This is the online edition of The Wiretap newsletter, your weekly digest of cybersecurity, internet privacy and surveillance news. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.Google data often proves useful in investigations. Now a novel technique involving its cookies has helped catch a suspect in a hoax courthouse bomb threat. (Photo by Jaque Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesOver the last two decades, tracking “cookies” have been core to the sprawl of surveillance capitalism. Websites lodge little nuggets of text—the cookies—on a user’s computer and they act as a kind of badge signalling what sites they’ve visited or what apps they’ve used. Though little discussed in privacy circles today, and despite European laws that ensure people have control over what kinds of cookies can monitor them, these trackers continue to follow users the world over. That makes them a useful tool for law enforcement, according to two search warrants reviewed by Forbes.In August 2025, a man called the Hamilton County Courthouse in Ohio and told staff there was a bomb inside the building. Security staff searched the premises with sniffer dogs, but found nothing. They determined it was a hoax.The search warrants say that investigators linked the caller with an anonymous Gmail email. Investigators then asked Google to disclose what other users had accessed this account. That’s where Google’s cookies proved crucial. The cookies showed that a single iPhone had been used for both the Google account linked to the hoax, and another Google account, which a user registered with their real identity. The cops had a name, Don'tavius Conley, who has now been charged with transmission of a bomb threat, and false information and hoaxes. He has pleaded not guilty.The case shows how police can unmask anonymous Gmail users if they’re running multiple accounts on the same device. It also highlights how police can piggyback on tech giants’ tracking mechanisms like cookies. Google hadn’t responded to a request for comment.Though law enforcement often uses Google data to learn more about the subject of an investigation, they usually seek information like locations and email content. Identifying an anonymous suspect via cookies is rare, but has likely happened in other cases, says Jennifer Lynch, general counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.“I haven’t seen police rely on cookies in this manner before, but that certainly doesn’t mean they haven’t done so,” Lynch says. “It seems like the police knew that was possible and asked specifically for this information.”Got a tip on surveillance or cybercrime? Get me on Signal at +1 929-512-7964.THE BIG STORYgettyUS Takes Down Iranian Hacker SitesIranian hacker group Handala was one of the earliest to respond to the American and Israeli strikes on Tehran, taking credit for a cyber attack on U.S. medical device manufacturer Stryker. Last week, the U.S. responded by taking down its websites, as well as those belonging to sister groups Homeland Justice and Karmabelow80. Cyber experts and government officials have previously tied all the groups to Iranian intelligence units.Stories You Have To Read TodayThe Federal Communications Commission is banning the import of all ​new foreign-made consumer routers. Though the FCC is seeking to counter alleged surveillance threats coming from Chinese-manufactured devices, it applies to any devices made outside of the U.S. (the DHS and Pentagon will also publish an exemption list). It comes amid fears that China could spy on Americans via routers made by TP-Link, one of the biggest router providers in the world with billions of users, which has denied its systems allow for any backdoor snooping.The U.K. Internet Watch Foundation has warned that the amount of AI-generated child sexual abuse material online rose significantly in 2025. It identified 8,029 AI-made images and videos throughout the year, a 260-fold increase from 2024.An unknown individual leaked an iPhone tool known as DarkSword that could be used to carry out surveillance on millions of people using older versions of Apple’s operating system up to iOS 18, TechCrunch reported.FBI director Kash Patel said during a Wednesday Senate hearing that his agency buys Americans’ location information from data brokers. Previously, former FBI director Christopher Wray had said the FBI was not buying such data, though it had done so in the past. The broker industry has long provided a way for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to acquire location data without the need for a warrant.Winner of the WeekForbes featured two significant fundraises this week. Corridor, whose tech monitors AI-generated code for security weaknesses, announced a $25 million round at a $200 million valuation. Cape, a privacy-focused cell network founded by former Palantir employees, raised $100 million at a $900 million valuation.Loser of the WeekThe Justice Department charged Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw, the cofounder of server giant Supermicro, and two other men with illegally shipping American AI technology to China. The FBI said they sold billions of dollars’ worth of servers with controlled Nvidia graphic processing units to buyers in Beijing. One of the other defendants is Supermicro’s Taiwan general manager Ruei-Tsang “Steven” Chang, while the third is a “fixer” named Ting-Wei “Willy” Sun. After his arrest, Liaw resigned his Supermicro board seat. None have issued a plea and remain innocent until proven guilty.More On ForbesForbesThe Highest-Paid MLB Players 2026By Hank TuckerForbesThis Serial Entrepreneur Wants The FDA To Approve His AI DoctorBy Amy FeldmanForbesTesla Semi’s Biggest Rival Might Be Its Chinese TwinBy Alan Ohnsman