This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on AI safety, follow Robert Hart. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. It all started in July, when one of OpenAI’s autonomous AI agents went rogue during
Just like any other online service, hackers can target and break into your accounts on popular AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. TechCrunch has created a comprehensive guide to help you protect yourself if you suspect someone has broken into your account on one of the internet’s most popular platforms, social networks, or
Since the end of last month, several water utilities in the United States have been hit by cyberattacks, causing alarm in the country. For years, water utilities and other critical infrastructure facilities in the power sector, for example, have been targeted by hackers, whether government-backed or individuals. What makes these recent attacks — allegedly carried
Privacy advocates and musicians rallied outside Madison Square Garden on Friday, pushing for new legislation to prevent facial-recognition technology at the venue and other public spaces in New York City. “MSG and its CEO, James Dolan, have been flagrantly abusing biotechnology,” City Council member Shahana Hanif said at the event on Friday, after leading a
Surveillance technology startup Flock announced a series of new policies and tools on Thursday, claiming they will help curb abuse of its automated license plate camera reader systems and help keep its law enforcement customers accountable. Flock is now recommending police departments retain data for seven days rather than the previous 30 days. Along with
Apple has sent out a new batch of notifications to customers who it suspects have been targeted with spyware capable of hacking into their devices. The tech giant sends out these notifications on occasion to alert its customers that their iPhones, iPads, or Macs might have been compromised with spyware typically used by governments. Apple
