{"id":837675,"date":"2025-03-30T04:12:34","date_gmt":"2025-03-30T09:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/30\/the-download-how-people-fall-for-pig-butchering-schemes-and-saving-glaciers\/"},"modified":"2025-03-30T04:12:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T09:12:34","slug":"the-download-how-people-fall-for-pig-butchering-schemes-and-saving-glaciers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/30\/the-download-how-people-fall-for-pig-butchering-schemes-and-saving-glaciers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: how people fall for pig butchering schemes, and saving glaciers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plus: Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on imported cars<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n

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This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Inside a romance scam compound\u2014and how people get tricked into being there<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Gavesh\u2019s journey had started, seemingly innocently, with a job ad on Facebook promising work he desperately needed.<\/p>\n

Instead, he found himself trafficked into a business commonly known as \u201cpig butchering\u201d\u2014a form of fraud in which scammers form romantic or other close relationships with targets online and extract money from them. The Chinese crime syndicates behind the scams have netted billions of dollars, and they have used violence and coercion to force their workers, many of them people trafficked like Gavesh, to carry out the frauds from large compounds, several of which operate openly in the quasi-lawless borderlands of Myanmar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We spoke to Gavesh and five other workers from inside the scam industry, as well as anti-trafficking experts and technology specialists. Their testimony reveals how global companies, including American social media and dating apps and international cryptocurrency and messaging platforms, have given the fraud business the means to become industrialized.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By the same token, it is Big Tech that may hold the key to breaking up the scam syndicates\u2014if only these companies can be persuaded or compelled to act. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Peter Guest & Emily Fishbein<\/em><\/p>\n

How to save a glacier<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot we don\u2019t understand about how glaciers move and how soon some of the most significant ones could collapse into the sea. That could be a problem, since melting glaciers could lead to multiple feet of sea-level rise this century, potentially displacing millions of people who live and work along the coasts.<\/p>\n

A new group is aiming not only to further our understanding of glaciers but also to look into options to save them if things move toward a worst-case scenario, as my colleague James Temple outlined in his latest story<\/a>. One idea: refreezing glaciers in place.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The whole thing can sound like science fiction. But once you consider how huge the stakes are, I think it gets easier to understand why some scientists say we should at least be exploring these radical interventions. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em><\/p>\n

This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review\u2019s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, <\/em><\/strong>sign up here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MIT Technology Review Narrated: How tracking animal movement may save the planet<\/strong><\/p>\n

Researchers have long dreamed of creating an Internet of Animals. And they\u2019re getting closer to monitoring 100,000 creatures\u2014and revealing hidden facets of our shared world.<\/p>\n

This is our latest story<\/a> to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated <\/strong>podcast, which\u00a0
we\u2019re publishing each week on Spotify<\/strong><\/a> and Apple Podcasts<\/strong><\/a>. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated<\/strong> on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as it\u2019s released.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 Donald Trump has announced 25% tariffs on imported cars and parts<\/strong>
The measures are likely to make new cars significantly more expensive for Americans. (NYT<\/a> $)
+ Moving car manufacturing operations to the US won\u2019t be easy. <\/em>(WP<\/a> $)
+ It\u2019s not just big businesses that will suffer, either. <\/em>(The Atlantic<\/a> $)
+ How Trump\u2019s tariffs could drive up the cost of batteries, EVs, and more. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2 China is developing an AI system to increase its online censorship\u00a0<\/strong>
A leaked dataset demonstrates how LLMs could rapidly filter undesirable material. (TechCrunch<\/a>)<\/p>\n

3 Trump may reduce tariffs on China to encourage a TikTok deal
<\/strong>The Chinese-owned company has until April 5 to find a new US owner. (Insider<\/a> $)
+ The national security concerns surrounding it haven\u2019t gone away, though. <\/em>(NYT<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

4 OpenAI\u2019s new image generator can ape Studio Ghibli’s distinctive style
<\/strong>Which raises the question of whether the model was trained on Ghibli\u2019s images. (TechCrunch<\/a>)
+ The tool\u2019s popularity means its rollout to non-paying users has been delayed. <\/em>(The Verge<\/a>)
+ The AI lab waging a guerrilla war over exploitative AI. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

5 DOGE planned to dismantle USAID from the beginning
<\/strong>New court filings reveal the department\u2019s ambitions to infiltrate the system. (Wired<\/a> $)
+ Can AI help DOGE slash government budgets? It\u2019s complex. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

6 Wildfires are getting worse in the southwest of the US<\/strong>
While federal fire spending is concentrated mainly in the west, the risk is rising in South Carolina and Texas too. (WP<\/a> $)
+ North and South Carolina were recovering from Hurricane Helene when the fires struck. <\/em>(The Guardian<\/a>)
+ How AI can help spot wildfires. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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7 A quantum computer has generated\u2014and verified\u2014truly random numbers
<\/strong>Which is good news for cryptographers. (Bloomberg<\/a> $)
+ Cybersecurity analysts are increasingly worried about the so-called Q-Day. <\/em>(Wired<\/a> $)
+ Amazon\u2019s first quantum computing chip makes its debut. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 What\u2019s next for weight-loss drugs <\/strong>????<\/strong>
<\/strong>Competition is heating up, but will patients be the ones to benefit? (New Scientist<\/a> $)
+ Drugs like Ozempic now make up 5% of prescriptions in the US. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

9 At least we\u2019ve still got memes<\/strong>
Poking fun at the Trump administration\u2019s decisions is a form of online resistance. (New Yorker<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

10 Can you truly be friends with a chatbot?<\/strong>
People are starting to find out. (Vox<\/a>)
+ The AI relationship revolution is already here. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t imagine any professional I know committing this egregious a lapse in judgement.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014A government technology leader tells Fast Company<\/a> why top Trump officials\u2019 decision to use unclassified messaging app Signal to discuss war plans is so surprising.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The big story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why one developer won\u2019t quit fighting to connect the US\u2019s grids<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

September 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael Skelly hasn\u2019t learned to take no for an answer. For much of the last 15 years, the energy entrepreneur has worked to develop long-haul transmission lines to carry wind power across the Great Plains, Midwest, and Southwest. But so far, he has little to show for the effort.<\/p>\n

Skelly has long argued that building such lines and linking together the nation\u2019s grids would accelerate the shift from coal- and natural-gas-fueled power plants to the renewables needed to cut the pollution driving climate change. But his previous business shut down in 2019, after halting two of its projects and selling off interests in three more.<\/p>\n

Skelly contends he was early, not wrong, and that the market and policymakers are increasingly coming around to his perspective. After all, the US Department of Energy just blessed his latest company\u2019s proposed line with hundreds of millions in grants. Read the full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014James Temple<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>skeet ’em at me<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ Severance\u2019s Adam Scott<\/a> sure has interesting taste in music.\u00a0
+ While we\u2019re not 100% sure if Millie is definitely the world\u2019s oldest cat<\/a>, one thing we know for sure is that she lives a life of luxury.
+ Hiking trails are covered in beautiful wildflowers<\/a> right now; just make sure you tread carefully.
+ This is a really charming look at how girls live in America<\/a> right now. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Rhiannon Williams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plus: Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on imported cars This is today’s edition of\u00a0The Download ,\u00a0our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Inside a romance scam compound\u2014and how people get tricked into being there Gavesh\u2019s journey had started, seemingly innocently, with a job ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":837676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24097,287,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-837675","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-download","8":"category-people","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=837675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/837676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=837675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=837675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=837675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}