Cryptocurrency payments to Chinese peptide supplement labs exceeded $100 million annually, according to a June 2026 analysis by crypto-tracing firm Chainalysis. The report found that some of the same Chinese labs previously supplying fentanyl precursors have shifted to manufacturing and selling peptides — chains of amino acids marketed for weight loss, skin rejuvenation, and other health claims. Chainalysis believes the pivot is driven by surging “looksmaxing” social media trends and a desire to sidestep law enforcement scrutiny tied to opioid manufacturing.
In a separate development, hackers exploited Meta’s AI-powered account support system — introduced in March 2026 — to reset passwords and seize control of high-profile Instagram accounts. Victims included former President Barack Obama, the chief master sergeant of the US Space Force, and makeup chain Sephora, as reported by 404 Media. Meta says the vulnerability has since been patched and affected accounts secured.
AI firm Anthropic drew scrutiny after it was reported that the company is deploying its own engineers to the National Security Agency to help the agency use Mythos, a tool capable of identifying previously unknown software vulnerabilities at speed. The Financial Times reported the assistance extends to offensive hacking applications, though it could not confirm Mythos is being used in active operations.
WIRED reported that Meta has stored dormant facial recognition code — internally called NameTag — on more than 50 million phones via the companion app for its Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. If activated, the feature would identify people by matching faces against an on-device biometric gallery, technology Meta claimed to have abandoned in 2021 following billion-dollar biometric privacy lawsuit settlements.
Google also rolled out an Android 12 feature using cryptographic handshakes to flag AI-powered voice-cloning scam calls, though the protection only applies when both caller and recipient use Google Dialer, excluding iPhones. Meanwhile, President Trump named Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who cited her husband’s health in stepping down from the role.
Source: WIRED