Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Lily Hay Newman

@lhn.bsky.social

22K followers 550 following 57 posts

Security reporter for WIRED Magazine. she/her/my man. Signal +1 (347) 722-1347

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Lily Hay Newman @lhn.bsky.social · 1d

As Apple expands its bug bounty, I spoke with VP Ivan Krstić about the significance + recent big swings like Memory Integrity Enforcement. These steps protect all users, but particularly those targeted by spyware: “We feel a great moral obligation to defend those users” 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.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 3d

Today's the day: DARK WIRE, my book on how the FBI secretly ran a tech company for criminals and wiretapped the world, coming to paperback. Updated with many more details. An Economist and FT book of the year. 404 Media subs: you just got 20% to your email www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/josep...

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Brian Barrett @brbarrett.bsky.social · 2d

Apple has removed at least three ICE-tracking apps from the App Store. WIRED spoke with the developers about where they go from here. from @thiccreese.bsky.social and @lhn.bsky.social 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.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Kim Zetter @kimzetter.bsky.social · 12d

Tile location-finding tags, unlike Apple/Google tags, broadcast MAC address/unique ID unencrypted, letting stalkers, Tile or LE track people/items. Anti-theft feature also undoes anti-stalking feature - any tag in anti-theft mode is invisible to scans looking for stalkers. My story for @wired.com

Tile Tracking Tags Can Be Exploited by Tech-Savvy Stalkers, Researchers Say

A team of researchers found that, by not encrypting the data broadcast by Tile tags, users could be vulnerable to having their location information exposed to malicious actors.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 16d

NEW

WIRED led the way in reporting on Elon Musk's efforts to dismantle the US government. My colleagues and I spoke to 100s of employees at dozens of agencies to understand what happened.

This is the definitive story of DOGE as told by those who experienced it

www.wired.com/story/oral-h...

The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers

WIRED spoke with more than 200 federal workers in dozens of agencies to learn what happened as the Department of Government Efficiency tore through their offices.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Kwame Opam @kwameopam.bsky.social · 18d

Speaking over a radio, the federal agent who told police that Villegas González tried to use his car as a weapon said his partner had suffered “a left knee injury and some lacerations to his hands.”

“Nothing major,” the injured agent said.
chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...

ICE officer said his injuries were 'nothing major' after deadly shooting near Chicago, video shows

The immigration agent’s partner said he suffered a “knee injury" and "some lacerations to his hands,” according to police body camera footage obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. But the feds reported h...

chicago.suntimes.com

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Kate Knibbs @knibbs.bsky.social · 18d

popping back in from mat leave to say i profiled @katmabu.bsky.social for @wired.com and you should read it! she's running a fascinating campaign: www.wired.com/story/kat-ab...

She Fought the Far Right Online for Years. Now She Wants to Do It in Congress

Kat Abughazaleh, 26, made her name swatting down right-wing talking points on social media. Now she’s hoping internet fame can propel her to Congress.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Natasha Bernal @natashabernal.bsky.social · 23d

I covered the protests in London against Trump for @wired.com. Protesters aren't convinced by the AI deal from US tech giants: They want to know what the UK is giving them in exchange for up to $45bn in investment and where the power for data centers will come from www.wired.com/story/climat...

Anti-Trump Protesters Take Aim at ‘Naive’ US-UK AI Deal

Thousands marched in London to protest President Donald Trump’s second state visit. Among them were many environmental activists unhappy with Britain’s new AI deal with the US.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Natasha Bernal @natashabernal.bsky.social · 24d

Spent some time with Jensen Huang this morning and let's just say some stuff came up a lot
www.wired.com/story/jensen...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Is Bananas for Google Gemini’s AI Image Generator

The Nvidia CEO reveals his consuming love for Google’s image generator, the artsy side of Grok, and what exactly he uses Perplexity, Gemini, and ChatGPT for right now.

Lily Hay Newman @lhn.bsky.social · 25d

important to understand that it takes a lot of work and planning to aquire and use a true burner phone, but luckily you don’t need a full on burner phone in most situations to enhance your digital privacy www.wired.com/story/how-to...

How to Set Up and Use a Burner Phone

Obtaining and using a true burner phone is hard—but not impossible. Here are the steps you need to take to protect your mobile communications based on the risks you face.

Lily Hay Newman @lhn.bsky.social · Sep 11

definitely keep it

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · Sep 11

NEW: We got access to Jeffrey Epstein’s personal Yahoo inbox — more than 18,000 emails.

It shows Epstein’s world in his own words: an unfiltered look at how his operation worked, who enabled it, and how Ghislaine Maxwell stayed at the center of it all.

Jeffrey Epstein Email Trove Reveals Ghislaine Maxwell’s Secrets

A cache of 18,000 messages obtained by Bloomberg News reveals Maxwell’s deep ties and involvement with the disgraced financier and sex offender.

www.bloomberg.com

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · Sep 9

Exclusive: Cindy Cohn, longtime director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is leaving the group after 25 years. The decision was announced at a meeting this afternoon.

I sat down w/ Cohn to discuss her victories, unfinished battles, and the future of privacy, encryption, and corporate power.

Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights

After 25 years at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Cindy Cohn is stepping down as executive director. In a WIRED interview, she reflects on encryption, AI, and why she’s not ready to quit the battl...

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Baltimore Beat @baltimorebeat.bsky.social · Sep 3

Can Baltimore break its reliance on police as mental health responders?
baltimorebeat.com/can-baltimor...

Can Baltimore break its reliance on police as mental health responders?

A Baltimore City Council hearing examining the city’s crisis response revealed a fragmented, leaderless system that almost always sends police officers to deal with mental health emergencies,…

baltimorebeat.com

Lily Hay Newman @lhn.bsky.social · Sep 2

*taps sign* www.wired.com/story/trump-...

No, Trump Can’t Legally Federalize US Elections

The United States Constitution is clear: President Donald Trump can’t take control of the country’s elections. But he can sow confusion and fear.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

CYBERWARCON @cyberwarcon.bsky.social · Aug 28

CYBERWARCON is coming!!! Registration and CFP are now open for this year's #CYBERWARCON! This year's keynote speaker will be @dmitri.silverado.org!!
We are back in Arlington, VA this year on November 19th.

www.cyberwarcon.com

www.cyberwarcon.com

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · Aug 18

EXCLUSIVE

WIRED has learned that law firms across the country are working together to file hundreds of lawsuits against Roblox in the coming weeks on behalf of parents who are accusing the company of facilitating the sexual exploitation and grooming of their kids.

www.wired.com/story/is-rob...

Is Roblox Getting Worse?

Long plagued by moderation issues, the platform recently released a series of updates aimed at improving the experience for kids. Experts worry they could have the opposite effect.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

WIRED @wired.com · Aug 18

Young people entering classrooms this fall need a totally different tool set than the generations before them.

WIRED Takes You Back to School

Young people entering classrooms this fall need a totally different tool set than the generations before them.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Caroline Haskins @carolinehaskins.bsky.social · Aug 11

Palantir is in the news a lot lately. However, the public discourse about the company often misconstrues it as a data broker, a data miner, a single centralized database, etc. But what does Palantir actually do?

I wrote a piece to firmly & clearly answer that question:
www.wired.com/story/palant...

What Does Palantir Actually Do?

Palantir is often called a data broker, a data miner, or a giant database of personal information. In reality, it’s none of these—but even former employees struggle to explain it.

Lily Hay Newman @lhn.bsky.social · Aug 9

Today @defcon.bsky.social the Quantum Village co-founders will present a fully open source quantum sensor that anyone can build for under $150. And it's all possible because of a Very Specific Diamond 💎💅 www.wired.com/story/fully-...

A Special Diamond Is the Key to a Fully Open Source Quantum Sensor

Quantum sensors can be used in medical technologies, navigation systems, and more, but they're too expensive for most people. That's where the Uncut Gem open source project comes in.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

WIRED @wired.com · Aug 6

Me, the UK colleague waking up and trying to make sense of all this.

a man in a white shirt is standing in a living room

ALT: a man in a white shirt is standing in a living room

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Brian Barrett @brbarrett.bsky.social · Aug 6

Edward "Big Balls" Coristine was beaten up in an attempted carjacking over the weekend. WIRED obtained the police report that gives more details about the incident that has Donald Trump threatening to "federalize" Washington, DC. from @carolinehaskins.bsky.social and @makenakelly.bsky.social

Police Report: Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine Assaulted in Alleged Carjacking

President Donald Trump shared a photo of the DOGE staffer after the alleged attack and threatened to "federalize" Washington, DC. WIRED obtained the police report.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · Jul 25

The UK introduced “robust” age checks for porn and other online content today

Also related: VPN interest massively up in the UK, according to Google Trends

Story with @lhn.bsky.social: www.wired.com/story/the-ag...

Screenshot of WIRED article.

Headline: The Age-Checked Internet
Has Arrived

Starting today, UK adults will have to prove their age to access porn online. Experts warn that a global wave of age-check laws threatens to chill speech and ultimately harm children and adults alike.

Screenshot of Google Trends VPN interest for the last 30 days in the UK, showing a large spike in recent days

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Andy Greenberg @agreenberg.bsky.social · Jul 19

On the one-year anniversary of CrowdStrike's disastrous crashes that took down millions of computers worldwide, a new study finds 750-plus hospital networks in the US were disrupted, and 200-plus appear to have had outages of patient medical services. www.wired.com/story/at-lea...

At Least 750 US Hospitals Faced Disruptions During Last Year’s CrowdStrike Outage, Study Finds

Of those, more than 200 appear to have had outages of services related to patient care following CrowdStrike’s disastrous crash, researchers have revealed.

Reposted by Lily Hay Newman

Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · Jul 21

You've heard of Elon Musk's Neuralink. But there's another company that's allowing paralyzed people to control computers with their thoughts without the need for invasive brain surgery.

Read my deep dive on Synchron for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/synchr...

There's Neuralink—and There's the Mind-Reading Company That Might Surpass It

Unlike Elon Musk's brain-computer interface, Synchron's doesn't require open-skull surgery, and it has an OpenAI chatbot baked in.