{"id":21251,"date":"2026-04-16T12:27:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/the-download-cyberscammers-banking-bypasses-microsoft-carbon-removal-troubles\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T12:27:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:27:05","slug":"the-download-cyberscammers-banking-bypasses-microsoft-carbon-removal-troubles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/the-download-cyberscammers-banking-bypasses-microsoft-carbon-removal-troubles\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: cyberscammers\u2019 banking bypasses, and carbon removal troubles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This is today\u2019s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em><\/a>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what\u2019s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cyberscammers\u00a0are bypassing banks\u2019 security with illicit tools sold on Telegram<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Inside a money-laundering\u00a0center\u00a0in Cambodia, an employee opens a banking app on his phone. It asks for a photo linked to the account, so he uploads a picture of a 30-something Asian man.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The app then requests a video \u201cliveness\u201d check. The scammer holds up a static image of a woman who\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0match the account. After 90 seconds,\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The exploit relies on illicit hacking services sold on Telegram that break \u201cKnow Your Customer\u201d (KYC) facial scans.\u00a0MIT Technology Review<\/em>\u00a0found 22 channels and groups advertising these services.\u00a0This is what we discovered<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Fiona Kelliher<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is carbon removal in trouble?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last week, news\u00a0emerged\u00a0that Microsoft was pausing carbon removal purchases. It was a bombshell\u2014Microsoft effectively\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0the carbon removal market, single-handedly\u00a0purchasing\u00a0around 80% of all contracted carbon removal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The report sparked fear across the industry, raising questions about the future of carbon removal and the role of Big Tech.\u00a0Read the full\u00a0<\/a>story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This\u00a0<\/strong>story<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter exploring the technology that could combat the climate crisis.\u00a0<\/strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The quest to measure our relationship with nature<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

\u2014Emma Marris<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Humans have done some destructive things to the ecosystems around us. But conservationists are learning that we can also be a force for good.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To understand how we work best with nature, a group of scientists, authors, and philosophers have developed new measurements of human-nonhuman relationships. Now, a team in the United Nations is continuing the work.\u00a0Find out why\u2014and what they hope to achieve<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This story is from the next issue of our print magazine, which is all about nature.\u00a0<\/strong>Subscribe now<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to read it when it lands on Wednesday, April 22.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The must-reads\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve\u00a0combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 Ukraine says Russian troops have surrendered to robots\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
They claim a fully automated attack captured army positions for the first time in history. (404 Media<\/a>)\u00a0
+ Europe\u2019s vision for future wars is full of drones.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0
\u00a0
2 Monkeys with\u00a0BCIs\u00a0are navigating virtual worlds using only their thoughts<\/strong>\u00a0
The research could help people with paralysis.\u00a0<\/strong>(New Scientist<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
+ But these implants still face a critical test.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0
\u00a0
3 NASA wants to put nuclear reactors on the Moon<\/strong>\u00a0
They could power lunar bases and extend spaceflight. (Wired<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ NASA is also building a nuclear-powered spacecraft.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

4 Plans for online age verification in\u00a0the\u00a0US are raising red flags<\/strong>\u00a0
Experts warn of compliance\u00a0issues and potential data breaches. (NBC News<\/a>)\u00a0
+ In the EU, an age verification app is about to launch.<\/em>\u00a0(Reuters<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/p>\n

5 An AI chip boom just pushed Taiwan\u2019s stock market past the UK\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u2019s risen past $4 trillion to become the world\u2019s seventh largest. (FT<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ Future AI chips could be built on glass.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

6 The public backlash against data\u00a0centers\u00a0is intensifying in the US<\/strong>\u00a0
Protests and litigation are blocking projects. (CNBC<\/a>)\u00a0
+ One potential solution? Putting them in space.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

7 Five-minute EV charging is becoming a reality<\/strong>\u00a0
China\u2019s BYD has started rolling it out. (Gizmodo<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
+ \u201cExtended-range electric vehicles\u201d are about to hit US streets.\u00a0<\/em>(Atlantic<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0<\/p>\n

8 Stealth signals are bypassing Iran\u2019s internet blackout\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
Files hidden in satellite TV broadcasts keep information flowing. (IEEE<\/a>)\u00a0
\u00a0
9 Shoe brand Allbirds made a shock pivot to AI, sending stock up 700%\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
No bubble to see here, folks. (CNBC<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
+ What even is the AI bubble?<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

10 The largest ever map of\u00a0the\u00a0universe is complete\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
It captures 47 million galaxies and quasars. (Space.com<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quote of the day\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI like the internet as much as anybody, but\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0got to go on an internet diet. We\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0need to pay for corporations to do their internet stuff.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014Sylvia Whitt, a 78-year-old retiree based in Virginia, tells\u00a0the Washington Post<\/a>\u00a0why\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0protesting against\u00a0data\u00a0centers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

One More Thing\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"a<\/p>\n
ISRAEL VARGAS<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

AI and the future of sex<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Some Republican lawmakers want to criminalize porn and arrest its creators. But what if porn is\u00a0wholly created\u00a0by an algorithm? In that case, whether\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0obscene, ethical, or safe becomes a secondary issue. The primary concern will be what it means for porn to be \u201creal\u201d\u2014and what the answer demands from all of us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Technological advances could even remove the \u201cmessy humanity\u201d from sex itself. The rise of AI-generated porn may be a symptom of a new synthetic sexuality, not the cause.\u00a0Read the full story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Leo Herrera<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

We can still have\u00a0nice things\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?\u00a0<\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

+ An animator turned his son\u2019s drawings<\/a>\u00a0into epic anime characters.\u00a0
+ Hundreds of baby green sea turtles<\/a>\u00a0made a spectacular first journey to the ocean.\u00a0
+ You can now track rocket launches<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0take-off\u00a0to orbit in real time.\u00a0
+ These musical mistakes<\/a>\u00a0prove that even the classics\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0perfect.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today\u2019s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21251\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}