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Submission + - Iran blocks accounts of Starlink users as crackdown continues (iranintl.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Iranian police said on Thursday they had blocked 61 bank accounts belonging to users of Starlink satellite internet in the central city of Yazd, as part of a broader crackdown on unauthorized connectivity.

A local police commander said six Starlink devices were seized and six people detained following searches carried out with judicial approval.

Authorities accused the suspects of trading access to the service, sharing information with foreign-based outlets and engaging in activities deemed hostile. The individuals were referred to prosecutors, police said.

The move comes amid a broader wave of arrests across Iran, with authorities detaining dozens in recent days on security-related charges, including alleged links to militant activity, contacts with foreign media and online activity. Officials have also reported seizing weapons, explosives and Starlink devices in multiple provinces.

Starlink is banned in Iran, where authorities have imposed a near-total internet blackout during the war. Monitoring group NetBlocks says connectivity has dropped to around 1% of normal levels, leaving satellite services among the few ways to access the global internet.

Submission + - This guy let an AI agent handle his scam texts for a week (x.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: a scammer asked him to buy a $500 gift card

the agent spent 4 hours "driving" to target.

sent status updates like "i'm at the red light now, there's a very handsome squirrel on the sidewalk. do you think he's married?" ...

Submission + - Vostok, Antarctica: March 24th had the coldest March temperature ever recorded (theweathernetwork.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: “Vostok, Antarctica, recorded -76.3C on March 24, 2026. That has beat out the previous March record, which was -75.7C in Dome Fuji, Antarctica, in 2013.”

But wait, it’s a cross-hemispheric phenomenon: “Three of the coldest locations in the Northern Hemisphere pushed it to a new level this winter, with one spot in Greenland dropping to about as cold as it gets. Here in Canada, the community of Braeburn, Yukon, saw readings fall to -55.7C on Dec. 23, 2025, marking the country’s coldest temperature since 1999.”

But since it's cold, it's just weather, not climate

Submission + - SCOTUS: ISPs not liable for user copyright infringement (supremecourt.gov)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: What the case was about: Sony and other record labels sued Cox (an ISP) for contributory copyright infringement. They claimed Cox was liable because it kept providing internet service to customers it knew were illegally downloading music (after receiving 163,000+ notices).

The ruling (8-1):
Cox wins. The Supreme Court reversed the $1 billion verdict against Cox.

Key holding in plain English:
An internet provider is not automatically liable just because it knows some customers are pirating and doesn’t cut them off.

Contributory liability requires intent — either actively encouraging piracy or offering a service specifically designed for it.

Cox only sold ordinary high-speed internet (which has tons of legal uses), so it is not liable.

Mere knowledge of infringement by users is not enough.

Submission + - Hong Kong Police Can Demand Passwords Under New National Security Rules (bbc.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Hong Kong police can now demand phone or computer passwords from those who are suspected of breaching the wide-ranging National Security Law (NSL). Those who refuse could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $12,700, and individuals who provide "false or misleading information" could face up to three years in jail. It comes as part of new amendments to a bylaw under the NSL that the government gazetted on Monday.

The NSL was introduced in Hong Kong in 2020, in wake of massive pro-democracy protests the year before. Authorities say the laws, which target acts like terrorism and secession, are necessary for stability — but critics say they are tools to quash dissent. The new amendments also give customs officials the power to seize items that they deem to "have seditious intention."

Monday's amendments ensure that "activities endangering national security can be effectively prevented, suppressed and punished, and at the same time the lawful rights and interests of individuals and organisations are adequately protected," Hong Kong authorities said on Monday. Changes to the bylaw was announced by the city's leader, John Lee, bypassing the city's legislative council. The NSL also allows for some trials to be heard behind closed doors.

Submission + - Non-US made WiFi Routers Banned by FCC (pcmag.com)

Submitted by phatrabt
phatrabt writes: The FCC has now banned any WiFi routers not made in the US from being sold unless granted a waiver from the Pentagon or Homeland Security. PC Mag says:

"Late on Monday afternoon, the FCC announced the order, based on a White House determination that foreign-made routers introduce “supply chain vulnerabilities” that hackers and cyberspies can exploit. Specifically, the commission updated its “covered list,” which acts as a blacklist of telecom equipment deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to US national security. It now includes “all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries.”

