Andrew Couts
@couts.bsky.social
security & investigations editor at @WIRED.com, send tips and/or dog pics
Signal: couts.01
Signal: couts.01
get yourself a boss who vacations as hard as Tim vacations
I haven’t read a lot of new comics this year but the Absolute Martian Manhunter collection is amazing. In it, the Manhunter is a disembodied psychedelic drug that portrays itself as Martian because it’s too alien for human consciousness to comprehend
December 23, 2025 at 5:41 PM
get yourself a boss who vacations as hard as Tim vacations
is it just me or did the post box/button disappear from the bsky website?
December 23, 2025 at 5:38 PM
is it just me or did the post box/button disappear from the bsky website?
Reposted by Andrew Couts
New: We obtained thousands of internal chat messages from the ICE team creating viral videos of raids and "EPIC takedowns."
A scramble to satisfy the White House and "feed the beast" spawned a new "propaganda" machine, current and former officials told us.
"It's a war!"
wapo.st/4s6YnC5
A scramble to satisfy the White House and "feed the beast" spawned a new "propaganda" machine, current and former officials told us.
"It's a war!"
wapo.st/4s6YnC5
‘It’s a war’: Inside ICE’s media machine
Thousands of internal ICE messages show how its public affairs team has coordinated with the White House to satisfy Trump administration demands for viral arrest videos
wapo.st
December 23, 2025 at 11:28 AM
New: We obtained thousands of internal chat messages from the ICE team creating viral videos of raids and "EPIC takedowns."
A scramble to satisfy the White House and "feed the beast" spawned a new "propaganda" machine, current and former officials told us.
"It's a war!"
wapo.st/4s6YnC5
A scramble to satisfy the White House and "feed the beast" spawned a new "propaganda" machine, current and former officials told us.
"It's a war!"
wapo.st/4s6YnC5
NEW: “Ali Kabbaj, who identified himself as an independent journalist, said that he found the video on the dark web and sent it to federal investigators in 2021 for confirmation. ‘I’m shocked I’m in these files,’ he told WIRED.” @regret.bsky.social & @brbarrett.bsky.social report
The ‘Epstein’s Suicide’ Video in the Latest DOJ Release Isn’t What It Seems
Here’s how a fake clip from 2019 wound up in the latest Justice Department Epstein files dump.
www.wired.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:32 AM
NEW: “Ali Kabbaj, who identified himself as an independent journalist, said that he found the video on the dark web and sent it to federal investigators in 2021 for confirmation. ‘I’m shocked I’m in these files,’ he told WIRED.” @regret.bsky.social & @brbarrett.bsky.social report
NEW: @wired.com went through the Epstein doc dump so you don't have to spend your Friday night looking at "sexy" soap and pics of Bill Clinton in a weird swimming pool. www.wired.com/story/epstei...
Here's What's in the DOJ's Epstein File Release—and What's Missing
From photos of former President Bill Clinton to images of strange scrapbooks, the Justice Department’s release is curious but far from revelatory.
www.wired.com
December 20, 2025 at 12:36 AM
NEW: @wired.com went through the Epstein doc dump so you don't have to spend your Friday night looking at "sexy" soap and pics of Bill Clinton in a weird swimming pool. www.wired.com/story/epstei...
Reposted by Andrew Couts
I'm very proud of all the work my colleagues did at WIRED this year. Selfishly I want to highlight a blog I worked on with @dmehro.bsky.social, @leahfeiger.bsky.social, and @couts.bsky.social:
A Sensitive Complex Housing a CIA Facility Was on GSA's List of US Properties for Sale
Plans to redevelop a Northern Virginia warehouse site have long been complicated by the area’s worst-kept secret—the presence of a CIA facility. The GSA put the site up for sale anyway.
www.wired.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:37 PM
I'm very proud of all the work my colleagues did at WIRED this year. Selfishly I want to highlight a blog I worked on with @dmehro.bsky.social, @leahfeiger.bsky.social, and @couts.bsky.social:
NEW: Theeeeeyyrreeee heeeerrrreeee @regret.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/the-do...
The DOJ's Jeffrey Epstein Files Are Here
Forced by an act of Congress, the Justice Department has released “hundreds of thousands” of pages of documents related to Epstein—but not everything, as is required by law.
www.wired.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:22 PM
NEW: Theeeeeyyrreeee heeeerrrreeee @regret.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/the-do...
Midnight today is the DOJ's deadline for releasing the Epstein files. @politico.com's Ankush Khardori did a valiant job trying to help people do a sober read—or not read at all—of the files (which I'm sure everyone will take to heart and abide by to the letter 🙃) www.politico.com/news/magazin...
