Security

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International Trade

Crypto-Funded Human Trafficking Is Exploding

The use of cryptocurrency in sales of human beings for prostitution and scam compounds nearly doubled in 2025, according to a conservative estimate. Many of the deals are happening in plain sight.

Stress Test

ICE Is Crashing the US Court System in Minnesota

Give It a Scan

CBP Signs Clearview AI Deal to Use Face Recognition for ‘Tactical Targeting’

Cyberattacks and Hacks

Moltbook, the Social Network for AI Agents, Exposed Real Humans’ Data

Plus: Apple’s Lockdown mode keeps the FBI out of a reporter’s phone, Elon Musk’s Starlink cuts off Russian forces, and more.

Notepad++ Users, You May Have Been Hacked by China

Suspected Chinese state-backed hackers hijacked the Notepad++ update infrastructure to deliver a backdoored version of the popular free source code editor and note-taking app for Windows.

Jeffrey Epstein Had a ‘Personal Hacker,’ Informant Claims

Plus: AI agent OpenClaw gives cybersecurity experts the willies, China executes 11 scam compound bosses, a $40 million crypto theft has an unexpected alleged culprit, and more.

He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive

A source trapped inside an industrial-scale scamming operation contacted me, determined to expose his captors’ crimes—and then escape. This is his story.

Privacy

Iran’s Digital Surveillance Machine Is Almost Complete

After more than 15 years of draconian measures, culminating in an ongoing internet shutdown, the Iranian regime seems to be staggering toward its digital surveillance endgame.

ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are

ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy rules.

How to Film ICE

Filming federal agents in public is legal, but avoiding a dangerous—even deadly—confrontation isn’t guaranteed. Here’s how to record ICE and CBP agents as safely as possible and have an impact.

An AI Toy Exposed 50,000 Logs of Its Chats With Kids to Anyone With a Gmail Account

AI chat toy company Bondu left its web console almost entirely unprotected. Researchers who accessed it found nearly all the conversations children had with the company’s stuffed animals.

Security Advice

How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance

Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.

8 WhatsApp Features to Boost Your Security and Privacy

Meta’s end-to-end encrypted messaging app is used by billions of people. Here’s how to make sure you’re one of the most locked-down ones out there.

How to Protect Your iPhone or Android Device From Spyware

Being targeted by sophisticated spyware is relatively rare, but experts say that everyone needs to stay vigilant as this dangerous malware continues to proliferate worldwide.

The WIRED Guide to Digital Opsec for Teens

Practicing good “operations security” is essential to staying safe online. Here's a complete guide for teenagers (and anyone else) who wants to button up their digital lives.

Security News

AI Is Here to Replace Nuclear Treaties. Scared Yet?

The last major nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia just expired. Some experts believe a combination of satellite surveillance, AI, and human reviewers can take its place. Others, not so much.

ICE Agent’s ‘Dragging’ Case May Help Expose Evidence in Renee Good Shooting

The government has withheld details of the investigation of Renee Good’s killing—but an unrelated case involving the ICE agent who shot her could force new revelations.

The Paramilitary ICE and CBP Units at the Center of Minnesota's Killings

Two agents involved in the shooting deaths of US citizens in Minneapolis are reportedly part of highly militarized DHS units whose extreme tactics are generally reserved for war zones.