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An elderly Virginia woman lost $77,000 after scammers allegedly impersonated Amazon, Bank of America and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a scheme designed to convince her that her identity had been tied to criminal activity. The Alexandria resident was first contacted June 26th by a woman calling herself “Anna Covery,” who claimed to work for Amazon and warned that someone had used the woman’s account to purchase a $1,400 laptop and $200 worth of accessories, reports ALXNow Although the woman said she did not have an active Amazon account, the caller allegedly provided a fake employee ID, complaint number…

In brief The SEC proposed exemptions allowing crypto projects to raise up to $5 million over four years or $75 million annually without full securities registration. The proposal includes a safe harbor that could allow a crypto asset to separate from the investment contract through which it was sold. The SEC moved forward with the proposal days after canceling a meeting on the framework amid reported pressure from Wall Street and the White House. The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed new rules Tuesday that would let crypto projects raise funds without requiring full securities registration, abruptly changing course after calling…

In brief X amplified posts that were less aligned with users’ stated values in a study of 715 U.S. users. The correlation between amplified content and stated values was -0.229 for Democrats, compared with -0.041 for Republicans. Replies to posts that clash with users’ values may cause X to recommend more of the same, researchers said. Arguing with people on X may be teaching the platform to show you more posts you hate.A new study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that X’s “For You” algorithm amplified content that clashed with users’ stated values,…

AsiaStrategy agreed to sell all the shares of a Singapore holding company whose sole asset is a 7.07% stake in Thailand-listed Astra Enterprise, transferring the exposure to two insider-linked buyers for $10 million while leaving $8 million unpaid for up to a year.The Nasdaq-listed company signed two share purchase agreements on Aug. 15, and each provides for the transfer of 50% of AsiaStrategy Topwin SG for $5 million. The subsidiary owns 114,638,700 Astra shares and has no other disclosed assets.AsiaStrategy co-CEO, director and board chairman Jason Kin Hoi Fang ultimately owns Sora Valiant, one of the buyers. The other buyer,…

In brief Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order imposing new requirements on large data centers. Data centers will lose access to the state’s fast-track permitting program and face new transparency and local approval requirements. The order calls for data centers to pay costs they impose on the electrical grid rather than passing them to other customers. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday imposing new restrictions on large AI data centers, including rules aimed at making developers pay for their impact on the state’s electrical grid.Executive Order 2026-05 establishes new requirements for data centers with peak…

In brief Mozilla is testing Smart Window, a separate, opt-in Firefox window for chatting with an AI assistant while you browse. You pick the model and can turn the whole thing off; Firefox’s one-click AI kill switch arrived earlier this year. It extends Mozilla’s existing sidebar chatbot and leans on “user choice” as the pitch against browsers built by AI companies. Mozilla is testing a new “Smart Window” in Firefox—a separate, optional window where you can chat with an AI assistant of your choice while you browse. The company is inviting users onto a waitlist to try it first.The window…

Bitcoin wallet manufacturer BitBox has told users it was able to fix “severe vulnerabilities” with its hardware wallet’s firmware, and reassured users that no funds were taken. Yet it still urged users to upgrade carefully.  Writing in a blog post Tuesday, the Swiss company said that one of the vulnerabilities would have allowed an attacker to manipulate users into installing firmware that could lead a criminal to steal funds.  Users should update firmware through the official BitBoxApp, ideally by clicking the in-app update prompt rather than searching for it, BitBox said.  We just released the Dixence security update.During our internal…

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed its own framework for crypto asset offerings, pressing ahead while landmark legislation stalls.  The regulator unveiled “Regulation Crypto Assets” on Tuesday, a tailored offering regime it says will let token issuers raise money in the U.S. without falling foul of securities laws. Tuesday’s proposal carves out two exemptions from registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The first is a one-time exemption allowing issuers to raise up to $5 million in crypto over four years. The second permits up to $75 million in any 12-month period, but comes with financial statements and ongoing…

In brief OpenAI said Aug. 7 it slowed Astra’s rollout after internal tests showed cyber capabilities it can’t rule out as “Critical”. Prediction market traders are betting big on an Astra release by Sept. 30. The model, reportedly OpenAI’s GPT-6, hasn’t been given a public date. Prediction market traders are pretty sure OpenAI is cooking, and it’s next big AI model could be coming sooner than you might think.A market for the most likely release date of OpenAI’s upcoming model Astra, the company’s internal name for GPT-6, gives a 59% chance of launching by September 15 and roughly 72% by…

Bitcoin can be understood through an analogy with real estate.16 Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), has compared investing in bitcoin to buying real estate in downtown Manhattan during the early stages of its development. As population, commerce, and cultural activity concentrated in the city, demand for limited land surged, dramatically increasing property values. Many of the world’s wealthiest families built their fortunes by owning scarce real estate. When something limited is in high demand, its value rises. As the saying commonly attributed to Mark Twain goes, “Buy land—they’re not making it anymore.” Scarcity plays a…

In brief Citi expects to launch digital asset custody later this year, starting with Bitcoin. The service will let institutional clients access traditional and crypto custody through the same framework. Citi Token Services already supports 24/7 transfers of tokenized deposits in select markets. Citi is preparing to add Bitcoin custody alongside traditional assets as the banking giant builds out its digital asset infrastructure.Announced on Tuesday, the service will be part of Custody+, a suite of custody and settlement tools. The bank said clients will be able to access traditional securities and crypto custody through the same framework.Myriad: Bitcoin’s next move?…

Bitcoin’s price is down nearly 50% since its October record. But investors shouldn’t worry, the world’s largest asset manager has said, and the cryptocurrency still plays a role as “a global monetary alternative.”  In a report Monday, Robert Mitchnick, global head of digital assets at the firm, said that the ongoing rise in U.S. and global government debt and deficits hasn’t slowed.  BlackRock has argued alongside other Bitcoin proponents that the oldest and biggest cryptocurrency can be a hedge against governments printing money.  JUST IN: $15 trillion BlackRock reports they’re still bullish on Bitcoin despite the -50% decline from its…

Citi will debut a bitcoin custody service later this year. The top bank said Tuesday that its Custody+ product will allow institutional investors to custody both traditional assets and bitcoin within one framework, rather than needing separate systems.  The bank first announced plans to debut a digital asset custody service last year. It said at the time that it had been developing the service for several years.  Citi is the latest American bank to move deeper into the digital asset space following friendlier legislation and pro-crypto approach from U.S. regulators.  “Custody+ is a clear example of this investment as we…