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Chozen Terrell-Hannah may have gotten in trouble with the law thanks to a pair of sneakers he wore on TikTok. The Detroit News is reporting that the 22-year-old TikToker has been arrested in connection with a series of robberies in the greater metro area. But there might be an issue with his arrest. According to the outlet, eyewitnesses to the robberies described the suspect as a white man — and Chozen Terrell-Hannah is a Black man. However, the arresting FBI task officer claimed that other eyewitness accounts of the suspect point directly to Chozen Terrell-Hannah. “Based on my training and experience, I believe due to (Terrell-Hannah’s) light complexion, the victims of armed robberies, observing him under the circumstances and wearing the clothing described above, could describe him as either white or Black,” the FBI task force officer wrote. Regardless, he’s being held without bond pending a hearing later today in a federal court. The charges against the star include robbery...
At just 22-years-old, this hacker became an accidental digital security hero that saved the world from the worst cyberattack it has ever seen. Marcus Hutchins, a British computer security researcher, discovered the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 and used a “kill switch” to stop the escalating attack, which at the time was spreading around the globe, according to The Verge . The U.K. media revealed him to be the person responsible for halting the ransomware contagion, but soon after his reputation as a hero was tainted by accusations of Hutchins making and selling the Kronos banking malware, Tech Crunch reports . He was later arrested by the FBI, according to Wired , as a result of his teenage work on a code that was later used in banking trojan software. So much time had passed since the news broke of his astronomical effort that when Hutchins was approached by the authorities he assumed that they wanted to know more about his work on WannaCry. During his interrogation, Hutchins...
DNA companies have started to pop up all over. While some are excited to make new familial connections, others have wondered if it’s responsible or safe to give companies your DNA. After all, who else would have access to it? Now, it seems DNA testing company FamilyTreeDNA — one of the largest at-home testing companies — is doubling down on a previously reported partnership with the FBI through a new campaign titled Families Want Answers. In a statement , FamilyTreeDNA’s president and founder, Bennett Greenspan, said, “The genealogy community has the ability to crowd-source crime solving.” According to the press release, the company’s terms of service only lets law enforcement get private customer information through a “valid legal process such as a subpoena or a search warrant.” The rules — and transparency around them — are new. Only two months ago, Buzzfeed News revealed that FamilyTreeDNA partnered with the FBI, giving them access to the agency’s genealogy database. This raised...
The ACLU and the Center for Media Justice are suing the FBI for records related to a controversial 2017 report that cited a rise in Black extremism following police-involved shooting deaths of African Americans. The report, titled “Black Identity Extremists Likely Motivated To Target Law Enforcement Officers” claims that law enforcement officials were being targeted as protests against police violence erupted around the country. In 2014, the ACLU submitted a public records request asking for all documentation since 2014 that used the phrases “black nationalist,” ”black identity extremist,” and “black separatist,” according to the Associated Press. The lawsuit is happening because the FBI is withholding these documents and in some cases, refusing to search entire categories, according to the ACLU. “The FBI’s baseless claims about the fictitious group of ‘Black Identity Extremists’ throws open the door to racial profiling of Black people and Black-led organizations who are using their...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The tech industry has long had an obsession with youth. This is seen in how the industry conducts itself, who investors look to invest in, how people look at hiring in the world of startups, as well as which programs are being targeted by DOGE, and which ones aren’t, as they look to make the government more efficient. Over the last few months, the Department of Government Efficiency has aggressively looked for waste and fraud within the federal government. It started with organizations that do not come to mind for the average American, like the United States Agency For International Development, or USAID, which focuses on deploying aid to foreign countries for a variety of efforts centered around health, disaster aid, and economic development. DOGE came in like a wrecking ball to the organization, and as reported by ABC News in February, 4,080 employees worldwide were placed on leave and an...
A 13-year-old who attends high school in Conyers, GA, has fulfilled his lifelong dream of receiving an acceptance letter to Morehouse College . Joshua Suddith is currently dual-enrolled at Hills Academy and Augusta Technical College, completing 27 credit hours with a GPA of 3.88, according to 11 Alive News. In his free time, Joshua enjoys playing basketball like typical kids his age — but he is anything but ordinary. By 9 months old, he was talking, and by 18 months, he was reading. At just 3 years old, he authored his first book. “His grit and determination are the most impressive things about him,” his mother, Chaundra Suddith, said. “He didn’t let challenges get in the way of his dream.” Throughout his education, Joshua skipped several grades — he moved from second grade to fifth grade, then to seventh, and then 11th grade. By age 12, he had received over 20 college acceptance letters, including from Jackson State University and Tennessee State University, 11 Alive reported....
If you’ve been tapped in to the world of business news in recent months, you’re likely well aware that DEI measures are firmly on the chopping block, thanks to the Trump administration . The DEI framework, which seeks to support diversity, equity and inclusion within the workplace, has been an invaluable tool in the national marketplace to ensure that those in marginalized communities are given a fair shot at employment and upward mobility. Much like other social programs, such as affirmative action, DEI has been integral to the success of disabled individuals, underprivileged youths and those who identify as part of the LGBTQ community . Unfortunately, a powerful minority of fringe right-wing lawmakers have taken issue with DEI initiatives and have quixotically maligned the entire practice as discriminatory. Since the newly established White House cabinet has become so dead-set on eliminating DEI measures across the board, legal requirements for fair hiring practices have already...
