Hamas and militant groups’ use of cryptocurrency, while significant, pales in comparison to the amount of cryptocurrency used by other illicit actors. Hamas, for instance, raised $41 million in cryptocurrency over the past two years, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad raised $91 million, according to a report last week in the Wall Street Journal that cited… Continue reading Citing Hamas, the US Wants to Treat Crypto “Mixers” as Suspected Money Launderers
Author: Wired Magazine
Crypto Groups Gemini, Genesis, and DCG Sued for $1.1 Billion ‘Fraud’
“These cryptocurrency companies lied to investors and tried to hide more than a billion dollars in losses, and it was middle-class investors who suffered as a result,” Letitia James, New York attorney general, said in a statement. “Hardworking New Yorkers and investors around the country lost more than a billion dollars because they were fed… Continue reading Crypto Groups Gemini, Genesis, and DCG Sued for $1.1 Billion ‘Fraud’
The US Has Failed to Pass AI Regulation. New York City Is Stepping Up
As the US federal government struggles to meaningfully regulate AI—or even function—New York City is stepping into the governance gap. The city introduced an AI Action Plan this week that mayor Eric Adams calls a first of its kind in the nation. The set of roughly 40 policy initiatives is designed to protect residents against… Continue reading The US Has Failed to Pass AI Regulation. New York City Is Stepping Up
‘The Whole Health System Is Collapsing Around Us.’ Doctors Say Gaza Is on the Brink
Surgeons at Al-Shifa Hospital are operating without painkillers, according to Christos Christou, the international president of MSF. MSF team members say that they have “heard wounded patients screaming in pain.” Al-Shifa is currently working at more than 600 percent over capacity, its director-general Muhammad Abu Salmiya said in an editorial published in The Lancet on… Continue reading ‘The Whole Health System Is Collapsing Around Us.’ Doctors Say Gaza Is on the Brink
Netflix’s Password-Sharing Crackdown Is Working—for Now
If it’s not the company motto yet, it should be: Never count Netflix out. On Wednesday, the streaming giant beat Wall Street projections by reporting a gain of nearly 9 million new subscribers worldwide and $8.5 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2023, a nearly 8 percent increase year-over-year. While that might all… Continue reading Netflix’s Password-Sharing Crackdown Is Working—for Now
Who’s Responsible for the Gaza Hospital Explosion? Here’s Why It’s Hard to Know What’s Real
Today, the Times reported that US officials said they have “multiple strands of intelligence,” including infrared satellite imagery, indicating that the deadly blast was caused by the Islamic Jihad group, though that evidence has not been released publicly. US president Joe Biden, who is meeting with officials in Israel today, echoed Israel’s claim that its… Continue reading Who’s Responsible for the Gaza Hospital Explosion? Here’s Why It’s Hard to Know What’s Real
Insiders Say X’s Crowdsourced Anti-Disinformation Tool Is Making the Problem Worse
On Saturday, the official Israel account on X posted a picture of what looks like a child’s bedroom with blood covering the floor. “This could be your child’s bedroom. No words,” the post reads. There is no suggestion the picture is fake, and publicly there are no notes on the post. However, in the Community… Continue reading Insiders Say X’s Crowdsourced Anti-Disinformation Tool Is Making the Problem Worse
Why Scientists Are Bugging the Rainforest
Bioacoustics can’t fully replace ecology fieldwork, but can provide reams of data that would be extremely expensive to collect by merely sending scientists to remote areas for long stretches of time. With bioacoustic instruments, researchers must return to collect the data and swap batteries, but otherwise the technology can work uninterrupted for years. “Scaling sampling… Continue reading Why Scientists Are Bugging the Rainforest
The US Just Escalated Its AI Chip War With China
At an event in Beijing this week, the Chinese search giant Baidu announced a new version of its most capable language model, called Ernie 4.0. Baidu says the performance of this model matches that of the AI model behind ChatGPT. The company said it used tens of thousands of chips to train Ernie 4.0. It… Continue reading The US Just Escalated Its AI Chip War With China
Rumors of a ‘Global Day of Jihad’ Have Unleashed a Dangerous Wave of Disinformation
Yesterday, FBI director Christopher Wray attempted to assure the Jewish community in the US that his agency is taking any threats seriously. “I am not, in any way, trying to alarm you, but I want you to be confident that the FBI is most assuredly paying attention,” he said during an update on domestic security… Continue reading Rumors of a ‘Global Day of Jihad’ Have Unleashed a Dangerous Wave of Disinformation