This US company sold iPhone hacking tools to UAE spies

How big science failed to unlock the mysteries of the human brain

Sponsored by Masterworks.io The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Shady dealings 9.16.21 Good morning! Today we look at how American firms (and mercenaries) are involved in the global hacking economy. And we evaluate how worthwhile the world's big, expensive brain projects have been. As ever you can get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. This US company sold iPhone hacking tools to UAE spies The clients: When the United Arab Emirates paid over $1.3 million for a powerful and stealthy iPhone hacking tool in 2016, the monarchy’s spies—and the American mercenary hackers they hired—put it to immediate use. The attack: The tool exploited a flaw in Apple’s iMessage app to enable hackers to completely take over a victim’s iPhone. It was used against hundreds of targets in a vast campaign of surveillance and espionage whose victims included geopolitical rivals, dissidents, and human rights activists.  The mercenaries: Documents filed by the US Justice Department on Tuesday detail how the sale was facilitated by a group of American mercenaries working for Abu Dhabi, without legal permission from Washington to do so. But the case documents do not reveal who sold the powerful iPhone exploit to the Emiratis. The source: MIT Technology Review has confirmed that the exploit was developed and sold by an American firm named Accuvant. News of the sale sheds new light on the role played by American companies and mercenaries in the proliferation of powerful hacking capabilities around the world. Read the full story. —Patrick Howell O’Neill How big science failed to unlock the mysteries of the human brain Dawn of the BRAIN project: In September 2011, neurobiologist Rafael Yuste and geneticist George Church made a not-so-modest proposal: to map the activity of the entire human brain at the level of individual neurons and detail how those cells form circuits. That knowledge could help treat brain disorders like Alzheimer’s or help understand how the brain brings about consciousness. The idea laid the foundation for the multi-year BRAIN Initiative, announced in April 2013. President Obama called it the “next great American project.”  Going one better: Meanwhile, the EU had just given $1.3 billion to neuroscientist Henry Markram to make a computer simulation of a living human brain. Markram wanted to build a fully digital, three-dimensional model at the resolution of the individual cell, tracing all of those cells’ many connections. It was bold, to say the least. The conclusion: A decade later, the US project is winding down, and the EU project faces its deadline to build a digital brain. So how did it go? Have we begun to unwrap the secrets of the human brain? Or have we spent a decade and billions of dollars chasing a vision that remains as elusive as ever? Take a guess. Read the full story. —Emily Mullin This story comes from our print magazine—the latest mind-themed issue. To read it, you'll need to subscribe. Subscriptions start at just $50! We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.) + I’m absolutely fascinated by these miniature dioramas buried in walls. (It makes sense when you see them, trust me.) + These are the best 500 songs of all time. Let the arguments commence. + Remembering the comedian, Norm McDonald, who died on Tuesday. + Super-cute close-up video of damselflies cleaning themselves. + 12 classic movies to watch with your kids. (Might try this, but can’t see them beating Back to the Future). + This artist is re-creating the scent of extinct flowers. + The spectacular view from the cupola of the SpaceX ship that took one billionaire and 3 normal people into orbit last night. Sponsor Message Where to Invest $100,000 According to Experts Today, investors face a dilemma. The pandemic has disrupted markets and the S&P is trading over 35x P/E. Finding promising investments is harder than ever. Bloomberg recently asked foremost financial experts where they’d invest $100,000 today—they overwhelmingly recommended Contemporary Art. Why? It outperformed the S&P by 174% from 1995-2020. What’s more, the total wealth held in art is projected to grow 58% by 2026. Masterworks.io, is the only platform providing beta exposure to the art market without requiring tens of millions. The Download subscribers skip their waitlist. *See important disclosures. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 One in 500 Americans have died of covid It’s yet another grim milestone. (WaPo)   + Is delta more dangerous for children? (New Scientist)   + The US is launching a half billion dollar study into long covid. (CNN)   + The state has a role in public health—vaccines are no exception. (Economist)   + What the pandemic means for children’s futures. (New Scientist)   + Missouri is the next front in the covid culture war. (Atlantic) 2 How Facebook made itself an angrier place Internal memos show it knew this, but still resisted change. (WSJ)   + Should the Taliban be allowed to post on Facebook? (Slate)   + Google is getting caught in the antitrust net. (Wired)   + The future of the internet is about privacy—and ads. (NYT) 3 Not a single G20 country is on course to hit its Paris promises New analysis makes for grim reading. (CNN)   + Is there a better way to tell the climate story? (New Yorker)   + The pandemic showed why we need a Green New Deal. (Wired UK) 4 Last night’s Inspiration4 launch is the start of a new era The four private crew members are safely in orbit. (CNET)   + More people are in space now than ever before. (NYT)   + The space tourists are in control now. (Atlantic)   + Here’s why it’s a big deal. (TR)  5 The US, UK and Australia are joining forces to challenge China The new pact will allow Australia to have nuclear subs for the first time. (Guardian) 6 Here’s why China’s breakup of Alipay was inevitable The question is: why did it take so long? (Rest of World) 7 The way California farms is unsustainable Drought and the pandemic pushed the state’s agricultural industries to the limit. (New Yorker)   + The California wildfires show the limit of Biden’s powers. (NYT) 8 People are making new games for age-old, classic consoles Who’s making them—and why? (Guardian)   + There’s some serious money in collecting these cartridges. (Input) 9 The Theranos blood test machines were about as reliable as a coin toss That’s the view of one of Elizabeth Holmes’s employees at her trial. (CNBC)   + How do you cross-examine a whistleblower? (Verge) 10 Zoom now makes a box for you to sit in to Zoom at work Honestly, I admire this, in a weird way. (WSJ) Are you intellectually curious? Tech-obsessed? We are too.   Get an insightful look into the technology of the future without getting bogged down by the jargon. Subscribe to MIT Technology Review today (subscriptions start at just $50 per year). Quote of the day “As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad … and none that we know of anywhere in the world.” Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh (possibly unable to believe he’s having to do this), denies Nicki Minaj’s claims that her cousin's friend suffered from swollen testicles after being vaccinated. A sentence I didn't think I’d ever be writing, right there. Top image credit: STEFANI REYNOLDS/GETTY IMAGES Please send teeny tiny little rooms to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @niallfirth. Thanks for reading! —Niall Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Leading with Innovation. Join us virtually September 28-30. Register now Want to change how you receive these emails? 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