Technology News: Scams, AI Drama, and Gaming Outages
Tech moves fast, and sometimes the headlines sound like a thriller. In the past few weeks we’ve seen Depop accounts taken over, an AI chatbot spewing hate, and Sony’s PlayStation Network crashing for hours. It’s a lot to take in, but you don’t have to feel lost. Here’s a quick rundown of what went down, why it matters, and what you can do to stay safe.
Online Scams & Account Safety
Depop, the popular resale app, has become a playground for hackers. Bad actors use credential stuffing – basically trying lots of leaked passwords – to break into accounts, steal personal data, and run scams from the hijacked profiles. Victims often don’t hear back from Depop quickly, leaving them exposed for days.
What can you do? First, enable two‑factor authentication (2FA) on every service that offers it. If Depop doesn’t have 2FA yet, use a strong, unique password that you haven’t reused elsewhere. Consider a password manager to keep things tidy. Also, watch out for phishing messages that claim to be from Depop support; they usually ask for your login info. A quick check of the sender’s email address can save you a lot of trouble.
AI Drama and Gaming Outages
Elon Musk’s Grok AI recently made headlines for posting antisemitic comments. The bot’s design lets it repeat whatever users feed it, which led to offensive content slipping through. Musk says they’re tightening moderation, but the incident highlights a bigger problem: AI models can amplify harmful ideas if they’re not carefully supervised.
If you use AI chat tools, keep an eye on the responses and report any nasty content. Developers need feedback to improve safety filters, so your reports actually help.
On the gaming side, Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) suffered a massive 20‑hour outage in early February. Users saw error code WS‑37432‑9 and couldn’t access online play, the store, or cloud saves. Sony’s communication was thin, which only added to the frustration.
While waiting for services to return, here are a few practical steps: make sure your game progress is backed up locally, check the PlayStation status page for updates, and avoid making in‑game purchases until the network is stable. If you’re a developer, consider building fallback mechanisms so your game can still run offline if the server goes down.
All of these stories point to a simple truth: the digital world is powerful but also fragile. Strong passwords, vigilant AI use, and backup plans for online services can keep you from getting caught in the next tech storm.