The Justice Department announced it has seized domains used by a Chinese state-linked botnet known as QTFY, run by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Tech, disrupting its command-and-control infrastructure. The botnet reportedly enabled hackers tied to China's Ministry of State Security to infiltrate U.S. government and private-sector networks, including NASA, the Federal Reserve, several federal departments, and, as recently as this year, the Senate. Lumen, a network provider that assisted the FBI, said it had tracked the group profiling government, defense, and aerospace targets for roughly a year before the takedown.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-08-26
Risklytics, a member of YC's Summer 2026 batch, has launched as an insurance brokerage focused on companies deploying AI agents and robots in operational roles. The startup works with carriers willing to underwrite these emerging risks and manually reviews policy language before coverage is finalized, aiming to catch exclusions that standard commercial forms weren't written to address.
risklytics.ai
· 2026-08-26
South African retailer Dress Your Tech has jumped the gun by listing about a dozen cases and case-plus-screen-protector bundles for Samsung's unannounced Galaxy S26 FE. The listings include standard and slim silicone options with visible rings for Qi2 magnetic charging, in colors matching previously leaked device finishes plus new pink and transparent variants. Samsung is set to hold a Galaxy Event on August 27, widely expected to unveil the phone.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-25
Boston startup Eyebot has partnered with eyewear brand Quay to install self-service vision-testing kiosks at two Southern California locations. The touchscreen kiosk screens users for existing eye conditions, then uses a contactless scanner to measure refraction, lens power and visual acuity, producing a doctor-reviewed glasses prescription in under 90 seconds without an appointment or insurance.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-25
The Department of Homeland Security announced a new fee of over $103,000 for H-1B visas, a slight increase from a similar $100,000 fee a federal judge struck down in June after more than 70 employers had already paid it. The same day, the State Department revealed plans to revoke visas for up to 200,000 asylum seekers, described as potentially the largest mass visa revocation in US history. DHS has also signaled it may impose a comparable $100,000 fee on the Optional Practical Training program, which allows international students to work in the US after graduation.
theverge.com
· 2026-08-25
A small batch of bespoke Swiss watches has been made for Sam Altman and six others connected to OpenAI, turning the timepieces into a rare status marker within tech circles. The watches join a growing trend of tech executives commissioning exclusive, custom horology as a personal signature.
wsj.com
· 2026-08-25
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule that would permanently establish a $103,265 fee on certain new H-1B visas, replacing the temporary fee Trump imposed last year that is set to expire in September. Previously such visas cost between $2,000 and $5,000, and the new fee would not apply to renewals or to foreign students already in the U.S. transitioning to H-1B status. The proposal comes even as courts are still weighing legal challenges, including a June ruling that found the original fee illegal.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-08-24
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on a recent podcast that AI reaching mainstream, everyday use will take considerably more time than many in the tech industry assume. He argued that shifting human habits and behavior poses a bigger obstacle than the underlying technology itself.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-08-24
A blog post responds to Sean Goedecke's argument against workplace anger, extending the discussion to AI's impact on the tech industry. The author distinguishes anger, which requires a target to blame, from anxiety, a more fitting response to uncertainty about how AI will reshape jobs and skills without a clear villain to point to.
lucumr.pocoo.org
· 2026-08-24
Taiwan's Keelung District Prosecutors' Office has indicted nine individuals for orchestrating a five-step scheme to divert Nvidia B300 GPU servers meant for Taiwan into China, bypassing Supermicro's export compliance checks. Prosecutors say trading firm Flying Tiger Tech used whitelist status, a distributor intermediary, and a fake colocation lease to pass an on-site inspection despite lacking the infrastructure to actually run the 130 servers it ordered.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-08-24
Reporting summarized by Futurism shows AI industry leaders responding to growing public frustration over AI products and data centers not by addressing underlying harms, but by launching messaging campaigns framing the backlash as a 'trust' problem. Mark Zuckerberg published a lengthy essay defending AI's promise and criticizing industry pessimists, even as Meta's own internal practices reportedly contradict his optimistic claims.
futurism.com
· 2026-08-24
Christine Hunsicker, former CEO of clothing-rental startup CaaStle, has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of orchestrating roughly $300 million in investor fraud. Her defense argued a brain injury from a falling mirror erased her memory and judgment during the years the fraud occurred, but prosecutors pointed to incriminating search history and inflated revenue figures as evidence of deliberate deception.
futurism.com
· 2026-08-23
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