Techin' Geek

On Thursday, a judge in New Mexico mandated that Meta pay a penalty of $567 million, in addition to the $375 million imposed in March, concerning the issues of social media-related harms and dependency. This elevates the total penalties the company must remit to $942 million.

The court also directed Meta to implement modifications to its platform operations within the state: it requires the elimination of Like counts, displaying such metrics to users under 18 only with parental or guardian consent. Additionally, notifications to underage users must be halted between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m, and their usage should be restricted to 90 hours monthly, equating to about three hours per day.

“A considerable number of individuals in New Mexico suffer harm from Meta’s offerings due to risks of sexual exploitation, disruption of education, and negative mental health effects,” stated the order.

The judge recognized that Meta is not the sole platform contributing to a mental health crisis among young people in the state, but insisted that its services significantly contribute. He remarked that the company has caused a serious “public nuisance” in New Mexico, and it is obligated to remedy that.

Meta announced its intention to appeal the ruling.

“We strive diligently to ensure the safety of individuals on our platforms and have been open about the difficulties of identifying and eliminating malicious actors and harmful material. We maintain confidence in our history of safeguarding teens online and will persist in defending ourselves against allegations that distort the facts,” said company representative Andy Stone in a statement via email.

“For years, Meta was aware that its platforms were detrimental to New Mexico’s youth, from exacerbating a mental health crisis among adolescents to linking predators with children, yet it prioritized engagement and profitability over their welfare,” stated state Attorney General Raul Torrez.

“Today, Meta is facing the consequences of that decision. This ruling holds the company responsible for the harm it inflicted on our children, families, and educational institutions, and it compels genuine changes to how Meta conducts business in New Mexico,” he added.

This verdict follows another setback in Los Angeles in March, where the court rejected the social media giant for fostering addictive behaviors.

Meta is currently confronting several other lawsuits nationwide. One significant case is a coalition lawsuit involving 33 states, consolidated in a federal court in Oakland, California. Numerous other states, such as Tennessee, have initiated their own legal actions against the company.

Not everyone requires a keynote position to stand out at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Sometimes, the optimal approach to connect with investors, customers, and partners is by exhibiting directly on the Expo Hall floor at San Francisco’s Moscone West from October 13-15.

That’s precisely what our Exhibit Program provides, and it’s still available for showcasing your startup. 

Here’s what $12,500 includes: 

• A 6’ x 30″ table in the Expo Hall, which attracts the most foot traffic at Disrupt, where over 10,000 founders, VCs, and tech figures gather in search of partnerships, investments, and networking opportunities. 

• We take care of the table, linen, chairs, and signage so that you can concentrate on promoting your startup — rather than worrying about logistics.

• 10 Disrupt passes, which include five all-access Exhibitor-Partner passes and five Expo+ passes, enabling your entire team to engage on the floor, not just man a booth. These passes alone cover nearly $4,000 of the exhibition cost!

• Lead generation through the Disrupt 2026 mobile app, ensuring every interaction can turn into a follow-up, rather than a lost business card. 

• Access to the Disrupt 2026 press list and Silver Tier sponsor branding throughout the site, app, and signage. 

Joining fellow exhibitors is the quickest, least demanding method for startups at any phase to reach the critical audience, from investors seeking deals, to operators assessing tools, to founders in search of partners. 

However, there is one condition:  Tables are limited. This offer concludes when the last exhibit table sells out, or on September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT, whichever occurs first.  

Secure your exhibit table now by clicking here. Alternatively, if you’re not ready to exhibit this year, get a Disrupt 2026 ticket here while we’re offering a limited-time $400 discount and start planning your participation for next year!

Vogue World is set to arrive in San Francisco next year — possibly another sign that tech moguls are now influencers in the fashion landscape.

However, the announcement of this grand fashion/art/music gathering doesn’t explicitly state that. Anna Wintour expressed that Vogue is committed to honoring cities and “San Francisco is an unparalleled city.” 

“It’s a hub of diverse communities coexisting, a place that cherishes the arts, embraces creativity, and welcomes change.” She also highlighted the city’s legacy of defiance and inventiveness.

“I admire that San Francisco has consistently advocated for its principles and values,” Wintour stated. “Vogue World will empower San Francisco’s creative talents and enhance the entire ecosystem — showcasing again that San Francisco is experiencing a resurgence.”

Rumors had circulated about Vogue World moving to San Francisco after Wintour was seen meeting with the city’s mayor, Daniel Lurie.

