Betterment has confirmed a data breach affecting around 1.4 million customers after a January 2026 social engineering attack on a third-party platform. Attackers used the access to send fraudulent crypto scam messages posing as official promotions.
The breach occurred after an employee was tricked into sharing login credentials, allowing unauthorised access to internal messaging systems rather than core investment infrastructure. Attackers used the access to send messages promising to multiply cryptocurrency deposits sent to external wallets.
Subsequent forensic analysis and breach monitoring services confirmed that more than 1.4 million unique records were exposed. Betterment said investment accounts and login credentials were not compromised during the incident.
Exposed information included names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, dates of birth, job titles, location data, and device metadata. Security experts warn that such datasets can enable targeted phishing, identity fraud, and follow-on social engineering campaigns.
Betterment revoked access the same day, notified customers, and launched an external investigation. The breach was formally added to public exposure databases in early February, highlighting the growing risk of human-focused attacks against financial platforms.
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Germany has launched one of Europe’s largest AI factories to boost EU-wide sovereign AI capacity. Deutsche Telekom unveiled the new ‘Industrial AI Cloud’ in Munich, in partnership with NVIDIA and Polarise.
Designed to deliver high-performance AI computing for industry, research, and public institutions, the platform keeps data operations under European jurisdiction. Company executives described the project as proof that Europe can build large-scale AI infrastructure aligned with its regulatory and sovereignty goals.
The AI factory runs on nearly 10,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, providing up to 0.5 exaFLOPS of computing power. Telekom said the capacity would be sufficient to support hundreds of millions of users accessing AI services simultaneously across the EU.
Officials in Germany framed the AI factory initiative as a strategic investment in technological leadership and digital independence. The infrastructure operates under German and EU data protection rules, positioning compliance and security as core competitive advantages.
Industrial applications are central to the project, with companies such as Siemens integrating simulation tools into the platform. The AI factory also runs on renewable energy, uses river water cooling, and plans to reuse waste heat within Munich’s urban network.
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Researchers in the United States have shown that an AI-enabled digital stethoscope detected moderate to severe valvular heart disease more than twice as often as traditional tools during routine clinical exams.
The study assessed 357 patients aged 50 and above in primary care settings, using both conventional and AI-assisted stethoscopes. Sensitivity rose from 46.2 percent with traditional listening to 92.3 percent with the AI-enabled device.
Valvular heart disease affects a large proportion of older adults but frequently remains undiagnosed due to subtle or absent symptoms and limitations of conventional auscultation during busy clinical practice.
The digital stethoscope records high-fidelity heart sounds and applies machine-learning models to identify acoustic patterns associated with valve abnormalities, helping clinicians make early screening decisions.
US researchers noted a small drop in specificity that could increase false positives, but argued that earlier detection could reduce complications, hospital admissions, and long-term healthcare costs.
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Substack confirmed a data breach that exposed user email addresses and phone numbers. The company said passwords and financial information were not affected. The incident occurred in October and was later investigated.
Chief executive Chris Best told users the vulnerability was identified in February and has since been fixed, with an internal investigation now underway. The company has not disclosed the technical cause of the breach or why the intrusion went undetected for several months.
Substack also did not confirm how many users were affected or provide evidence showing whether the exposed data has been misused. Users were advised to remain cautious about unexpected emails and text messages following the incident.
The breach was first reported by TechCrunch, which said the company declined to provide further operational details. Questions remain around potential ransom demands or broader system access.
Substack reports more than 50 million active subscriptions, including 5 million paid users, and raised $100 million in Series C funding in 2025, led by BOND and The Chernin Group, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz and other investors.
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European lawmakers remain divided over whether AI tools that generate non-consensual sexual images should face an explicit ban in the EU legislation.
The split emerged as debate intensified over the AI simplification package, which is moving through Parliament and the Council rather than remaining confined to earlier negotiations.
Concerns escalated after Grok was used to create images that digitally undressed women and children.
The EU regulators responded by launching an investigation under the Digital Services Act, and the Commission described the behaviour as illegal under existing European rules. Several lawmakers argue that the AI Act should name pornification apps directly instead of relying on broader legal provisions.
Lead MEPs did not include a ban in their initial draft of the Parliament’s position, prompting other groups to consider adding amendments. Negotiations continue as parties explore how such a restriction could be framed without creating inconsistencies within the broader AI framework.
The Commission appears open to strengthening the law and has hinted that the AI omnibus could be an appropriate moment to act. Lawmakers now have a limited time to decide whether an explicit prohibition can secure political agreement before the amendment deadline passes.
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The German competition authority has fined Amazon €59 million for abusing its dominant position by influencing the pricing behaviour of third-party sellers.
