186 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
Skip to main content

Richard Lawler

Richard Lawler

Senior News Editor

Senior News Editor

    More From Richard Lawler

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    The FTC wants you!

    American citizens with at least one year of specialized technical expertise in software engineering, design, technology research and technology policy, or product management and development are being sought to add roughly a dozen people to the FTC’s new Office of Technology.

    According to FTC chair Lina Khan, “Our office of technology is a natural next step in ensuring we have the in-house skills needed to fully grasp evolving technologies and market trends as we continue to tackle unlawful business practices and protect Americans.”

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Green light.

    As we collectively emerge from the post-President’s Day haze, we’re expecting earnings results today from Coinbase.

    But first up, we have advice on switching away from SMS two-factor authentication for anyone still using Twitter, and Adi Robertson considers why social networks are suddenly treating security as a premium service.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    It’s always a good day to replace passwords and SMS 2FA with something stronger.

    Unlike SMS, security keys are still a free way to lock down your Twitter (or Gmail, Facebook, Windows, and Apple ID) account. I’ve found they’re also easier to use than less-secure options (passkeys will help too, once they have more support).

    Google security expert Mark Risher explains here why keys are better at resisting phishing attacks:

    With Security Keys, instead of the *user* needing to verify the site, the *site* has to prove itself to the key.

    How to use a two-factor security key

    Stefan Etienne and Barbara Krasnoff
    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Cows, weed, and scams.

    A Ponzi scheme that has nothing to do with the blockchain? How quaint.

    Reva Joyce Stachniw, 71, of Galesburg, Illinois, and Ron Throgmartin, 59, of Buford, Georgia, along with a co-conspirator, ran a Ponzi scheme by fraudulently representing to victims that their investments were backed by short-term investments in Stachniw and Throgmartin’s cattle and marijuana businesses.

    The victim-investors gave the conspirators money based on false promises that their investments would be used for legitimate activities related to those businesses. In actuality, the funds were used to pay earlier investors.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    SpaceX could be facing a $175k fine.

    SpaceX apparently didn’t submit launch collision analysis trajectory data seven days prior to the Starlink Group 4-27 mission’s launch on August 19th, 2022, and the FAA has proposed a $175,000 civil penalty over the matter.

    The FAA writes, “Launch collision analysis trajectory data is used to assess the probability of the launch vehicle colliding with one of the thousands of tracked objects orbiting the Earth.” The company has 30 days to respond.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    The FBI confirms a “malicious cyber incident” on its network.

    The last time we heard about hackers breaching FBI computers was in 2021, when they sent thousands of fake emails.

    There aren’t as many details available about this incident that the FBI says has been contained, but CNN reports, based on two anonymous sources, “FBI officials believe the incident involved an FBI computer system used in investigations of images of child sexual exploitation”

    Tom Warren
    Tom Warren
    PC-grade VR without the PC.

    Watch Adi, Tom, and Sean try out Sony’s second-generation virtual reality headset if you’re trying to decide whether the $549 peripheral is worth it.

    The launch software lineup is a little light and your PC won’t properly recognize it, but the PSVR 2 at least has an easy setup and one short but impressive title in the form of Horizon Call of the Mountain.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Green light.

    The PSVR2 is here, and it doesn’t want to work with your PC.

    Meanwhile, Microsoft is trying to explain why Bing AI responses are the way they are. Just another very normal day.

    PSVR 2 review: love on a leash

    Adi Robertson, Sean Hollister and 1 more