Apple fixed a security bug that made it possible for cops to access content from deleted Signal messages.

Vulnerable users hoping to evade law enforcement surveillance often use encrypted apps like Signal to communicate sensitive information. That's why users felt blindsided when 404 Media reported that Apple was unexpectedly storing push notifications displaying parts of encrypted messages for up to a month. This occurred even after the message was set to disappear and the app itself was deleted from the device.

404 Media flagged the issue after speaking to multiple people who attended a hearing where the FBI testified that it "was able to forensically extract copies of incoming Signal messages from a defendant’s iPhone, even after the app was deleted, because copies of the content were saved in the device’s push notification database." The shocking revelation came in a case that 404 Media noted was "the first time authorities charged people for alleged 'Antifa' activities after President Trump designated the umbrella term a terrorist organization."

Read full article

Comments

GREENBELT, Md.—On Tuesday, NASA invited the press to look at the fully assembled Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is now ready to join the ranks of the great observatories in orbit, ahead of its September launch. The Roman Space Telescope (NGRST), named after a key figure in the planning of the Hubble Space Telescope, is notably distinct from hardware like the Hubble and Webb, as it's designed around a wide-field view and massive imaging system that will allow it to send back 1.4 terabytes of data to Earth every day.

It also has an unusual history that began when NASA's planning intersected with surplus spy hardware.

In from the cold

Many of the gases in our atmosphere absorb infrared wavelengths, contributing to the greenhouse effect that has helped keep the planet habitable for us. But that effect also makes infrared astronomy from Earth extremely difficult. That's unfortunate, as a number of important phenomena, from the earliest galaxies to the features of exoplanet atmospheres, are only detectable at infrared wavelengths. There have been a number of infrared-specific telescopes put into space, notably the Spitzer , one of the original suite of Great Observatories.

Read full article

Comments

In 1968, having achieved a modicum of stability through the introduction of its seminal Neue Klasse (or “new class”) models, BMW scaled up its styling and used the company's M10 four-cylinder engine as the basis for a new inline-six in a larger sedan known by chassis code E3, the ancestor to today’s BMW 7 Series. History repeats itself with the latest version of BMW’s flagship sedan.

The 2027 BMW 7 Series is a refresh of the seventh-generation G70 version that arrived in the United States as a 2023 model. But the changes are much more extensive than the typical refresh, or “life cycle impulse” (LCI) in BMW-speak. That’s because the updated 7 Series borrows tech and styling elements from the new Neue Klasse—the family of EVs that so far includes the iX3 crossover and i3 sedan .

This hulking sedan still lacks the grace of its E3 and E23 ancestors, but the infusion of Neue Klasse details and other tweaks definitely help. The rear bumper has a cleaner look, as does the front end, which has a simplified version of the previous split-lighting arrangement of daytime running lights above rectangular headlights nestled in coves that also house the intakes for the front-wheel air curtains.

Read full article

Comments

New gas projects linked to just 11 data center campuses around the US have the potential to create more greenhouse gases than the country of Morocco emitted in 2024. Emissions estimates from air permit documents examined by WIRED show that these natural gas projects—which are being built to power data centers to serve some of the US’s most powerful AI companies, including OpenAI , Meta , Microsoft , and xAI —have the potential to emit more than 129 million tons of greenhouse gases per year.

As tech companies race to secure massive power deals to build out hundreds of data centers across the country, these projects represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential climate cost of the AI boom.

The infrastructure on this list of large natural gas projects reviewed by WIRED is being developed to largely bypass the grid and provide power solely for data centers, a trend known as behind-the-meter power. As data center developers face long waits for connections to traditional utilities, and amid mounting public resistance to the possibility of higher energy bills, making their own power is becoming an increasingly popular option. These projects have either been announced or are under construction, with companies already submitting air permit application materials with state agencies.

Read full article

Comments

Crypto scammers are targeting the thousands of ships stranded near the Strait of Hormuz—and at least one ship that faced Iranian gunfire may have been tricked into believing it had paid Iran for safe passage.

The first warning of such a crypto scam came from the Greek maritime risk management company MARISKS on April 20, according to Reuters . The company alerted shipowners that scammers posing as Iranian authorities had sent messages to shipping companies asking for “transit fee” payments in bitcoin or tether.

That may be particularly confusing for shipping companies because of how Iran has asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz—a vital shipping channel and maritime chokepoint that normally allows Persian Gulf countries to provide one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply. Iranian authorities have demanded cryptocurrency payments from oil tankers to pass through the waterway and required ships to follow a route near Iran’s coastline to undergo inspection.

