Senator Seeks 'Greater Scrutiny' from Anthropic About Financial Risks

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is “deeply troubled” by risks Anthropic raised in its initial-public-offering paperwork this week and is demanding answers to a long list of questions before the artificial-intelligence giant goes public, according to a copy of a letter she sent the company. The Massachusetts Democrat said in the letter to Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei that the risks posed by his company’s AI technology “demand greater scrutiny before they become intertwined with the public capital markets, which could further escalate both public safety and systemic financial risks.”

Pentagon Suspects Hackers in Freezer ​Malfunctions at Military Bases

The Pentagon is treating the spate of mysterious freezer ​malfunctions that spoiled food at military bases across the United States in August as a suspected hack, according to four officials familiar with the matter. One of the ‌officials said the military investigators were in touch with their French counterparts about a similar cyberattack on commercial freezers that disrupted supermarkets there.

Hackers Publish Database of 41,000 Homeland Security Workers

An activist group published a searchable database of more than 41,000 Department of Homeland Security employees and contractors, exposing the identities and contact information for immigration officers, border agents and undercover investigators, according to documents posted online. A “hacktivist” group that calls itself the Department of Peace said online that it gained access to secure DHS databases through the single sign-on service that agency employees use to log into internal systems.

Owners of Elvis Presley's Music Sue Anthropic for Copyright Infringement

The owners of Elvis Presley’s music sued the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, saying it trained its models on more than 200 of Presley’s songs without their permission, and accusing it of copyright infringement. The suit, filed on in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of several parties, seeks a jury trial and more than $41 million, or $150,000 per song, in damages.

Iran Creates Plans to Target Undersea Communications in Gulf

Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel attack Iran again, two senior Iranian security officials ​told Reuters. Their comments followed warnings by Iranian officials that undersea cables in the region could become targets in any renewed conflict if diplomacy with Washington ‌collapses.

Oura Files Another Patent Suit Against Indian Rival Ultrahuman

Smart ring maker Oura has sued Indian rival Ultrahuman again, seeking to block U.S. sales of its Ring Pro just months after the redesign helped the Bengaluru-based startup return to the American market following an import ban. The case is the latest in a string of patent disputes Oura has brought against competing smart-ring makers, including Samsung and RingConn.

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Greece Approves Law Banning Social Media for Children Under 15

Greece's parliament approved a bill that bans ​the use of social media ‌platforms for children under 15 amid growing concerns over their impact on the ​health and safety of minors. Greek Prime ‌Minister ⁠Kyriakos Mitsotakis said social media platforms have 2-1/2 months to devise a way to verify users' ages ​and protect ​their ⁠privacy.

Governments Take Down Websites After Report of Critical Vulnerabilities

Government websites in Europe and elsewhere went offline after the disclosure of critical vulnerabilities in a widely used programming language sent website operators around the world scrambling to protect their ‌systems. Developers of the PHP programming language released urgent new fixes, opens new tab to vulnerabilities that had quietly been lurking in their software for years until they were uncovered using AI, saying that all users were "encouraged to update immediately."

Judge Orders Meta to $25 Billion in Cambridge Analytica Privacy Case

A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion for deceiving users about its data privacy practices, one of the largest penalties levied against a tech giant. New Mexico sued Meta in 2021 over a scandal involving the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, saying the social media company had misled users with its public statements about their data privacy.

Senators Question Google About Impact of AI Tools on Students

A bipartisan duo of U.S. senators is seeking answers from Google following a Wall Street Journal investigation into the impact of the tech giant’s AI tools on schoolchildren. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) sent a letter to Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai, seeking information about what Google knows about its AI products’ impact on children’s mental health and educational development.

Chinese-Linked Hackers Use AI Tool to Attack ConnectWise

A Chinese-linked hacking group used an AI-driven penetration testing tool to compromise ​IT services firm ConnectWise as part of a campaign ‌that targeted hundreds, opens new tab of organizations globally, Microsoft said. ConnectWise did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Microsoft's conclusions, although ​a statement, opens new tab posted to the company's website on October ​16 said it was "investigating recent attempts of unauthorized access ⁠associated with the ConnectWise Cloud Backup environment."

Appeals Court Allows Florida to Enforce Law Limiting Teens' Social Media

A federal appeals court allowed Florida to enforce ​a state law barring children under 14 from accessing social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat, rejecting ‌tech industry groups' claims that the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s free speech protections. In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge panel on the Atlanta-based 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a lower court’s preliminary injunction blocking the law, known as H.B. 3.

Microsoft Takes Down Marketplace for Scammers Sending Phishing Texts

Microsoft says it helped dismantle a marketplace for scammers sending phishing messages around the world about nonexistent parking tickets or fake package deliveries. Through an investigation with Japan’s National Police Agency, it tracked scam activity back to a marketplace called YAM Store and a pair of phishing kits, CoGUI and Iron Man.

Data Protection Authority Fines Dating App for Not Getting Ad Consent

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (NDPA) has charged Xandr, an adtech subsidiary of Microsoft, with a fine of 92 million Norwegian kroner, or around $9.6 million. According to the data protection agency, Xandr allegedly didn't obtain "explicit consent" to use sensitive user data of those on Grindr for advertising purposes, instead only assuming that the dating app already secured user approval.

AI Agents from Anthropic Fill Out Visa Form, File Fake Police Report

Artificial intelligence agents created by Anthropic, acting on their own, tried to gain access to a range of government websites, filled out visa applications on the State Department’s website and sent a fake homicide tip to Philadelphia’s Police Department. White House officials said they were briefed on the agents’ actions on Friday, and demanded that AI companies immediately report rogue AI activity.

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