Technology and Crime

Facebook anti-vaxxer group convinced mom not to give Tamiflu to her sick son. Days later, he died from the flu: Reports
Technology and Crime

A popular anti-vaccine Facebook group reportedly convinced a Colorado woman not to give her 4-year-old son a prescribed antiviral medication days before he died of the flu this week. NBC News reported that the mother asked for advice about the flu in “Stop Mandatory Vaccination” — a Facebook health misinformation group comprised of approximately 178,000 …

Technology and Crime
December 17, 2019

Hackers spam flashing, strobing pictures on Epilepsy Foundation’s Twitter page: Report

Hackers reportedly gained access to the Epilepsy Foundation’s Twitter account and used it to post strobing or flashing images, presumably to trigger seizures in epilepsy suffers. The Maryland-based organization announced in a statement on Monday that they have filed criminal reports in light of last month’s incident. In addition to hacking their Twitter account, officials …

Catholic music director thinks he’s chatting with 14-year-old girl he wants sex with, sends pic of genitals to undercover cop: Affidavit
Sex Crimes
May 16, 2019

Catholic music director thinks he’s chatting with 14-year-old girl he wants sex with, sends pic of genitals to undercover cop: Affidavit

A music director at a Texas Catholic school was accused of seeking sex with a 14-year-old girl who was actually an officer posing online as a minor. KRIS reported that Corpus Christi police arrested Lazaro Benito Rocha, 26, during their five-day online sting operation targeting people who were soliciting illicit pictures of children or planning …

Facebook under criminal investigation over controversial user data-sharing deals with phone manufacturers: Sources
Technology and Crime
March 15, 2019

Facebook under criminal investigation over controversial user data-sharing deals with phone manufacturers: Sources

Social media company Facebook is reportedly under criminal investigation in New York for data-sharing deals they allegedly made with two prominent technology companies. Citing sources, The New York Times reported that federal prosecutors are reviewing a deal Facebook made with two leading manufacturers of smartphone and other devices. A New York grand jury has reportedly suspended …

Homeless vet turns against GoFundMe couple, will testify against them to save himself
Consumer
March 9, 2019

Homeless vet turns against GoFundMe couple, will testify against them to save himself

A New Jersey man who helped fabricate a story about a random act of kindness has pleaded to guilty to defrauding 14,000 GoFundMe donors out of $400,000, the Courier Post reports. Johnny Bobbitt, 36, reportedly admitted in court Friday to conspiracy to commit theft by deception for his role in a 2017 story that went …

YouTube shuts off commenting on videos featuring kids amid alleged pedophile ring controversy
Technology and Crime
March 1, 2019

YouTube shuts off commenting on videos featuring kids amid alleged pedophile ring controversy

Video-sharing platform YouTube announced that it has disabled commenting on “tens of millions” of videos featuring children following allegations that pedophiles were exploiting the feature. On its Creator Blog, YouTube said that in the next few months, it will be “broadening” this action to not only include videos showcasing young minors but older minors as …