The New York Times
Tens of thousands of people, fueled in part by social media misinformation, attempted to migrate into Spain’s Cueta enclave in Africa following false claims that alleged Spain's Supreme Court had ruled that migrants entering by sea could remain in the country. Videos showing successful swimmers, including a widely viewed clip seen more than 32 million times, reinforced the misleading narrative, while smuggling networks used Facebook and WhatsApp to provide crossing advice and logistics.
From "Social Media Spurred a Refugee Crisis Between Spain and Morocco"
The New York Times (08/11/26) Steven Lee Myers; Aida Alami; Carlos Barragán
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Financial Times
Suspected China-linked hackers used publicly available AI tools to conduct an unprecedented autonomous cyberattack against Taiwan, according to researchers at Israeli cybersecurity company Dream. Over four days, up to eight AI agents simultaneously mapped government systems, identified vulnerabilities, adapted tactics, compromised at least 85 accounts, and extracted more than 2,500 personnel records before targeting a nuclear safety agency and energy companies.
From "China-Linked Hackers Hit Taiwan in Unprecedented ‘Autonomous’ AI Cyberattack"
Financial Times (08/12/26) Tom Wilson
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CNN
Nvidia is partnering with major Wall Street investors to mobilize more than $500 billion in financing for AI infrastructure, aiming to make computing capacity an investable asset class. The initiative, involving Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR, could help smaller AI companies borrow money to build datacenters and acquire computing power.
From "Nvidia, Wall Street Team Up on $500 Billion Bet on AI Infrastructure"
CNN (08/11/26) Anna Cooban
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WSJ Pro Cybersecurity
Water industry groups are pressing U.S. lawmakers to establish mandatory cybersecurity standards after a recent wave of attacks disrupted water facilities in at least seven states. The American Water Works Association and National Association of Water Companies support creation of an independent organization that would develop minimum requirements under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency oversight. They argue voluntary guidance has failed to protect critical infrastructure, particularly smaller municipal systems with limited resources.
From "Water Groups Push Washington for Cyber Rules after Hacking Spree"
WSJ Pro Cybersecurity (08/11/26) James Rundle
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Yahoo! Finance
A U.S. appeals court ruled that thousands of lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat over claims that their platforms were intentionally designed to addict young users can move forward. The Ninth Circuit rejected the companies’ argument that Section 230 shields them from the lawsuits, ruling that the law provides a defense against liability rather than immunity from litigation. More than 3,000 federal cases allege that social media design contributed to youth depression, anxiety, and body-image problems.
From "U.S. Court Rules Tech Companies Must Face Thousands of Lawsuits over Social Media Addiction"
Yahoo! Finance (08/10/26) Diana Novak Jones
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InfoWorld
MATLAB fell to 25th in Tiobe’s August 2026 programming language popularity index, dropping out of the top 20 for the first time in more than a decade. Tiobe CEO Paul Jansen said MATLAB’s decline could become permanent, citing its paid licensing model as a disadvantage compared with freely available programming languages. He also argued that MATLAB has evolved more slowly than alternatives such as Python, C++, and Rust, which continue introducing modern features and programming approaches.
From "MATLAB Programming Language Sinks in Popularity"
InfoWorld (08/10/26) Paul Krill
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