Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Andrew Couts

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb.bsky.social · 2d

SCOOP: Spyware maker NSO Group confirmed to us that the company has been acquired by a U.S. investment group.

NSO's spokesperson said the group "has invested tens of millions of dollars in the company and has acquired controlling ownership," but declined to say who is behind the investment.

Spyware maker NSO Group confirms acquisition by US investors | TechCrunch

NSO Group confirmed to TechCrunch that an unnamed group of American investors has taken “controlling ownership” of the surveillance tech maker.

techcrunch.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 2d

It's so wild!!

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: Everything's... fine... @aarianmarshall.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/shutdo...

The Shutdown Is Pushing Air Safety Workers to the Limit

Federal employees say that flying is still safe despite the strain on air traffic controllers. But expect even more airport delays ahead.

www.wired.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 2d

exsqueeze me?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

Jessica Washington @jesswash.bsky.social · 2d

ICE isn't supposed to detain pregnant women except in extenuating circumstances, but our reporting found that the Trump administration appears to be detaining pregnant women at alarming rates in deplorable conditions.

Read my latest for @theintercept.com

theintercept.com/2025/10/10/i...

The Trump Administration Is Hiding How Many Pregnant People Are in ICE Detention

The evidence indicates ICE is detaining pregnant women at alarming rates, in rapidly deteriorating conditions.

theintercept.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 2d

Would love if you'd subscribe, of course! But absent that, here's the blog by the researchers this story is based on: www.kelacyber.com/blog/espiona...

Hidden Threat: North Korean IT Workers Exposed | KELA

North Korean operatives infiltrate global companies through fake freelancer profiles, funding weapons programs while stealing data and accessing infrastructure.

www.kelacyber.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: Apple is offering up to $2 million for exploits that can be used to infect iPhones with spyware, and bonuses for exploits used to bypass Lockdown Mode that bring total possible awards for a bug bounty to $5 million. @lhn.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/apple-...

Apple Announces $2 Million Bug Bounty Reward for the Most Dangerous Exploits

With the mercenary spyware industry booming, Apple VP Ivan Krstić tells WIRED that the company is also offering bonuses that could bring the max total reward for iPhone exploits to $5 million.

www.wired.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: North Korean scam workers now appear to have moved from freelance IT work to designing buildings for customers in the US. @mattburgess1.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/north-...

North Korean Scammers Are Doing Architectural Design Now

New research shows that North Koreans appear to be trying to trick US companies into hiring them to develop architectural designs using fake profiles, résumés, and Social Security numbers.

www.wired.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 3d

NEW: The developers whose ICE-related apps were removed from the Apple App Store say they're preparing to fight back. @thiccreese.bsky.social and @lhn.bsky.social report: www.wired.com/story/apple-...

Apple Took Down ICE-Tracking Apps. Their Developers Aren't Giving Up

“We are going to do everything in our power to fight this,” says ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron after Apple removed his app from the App Store.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 3d

How Mark Bray, author of the book on antifa, was targeted with death threats:

— Trump signs EO designating antifa as terrorists
— DHS memo warns about "antifa-aligned" individuals
— Far-right trolls target Bray on X
— TPUSA treasurer launches petition against Bray

www.wired.com/story/mark-b...

He Wrote a Book About Antifa. Death Threats Are Driving Him Out of the US

Rutgers historian Mark Bray is trying to flee to Spain after after an online campaign from far-right influencers was followed by death threats. He was turned back at the airport on his first attempt.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

Thomas M. Keck @tmksyracuse.bsky.social · 4d

Weber State administrators told student they couldn't present their research on the state's anti-DEI law at an on-campus conference on censorship(!) unless they removed all mentions of DEI from their slides

www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

Weber State Censors, Then Cancels, Censorship Conference

University officials said that several planned presentations violated a Utah state law banning diversity, equity and inclusion at public universities.

www.insidehighered.com

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

kate conger @kateconger.com · 4d

Jonathan Rinderknecht, a white man, was charged with starting the Palisades Fire. But on X, the company's news summary tab shows a photo of a black man.

Screenshot depicting posts on X, one showing the suspect accused of starting the Palisades Fire, a white man. The X news tab reports on the suspect's arrest, but shows a photo of a black man instead.