However, the FCC stresses, “This action does not affect any previously purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired.”

“Nor does it prevent retailers from continuing to sell, import, or market router models approved previously through the FCC’s equipment authorization process,” the commission adds.

Submission + - Alabama State Sup. Ct: Police CAN Demand Physical ID If THEY Deem It Necessary (msn.com) 2

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The ruling states that officers are allowed to demand physical identification if they feel an individual gives an unsatisfactory oral answer. AL.com reported how the decision ruled against a local pastor, who sued an Alabama town and its law enforcement office after a police encounter.

The incident occurred in 2022, in which police arrested Pastor Michael Jennings after he watered his neighbor's flowers. Another neighbor called the police on Jennings, citing that a "younger Black male" was on the property.

While officers pressed the church leader about his identity, he told them he was "Pastor Jennings" and lived across the street. The answer, however, did not please the officers.

After the man refused to give them his ID, law enforcement arrested him on charges of obstructing government operations, which were later dismissed. The woman who initially called 911 also confirmed Jennings as a neighbor.

Feeling wronged, Jennings sued the town of Childersburg and the officers for false arrest, leading to a long legal battle. Although a district judge dismissed his case in 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed the decision the next year.

The case then proceeded to the Alabama Supreme Court, while several civil rights organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center, filed briefs in support of Jennings. However, the court ruled 6-3 that officers may arrest someone who refuses to provide sufficient identification.

Justice Terry Sellers cited that getting correct identification is a "crucial part" of the stop-and-identify law, also known as a Terry stop. Sellers defended the officers' actions, stating that officers can request or demand physical identification if they deem a person's oral answer as unsatisfactory.

According to WVTM13, Sellers wrote that the law "does not exclude from its purview a request for physical identification when a suspect provides an incomplete or unsatisfactory response to an officer's demand to provide his or her name and address and an explanation of his or her action."

The judgment now sets a legal precedent that officers can not only request physical proof of one's identity but also arrest individuals if they fail to provide such evidence. Legal rights advocates condemned the decision, with Matthew Cavedon, director of the Cato Institute's Project on Criminal Justice, calling the ruling a "significant expansion of government power over people."

Now, an Alabamian under suspicion by a police officer must stay prepared to show proof of identity or face arrest.

Cavendon added, "The significance now for Alabamians is if an officer's not satisfied with whatever answer you give, I sure hope you've got your driver's license or passport on you."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Submission + - Wikipedia Bans Leader of Pro-Hamas Edit Gang (piratewires.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: ... following a pirate wires investigation and a ruling by wikipedia's 'supreme court,' an editor who coordinated over a million pro-hamas changes has been site-banned.

An editor called Iskandar323 (Wikipedia username), who was the leader of the "Gang of 40", a group of editors, has just been banned.

Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee site-banned him after an investigation showed the group coordinated over ONE MILLION EDITS shaping pro-Hamas narratives on articles about Hamas, Iran, Zionism, and the Middle East conflict.

Submission + - Peter Thiel just bet $2 billion on a collar that wraps around a cow's neck (x.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The company is called Halter and it has a proprietary algorithm that runs the entire operation.

They actually trademarked the name for it and called it the Cowgorithm and here's how it works.

A farmer opens an app, taps a button, and 600,000 cows across three countries start walking toward the milking station on their own.

No farm dogs, fences or physical labor, it's just a solar-powered GPS collar sending sound and vibration cues to each animal.

The collar does more than move cows around.

It monitors digestion, fertility cycles, and health patterns in real time, 24 hours a day, using machine learning trained on the behavior of hundreds of thousands of animals.

Submission + - Cyberattack On Iowa Breathalyzer Company Impacts Devices In 45 States (kcrg.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: A Des Moines-based breathalyzer test company is recovering after a cyberattack impacted drivers in 45 states, KCCI reports.

Intoxalock makes ignition devices that people use to start their vehicles after an OWI. People with the devices have to provide a breath sample to prove they have not been drinking before the car starts.

The company said many customers are locked out of their devices or that the device is giving misread calculations.

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