Regulators concluded that Amazon’s pricing algorithms and Fair Pricing Policy breached national digital dominance rules and the EU competition law, rather than aligning with fair marketplace standards.
The authority argued that Amazon competes directly with merchants on its platform while shaping their prices through restrictions such as caps that penalise sellers who exceed certain limits.
Officials described that approach as incompatible with healthy competition since a platform should not influence rivals’ commercial strategies while participating in the same market.
Amazon strongly disputed the ruling and claimed the conclusion conflicts with the EU consumer standards. The company argued that the decision forces the platform to promote prices that fail to reflect competitive market conditions and announced it will challenge the findings.
The case follows a 2025 preliminary assessment and builds on Amazon’s earlier designation in 2022 as a company of paramount significance for competition, a judgement upheld by the Federal Court of Justice in Germany in 2024.
A ruling that marks another step in Europe’s efforts to rein in digital platforms that wield extensive influence across multiple markets.
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The confrontation between Spain and Telegram founder Pavel Durov has intensified after he claimed that Pedro Sánchez endangered online freedoms.
Government officials responded that the tech executive spread lies rather than engage with the proposed rules in good faith. Sánchez argued that democracy would not be silenced by what he called the techno-oligarchs of the algorithm.
The dispute followed the unveiling of new measures aimed at major technology companies. The plan introduces a ban on social media use for under-16s and holds corporate leaders legally responsible when unlawful or hateful content remains online rather than being removed.
Platforms would also need to adopt age-verification tools such as ID checks or biometric systems, which Durov argued could turn Spain into a surveillance state by allowing large-scale data collection.
Tensions widened as Sánchez clashed with prominent US tech figures. Sumar urged all bodies linked to the central administration to leave X, a move that followed Elon Musk’s accusation that the Spanish leader was acting like a tyrant.
The row highlighted how Spain’s attempt to regulate digital platforms has placed its government in open conflict with influential technology executives.
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Albania has lifted its temporary ban on TikTok after nearly a year, the government announced, saying that concerns about public, social and digital safety have now been addressed and that access will resume nationwide.
The restriction was introduced in March 2025 following a fatal stabbing linked to a social media dispute and aimed to protect younger users instead of exposing them to harmful online content.
Under the new arrangement, authorities are partnering with TikTok to introduce protective filters based on keywords and content controls and to strengthen reporting mechanisms for harmful material.
The government described the decision as a shift from restrictive measures to a phase of active monitoring, inter-institutional cooperation, and shared responsibility with digital platforms.
Although the ban has now been lifted, a court challenge contends that the earlier suspension violated the constitutional right to freedom of expression, and a ruling is expected later in February. Opposition figures also criticised the original ban when it was applied ahead of parliamentary elections.
Despite the formal ban, TikTok remained accessible to many users in Albania through virtual private networks during the year it was in force, highlighting the challenge of enforcing such blocks in practice.
Critics have also noted that addressing the impact on youth may require broader digital education and safety measures.
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Pusan National University is piloting AI-powered translation glasses that display real-time subtitles of Korean-language lectures, aiming to reduce language barriers for international students. As a result, students can follow classes more easily, grasp specialised terminology, and engage more fully without the constant risk of missing key points.
In addition to academic settings, the technology is improving communication across campus life. For example, university staff, including counsellors, report that the glasses enable more natural, face-to-face conversations with foreign students, rather than relying on phones or other intermediary devices for translation.
Moreover, the pilot supports a broader push to internationalise the campus through AI-based multilingual services, including translated course syllabi and websites, with wider rollout to follow pending evaluation.
At the same time, the company behind the glasses is looking to expand adoption beyond Busan. If deployed more widely, the technology could influence higher education policies by easing language requirements and helping universities attract more international students, particularly as domestic enrolment declines.
However, several practical challenges remain. While translation accuracy is already high, issues such as device weight and battery life have prompted the development of lighter models. As the system continues to be refined and trained on academic vocabulary, its reliability and usability are expected to improve further.
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Microsoft has warned that info stealing malware is increasingly targeting macOS alongside Windows, using cross platform tools and social engineering. The company said the trend accelerated from late 2025.
Attackers are luring macOS users to fake websites and malicious installers, often promoted through online ads. Microsoft said these campaigns steal credentials, crypto wallets and browser sessions on macOS and Windows.
Python based malware is also playing a larger role, enabling attackers to target macOS and Windows with the same code. Microsoft reported growing abuse of trusted platforms such as WhatsApp to spread infostealers.
Microsoft urged organisations and individuals to strengthen layered cybersecurity on macOS and Windows. The company said better user awareness and monitoring could reduce the risk of data theft and account compromise.
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