OpenAI says its upcoming Astra model can find and exploit previously unknown security flaws, so it is adding stronger safeguards before release. Astra will initially be limited to selected testers, while OpenAI monitors its activity and restricts capabilities to reduce the risk of misuse.
AnaisA couple in southern France were tied up and threatened by two armed men who tried to force them to transfer cryptocurrency.
AnaisThailand’s SEC has introduced new crypto Travel Rule requirements that will make regulated platforms collect and share more information about people involved in transfers. The rules take effect on 27 February 2027 and will require checks on self-hosted wallet ownership or control, with transfer records kept for at least five years.
WeatherlyThe US Justice Department has backed OpenAI, arguing that training AI models on copyrighted material can qualify as fair use and warning that licensing costs could hurt smaller developers.
AnaisA federal judge dismissed Jake Claver’s lawsuit against Zach Rector, ruling that Rector’s videos contained no actionable false statements. The court also awarded Rector legal costs, while Claver can file an amended complaint by 23 September 2026.
WeatherlyUS prosecutors have charged Linqto founder William Sarris over an alleged $450 million fraud that affected more than 13,000 customers through manipulated private-share prices and high markups. Linqto later suspended its platform and filed for bankruptcy, while former CEO Joseph Endoso pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors.
AnaisBitquery found that Bitcoin text storage can affect nodes differently, with 96,231 fake-address outputs leaving about 3.2 BTC in the UTXO set. The study also counted 13,062 OP_RETURN transactions linked to a March 2026 campaign naming Luke Dashjr, which paid 0.1014 BTC in fees.
AnaisUtah’s SB 73 is now enforceable, requiring adult websites to verify the age of users physically in the state even when they use VPNs to hide their location. The law also bans websites from helping users bypass age checks and allows fines of up to $2,500 per violation, while VPN providers say they will not change their services.
WeatherlyBen Delo gave Reform UK £4 million ($5.4 million) in April, accounting for about three-quarters of the party’s £5.55 million ($7.5 million) donations in Q2 2026. The BitMEX co-founder has now donated £8 million ($10.8 million) to Reform this year, as another major crypto-linked donor, Christopher Harborne, made no contribution during the quarter.
AnaisSam Altman says 38,000 ChatGPT queries use about as much water as producing one California almond, but researchers say the figure is difficult to verify and conflicts with his earlier estimate.
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