain undetectable viral loads for months or even years after stopping medication. This offers new hope for an HIV cure, with researchers believing children could be the breakthrough point in HIV cure research.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech children's immune system viral suppression

Airportr's Security Flaw Exposes Diplomatic Travel Data

2025-08-02
Airportr's Security Flaw Exposes Diplomatic Travel Data

A UK-based luggage service, Airportr, suffered a major security breach exposing the personal data of thousands of users, including government officials and diplomats. Cybersecurity researchers at CyberX9 discovered simple vulnerabilities allowing access to user information such as travel plans, and even administrator privileges to control luggage. While Airportr swiftly patched the vulnerabilities, researchers warn that other hackers might have already accessed the data. The breach highlights significant security flaws and underscores the need for robust data protection measures across all industries.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Anthropic Cuts OpenAI's Access to Claude API

2025-08-02
Anthropic Cuts OpenAI's Access to Claude API

Anthropic revoked OpenAI's access to its Claude models' API, citing violations of its terms of service. OpenAI allegedly used the API for internal testing, benchmarking Claude's coding and creative writing capabilities, and assessing its responses to safety prompts involving CSAM, self-harm, and defamation. Anthropic stated this violated clauses prohibiting using the service to build competing products or reverse engineer its services. OpenAI expressed disappointment, highlighting that evaluating other AI systems is industry standard and noting its API remains open to Anthropic. This incident underscores the intensifying competition among tech giants and the complexities surrounding AI model access and terms of service.

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(www.wired.com)
AI API access

Perl: The Duct Tape of the Internet, A Story of Rise and Fall

2025-08-01
Perl: The Duct Tape of the Internet, A Story of Rise and Fall

Perl was once ubiquitous, powering countless websites around the turn of the millennium. Its strength lay in handling massive text data, even finding use in bioinformatics. However, Perl's messy syntax earned it the nickname "duct tape of the internet," often jokingly referred to as 'write-only'. Created by Larry Wall, a linguist, its design reflected a philosophy rejecting linguistic purity. Perl's multitude of approaches, while initially appealing, ultimately contributed to its decline in popularity. Despite its fall from grace, Perl stands as a testament to the idea that programming shouldn't be constrained by dogma.

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(www.wired.com)
Development

Itch.io Deindexes NSFW Games After Payment Processor Pressure

2025-07-26
Itch.io Deindexes NSFW Games After Payment Processor Pressure

Itch.io, an indie game marketplace, has deindexed all NSFW games following pressure from the anti-pornography group Collective Shout. Collective Shout targeted payment processors, threatening to cut off Itch.io's ability to process payments unless it removed the games. This has sparked controversy, affecting many developers, particularly those in the LGBTQ+, female, and BIPOC communities, whose games, even award-winning ones, were removed for covering sensitive topics like sex, mental health, or other triggering themes. The incident highlights the immense power payment processors wield over content moderation and their potential negative impact on creators.

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(www.wired.com)
Game

Beijing Apartment Explosion Highlights Unproven Cancer Treatment

2025-07-25
Beijing Apartment Explosion Highlights Unproven Cancer Treatment

A Beijing man, Liu, was making a highly concentrated chlorine dioxide solution in his apartment for cancer treatment. An explosion occurred during an experiment, injuring him and endangering his 3-year-old daughter. Liu claims to have treated over 20 patients, but his evidence consists only of unpeer-reviewed preprints and screenshots of WhatsApp chats, lacking scientific rigor. A patient who underwent the treatment described severe side effects, including excruciating pain. Oncologists strongly question the treatment's validity and emphasize that such an unproven method should not be used outside of clinical trials.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech chlorine dioxide medical safety

CrowdStrike Bug Cripples Hundreds of US Hospitals: A Year Later

2025-07-22
CrowdStrike Bug Cripples Hundreds of US Hospitals: A Year Later

A year after a buggy CrowdStrike software update crashed millions of computers worldwide, a new study reveals its devastating impact on US hospitals. Researchers found at least 759 hospitals experienced network disruptions, with over 200 facing patient-impacting outages affecting records, scans, and even fetal monitoring. The researchers argue this constitutes a significant public health issue. CrowdStrike disputes the findings, calling the study "junk science", citing a concurrent Microsoft Azure outage.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

OpenAI CEO Fires Back at Meta's AI Talent Grab: Mission vs. Mercenaries

2025-07-02
OpenAI CEO Fires Back at Meta's AI Talent Grab: Mission vs. Mercenaries

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has responded forcefully to Meta's recent aggressive recruitment of AI talent. In an internal memo, Altman highlighted OpenAI's unique advantages in building artificial general intelligence (AGI) and hinted at a company-wide compensation review for its research team. He argued that Meta's approach risks creating deep cultural problems and expressed confidence that OpenAI's mission-driven culture will ultimately prevail over Meta's mercenary tactics. Several OpenAI employees echoed these sentiments, defending the company's unique culture.