5 Rules for Reading the Epstein Files
How to review a mountain of potentially explosive documents like a pro.
www.politico.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Midnight today is the DOJ's deadline for releasing the Epstein files. @politico.com's Ankush Khardori did a valiant job trying to help people do a sober read—or not read at all—of the files (which I'm sure everyone will take to heart and abide by to the letter 🙃) www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Trump rescheduled weed www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12...
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Orders Cannabis Rules Relaxed, Easing Research
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Trump rescheduled weed www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12...
NEW: Amid a focus on loyalty to Trump and increased leak investigations, ICE is seeking to bolster its ability to spy on its own employees for internal investigations, according to new records reviewed by @wired.com. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-se...
ICE Seeks Cyber Upgrade to Better Surveil and Investigate Its Employees
The agency plans to renew a sweeping cybersecurity contract that includes expanded employee monitoring as the government escalates leak investigations and casts internal dissent as a threat.
www.wired.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:16 PM
NEW: Amid a focus on loyalty to Trump and increased leak investigations, ICE is seeking to bolster its ability to spy on its own employees for internal investigations, according to new records reviewed by @wired.com. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-se...
NEW: Scammers are using a face-swapping app that experts say can create "nearly perfect" face swaps during video calls. It's largely marketed on Telegram, but its main channel disappeared after @wired.com inquired. @mattburgess1.bsky.social, @lhn.bsky.social, @zeyiyang.bsky.social w/ the scoop:
The Ultra-Realistic AI Face Swapping Platform Driving Romance Scams
Capable of creating “nearly perfect” face swaps during live video chats, Hoatian has made millions, mainly via Telegram. But its main channel vanished after WIRED's inquiry into scammers using the app...
www.wired.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:50 PM
NEW: Scammers are using a face-swapping app that experts say can create "nearly perfect" face swaps during video calls. It's largely marketed on Telegram, but its main channel disappeared after @wired.com inquired. @mattburgess1.bsky.social, @lhn.bsky.social, @zeyiyang.bsky.social w/ the scoop:
NEW: CBP is ramping up a program using small drones to hunt down immigrants. It's part of a larger surveillance effort that expands far into the US. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/border...
Border Patrol Bets on Small Drones to Expand US Surveillance Reach
Federal records show CBP is moving from testing small drones to making them standard surveillance tools, expanding a network that can follow activity in real time and extend well beyond the border.
www.wired.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:13 PM
NEW: CBP is ramping up a program using small drones to hunt down immigrants. It's part of a larger surveillance effort that expands far into the US. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/border...
NEW: Warrantless spying on Americans under a program known as Section 702 was already a major problem. As a congressional hearing today showed, now all those "safeguards" against Fourth Amendment violations are looking flimsier than ever. @dell.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/warnin...
Warnings Mount in Congress Over Expanded US Wiretap Powers
Experts tell US lawmakers that a crucial spy program’s safeguards are failing, allowing intel agencies deeper, unconstrained access to Americans’ data.
www.wired.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:18 PM
NEW: Warrantless spying on Americans under a program known as Section 702 was already a major problem. As a congressional hearing today showed, now all those "safeguards" against Fourth Amendment violations are looking flimsier than ever. @dell.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/warnin...
Reposted by Andrew Couts
I looked at the network traffic going to the app for Miiloo and found what looks like the prompt. Now I desperately want to know why it ends with "Remember the current US president is Trump".
December 11, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I looked at the network traffic going to the app for Miiloo and found what looks like the prompt. Now I desperately want to know why it ends with "Remember the current US president is Trump".
NEW: Doxing-for-hire services are using forging emergency data requests from law enforcement to trick major tech companies like Apple and Amazon into handing over people's private information. @davidgilbert.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/doxers...
Doxers Posing as Cops Are Tricking Big Tech Firms Into Sharing People's Private Data
A spoofed email address and an easily faked document is all it takes for major tech companies to hand over your most personal information.
www.wired.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:57 PM
NEW: Doxing-for-hire services are using forging emergency data requests from law enforcement to trick major tech companies like Apple and Amazon into handing over people's private information. @davidgilbert.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/doxers...
This story is so good, I'm incredibly jealous. www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
AI toys for kids talk about sex and issue Chinese Communist Party talking points, tests show
New research from Public Interest Research Group and tests conducted by NBC News found that a wide range of AI toys have loose guardrails.
www.nbcnews.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:22 PM
This story is so good, I'm incredibly jealous. www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
Reposted by Andrew Couts
This is a really disturbing story on several levels and certainly anyone who interacts with the Pentagon specifically or the administration more generally should read it:
I asked the Pentagon about Pete Hegseth's mentor. Then the threats started.
