This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Cyberscammers are bypassing banks’ security with illicit tools sold on Telegram
Inside a money-laundering center in Cambodia, an employee opens a banking app on his phone. It asks for a photo linked to the account, so he uploads a picture of a 30-something Asian man.
The app then requests a video “liveness” check. The scammer holds up a static image of a woman who doesn’t match the account. After 90 seconds, he’s in.
The exploit relies on illicit hacking services sold on Telegram that break “Know Your Customer” (KYC) facial scans. MIT Technology Review found 22 channels and groups advertising these services. This is what we discovered.
—Fiona Kelliher
Is carbon removal in trouble?
—Casey Crownhart
Last week, news emerged that Microsoft was pausing carbon removal purchases. It was a bombshell—Microsoft effectively is the carbon removal market, single-handedly purchasing around 80% of all contracted carbon removal.
The report sparked fear across the industry, raising questions about the future of carbon removal and the role of Big Tech. Read the full story.
This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter exploring the technology that could combat the climate crisis. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.
The quest to measure our relationship with nature
—Emma Marris
Humans have done some destructive things to the ecosystems around us. But conservationists are learning that we can also be a force for good.
To understand how we work best with nature, a group of scientists, authors, and philosophers have developed new measurements of human-nonhuman relationships. Now, a team in the United Nations is continuing the work. Find out why—and what they hope to achieve.
This story is from the next issue of our print magazine, which is all about nature. Subscribe now to read it when it lands on Wednesday, April 22.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Ukraine says Russian troops have surrendered to robots
They claim a fully automated attack captured army positions for the first time in history. (404 Media)
+ Europe’s vision for future wars is full of drones. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Monkeys with BCIs are navigating virtual worlds using only their thoughts
The research could help people with paralysis. (New Scientist)
+ But these implants still face a critical test. (MIT Technology Review)
3 NASA wants to put nuclear reactors on the Moon
They could power lunar bases and extend spaceflight. (Wired $)
+ NASA is also building a nuclear-powered spacecraft. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Plans for online age verification in the US are raising red flags
Experts warn of compliance issues and potential data breaches. (NBC News)
+ In the EU, an age verification app is about to launch. (Reuters $)
5 An AI chip boom just pushed Taiwan’s stock market past the UK’s
It’s risen past $4 trillion to become the world’s seventh largest. (FT $)
+ Future AI chips could be built on glass. (MIT Technology Review)
6 The public backlash against data centers is intensifying in the US
Protests and litigation are blocking projects. (CNBC)
+ One potential solution? Putting them in space. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Five-minute EV charging is becoming a reality
China’s BYD has started rolling it out. (Gizmodo)
+ “Extended-range electric vehicles” are about to hit US streets. (Atlantic $)
8 Stealth signals are bypassing Iran’s internet blackout
Files hidden in satellite TV broadcasts keep information flowing. (IEEE)
9 Shoe brand Allbirds made a shock pivot to AI, sending stock up 700%
No bubble to see here, folks. (CNBC)
+ What even is the AI bubble? (MIT Technology Review)
10 The largest ever map of the universe is complete
It captures 47 million galaxies and quasars. (Space.com)
Quote of the day
“I like the internet as much as anybody, but we’ve got to go on an internet diet. We don’t need to pay for corporations to do their internet stuff.”
—Sylvia Whitt, a 78-year-old retiree based in Virginia, tells the Washington Post why they’re protesting against data centers.
One More Thing
AI and the future of sex
Some Republican lawmakers want to criminalize porn and arrest its creators. But what if porn is wholly created by an algorithm? In that case, whether it’s obscene, ethical, or safe becomes a secondary issue. The primary concern will be what it means for porn to be “real”—and what the answer demands from all of us.
Technological advances could even remove the “messy humanity” from sex itself. The rise of AI-generated porn may be a symptom of a new synthetic sexuality, not the cause. Read the full story.
—Leo Herrera
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
+ An animator turned his son’s drawings into epic anime characters.
+ Hundreds of baby green sea turtles made a spectacular first journey to the ocean.
+ You can now track rocket launches from take-off to orbit in real time.
+ These musical mistakes prove that even the classics aren’t perfect.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