Moreover, over the past year, Wintour has forged connections with influential names in tech, culminating in this year’s Met Gala, where Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, were prominent sponsors. Google’s Sergey Brin and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg also attended (this being Zuckerberg’s inaugural visit). OpenAI reserved a table, as did Meta and Snap (at a cost of $350,000 each). Although platforms like TikTok, Apple, and Instagram have sponsored the event in the past, the tech presence was so significant this year that the Met Gala was referred to as the “tech gala” in certain circles.

Last year, Vogue featured Lauren Sanchez on its cover following her marriage to the Amazon founder. In the fashion realm, this was seen as Wintour’s endorsement — not only of Sanchez’s rise in the fashion industry but also reflecting that tech and its leaders merit cultural acknowledgment.

Despite Bezos and Sanchez reportedly residing in Florida (and Amazon headquartered in Seattle), no city is as strongly linked to tech as San Francisco. Holding Vogue World there serves as another sign of Wintour’s endorsement.

Vogue, as a media entity, is always chasing the money, and as a cultural authority, is constantly seeking relevance. Aligning with the global headquarters of AI, good or bad, is savvy for business (and Wintour is certainly savvy). 

However, Vogue World has previously taken place in New York, London, Paris, and this year, Milan. Perhaps due to my East Coast perspective, I haven’t heard anyone recently describe San Francisco as a style beacon on par with these cities.  

While the city is known as the home of the free-spirited bohemian, the tech community and its workers are often characterized by hoodies, Patagonia vests, and costly athletic footwear, if they choose to dress up at all.

For example, billionaire Alexandr Wang, now leading Meta’s crucial Superintelligence Labs, conducted an interview with Y Combinator’s Garry Tan in front of a packed audience wearing a worn Nintendo T-shirt and what appeared to be Crocs. Comfortable? Yes. Fashionable? Certainly not.

Yet perhaps that is on the verge of transformation. Wang’s superior, Mark Zuckerberg, who used to always don a simple gray T-shirt and jeans, has made strides recently to elevate his fashion sense. Zuck and his wife Priscilla Chan were seen sitting front row at a Prada show this season. The latest campaign for Meta Glasses features a range of celebrity ambassadors and resembles a Saint Laurent or Balenciaga advertisement.

OpenAI and Palantir have recently launched merchandise collaborations that reflect the minimalist aesthetic of tech workers (the latter’s merchandise line seemingly draws inspiration from Virgil Abloh’s Off-White).

I acknowledge that there is ample opportunity for creativity within the subtle, Northern California aesthetic. Surrounded by stunning nature and cooler climates, many fashion designers could find inspiration in San Francisco’s tech scene. I anticipate seeing Claude-inspired terra cotta-hued gowns and Vogue-branded quarter-zips soon.

Let’s get right to it: As of today, you can enjoy an extra $100 discount on our ongoing $300 reduction for your founder, investor, or attendee TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass, which is a fantastic addition to our current discounted rates. 

This limited-time sale will last for just one more complete day, ending tomorrow, August 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT. This discount represents your final opportunity for an additional deal before our upcoming pricing tier takes effect on August 21. 

Register via this link to secure your extra $100 off.

If you wish to gather more information before finalizing your plans, Disrupt will take place at Moscone West from October 13–15, welcoming over 10,000 founders, VCs, tech industry pioneers, and innovators for three days focused on one objective: building momentum for future success. 

This isn’t a passive conference to just observe — it’s a curated schedule of speakers, workshops, networking opportunities and post-event excitement for those actively engaged in building, investing, and anticipating what’s next. 

The Disrupt Stage: The discussions everyone will be engaging in 

The Disrupt Stage is our main focus, and we’ve just unveiled the first lineup. We’ll explore the most significant transitions in tech today, whether it involves a post-smartphone era with Amazon’s SVP of Devices and Services Panos Panay; the real consequences of a world where anyone can create their own software, presented by Replit founder and CEO Amjad Masad; and even more exciting topics. 

However, that’s just one stage. Disrupt 2026 will also host: 

AI Stage, addressing the security vulnerabilities and business model transformations AI is enforcing on every SaaS company.

New Smart Money Stage, discussing stablecoins, instant transactions, and AI’s contribution to financial trust. 

New Smart Systems Stage, offering insights on fusion innovations and grid strains powering AI’s upcoming decade. 

Builders Stage, the beloved stage where founders and investors share practical advice on raising capital, hiring, and scaling. 

Beyond the stages 

Most Disrupt passes also provide access to Startup Battlefield, where 200 startups will compete live for the Battlefield Cup. You’ll also benefit from networking opportunities tailored to your interests as a founder, investor, or learner, in addition to our Expo Hall, where numerous startups showcase their innovations. 