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 4d

JUST IN: A federal judge has granted the New York Times’ demand for a list of Elon Musk’s security clearances. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 6d

Read this Globe piece for the great local reporting, stay for a banger kicker

Several of the people employed there declined to speak with the Globe late last week as they walked from the center to their cars. When a reporter pressed a buzzer on the front door and identified himself, a person on the other end of the line said he would see if anyone was available to talk.

About 15 minutes later, an armed private security contractor exited the building and handed the reporter a sticky note with the phone number for ICE’s Washington-based Office of Public Affairs scrawled on it.

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 6d

NEW: Security researchers warn that the rise of vibe coding can lead to dangerous insecurities in the software supply chain. @lhn.bsky.social reports www.wired.com/story/vibe-c...

Vibe Coding Is the New Open Source—in the Worst Way Possible

As developers increasingly lean on AI-generated code to build out their software—as they have with open source in the past—they risk introducing critical security failures along the way.

www.wired.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 8d

2015: Don’t read the comments

2025: The comments are now in charge

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 8d

A WILD ONE: A man broke his leg during an arrest by ICE at a car wash south of L.A.

ICE has held him under 24/7 guard at a hospital, registering him under a pseudonym, for *37 days* without telling him why.

A judge has ordered his immediate release.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 8d

There is no single solution to scammers. But taking a breath, scrutinizing the facts and context, and erring toward not sending anyone money goes a long way.

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 8d

Folks: I am not on TikTok. Any account there is not me. And I will NEVER ask for money!

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 9d

SCOOP — Pennsylvania prosecutors were alerted to possible voting irregularities by one of MAGA's leading voices against voter fraud. A long paper trail shows Jack Posobiec has been living in Maryland but voting using his parents' PA address for years.

From @jsweetli.bsky.social, @slate.com + me:

MAGA’s “Voter Fraud” Watchdog Votes in a Swing State. He Doesn’t Live There.

A long paper trail shows that Jack Posobiec casts a ballot in one state and lives in another.

slate.com

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

Manisha Krishnan @manishakrishnan.bsky.social · 9d

New deep dive into the world of feuding Luigi Mangione supporters. Some are using alleged crime to push health care reform; others find that offensive, as they believe he's completely innocent. And most of them hate the media's fixation on the "thirsters": www.wired.com/story/inside...

Inside the Contentious World of Luigi Mangione Supporters

As Luigi Mangione is being tried legally and in the court of public opinion, tensions are growing between his supporters pushing health care reform and those who believe he is innocent.

www.wired.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 9d

NEW: ICE is planning to hire a team of nearly 30 people to surveil social media 24/7, build dossiers on people, and flag them for arrest and deportation. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-so...

ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team

Documents show ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.

www.wired.com

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 10d

lol fair. i mean NEW folk music. my bad for not being explicit

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 11d

thank you!!

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · 11d

wrote about some of this more broadly in a story w/ @couts.bsky.social last week

The timing is also notable, as federal resources for countering domestic terrorism are being steadily cut back.
The FBI has consistently diverted resources away from domestic terrorism investigations this year, pulling staff from specialized units and discounting tools long used to track extremist cases. By May, agents in field offices had been ordered to devote at least a third of their time to immigration enforcement instead, moving national security specialists into work far outside the bureau's traditional
role. Some counterterrorism agents were abruptly recalled to their posts after a US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities— a reversal that only underscored the chaos created by constant shifts in priorities.

The administration previously gutted tens of millions of dollars from federal terrorism-
prevention grants at the same time, shuttering key programs at the Department of Homeland Security's Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships. Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called it a "broad institutional pullback" from investigating domestic terrorism, even as, he noted, "experts continue to warn about intensifying danger."
Other experts say the retreat amounts to abandoning the fight against homegrown extremism altogether-at one of the worst possible moments.

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Reposted by Andrew Couts

Tim Marchman @timmarchman.bsky.social · 11d

Hello! Just a reminder that if you work for or contract with the federal government and have information you'd like to share securely with a @wired.com reporter, you can use a non-work device to contact me on Signal at timmarchman.01 and I can connect you to someone who covers your area.

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