Tech

Trump Eliminates SpaceX Environmental Safeguards via Executive Order

| Importance: 7/10

Trump signed an executive order directing the Transportation Department to slash FAA regulations on rocket launches, eliminating or expediting environmental reviews for commercial spaceflight. The order directly benefits SpaceX, whose owner Elon Musk repeatedly complained about FAA environmental …

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Sam Bankman-Fried Convicted on All Counts in 'One of the Biggest Financial Frauds in American History'

| Importance: 10/10

A federal jury convicts Sam Bankman-Fried on all seven criminal counts including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in what federal prosecutors describe as ‘one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.’ The conviction follows a …

Sam Bankman-Fried FTX Alameda Research U.S. Department of Justice Caroline Ellison +1 more corruption fraud regulatory-capture tech cryptocurrency +3 more
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FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Arrested, Charged with Campaign Finance Violations and $8 Billion Fraud

| Importance: 10/10

Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested in the Bahamas at the request of U.S. prosecutors and charged with eight criminal counts including wire fraud, securities fraud, commodities fraud, money laundering, and campaign finance law violations. The indictment alleges Bankman-Fried orchestrated a scheme to …

Sam Bankman-Fried FTX U.S. Department of Justice Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) CFTC +1 more corruption fraud regulatory-capture tech cryptocurrency +3 more
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Elizabeth Holmes Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Theranos Fraud, Exposing Regulatory Failures

| Importance: 8/10

U.S. District Judge Edward Davila sentences Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to 135 months (11 years, 3 months) in federal prison plus three years supervised release for defrauding investors of over $140 million. Holmes is ordered to surrender on April 27, 2023 to begin serving her sentence. …

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FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange Collapses in $32 Billion Fraud, Exposing Crypto Regulation Failure

| Importance: 10/10

FTX cryptocurrency exchange, Alameda Research, and over 100 affiliated entities file for bankruptcy following the exposure of systematic fraud by founder Sam Bankman-Fried. The collapse was triggered on November 2 when CoinDesk revealed that Alameda Research—FTX’s affiliated trading firm owned …

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Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Convicted of Defrauding Investors in $9 Billion Fraud Scheme

| Importance: 9/10

A federal jury convicts Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes on one count of conspiracy to commit investor fraud and three counts of wire fraud involving over $140 million in investments. The conviction follows a nearly four-month trial where prosecutors presented testimony from 29 witnesses …

Elizabeth Holmes Theranos U.S. Department of Justice Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) FDA corruption fraud regulatory-capture tech healthcare +3 more
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Equifax Data Breach Exposes 147 Million Americans Due to Unpatched Apache Struts Vulnerability

| Importance: 10/10

Hackers begin systematically exfiltrating personal data of 147.9 million Americans from Equifax systems through an unpatched Apache Struts vulnerability (CVE-2017-5638). The breach, which Equifax would not disclose until September 7, 2017, represents one of the largest cybercrimes related to …

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Walgreens Terminates Theranos Partnership After 31,000 Customers Receive Voided Test Results

| Importance: 8/10

Walgreens formally terminates its partnership with Theranos after discovering that 31,000 Walgreens customers had received voided test results from the blood-testing company’s faulty devices. The termination follows months of deteriorating relations after the October 2015 Wall Street Journal …

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Wall Street Journal Exposes Theranos Blood-Testing Fraud in Landmark Investigation

| Importance: 9/10

Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou publishes the first investigative article exposing Theranos’ fraudulent blood-testing technology, revealing that the company was using traditional blood testing machines instead of its proprietary ‘Edison’ devices and that test results …

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