This flash sale concludes Friday 

After 11:59 p.m. PT on Friday, August 7, the additional $100 savings will no longer be available. Regular discounted pricing will conclude on August 21. If Disrupt is on your agenda for this year, this is the most advantageous deal you’ll find before the event. 

Claim an extra $100 discount before Friday.

We’ll see you from October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco! 

In the era of AI-driven autonomous cyber assaults, the basic, established hacking methods of deceiving victims into actions they ought to avoid continue to yield significant outcomes. 

Unidentified hacking groups are infiltrating major financial and investment companies in the United States with the intent of stealing confidential information to extort the victims by threatening to release it, as reported by Google’s security researchers on Thursday.

The firm did not disclose the identities of the victims, but Reuters mentioned among them prominent private equity firms including Apollo Global Management, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Bridgewater Associates, CME Group, KKR, Moody’s, and TPG. 

The hacking collectives, which Google identified as Falcon, Helix, Pink, and Redact, are employing a traditional method to breach these firms: making phone calls to employees’ personal cellphones where the hackers impersonate colleagues or IT support personnel, attempting to deceive targets into providing their credentials and multi-factor codes on fake websites, according to Google. This tactic is known in cybersecurity as voice phishing, or vishing.

Some groups highlighted by Google operate websites where they advertise their hacks and threaten to disclose the stolen data to extort the victims into paying a ransom, a prevalent tactic among cybercriminals.

“We engage in every negotiation on professional terms. The release of your data is never our desired outcome; it is a result of declining to cooperate, intentional delays, or failing to adhere to an agreement,” stated one of the websites. “Act swiftly and in good faith, and the issue is settled without further complications.”

Researchers at Google indicated that the various groups might all belong to a broader collective that the company monitors under the designation UNC6671. However, it remains unclear if they are partners, splinter factions, or if they share the same Phishing-as-a-Service framework. 

“We suspect this likely indicates a coordinated assembly of threat actors managing multiple public extortion brands perhaps to compartmentalize operations, obscure overall breach figures, and mitigate any fallout from negotiations,” the report articulated.

As per Google, the hacking groups have previously targeted significant firms across the manufacturing, real estate, healthcare, and insurance industries, as well as in technology, transportation, and hospitality sectors with the aim of stealing “valuable intellectual property, software source code, or sensitive VIP client information.”

More recently, these hackers have focused on legal and financial institutions, including private equity firms. “Targeting organizations involved in mergers, acquisitions, capital distribution, and litigation may indicate a strategy aimed at extracting high-value corporate and confidential data to enhance extortion leverage,” stated Google’s researchers. 

Google reported that one cryptocurrency wallet linked to one of the hacking groups received approximately $10 million in bitcoin during the first few months of this year, and that the hackers typically demand between $750,000 and $3 million from their victims.

Laurie Bischel, a representative for CME Group, chose not to comment.

Apollo Global Management, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Bridgewater Associates, KKR, Moody’s, and TPG did not respond to requests for comments.

According to security experts, there is evidence that a spyware linked to China has spread from the mainland to target victims in more than a dozen nations, including countries across Europe and the United States. The previously recognized spyware now possesses new capabilities for stealing extensive data and remotely disabling devices.

Experts at the cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf reported that the LightSpy spyware, discovered in 2018 and previously associated with state-sponsored Chinese hackers, has matured into a commercial spyware system run by a sole threat actor who serves governments, businesses, and military entities. 

The platform reportedly includes customized branding, billing, and demonstrations to market it to potential clients.

These findings highlight the ongoing spread of spyware usage beyond governmental and state-backed hacking, reaching into the private sector at large. 

LightSpy is a modular spyware system that enables an operator to target various devices, such as smartphones, Apple products, Linux servers, and Windows computers. By leveraging exploits tailored for each type of device, the spyware can access vast amounts of sensitive information from its targets, including exact location data, chat conversations, screen recordings, and saved passwords. The researchers also noted that the code can remotely erase and obliterate data on an affected device.

The researchers reported that LightSpy has been detected infecting routers, a development they had not previously encountered. By compromising routers, the attackers can monitor and access any other device connected to the same network.

Some of the affected routers are linked to NATO member states, according to Arctic Wolf. 

The organization stated that LightSpy operates a network comprising at least 117 servers across various countries worldwide.

The researchers indicated they managed to connect the recent activities to a Chinese contractor after one of the operators of the spyware used the LightSpy administrator panel to place an order with Kentucky Fried Chicken using his actual name and business address.