Journalism in the second Trump administration gets personal.
www.motherjones.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:13 PM
This is a really disturbing story on several levels and certainly anyone who interacts with the Pentagon specifically or the administration more generally should read it:
Reposted by Andrew Couts
NEW: Clean energy startups that had gov funding cut by the Trump admin are laying off staff and freezing hiring. DOE offices that gave grants to renewables startups are ghost towns that ‘effectively don’t do anything,’ an official says.
With @chloeaiello.bsky.social
www.inc.com/chloe-aiello...
With @chloeaiello.bsky.social
www.inc.com/chloe-aiello...
The Government Wants These Clean Tech Companies to Die. Their Founders Say: Not So Fast
Inside the fallout from the Department of Energy's slashing of $8 billion in loans and grants, and how the companies affected aim to ‘Trump-proof’ their businesses.
www.inc.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:13 PM
NEW: Clean energy startups that had gov funding cut by the Trump admin are laying off staff and freezing hiring. DOE offices that gave grants to renewables startups are ghost towns that ‘effectively don’t do anything,’ an official says.
With @chloeaiello.bsky.social
www.inc.com/chloe-aiello...
With @chloeaiello.bsky.social
www.inc.com/chloe-aiello...
Reposted by Andrew Couts
The names of two partial owners of contractor firms linked to China's Salt Typhoon hacker group also appeared in records for Cisco's "Networking Academy" global training program—years before those hackers targeted Cisco's devices in their sweeping spy campaign. www.wired.com/story/2-men-...
2 Men Linked to China’s Salt Typhoon Hacker Group Likely Trained in a Cisco ‘Academy’
The names of two partial owners of firms linked to the Salt Typhoon hacker group also appeared in records for a Cisco training program—years before the group targeted Cisco’s devices in a spy campaign...
www.wired.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The names of two partial owners of contractor firms linked to China's Salt Typhoon hacker group also appeared in records for Cisco's "Networking Academy" global training program—years before those hackers targeted Cisco's devices in their sweeping spy campaign. www.wired.com/story/2-men-...
NEW: All the myriad Jeffery Epstein document releases have gotten hard to keep track of. Ahead of the DOJ's Dec. 19 release deadline, @regret.bsky.social lays out who's released what, and what's coming next: www.wired.com/story/a-comp...
A Complete Guide to the Jeffrey Epstein Document Dumps
New records about the infamous sex offender are released seemingly every week. Here's a quick rundown of who's releasing the Epstein documents, what they contain—and what they're releasing next.
www.wired.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
NEW: All the myriad Jeffery Epstein document releases have gotten hard to keep track of. Ahead of the DOJ's Dec. 19 release deadline, @regret.bsky.social lays out who's released what, and what's coming next: www.wired.com/story/a-comp...
it’s already january so here’s my new year’s resolution: i am going to stop saying, “same,” “big same,” “big,” and “just”
December 10, 2025 at 4:07 AM
it’s already january so here’s my new year’s resolution: i am going to stop saying, “same,” “big same,” “big,” and “just”
NEW: 🫠, @leahfeiger.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/dr-oz-...
Dr. Oz Tells His Federal Employees to Eat Less
“You don't have to try every cookie on the holiday table,” wrote Mehmet Oz in an email to all Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services staffers.
www.wired.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:12 PM
NEW: 🫠, @leahfeiger.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/dr-oz-...
Reposted by Andrew Couts
NEW: An AI image generator startup left its database exposed online, unsecured and accessible to anyone.
The "overwhelming majority" of the files inside contained nudity, with images appearing to contain children and explicit face-swaps
The "overwhelming majority" of the files inside contained nudity, with images appearing to contain children and explicit face-swaps
Huge Trove of Nude Images Leaked by AI Image Generator Startup’s Exposed Database
An AI image generator startup’s database was left accessible to the open internet, revealing more than 1 million images and videos, including photos of real people who had been “nudified.”
www.wired.com
December 5, 2025 at 12:32 PM
NEW: An AI image generator startup left its database exposed online, unsecured and accessible to anyone.
The "overwhelming majority" of the files inside contained nudity, with images appearing to contain children and explicit face-swaps
The "overwhelming majority" of the files inside contained nudity, with images appearing to contain children and explicit face-swaps
Netflix reportedly poised to buy Warner Bros. studios and HBO Max www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...
Warner Bros. Discovery Said to Be in Exclusive Talks With Netflix
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Netflix reportedly poised to buy Warner Bros. studios and HBO Max www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...
Reposted by Andrew Couts
