Technology

• Rise in accessible AI tools significantly lowered the barrier to entry for cyber attackers, enabling them to create and deploy malicious bots at scale
• For the first time in a decade, automated traffic surpassed human activity, accounting for 51% of all web traffic
• API-directed attacks surged to 44% of advanced bot traffic, with the travel sector topping the list for bot attacks overall

The board determined the primary contributing factors were OceanGate’s inadequate design, certification, maintenance and inspection process for the Titan. Other factors cited in the report include a toxic workplace culture at OceanGate, an inadequate domestic and international regulatory framework for submersible operations and vessels of novel design, and an ineffective whistleblower process under the Seaman’s Protection Act.

The board also found OceanGate failed to properly investigate and address known hull anomalies following its 2022 Titanic expedition. Investigators determined the Titan’s real-time monitoring system generated data that should have been analyzed and acted on during the 2022 Titanic expedition. However, OceanGate did not take any action related to the data, conduct any preventative maintenance or properly store the Titan during the extended off season before its 2023 Titanic expedition.

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Online content creators spend significant time and effort building their user base through a long, often arduous process, which requires finding the right niche'' to cater to. So, what incentive is there for an established content creator known for cat memes to completely reinvent their page channel and start promoting cryptocurrency services or cover electoral news events? And, if they do, do their existing subscribers not notice? We explore this problem of \textit{repurposed channels}, whereby a channel changes its identity and contents. We first characterize a market for second-hand'' social media accounts, which recorded sales exceeding USD~1M during our 6-month observation period. By observing YouTube channels (re)sold over these 6~months, we find that a substantial number (37%) are used to disseminate potentially harmful content, often without facing any penalty. Even more surprisingly, these channels seem to gain rather than lose subscribers. To estimate the prevalence of channel repurposing ``in the wild,'' we also collect two snapshots of 1.4M quasi-randomly sampled YouTube accounts. In a 3-month period, we estimate that $\sim$0.25% channels -- collectively holding $\sim$44M subscribers -- were repurposed. We confirm that these repurposed channels share several characteristics with sold channels -- mainly, the fact that they had a significantly high presence of potentially problematic content. Across repurposed channels, we find channels that became disinformation channels, as well as channels that link to web pages with financial scams. We reason that abusing the residual trust placed on these channels is advantageous to financially- and ideologically-motivated adversaries. This phenomenon is not exclusive to YouTube and we posit that the market for cultivating organic audiences is set to grow, particularly if it remains unchallenged by mitigations, technical or otherwise.

Reddit

For decades, European firms have leaned on Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 rather than home-grown tools. Our new Europe Tech Sovereignty Watch study maps just how deep that dependency goes — and it should concern anyone focused on EU privacy, security, or innovation.

Key findings

• 74% of all publicly listed European companies run core services on Google or Microsoft. Several sectors/countries hit 100% reliance.
• Email is the gateway: pick a US mail suite and you usually adopt its entire stack (storage, IAM, security, analytics).
• Because both vendors are US entities, the CLOUD Act can compel hand-over even when the server sits in Frankfurt or Dublin.

74% of all publicly listed European companies run critical services (starting with email) on Google or Microsoft. In some sectors and countries, reliance hits 100%.

• 🇫🇷 France: 61% of companies rely on US providers. For utilities, it’s 87%.
• 🇬🇧 UK: 75% of companies depend on US tech for their email and communications.
• 🇪🇸 Spain: 65% of companies rely on US services, including five sectors at 100%.
• 🇵🇹 Portugal: 65% of businesses use US providers. In nine sectors, that figure is 100%
• 🇮🇪 Ireland: In 11 sectors, 100% of large companies use US-based tech.

Why it matters

• Company comms may feed foreign AI training sets.
• EU data is vulnerable to US surveillance and extraterritorial subpoenas.
• Critical infrastructure (utilities, transport, telecom) becomes a geopolitical pressure point.
• Dependence fuels brain drain and suppresses European innovation.

Desktop Archive.

Note: I usually don't share Techdirt articles, due to their bad Cloudflare configuration. But I see a good value in this article.

Reddit.

Dilemma highlights emerging problems as AI replaces human moderators, tech expert says

Hackernews.

Hackernews.

The database — the first of its kind in the nation — will vastly expand public access to internal affairs records that disclose how law enforcement agencies throughout the state handle misconduct allegations as well as uses of police force that result in death or serious injury. The database, funded by the State of California, currently has records from nearly 12,000 cases, including thousands involving police shootings. Every record in the database was released by a law enforcement agency after being redacted in compliance with California’s public records laws. As a result, journalists and members of the public will now be able to search statewide for particular types of misconduct and use-of-force. Police chiefs will be able to use the data to aid in hiring decisions. Researchers will be able to identify trends and patterns.

Extreme price swings in wholesale electricity markets and growing concerns around grid instability are opening up new markets for energy storage. Batteries are now a critical solution to drive value for both capital and consumers.