In 1993, leaders resisted calls to control the internet and it changed the world. Now, the U.S. is taking the same approach with AI.
Old-school static wins the spy wars
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This is one of the coolest things I’ve learned recently: Foreign intelligence agencies still use good ol’ radio to share top secrets. Even with all the powerful tech at their fingertips, radio use in espionage has actually gone up in popularity since the 2010s. Pretty wild.
Russia in particular loves this technique. Why? Intelligence agencies don’t trust the internet. Makes sense.
📻 Spy-Fi: The original wireless network
Foreign agencies have been using shortwave radio frequencies to broadcast coded messages for decades.
Starting in the mid-1960s, if you tuned your radio to shortwave frequencies between 5.422 and 16.084 megahertz (MHz), you might hear music … or you might hear a woman’s voice with an English accent reading number combinations.
The U.K.’s MI6 intelligence agency and other spy networks used these “number stations” until at least 2008 to talk to operatives in the field. Whoa.
🤫 All secrets, all the time
This tactic is still very much alive and well. In 2020, the FBI discovered messages being sent to Russian deep-cover officers living in Massachusetts. Last year, researchers caught Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, SVR, broadcasting a test transmission in French.
But it’s not just Russia. Taiwan is active now. The “Star Star” station (V13) broadcasts coded messages to agents in mainland China, complete with flute music intros.
So, what’s the advantage? Even encrypted phones can be hacked. It’s also easier than ever to plant spyware on a device.
☝️ The secret’s in the signal
In each broadcast, the sender and receiver use what’s called a “one-time pad” to encrypt and decrypt the message. It’s basically a matching list of random numbers, no fancy spy gear required.
The great iPhone rapture
ChatGPT
It starts like any typical night out. You’re sipping something overpriced and half-listening to your friend’s relationship drama. Then, you check your pocket. Empty. You think maybe it was a pickpocket. But the reality is far stranger.
IG’s map is sus: Rolling out now, Instagram Map broadcasts your last app activity location to friends. Meta swears it’s off by default, but I don’t trust it and apparently neither does half the internet. Here’s how to turn it off: Go to your Profile and Tap the ≡ menu (top right). Select Story, live and location, tap Location sharing, and toggle off sharing.
245.76 TB
The size of Kioxia’s new SSD. And it fits in one device. It’s made for AI and data center workloads where raw capacity beats flashy speed. Think: massive training datasets, not movie marathons. It sacrifices performance to keep signal integrity in check, but it’s perfect if your job is “store the internet.”
🔒 Your internet isn’t as private as you think. ExpressVPN shields your location, scrambles your data and blocks trackers from spying on you. Get four extra months free with this limited time offer.
Hackers love your zombie accounts
ChatGPT
How many online accounts have you made over the years? 50? 100? More? That’s enough to fill a digital graveyard.
A new study shows that 25% of all online accounts are never used again, but they don’t just disappear. They sit there, wide open, with your email address and password attached. These forgotten logins are called “zombie accounts,” and hackers love them.
Half of our days are online
The internet’s a powerful tool but it’s still just that: a tool. We get to choose how we use it.
Absolutely no fundamentals: GoPro’s stock ripped 58% in 48 hours last week because meme stock energy is so back, baby. No earnings, no innovation, just internet hype. r/wallstreetbets revived the rally that once made GameStop briefly worth more than Delta.
402 Tbps
That’s the new internet speed record just set in Japan. It’s 4 million times faster than your Wi-Fi, and no, that’s not a typo. We’re talking entire Netflix libraries in seconds, on regular fiber. Somewhere, a Comcast exec just spit out their latte.
Restart your internet the right way: Unplug both your modem and router, then wait 30 seconds. Plug in the modem first and wait 60 seconds until the lights are back. Then plug in your router and wait two minutes. Still no luck? Time to call your internet provider.
🛜 Full bars, slow internet? Those little Wi-Fi bars only show your connection to the router, not your internet speed. So even if they’re full, apps can run slower than a Monday morning. When in doubt, run a speed test and check if your download, upload and ping match what you’re paying for.
🙄 Sick of Comcast? Two guys in Michigan got so fed up with the service that they started their own internet company. It’s all fiber (read: reliable), with no data caps or contracts, and it’s already in about 1,500 homes. The twist? Comcast caught wind and started calling ex-customers with discounts and new unlimited deals. Shocker.
❗ Is it just you? Use Downdetector to check if a service is down, like your internet provider, Netflix or social media apps. Just type the name in the search box.
✈️ I hate slow Wi-fi on planes: But times are changing. Starlink is now on over 1,000 airplanes worldwide, giving millions of passengers access to high-speed internet in the air. Airlines like Qatar, Hawaiian and United use it. But how fast? Tests show over 100 Mbps. SpaceX says 2,000 more planes are coming soon.
The 9-to-5 is dead
Microsoft says late-night meetings are up 16%. Burnout much? I also talk to an Uber driver almost tricked into trafficking stolen goods. Plus: Trump Org’s new phone biz, Bible stories on TikTok, and a smart way to check your internet speed.
Gen Z wants out: Nearly 50% of Gen Z says they’d rather live in a world without the internet, according to a recent survey. Not less of it, none. The vibe? They’re not Luddites, they’re nostalgic for a weirder, less curated life where friendships weren’t content and the boredom felt more human.
🌐 Share Wi-Fi from your laptop: On some networks or on an airplane, you can only connect one device. Quick fix? Turn your laptop into a hotspot. On Windows, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Hotspot. On Mac, head to System Settings > General > Sharing > Internet Sharing and switch it on.
📊 Set a data limit on Windows: On a capped data plan? You can add a warning so you don’t go over. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Data usage, select your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, then hit Enter limit. Choose a Limit type (like Monthly), enter your cap and click Save.
🔒 Your internet isn’t as private as you think. ExpressVPN shields your location, scrambles your data and blocks trackers from spying on you. Get four extra months free with this limited time offer.