LILY HAY NEWMAN MATT BURGESS SECURITY FEB 9, 2026 6:00 AM Iran’s Digital Surveillance Machine Is Almost Complete After more than 15 years of draconian measures, culminating in an ongoing internet shutdown, the Iranian regime seems to be staggering toward its digital surveillance endgame. Iranian protesters gather on Enghelab (Revolution) Street during a demonstration in Tehran on January 8, 2026.PHOTOGRAPH: SOHRAB/GETTY IMAGES Get our Tracker: ICE newsletter to understand what’s happening and what’s coming next SIGN UP By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy. You’ve read your last free article. The intersection of technology, power, and culture. Start your free trial and get access to 5 all-new premium newsletters—cancel anytime. START FREE TRIAL Already a subscriber? Sign In The intersection of technology, power, and culture. Start your free trial and get access to 5 all-new premium newsletters START FREE TRIAL You Might Also Like In your inbox: Sign up for our new Tracker: ICE newsletter TikTok now collects even more of your data Big Story: ICE pretends it’s a military force, but it would get soldiers killed Microdosing for depression works about as well as drinking coffee Watch: We raced in exoskeletons to see if they actually help Lily Hay Newman is a senior writer at WIRED focused on information security, digital privacy, and hacking. She previously worked as a technology reporter at Slate, and was the staff writer for Future Tense, a publication and partnership between Slate, the New America Foundation, and Arizona State University. Her work ... Read More SENIOR WRITER Matt Burgess is a senior writer at WIRED focused on information security, privacy, and data regulation in Europe. He graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in journalism and now lives in London. Send tips to Matt_Burgess@wired.com. ... Read More SENIOR WRITER TOPICS IRAN INTERNET INTERNET ACCESS CENSORSHIP ROGUE STATES Don't Just Keep Up. Get Ahead Sign up for the Daily newsletter to get our biggest stories, handpicked for you each day. SIGN UP By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy. READ MORE Moltbook, the Social Network for AI Agents, Exposed Real Humans’ Data Plus: Apple’s Lockdown mode keeps the FBI out of a reporter’s phone, Elon Musk’s Starlink cuts off Russian forces, and more. ANDY GREENBERG AI-Powered Disinformation Swarms Are Coming for Democracy Advances in artificial intelligence are creating a perfect storm for those seeking to spread disinformation at unprecedented speed and scale. And it’s virtually impossible to detect. DAVID GILBERT The Danger of Reducing America’s Venezuela Invasion to a 60-Second Video January 3 marked the return of US military intervention in Latin America. While the events unfolded between Caracas and Brooklyn, social networks had already fabricated their own reality. ANNA LAGOS ICE Can Now Spy on Every Phone in Your Neighborhood Plus: Iran shuts down its internet amid sweeping protests, an alleged scam boss gets extradited to China, and more. MATT BURGESS DOGE May Have Misused Social Security Data, DOJ Admits Plus: The FAA blocks drones over DHS operations, Microsoft admits it hands over Bitlocker encryption keys to the cops, and more. MADDY VARNER Notepad++ Users, You May Have Been Hacked by China Suspected Chinese state-backed hackers hijacked the Notepad++ update infrastructure to deliver a backdoored version of the popular free source code editor and note-taking app for Windows. DAN GOODIN, ARS TECHNICA Jeffrey Epstein Had a ‘Personal Hacker,’ Informant Claims Plus: AI agent OpenClaw gives cybersecurity experts the willies, China executes 11 scam compound bosses, a $40 million crypto theft has an unexpected alleged culprit, and more. MATT BURGESS Expert Wi-Fi Network Tips to Help You Stay Online Is your magic internet box giving you problems? Get back online and stay there with our expert Wi-Fi fixes and tips. SIMON HILL Trump Warned of a Tren de Aragua ‘Invasion.’ US Intel Told a Different Story Hundreds of records obtained by WIRED show thin intelligence on the Venezuelan gang in the United States, describing fragmented, low-level crime rather than a coordinated terrorist threat. RYAN SHAPIRO US Hackers Reportedly Caused a Blackout in Venezuela Plus: AI reportedly caused ICE to send agents into the field without training, Palantir’s app for targeting immigrants gets exposed, and more. ANDY GREENBERG How AI Companies Got Caught Up in US Military Efforts Two years ago, companies like Meta and OpenAI were united against military use of their tools. Now all of that has changed. NICK SRNICEK An AI Toy Exposed 50,000 Logs of Its Chats With Kids to Anyone With a Gmail Account AI chat toy company Bondu left its web console almost entirely unprotected. Researchers who accessed it found nearly all the conversations children had with the company’s stuffed animals. ANDY GREENBERG