Society

When former national security adviser Mike Waltz had a picture taken of him last week, he didn’t expect for the whole world to see that he was using TeleMessage, a messaging app similar to Signal. Now the app has been hacked, with portions of data linked to government entities like Customs and Border Protection (CBP)…

Folks looking for an affordable Wi-Fi speaker to fit between their Jättebo sectional and Dyvlinge swivel chair will be upset to learn that Sonos and Ikea are parting ways. After eight years of partnering on everything from an odd wall-mountable speaker in a frame to a surprisingly decent pair of bookshelf speakers, the Ikea models…

More than 70 million deaf or hard-of-hearing people globally use sign language, but there’s an acute shortage of interpreters. Silence Speaks is a British startup that wants to bridge that gap with an AI-powered sign language avatar capable of translating text to sign language. Communication problems can be devastating and isolating for the deaf, especially…

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 it and engaged an external…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making significant changes to how it will respond to disasters on the ground this season, including ending federal door-to-door canvassing of survivors in disaster areas, WIRED has learned. A memo reviewed by WIRED, dated May 2 and addressed to regional FEMA leaders from Cameron Hamilton, a senior official performing…

The ultra-fast-fashion company Shein spent years carefully curating its corporate identity. Its apparent goal was to create a brand born from social media, distinct from any single place but whose products were everywhere. Shein has been more successful in some aspects of this pursuit than in others. The company grew into a global online shopping…

It has been two hours since the divers left the coast behind. As they reach their designated GPS points in the Gulf of Mexico, their boats’ engines go from roaring to whispering. In pairs, they enter the Celestún Fishing Refuge Zone, one of the largest in Mexico. Their ritual is absolute: put on fins, adjust…

Since Russian troops invaded Ukraine more than three years ago, Russian technology companies and executives have been widely sanctioned for supporting the Kremlin. That includes Vladimir Kiriyenko, the son of one of Vladimir Putin’s top aides and the CEO of VK Group, which runs VK, Russia’s Facebook equivalent that has increasingly shifted towards the regime’s…

This story originally appeared on Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Raymond Ward wants to see solar panels draped over every balcony in the United States and doesn’t understand why that isn’t happening. The technology couldn’t be easier to use—simply hang one or two panels over a railing and plug them into…

Netflix has plenty of movies to watch. Maybe too many. Sometimes finding the right film at the right time can seem like an impossible task. Let us help you. Below is a list of some of our favorites currently on the streaming service—from dramas to comedies to thrillers. If you decide you’re in more of…