University of Toronto's Citizen Lab reports that Discover-Tech, an Israeli digital advertising agency, runs a platform called Controlium that profiles and deanonymises internet users through ordinary-looking ads, then enables third-party spyware firms to silently infect selected targets' devices without any click. Researchers say dozens of devices at Al Jazeera were compromised this way, and that millions of users worldwide have been served Discover-Tech ads since 2024, including in Yemen, Brazil, Mexico and Czechia.
theguardian.com
· 2026-10-15
Citizen Lab researchers identified a new spyware strain, called AdFection, that can infect phones and computers simply by displaying an ad, without any click required. The tool was built by Israeli firm Discover-Tech and used to target journalists and staff at Al Jazeera, NATO, the European Commission, NVIDIA and Arm, according to the report. Google has since suspended Discover-Tech from its ad platforms after a joint investigation with Citizen Lab and Confiant.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-15
Security researchers say devices at Al Jazeera were infected with Candiru spyware (rebranded 'Integrity Labs') through targeted online ads, a technique they call AdFection. They identify Israeli firm Discover-Tech as the buyer of the malicious ads, running a platform called Controlium that can de-anonymize and infect devices automatically when an ad loads, with analysis of four billion bidding records showing ads served across nearly 200,000 sites and apps.
citizenlab.ca
· 2026-10-15
Security researchers at Citizen Lab and Confiant say Discover-Tech, an Israeli ad tech company, helped deliver spyware through online ads that required no user interaction to infect devices. The report links Discover-Tech's 'Controlium' platform to Candiru, a blacklisted Israeli spyware maker, and says at least 45 Al Jazeera devices were targeted in 2024 and 2025. Google, Beeswax, and IAB Europe have since removed or suspended Discover-Tech from their platforms.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-15
Citizen Lab researchers report that Discover-Tech, an Israeli advertising company, has been used by spyware vendors Candiru and Bindecy to deliver zero-click hacking tools through malicious online ads. The group says at least 45 Windows computers at Al Jazeera were infected in 2024 and 2025 after exposure to tainted ads, though it could not identify which governments ordered the attacks.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-15
Following years of generative AI deployment by major tech firms largely on their own terms, some consumers are now using AI tools to bypass paywalls, restrictions and data-collection practices imposed by those same companies. The trend marks a shift from AI being used primarily by corporations to extract value from users, toward individuals using it to push back.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-15
Anduril is letting employees sell shares through a tender offer priced at $94.80 each, implying a roughly $90 billion valuation, CNBC confirmed after an initial Bloomberg report. The offer opened October 13, closes November 9, is capped at $1.3 billion, and is open to employees in 16 countries.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-14
NTangible, led by CEO Dan Connerty and psychologist Dr. Ed Levine, has built an assessment called Clutch Factor that aims to predict how athletes perform under pressure. Modeled on the Thematic Apperception Test, it scores subjects' word choices and phrasing from 0 to 1000 using a neurolinguistic guide, and Connerty claims athletes scoring above 750 are twice as likely to commit to a Division I school.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-14
Tech Against Terrorism's Counter-Terrorism AI Benchmark report found that Alibaba's open-weight Qwen 3.8-27B model, released August 14, had 'abliterated' versions with guardrails removed circulating online within a day. A neo-Nazi user known as Johnny Doomsayer then used one such version to build a chatbot called 'MechaHitler,' which denied the Holocaust and praised Hitler, and began selling access to it for $14.88. The report tested 134 AI models from major US, Chinese, and European companies on how readily they would answer questions useful to terrorists or extremists.
wired.com
· 2026-10-14
A developer with 20 years of experience, known for maintaining popular Ruby packages and writing programming books, says he has applied to more than three dozen jobs and received 24 rejections. Citing the toll of repeated rejection on his mental health, he says he is stepping away from the tech industry. He also notes that remote work from his home in Warrnambool, where he has worked for six years, appears incompatible with current hiring expectations.
ryanbigg.com
· 2026-10-13
During San Francisco's Tech Week, AI founders and venture capitalists discussed the Trump administration's largely voluntary approach to AI oversight, including a 308-word safety pact signed last month that asks labs to self-monitor rather than follow binding rules. At an Andreessen Horowitz-organized event, PitchBook's Kyle Stanford highlighted that the U.S. government is allocating $1 trillion to defense, with $13.5 billion earmarked for autonomous systems and AI, framing it as a major investment opportunity.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-12
MIT Technology Review has included US startup Brimstone in its 2026 list of 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch, a subscriber-only feature. Brimstone produces lower-carbon cement alongside critical minerals, using silicate rocks instead of limestone to cut emissions from the cement-making process by about 60%. Separately, the publication's upcoming print issue explores the technical and political hurdles to building a self-sustaining lunar base.
technologyreview.com
· 2026-10-12
GoKawiil