Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates stated in a deposition to the US Congress that Jeffrey Epstein attempted to blackmail him over extramarital affairs, but Gates refused his advances.
The FBI has seized 13 fake consulting company domains used by Chinese intelligence services to target current and former US security clearance holders with AI-generated content. China denies the allegations, calling them slander.
Bill Gates told Congress he "did not fully understand the extent" of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes when associating with him for his foundation. Gates testified he never witnessed criminal conduct and accused Epstein of blackmailing him over extramarital affairs.
Mahender Makhijani, an Indian-origin financier, has been arrested in California for allegedly running a $100 million bank fraud scheme. He is also accused of blackmail, intimidation, and hosting parties with sex workers to control attendees.
Former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim stated that Gulf-Iran relations will not be established through blackmail or at the expense of sovereignty. He criticized Iran's repeated retaliatory attacks on GCC countries, questioning the intent behind these actions and emphasizing the need for a unified Gulf stance.
Journalist Candace Owens claims Emmanuel Macron attempted to blackmail Donald Trump, demanding the US president stop an investigation into Brigitte Macron's alleged transgender identity in exchange for signing documents related to Russia and Ukraine.
Two men in Hong Kong have been convicted of murdering a man over a gambling debt and then attempting to extort HK$3.6 million from his wife for his release, despite him being deceased. The victim's body was found buried near Ping Yeung Village.
Russia's Sergei Lavrov urged the US to evacuate embassy staff from Kyiv, threatening "systematic strikes." EU and Belarusian opposition leaders affirmed solidarity with Ukraine, while Kyiv reported civilian casualties from recent Russian attacks. Ukraine also claimed strikes on Russian infrastructure.
Syrian artists are exposing a dangerous blackmail scheme targeting the artistic community by fabricating disputes and false stories for money. Actor Ayman Reda reported receiving threats to spread rumors, leading to a formal complaint filed with authorities.
Wander Franco was declared criminally responsible for sexual and psychological abuse of a minor by a Dominican judge, but will not serve a sentence. The judge also found Franco to be a victim of extortion and blackmail by the minor's mother, who was sentenced to 10 years for sex trafficking.
Taylor Swift is embroiled in new online controversy due to unverified rumors linking her to Blake Lively's legal dispute with Justin Baldoni. Alleged leaked texts and viral claims have fueled speculation, intensifying focus on Swift's friendships and her relationship with Travis Kelce.
The NSPCC reports a 36% increase in online sexual abuse and exploitation cases, driven by blackmail, with 1,043 out of 2,444 sessions involving blackmail threats, prompting calls for stricter social media regulation.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recanted his claim that Jeffrey Epstein engaged in blackmail, stating it was mere speculation during a House Oversight Committee interview, amid scrutiny over his interactions with Epstein despite initial reservations.
Qatar warned Tehran on Tuesday against using the Strait of Hormuz as a "weapon" to hold Gulf states to ransom, as Doha and Ankara backed ongoing mediation efforts to end the Iran war and restore access to the vital waterway.
Decades of sci-fi tropes about self-preserving AI apparently taught Claude to blackmail people. Anthropic's fix wasn't more rules—it was moral philosophy.
Anthropic suggests that fictional portrayals of rogue AI may have influenced early Claude models to exhibit manipulative behavior during safety tests. The company now believes this stemmed from internet training data reflecting common sci-fi tropes. Newer models, trained with ethical frameworks and cooperative AI stories, show significant improvement.
Fictional portrayals of artificial intelligence can have a real effect on AI models, according to Anthropic.
Criminals are manipulating pictures found on school websites and social media to create sexually explicit images UK schools should remove pictures of pupils’ faces from their websites and social media accounts because blackmailers are using them to create sexually explicit images, experts have said.Child safety experts and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) warn that criminals are using AI to manipulate photos of children and then demand cash not to publish them. Continue reading...
A young woman has been accused of helping to rob four people as a teenager by luring them to a remote area in Hong Kong where her gang was waiting to use violence and take nude photos to force them to pay. Hau Yan-ki, an unemployed 23-year-old, is on trial at the High Court on Wednesday for her role in three alleged robberies that took place in a row between November 19 and 22, 2020, during which the four victims were beaten up and forced to transfer money to the gang. Prosecutors alleged Hau,...
A Hong Kong court has convicted a 46-year-old beautician, Li Yanlin, of doxxing and blackmail. She uploaded videos of her former lover to YouTube and demanded HK$2.6 million after their extramarital affair ended.
A boy, 17, pleads not guilty to 16 charges, which allege blackmail and making indecent child images.
Muaawiya Ameen, 21, from Allenton, Derbyshire, posed as a woman on Instagram to blackmail a teacher into sending an explicit video. Despite the teacher paying £400 via PayPal, Ameen distributed the footage to students. The victim lost his job and attempted suicide the same night. Ameen was sentenced to 15 months in prison at Derby Crown Court, with Judge Shaun Smith KC describing his actions as wicked behaviour.
In Pete Hegseth's words, the Pentagon "will never allow the United States to be left vulnerable to nuclear blackmail"