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(www.wired.com)
AI

Duolingo's AI Pivot Sparks User and Employee Backlash

2025-06-30
Duolingo's AI Pivot Sparks User and Employee Backlash

Language learning app Duolingo's announcement of its shift to an "AI-first" strategy, planning to replace some contractors with AI, has ignited a fierce backlash. Young users took to social media to express their anger, even deleting the app in protest. This incident reflects growing public concerns about AI's large-scale replacement of human labor and increasing discontent with the technology's potential negative impacts, such as copyright infringement and environmental damage. While Duolingo claims AI won't entirely replace employees, its move aligns with similar downsizing trends in other tech companies, fueling fears of AI threatening jobs.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech user protest

Browser Dating: A Controversial New App That Uses Your Search History to Find Matches

2025-06-12
Browser Dating: A Controversial New App That Uses Your Search History to Find Matches

An artist has launched Browser Dating, a dating app that uses users' browser history to suggest matches. For a one-time fee of €9, users get unlimited matches; a free version limits users to five. The app has sparked debate over privacy and security concerns, although the developer insists data is processed locally and not shared with third parties. While initial user feedback is mixed, the app's unique approach challenges conventional dating app models and raises questions about the intersection of technology, privacy, and personal relationships. The artist's previous work focuses on surveillance and social media, making this latest project a continuation of their exploration of these themes.

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(www.wired.com)
Misc

Critical Google Account Flaw Allowed Phone Number Extraction

2025-06-09
Critical Google Account Flaw Allowed Phone Number Extraction

A security researcher discovered a critical vulnerability in Google accounts that allowed attackers to easily obtain users' phone numbers through brute-forcing. The exploit leveraged Google Looker Studio's document ownership transfer feature, allowing attackers to guess phone numbers without the victim's knowledge. Google has since patched the vulnerability and awarded the researcher $5,000. This flaw poses a significant risk to SIM swappers, enabling them to steal various accounts, including cryptocurrency and email, through identity theft.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Cybercriminals Shift to Proxies to Mask Their Activities

2025-06-07
Cybercriminals Shift to Proxies to Mask Their Activities

To evade law enforcement, cybercriminals are increasingly using proxy servers and VPNs to mask their malicious activities. Previously reliant on 'bulletproof' hosting providers, the crackdown on these services has forced a shift. Criminals now leverage residential proxies and other decentralized services, using ordinary consumer IP addresses to obscure their operations, making tracking and identification extremely difficult. This transition presents new challenges to cybersecurity, requiring law enforcement to develop new strategies to combat increasingly sophisticated cybercrime.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech proxy servers VPNs

Uber's Route Share: Reinventing the Wheel or Disrupting Public Transit?

2025-06-07
Uber's Route Share: Reinventing the Wheel or Disrupting Public Transit?

Uber's new "Route Share" service, essentially a rebranded bus system, has sparked debate about its effectiveness in addressing traffic congestion and air quality, and its impact on existing public transit. While Uber claims it offers more affordable and predictable transportation, experts point to the higher carbon emissions of ride-sharing services compared to public transit and the lack of public accountability inherent in Uber's model, potentially harming public transit systems. This echoes Silicon Valley's repeated attempts to "disrupt" public transportation, often with disappointing results.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech Ride-sharing Public Transit

AI-Powered Hacking: A New Threat Emerges?

2025-06-05
AI-Powered Hacking: A New Threat Emerges?

The rise of AI presents new challenges to cybersecurity. Researchers have found that AI models like ChatGPT can be manipulated to generate malicious code, lowering the barrier to entry for cybercrime. While AI can't yet fully replace experienced hackers, its potential to accelerate malicious code generation is alarming. This could lead to more sophisticated attacks, such as multiple simultaneous zero-day exploits. However, AI also offers new tools for cybersecurity defense, initiating an "AI arms race" where future security will increasingly depend on AI-powered offense and defense.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech

Massive Data Breach Exposes 184 Million Login Credentials

2025-05-28
Massive Data Breach Exposes 184 Million Login Credentials

Security researcher Jeremiah Fowler uncovered a massive exposed Elastic database containing 184 million records, including login credentials for Apple, Facebook, Google, and accounts linked to numerous governments. The database lacked any identifying information about its owner or origin, highlighting the sheer scale and scope of the breach. A sample revealed compromised accounts across various platforms like Facebook, Google, Instagram, and Roblox, along with government .gov email addresses. Fowler reported the breach to the hosting provider, World Host Group, resulting in swift closure of access. This incident underscores the severe risks of carelessly compiling sensitive data, potentially leading to future cybersecurity catastrophes.

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(www.wired.com)
Tech
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