Read full article

Comments

Tesla published its quarterly financials ahead of an investor call this afternoon. The maker of electric vehicles has become an increasingly polarized brand but a valuable one: $1.21 trillion at the time of writing. And we knew from its delivery announcement earlier in April that the first quarter of 2026 was rather rosy, with sales growing by a little more than 6 percent compared to the same three months in 2025. As a result, it was a more profitable quarter than last year, making $477 million in net income.

Revenue increased by 16 percent year over year to $22.4 billion. Automotive revenue grew by the same percentage to $16.2 billion, and Tesla saw a 42 percent increase in services (like Supercharger fees) and other revenue. But its energy storage business shrank in Q1, and revenues from this division fell by 12 percent to $2.4 billion.

An operating margin of 4.2 percent is far from the double-digit margins Tesla once boasted. But things were twice as bad in 2025 . Although the company brought in more money from automotive sales, it only made $380 million from selling regulatory credits, compared to $595 million in Q1 2025. It also made less money from leasing. Operating expenses rose due to spending on AI and part of the $1 trillion compensation package that shareholders approved in November for CEO Elon Musk.

Read full article

Comments

Earlier this year, we committed to publishing a reader-facing explanation of how Ars Technica uses, and doesn't use, generative AI. Translating our internal policy into a reader-facing document that meets our standards for clarity and precision took longer than I'd have liked, but I wanted to get it right rather than get it out fast. That document is now live , and you can find it below (and also linked in the footer of most pages on the site).

Our approach comes from two convictions: that AI cannot replace human insight, creativity, and ingenuity, and that these tools, used well, can help professionals do better work. From those starting points, it was always clear what we wouldn't allow. AI would not become the author, the illustrator, or the videographer. These tools are best used by professionals in the service of their profession, not as a clever end run around it, and certainly not as a path to eventually replacing it.

The short version: Ars Technica is written by humans. Our reporting, analysis, and commentary are human-authored. Where we use AI tools in our workflow, we use them with standards and oversight, and humans make every editorial decision. Our policy covers how we handle text, research, source attribution, images, audio, and video.

Read full article

Comments

Two gamers who want tariff refunds sued Nintendo of America yesterday, alleging that the company intends to pocket refunds received from the government instead of giving money back to consumers who paid higher prices. The class action complaint seeks to represent a class including the two named plaintiffs and all other US residents who bought Nintendo products from February 2025 to February 2026.

"Unless restrained by this Court, Nintendo stands to recover the same tariff payments twice—once from consumers through higher prices and again from the federal government through tariff refunds, including interest paid by the government on those funds," said the lawsuit filed in US District Court for the Western District of Washington. "Nintendo has made no legally binding commitment to return tariff-related overcharges to the consumers who actually paid them. This lawsuit seeks to prevent that unjust result."

The plaintiffs, California resident Gregory Hoffert and Washington resident Prashant Sharan, "paid retail prices for those goods that were increased by Nintendo to account for the tariffs imposed on imported products," and "would not have paid those higher prices absent the unlawful tariffs and Nintendo’s pass-through of those tariffs to consumers," said the complaint filed by the Emery | Reddy, PC law firm.

Read full article

Comments

While the Trump administration has reportedly tried to rein in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s widely unpopular anti-vaccine agenda, the political strategy is not working when it comes to words or actions. Kennedy on Tuesday suggested he would continue to meddle with federal vaccine policy, and news broke Wednesday that his political appointees have discarded scientific data that conflicts with Kennedy's anti-vaccine views.

In a Congressional hearing Tuesday, Kennedy refused to commit to supporting evidence-based vaccine policy from the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, he refused to say that he wouldn't interfere with the agency's recommendations.

Last week, Trump nominated Erica Schwartz to be the next CDC director, a role that requires Senate confirmation. Schwartz is a respected physician and former public health official who has championed the use of vaccines during her distinguished career. Outside experts were pleasantly surprised by the uncontroversial choice but wary of her ability to implement evidence-based policy under Kennedy. Last year, Kennedy—who has no medical, scientific, or public health background—ousted the previous Senate-confirmed director, Susan Monarez, who was, like Schwartz, a well-qualified and respected pick for the role. Monarez testified that she was pushed out for refusing to rubber-stamp vaccine recommendations from Kennedy's hand-selected anti-vaccine advisors. Monarez lasted as CDC director for just 29 days.

Read full article

Comments