The head of the National Security Agency made his case Thursday for lawmakers to keep a key NSA surveillance power intact ahead of a tough reauthorization battle this year.
The big picture: Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is set to expire at the end of the year, jeopardizing a surveillance authority that allows intelligence agencies to collect warrantless online communications from foreign persons.
Illicit cryptocurrency activity hit an all-time high of $20.3 billion in 2022, according to initial estimates from blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis.
By the numbers: The new record high is mostly due to the growing number of crypto-related entities that the U.S. government sanctioned in 2022, per the report.
Criminal gangs are using a new method to guarantee a ransomware payout: They're ditching the part where they lock up a target firm's systems by encrypting them and are skipping straight to holding the company's precious data for ransom.
The big picture: As law enforcement attention on ransomware grows, gangs are constantly looking for less-flashy, but still efficient ways to keep their ransomware attacks going.
Android co-founder Rich Miner credits "Star Trek" for helping lead him to a career in tech and inspiring several products he created.
What's happening: As a way to pay tribute, Miner is now helping fund a sculpture honoring the show and Leonard Nimoy, the late actor who portrayed Spock.
A new era of short-form video is sweeping the internet, forcing every kind of creator — from podcasters to photographers and publishers — to adjust their media strategies.
Why it matters: There have never been so many opportunities to create content online, but business incentives are driving all kinds of creative individuals and enterprises to chase the same viral trends.
ChatGPT, the new artificial intelligence tool that can write remarkably cogent essays on any topic based on simple prompts, is sparking intense debates among educators about the nature and purpose of modern teaching methods — and how to sniff out plagiarists.
Why it matters: Some teachers foresee "a flood of cheating," while others envision a big opportunity to improve — and modernize — how writing is taught.