Meta has released an alternative to CapCut. The popular video-editing app was temporarily shut down the night of Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, following a TikTok ban. As AFROTECH™ previously reported TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, had been mandated to sell its app to a company based in the United States or it would be banned. The U.S. had concerns over the spreading of misinformation and China’s possible access to user data . ByteDance has maintained a stance that it will not sell TikTok, and hours before the ban was to become active, several of its apps were removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The ban officially went into effect on Jan. 19 and impacted ByteDance’s subsidiaries such as TikTok, Lemon8, Marvel Snap, Lark, Hypic, and CapCut, USA Today notes. Apple shared in a statement on its website: “Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd . and its subsidiaries — including TikTok,...
Time is ticking for TikTok users in the U.S. The application, owned by its parent company ByteDance, has stated the app could be pulled from U.S. users beginning on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, a mandate was issued to the China-based company requiring it to sell the application to a U.S.-based company or face a ban that would go into effect on Jan. 19. The app launched onto the market in 2012, founded by Zhang Yiming, and debuted in the United States six years later. The U.S. government has expressed concerns over how the application is using user data and spreading misinformation, according to The New York Times. “For years, the Chinese government has sought to build detailed profiles about Americans – where we live and work, who our friends and coworkers are, what our interests are, and what our vices are,” Elizabeth Barchas Prelogar, the 48th Solicitor General of the United States, told the Supreme Court in a hearing held Friday Jan. 10, per CNN. She...
Vice President Kamala Harris proposed a substantial increase in the tax deduction for startup expenses, raising the allowable deduction for new small businesses from $5,000 to $50,000. The Democratic presidential nominee announced the proposal during a speech in New Hampshire on Sept. 4 as part of her broader economic plan to make tax filing “cheaper and easier” for businesses, Forbes reported . “As President, one of my highest priorities will be to strengthen America’s small businesses,” Harris said, according to CBS News . “We’re going to help more small businesses, and innovators get off the ground.” New startups could either use the full $50,000 deduction in one year or spread it across multiple years as they become profitable. They also have the option to use the $5,000 deduction and spread the remaining startup costs over 15 years. The proposal aims to ease the financial burden of starting a business, covering costs such as advertising, employee training, consultant and...
A St. Louis, MO, student’s determination has paid off for him in more ways than one. In order to cross the stage and receive his 8th Grade certificate for his graduation, Xavier Jones walked two hours to Harris-Stowe State University, where the ceremony was hosted, according to the university’s Facebook post. Along with his brother and friend, the Yeatman Middle School student traveled from West Florissant and Mimika in North St. Louis City to the university in midtown.
TikTok continues to take it up a notch! The social media giant allowed users to capture 60-second video clips as of July 2021. Now, in 2022, it has announced users can expect to capture videos totaling 10 minutes, Variety reports. On average, TikTok users reportedly spend 52 minutes per day on the application, and 90 percent of TikTokers return to the application daily. Arguably one of the most addictive applications, the new feature will add to its list of reasons to keep users reeled in for more. “We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” a TikTok rep said in a statement, according to Variety. “Last year, we introduced longer videos, giving our community more time to create and be entertained on TikTok. Today, we’re excited to start rolling out the ability to upload videos that are up to 10 minutes, which we hope would unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world.”
When the cast of “Love & Hip-Hop” set out to discover their roots, they thought they knew what to expect. But, as the recent special “Lineage to Legacy” revealed, Rich Dollaz, Yandy Smith-Harris, Karlie Redd, and Paris Phillips uncovered some of the most incredible surprises about their backgrounds — and realized that their backgrounds had many elements that can (and should) bring them pride. A recent report by The Washington Post revealed that the majority of Black Americans — that is, those who are part of the African diaspora, though common parlance suggests that they are ADOS or African Descendants of Slaves — cannot trace their lineage back further than the 1870s. That’s because prior to the end of the Civil War, Black people weren’t considered people in the eyes of the law. But thanks to advances in DNA technology, the cast of “Love & Hip-Hop” (amongst other Black Americans) are able to trace their genetic lineage back to Africa — and even if they don’t know the exact name of...
On Sept. 3, 2021, Howard University experienced a cyberattack that has now brought more attention to an issue that has been overlooked. According to the initial report about the cyberattack, Howard reported the breach to both the FBI and the Washington, D.C. city government about the attack and said that they put in initial safeguards to prevent future attacks. “On September 3, 2021, the Howard University information technology team detected unusual activity on the University’s network. In accordance with our cyber response protocol, and to mitigate the potential for criminal activity, Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) intentionally shut down the University’s network to investigate the situation,” read a press release issued by Howard University. Thankfully, Black billionaire Robert F. Smith, considered the wealthiest Black man in America, has announced his latest Student Freedom Initiative (SFI) tour in an effort to provide more cybersecurity to Historically Black Colleges and...
It looks like this Instagram influencer’s lavish lifestyle has cost him his freedom. Ray Hushpuppi, born Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, is a Nigerian National and up against a world of trouble after he pleaded guilty on April 20 to money laundering scams. Hushpuppi used his platform to allegedly take advantage of his followers by luring them into scams that involved cyber and business email compromise schemes as well as a school financing scam. According to reports, the criminal complaint against Ray Hushpuppi reveals that he was behind an elaborate scheme to steal more than $1.1 million from a businessperson who attempted to pay for the construction of a school for children in Qatar. “The defendants allegedly faked the financing of a Qatari school by playing the roles of bank officials and creating a bogus website in a scheme that also bribed a foreign official to keep the elaborate pretense going after the victim was tipped off,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison in a...