{"id":6966,"date":"2026-04-16T13:07:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T13:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=6966"},"modified":"2026-04-16T13:07:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T13:07:33","slug":"the-download-cyberscammers-banking-bypasses-and-carbon-removal-troubles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=6966","title":{"rendered":"The Download: cyberscammers\u2019 banking bypasses, and carbon removal troubles"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

This is today’s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cyberscammers\u00a0are bypassing banks\u2019 security with illicit tools sold on Telegram<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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. <\/p>\n

The app then requests a video \u201cliveness\u201d check. The scammer holds up a static image of a woman who doesn\u2019t match the account. After 90 seconds, he\u2019s in. <\/p>\n

The exploit relies on illicit hacking services sold on Telegram that break \u201cKnow Your Customer\u201d (KYC) facial scans. MIT Technology Review<\/em> found 22 channels and groups advertising these services. This is what we discovered. <\/p>\n

\u2014Fiona Kelliher<\/em> <\/p>\n

Is carbon removal in trouble?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em> <\/p>\n

Last week, news emerged that Microsoft was pausing carbon removal purchases. It was a bombshell\u2014Microsoft effectively is<\/em> the carbon removal market, single-handedly purchasing around 80% of all contracted carbon removal. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

This <\/strong>story<\/strong> is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter exploring the technology that could combat the climate crisis. <\/strong>Sign up<\/strong> to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

The quest to measure our relationship with nature<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

\u2014Emma Marris<\/em> <\/p>\n

Humans have done some destructive things to the ecosystems around us. But conservationists are learning that we can also be a force for good. <\/p>\n

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\u2014and what they hope to achieve. <\/p>\n

This story is from the next issue of our print magazine, which is all about nature. <\/strong>Subscribe now<\/strong> to read it when it lands on Wednesday, April 22. <\/strong> <\/p>\n

The must-reads\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em> <\/p>\n

1 Ukraine says Russian troops have surrendered to robots\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
They claim a fully automated attack captured army positions for the first time in history. (404 Media)\u00a0
+ Europe’s vision for future wars is full of drones.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review)\u00a0
\u00a0
2 Monkeys with\u00a0BCIs\u00a0are navigating virtual worlds using only their thoughts<\/strong>\u00a0
The research could help people with paralysis.\u00a0<\/strong>(New Scientist)\u00a0\u00a0
+ But these implants still face a critical test.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review)\u00a0
\u00a0
3 NASA wants to put nuclear reactors on the Moon<\/strong>\u00a0
They could power lunar bases and extend spaceflight. (Wired\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ NASA is also building a nuclear-powered spacecraft.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review)\u00a0<\/p>\n

4 Plans for online age verification in\u00a0the\u00a0US are raising red flags<\/strong>\u00a0
Experts warn of compliance\u00a0issues and potential data breaches. (NBC News)\u00a0
+ In the EU, an age verification app is about to launch.<\/em>\u00a0(Reuters\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/p>\n

5 An AI chip boom just pushed Taiwan\u2019s stock market past the UK\u2019s<\/strong> 
It\u2019s risen past $4 trillion to become the world\u2019s seventh largest. (FT $) 
+ Future AI chips could be built on glass. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review) <\/p>\n

6 The public backlash against data centers is intensifying in the US<\/strong> 
Protests and litigation are blocking projects. (CNBC) 
+ One potential solution? Putting them in space.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review) <\/p>\n

7 Five-minute EV charging is becoming a reality<\/strong> 
China\u2019s BYD has started rolling it out. (Gizmodo)  
+ \u201cExtended-range electric vehicles\u201d are about to hit US streets. <\/em>(Atlantic $) <\/p>\n

8 Stealth signals are bypassing Iran’s internet blackout\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
Files hidden in satellite TV broadcasts keep information flowing. (IEEE)\u00a0
\u00a0
9 Shoe brand Allbirds made a shock pivot to AI, sending stock up 700%\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
No bubble to see here, folks. (CNBC)\u00a0\u00a0
+ What even is the AI bubble?<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review)\u00a0<\/p>\n

10 The largest ever map of the universe is complete <\/strong> 
It captures 47 million galaxies and quasars. (Space.com) <\/p>\n

Quote of the day\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI like the internet as much as anybody, but we\u2019ve got to go on an internet diet. We don\u2019t need to pay for corporations to do their internet stuff.\u201d<\/strong> <\/h2>\n

 <\/strong>\u2014Sylvia Whitt, a 78-year-old retiree based in Virginia, tells the Washington Post why they\u2019re protesting against data centers.  <\/p>\n

One More Thing\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"a<\/p>\n
ISRAEL VARGAS<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

AI and the future of sex<\/strong> <\/h4>\n

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\u2019s obscene, ethical, or safe becomes a secondary issue. The primary concern will be what it means for porn to be \u201creal\u201d\u2014and what the answer demands from all of us. <\/p>\n

Technological advances could even remove the \u201cmessy humanity\u201d 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. <\/p>\n

\u2014Leo Herrera<\/em> <\/p>\n

We can still have\u00a0nice things\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em>.)<\/em> <\/p>\n

+ An animator turned his son\u2019s drawings\u00a0into epic anime characters.\u00a0
+ Hundreds of baby green sea turtles\u00a0made a spectacular first journey to the ocean.\u00a0
+ You can now track rocket launches\u00a0from\u00a0take-off\u00a0to orbit in real time.\u00a0
+ These musical mistakes\u00a0prove that even the classics\u00a0aren’t\u00a0perfect.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n