Thomas Brewster
Forbes
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Thomas:
A Twitter User Threatened To Kill Obama. Musk’s Safety Team Let Him Keep Tweeting.
A former employee says the user would have been immediately banned for life in the pre-Musk Twitter era. Meanwhile, it appears Musk is failing to execute his own rules on death threats. → Read More
Elon Musk’s Twitter Quietly Fired Its Democracy And National Security Policy Lead
Twitter’s public policy team continues to be decimated under Elon Musk, signaling a retreat from engaging with democratic, national security and human rights concerns across the world. → Read More
A Christian Ministry Promised An Obamacare Alternative. The FBI Says Its Leaders Pocketed $4 Million And Left Members With Thousands In Unpaid Medical Bills
Missouri Christian nonprofit owners accused of making millions while clients were left with tens of thousands in unpaid medical expenses. → Read More
Passport Breach Hits Over 500 Cricket Stars, From Wasim Akram To Ian Bell
A database of 543 cricket stars’ passports were found online by a cybersecurity researcher. → Read More
Google Cuts Company Protecting People From Surveillance To A ‘Skeleton Crew,’ Say Laid Off Workers
Jigsaw, which produces tools to protect people from surveillance and other threats, saw its staff slashed by at least a third amidst concerns its altruistic work is being shelved in favor of more profitable endeavors for Google. → Read More
A Murderer Targeted Pregnant Moms In A Private Facebook Group, Feds Say. Its Moderators Claim No One Told Them.
An alleged killer joined a Facebook group for passing on kids’ items to find pregnant mothers and possibly kidnap them, according to a search warrant. Some moms in the group say neither the FBI nor Meta informed them that their data was caught up in a murder investigation. → Read More
Book A Last Minute Flight? You’re More Likely To Be Searched By The Feds
Newly-unsealed documents obtained by Forbes reveal American law enforcement has deep access to people’s travel records and how it uses that data to conduct targeted surveillance. → Read More
Armed With ChatGPT, Cybercriminals Build Malware And Plot Fake Girl Bots
Users of underground forums start sharing malware coded by OpenAI’s viral sensation and dating scammers are planning on creating convincing fake girls with the tool. Cyber prognosticators predict more malicious use of ChatGPT is to come. → Read More
International Drug Conspiracy Used Binance To Launder Millions, DEA Investigation Finds
Mexican drug gangs are still dabbling in cryptocurrencies, says Binance, as it helps the DEA investigate as much as $50 million in suspect transactions. → Read More
Amazon, Ashton Kutcher And America’s Surveillance Of The Sex Trade
Huge police databases armed with Amazon’s facial recognition are harvesting online sex ads of exploited children and consenting sex workers alike. Forbes finds that even when wielding a mass surveillance arsenal, cops can and do fail to keep sex workers and trafficking victims safe. → Read More
Amazon, Ashton Kutcher And America’s Surveillance Of The Sex Trade
Huge police databases armed with Amazon’s facial recognition are harvesting online sex ads of exploited children and consenting sex workers alike. Forbes finds that even when wielding a mass surveillance arsenal, cops can and do fail to keep sex workers and trafficking victims safe. → Read More
Elon Musk Wanted Twitter To Encrypt Messages. His New Safety Chief Says It’s On Hold.
End-to-end encryption isn’t launching anytime soon, Twitter’s new trust and safety lead tells Forbes. Senator Ron Wyden says it would be a “huge step back” if encryption isn’t rolled out, after Musk had offered encouraging signs DMs were soon going to be protected. → Read More
Cops Can Extract Data From 10,000 Different Car Models’ Infotainment Systems
As cybersecurity researchers detail a flaw that allowed them to unlock and start Honda and Nissan cars from anywhere in the world, border and immigration agencies are buying up tech to exploit weaknesses in vehicle security. → Read More
Elon Musk Gives Twitter Staff 2 Days To Decide If They Want To Stay
Musk’s "Fork in the Road" email goes out to global staff on Wednesday morning, giving them two working days to decide if they’d like to commit to a “hardcore” Twitter. → Read More
Amazon Packages Of Garden Stones Are Being Used To Smuggle Meth, Feds Say
A global narcotics gang is hiding methamphetamine in packages of ornamental stones, according to a previously-unreported investigation. → Read More
Twitter’s Security And Privacy Leaders Quit Amidst Musk’s Chaotic Takeover
Elon Musk loses heads of security, privacy and compliance, as an internal worker reportedly warns about risks of FTC action. → Read More
Scammers Are Extorting Parents With Their Dead Children’s Nude Images, FBI Says
In a search warrant, the agency warns of a “high rate” of teenage boys dying due to sextortion. Families are now being told to pay so the deceased’s nude images are not publicly released. → Read More
For Sex Traffickers, Jack Dorsey’s Cash App Is ‘King’
The Twitter and Block billionaire made Cash App into a $700 million monster. Now police officers, nonprofit critics and current and former employees say it’s struggling to fight “rampant” criminality. → Read More
FBI Agents Who Shut Down Silk Road Are Helping Agencies Like ICE And The DOJ Trace Crypto
Their new company, Naxo, has contracts with ICE, the DOJ and the SEC. It’s also offering to exhume cryptocurrency locked away in hard drives. → Read More
Apple AirTag Used To Find Over 100 Stolen Democratic Campaign Signs, Police Say
A Pennsylvania woman recovered over 100 political campaign yard signs for Democratic candidates in a dumpster behind a restaurant on Wednesday morning, with some help from an Apple AirTag. → Read More