In the wake of SignalGate, a knockoff version of Signal used by a high-ranking member of the Trump Administration was hacked. Today on Uncanny Valley, we discuss the platforms used for government communications.
Read More »The Signal Clone Mike Waltz Was Caught Using Has Direct Access to User Chats
The communication app TeleMessage Signal, used by at least one top Trump administration official to archive messages, has already reportedly suffered breaches that illustrate concerning security flaws and resulted in its parent company imposing a service pause this week pending investigation. Now, according to detailed new findings from the journalist …
Read More »Tulsi Gabbard Reused the Same Weak Password on Multiple Accounts for Years
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, used the same easily cracked password for different online accounts over a period of years, according to leaked records reviewed by WIRED. Following her participation in a Signal group chat in which sensitive details of a military operation were unwittingly shared with a …
Read More »Signal Clone Used by Mike Waltz Pauses Service After Reports It Got Hacked
The messaging app used by at least one top Trump administration official has suspended its services following reports of hackers stealing data from the app. Smarsh, TeleMessage’s parent company, says it is now investigating the incident. “TeleMessage is investigating a potential security incident. Upon detection, we acted quickly to contain …
Read More »Inside the Battle Over OpenAI’s Corporate Restructuring
Late last year, Bell, Blackwell, and Aguilar decided to dust off the old playbook. They commissioned a legal memo that reiterated the power of the attorney general over the irrevocable status of charitable funds and called up their contacts to form a coalition of what is now over 50 community …
Read More »Trump Wants to Erase Black History. These Digital Archivists Are Racing to Save It
Meredith D. Clark, a professor of race and political communication at UNC-Chapel Hill, tells WIRED that museums are akin to “public trusts,” and the Trump administration’s assault on them is an attempt to dictate who does and doesn’t belong. “One of the things that power needs to do in order …
Read More »A Tariff Standoff With China, Power Outages, and the End of Christmas
Zoë Schiffer: Got it, OK. Obviously, that makes sense for logistical reasons. It’s easier to just add a tariff charge than raise the price of individual goods. But is it also a way to subtly exert pressure on the Trump Administration, or am I over-interpreting things? Louise Matsakis: I don’t …
Read More »Is Tesla on the Outs in China?
Zoë Schiffer: Can you talk to me about that relationship? And also, what is Tesla’s standing like in China? Is it viewed as a popular, cool car still? Zeyi Yang: It’s still sort of, because for the longest time, Chinese auto brands have been seen as inferior to foreign brands. …
Read More »Star Wars’ ‘Andor’ Season 2 Depicts the Banality of American Fascism
In the first three episodes of Andor Season 2, which started streaming on Disney+ on April 22, one of the show’s many interlocking plotlines takes us to Mina-Rau, an agricultural planet on the outer rim of the Star Wars galaxy, where a group of rebel soldiers are posing as freelance …
Read More »The ACLU Is Suing the Government to Get Access to DOGE Records
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the US Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In its lawsuit, the ACLU accuses the agencies of violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by ignoring the ACLU’s requests and subsequent appeals for …
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