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Submission + - Negative news about alleged rapist Graham Platner was suppressed by Big Tech (nypost.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Two of the most popular news-aggregating services systematically suppressed scores of articles about disgraced former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner for months during his ill-fated campaign, until the weight of his scandals finally became too much to ignore, a shocking new study has found.

Media Research Center (MRC) revealed that both Apple News and Google News published exactly zero stories between last November and May covering controversies, including Platner's Nazi tattoo and his offensive Reddit posts.

The study also found that the tech giants failed to promote "at least 112" news stories published by conservative-leaning outlets that investigated Platner's disturbing history during that November-May period.

MRC President David Bozell went so far as to accuse the tech platforms of running a "protection racket" for Platner by memory-holing unflattering coverage as it slowly became obvious the left had erred in holding him up as a blue-collar "everyman" in his campaign to unseat Sen. Susan Collins.

The MRC study said the coverage blackout began after a poll released in October called Platner the Democrat with the best chance to defeat the incumbent, and didn't let up until the New York Times' May 30 report about him sexting women outside his marriage.

Submission + - The FBI has seized more than 600 drones since the start of the World Cup (foxnews.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The FBI and Atlanta Police Department are getting ready for a massive security operation ahead of the World Cup semifinals between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium.

Both agencies have used drones to search for potential threats on the ground and in the sky. The FBI is enforcing the Federal Aviation Administration's Temporary Flight Restrictions around the venue.

The FBI has confiscated more than 600 drones nationwide since the World Cup began. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office Marlo Graham said 86 of those drones were seized in Atlanta.

Graham said the FBI uses a "mechanism" that allows agents to see unauthorized drones in restricted airspace. Agents then work to mitigate the threat posed by unknown drones.

"We've been able to safely land drones that have been unauthorized in the flight restricted area," Graham said.

There is a one-mile restriction around World Cup stadiums on non-match days, and a three-mile restriction on game day.

Submission + - StubHub, CEO Hit With 'Deceptive Practices' Class Action Over Mass Scalping (www.cbc.ca)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: StubHub and its CEO, Eric Baker, have been hit with a proposed $5-million class-action lawsuit in the United States over the company's ties to large-scale scalpers — connections reported by CBC News last week. The suit, filed Monday by New York ticket buyer Louis Sanquini, alleges deceptive practices and fraudulent misrepresentation over StubHub's promoting itself as a "marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets."

The online ticket resale giant has faced a storm of customer complaints after cancelling thousands of World Cup tickets. The company has repeatedly said it is simply a technology platform that does not buy, sell or possess tickets. However, CBC reported last week that Baker disclosed in recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that he runs Andro Capital, a hedge fund that engages in large-scale resale of millions of dollars' worth of sports and concert tickets on the StubHub resale platform.

Sanquini filed the proposed class action in the Southern District of New York, arguing consumers were kept in the dark and that he believed StubHub was a "neutral" marketplace. Lead counsel Kevin Steinberg told CBC News in an emailed statement that "consumers deserve honesty and transparency." A CBC investigation found that the CEO of online ticket reseller StubHub owns and manages a hedge fund that scalps millions of dollars of its own tickets. "While what StubHub is alleged to have engaged in and perpetrated upon millions of patrons is unfathomable, this case is about transparency and consumer trust. If companies make representations to the public, consumers are entitled to expect that those representations are complete and accurate," he said.

The claim reads: "Defendants' failure to disclose this conflict of interest, while affirmatively marketing StubHub as a fan-to-fan marketplace, deceived Plaintiff and the Class and caused them to pay prices, and accept terms, they would not have accepted had the truth been known." Sanquini argues that had he known StubHub's CEO held a financial interest and that the company was helping finance professional resellers, he would never have used the resale site to buy tickets to see rock band Kiss in 2023 or to attend a New York Red Bulls-New York City FC Major League Soccer match in 2024.

Submission + - Cloudflare Precursor Watches Your Mouse and Keyboard to Decide if You Are Human (nerds.xyz) 1

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: Cloudflare has launched Precursor, a new behavioral bot detection system that monitors mouse movement, typing cadence, scrolling, clipboard activity, page visibility, and other signals across an entire browsing session. The system is designed to catch advanced bots that can run JavaScript, use real browsers, and pass traditional CAPTCHA challenges.

Cloudflare says Precursor does not record actual keystrokes and instead studies timing and rhythm. The company also says the data is not tied to user identities or persistent profiles. Even so, software that watches how people move and type throughout a visit raises privacy concerns, especially as Cloudflare claims bots now generate roughly 57 percent of all Internet requests.

Submission + - Californians sign up to have data brokers delete their personal information (eastbaytimes.com)

Submitted by ZipNada
ZipNada writes: More than 300,000 Californians have demanded that hundreds of data brokers erase information about their locations, finances, health and personal lives as the state’s first-in-the-nation Delete Act requires brokers to start the mandatory process of removing data on Aug. 1.

Brokers must start accessing deletion requests within 45 days after Aug. 1, then once they have collected those requests, they have another 45 days to report what data they have purged to the agency — known as CalPrivacy — and people who have signed up. ...
The information Californians are asking brokers to erase can be extraordinarily sensitive. Of the nearly 600 data brokers in CalPrivacy’s registry, 110 sell people’s precise locations, the registry shows. More than 40 sell identity data that can include Social Security numbers. Almost 70 sell information on people’s gender identity. Seven sell data related to reproductive health, and six sell information on union membership. Eighteen sell minors’ data — and Kemp said children can sign up for deletion using DROP, or parents can do it for them.

Many of the brokers build — and sell to advertisers and marketers — dossiers that are increasingly processed using artificial intelligence to draw conclusions about a person’s interests, family, politics, lifestyle, finances, sexual orientation and health.

Submission + - OpenAI has a rough 24 hours

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: 1. Top Executive Departure
Fidji Simo, who served as OpenAI’s CEO of Applications (effectively the company's number two executive), announced her departure on July 10, 2026. She is transitioning to a part-time advisory role due to health reasons.
Fidji Simo steps down from OpenAI's number two job

2. Shutdown of Browser Tool
OpenAI announced it is sunsetting its Atlas web browser, which it launched nine months ago. The company stated that the lessons learned from Atlas are being integrated into their new "ChatGPT Work" desktop application, rendering the standalone browser unnecessary. Access to Atlas is scheduled to cease on August 9, 2026.
OpenAI is shutting down its Atlas web browser

3. Sued by Apple for Trade Secret Theft
Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on July 10, 2026. The 41-page complaint alleges that OpenAI orchestrated a scheme to steal hardware trade secrets, specifically naming OpenAI's head of hardware, Tang Tan (a former Apple executive), and former Apple engineer Chang Liu, who allegedly retained confidential files after joining OpenAI.
Apple sues OpenAI, alleging the AI company stole trade secrets
Apple sues OpenAI alleging theft of top-secret information

4. Selling Products to Chinese Firms
Investigations have revealed that OpenAI and Google provide advanced AI services to subsidiaries of Chinese companies (Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent) that are on the U.S. Pentagon's "1260H" blacklist. While the companies maintain they do not operate in mainland China, these Chinese firms have been accessing the technology via subsidiaries in Singapore, a move that critics argue exploits a loophole in current U.S. export controls.
OpenAI and Google are selling AI to blacklisted Chinese firms
OpenAI, Google Sell AI Models to Blacklisted Chinese Firms

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Never appeal to a man's "better nature." He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage. -- Lazarus Long

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