A flood of false information, partisan narratives, and weaponized “fact-checking" has obscured efforts to find out who’s responsible for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza.
By Vittoria Elliott, David Gilbert — October 17th 2023 at 22:20
X is promoting Community Notes to solve its disinformation problems, but some former employees and people who currently contribute notes say it’s not fit for that purpose.
In an attempt to wrest control from raucous far-right hardliners amid the fight for a new House speaker, Republican Party leaders are instituting phone bans to keep backroom deals secret.
A video posted by Donald Trump Jr. showing Hamas militants attacking Israelis was falsely flagged in a Community Note as being years old, thus making X's disinformation problem worse, not better.
The United Nations' top internet governance body will allegedly host its next two annual meetings in countries known for repressive internet policies and human rights abuses.
X’s Trust and Safety team says it’s working to remove false information related to the Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is sharing conspiracies and chatting with QAnon promoters.
By Lily Hay Newman, Matt Burgess — October 9th 2023 at 22:21
Since the conflict escalated, hackers have targeted dozens of government websites and media outlets with defacements and DDoS attacks, and attempted to overload targets with junk traffic to bring them down.
People who have turned to X for breaking news about the Israel-Hamas conflict are being hit with old videos, fake photos, and video game footage at a level researchers have never seen.
By Matt Burgess, Lily Hay Newman — October 8th 2023 at 19:32
Hundreds dead, thousands wounded—Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel shows the limits of even the most advanced and invasive surveillance dragnets as full-scale war erupts.
A “friendlier” front for racist extremism has spread rapidly across the US in recent months, as active club channels network on Telegram's encrypted messaging app.
By Dell Cameron, Dhruv Mehrotra — September 28th 2023 at 16:15
A civil liberties group has asked the DOJ to investigate deployment of the ShotSpotter gunfire-detection system, which research shows is often installed in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
Egged on by a far-reaching conservative media ecosystem, right-wing hardliners are forcing Washington to bend to their reality as the federal government careens toward a possible shutdown.
Plus: MGM hackers hit more than just casinos, Microsoft researchers accidentally leak terabytes of data, and China goes on the PR offensive over cyberespionage.
Senators are meeting with Silicon Valley's elite to learn how to deal with AI. But can Congress tackle the rapidly emerging tech before working on itself?
Civil rights groups say efforts to get US intelligence agencies to adopt privacy reforms have largely failed. Without those changes, renewal of a post-911 surveillance policy may be doomed.
Authorities have sanctioned 11 alleged members of the cybercriminal groups, while the US Justice Department unsealed three federal indictments against nine people accused of being members.
Posts praising the Wagner Group boss following his death in a mysterious plane crash last month indicate he was still in control of his "troll farm," researchers claim.
The sabotage of more than 20 trains in Poland by apparent supporters of Russia was carried out with a simple “radio-stop” command anyone could broadcast with $30 in equipment.
The US Secret Service’s relationship with the Oath Keepers gets revealed, Tornado Cash cofounders get indicted, and a UK court says a teen is behind a Lapsus$ hacking spree.
By Dell Cameron, Andrew Couts — August 25th 2023 at 01:03
Social norms—not laws—are the underlying fabric of democracy. The Georgia indictment against Donald Trump is the last tool remaining to repair that which he’s torn apart.
Russia tightly controls its information space—making it hard to get accurate information out of the country. But open source data provides some clues about the crash.
The social media giant filed a lawsuit against a nonprofit that researches hate speech online. It’s the latest effort to cut off the data needed to expose online platforms’ failings.
Soon after Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, sensors in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone reported radiation spikes. A researcher now believes he’s found evidence the data was manipulated.
The US Congress is trying to tame the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. But senators’ failure to tackle privacy reform is making the task a nightmare.
By Matt Burgess, Lily Hay Newman — July 22nd 2023 at 13:00
Plus: Microsoft expands access to premium security features, AI child sexual abuse material is on the rise, and Netflix’s password crackdown has its intended effect.
By Dhruv Mehrotra, Andrew Couts — July 20th 2023 at 19:12
A landmark $13 million settlement with the City of New York is the latest in a string of legal wins for protesters who were helped by a video-analysis tool that smashes the “bad apple” myth.
A bill to prevent cops and spies from buying Americans’ data instead of getting a warrant has a fighting chance in the US Congress as lawmakers team up against surveillance overreach.
The FBI has collected sensitive data on millions of Americans without warrants, drawing intense scrutiny from Congress and turning the agency into a punching bag across the political divide.
The National Defense Authorization Act may include new language forbidding government entities from buying Americans' search histories, location data, and more.
Fifty years ago, a fire ripped through the National Personnel Records Center. It set off a massive project to save crucial pieces of American history—including, I hoped, my grandfather’s.
By Andy Greenberg, Andrew Couts — June 17th 2023 at 13:00
Plus: The arrest of an alleged Lockbit ransomware hacker, the wild tale of a problematic FBI informant, and one of North Korea’s biggest crypto heists.
The US government warns encryption chipmaker Hualan has suspicious ties to China’s military. Yet US agencies still use one of its subsidiary’s chips, raising fears of a backdoor.
Fresh claims from a former US intelligence officer about an “intact” alien craft may get traction on Capitol Hill, where some lawmakers want to believe.
Plus: The FBI gets busted abusing a spy tool, an ex-Apple engineer is charged with corporate espionage, and collection of airborne DNA raises new privacy risks.
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