Twitch streamers rake in millions with a shady crypto gambling boom

PLUS: Why Do Some Crimes Increase When Airbnbs Come to Town?, and more

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 07.14.21   RENTALS | 3-MINUTE READ Why Do Some Crimes Increase When Airbnbs Come to Town? BY SIDNEY FUSSELL Tourists neither commit nor attract crimes. But a study finds that violent offenses rose in neighborhoods where more homes were converted to short-term rentals.   TEETERING TIMELINES | 3-MINUTE READ The Season 2 Renewal of Loki Is a Clue to Marvel's Multiverse BY ANGELA WATERCUTTER The show just became the first Disney+ series in the MCU to get a renewal. Here's what that means.   SEA CHANGE | 5-MINUTE READ Be Very Careful Where You Build That Seawall BY MATT SIMON Walls are meant to keep out rising seas—but that water still has to go somewhere. New modeling shows it could well end up flooding your neighbors.   HEDGING BETS | 7-MINUTE READ Twitch Streamers Rake in Millions With a Shady Crypto Gambling Boom BY CECILIA D'ANASTASIO The company says it is "closely monitoring gambling content," but legal experts told WIRED that some promotions may be illegal. GET WIRED Stare the future right in the eye. Get 1 year of unlimited access to WIRED for less than $1 per month. That includes Steven Levy's exclusive newsletter and a free tote! Subscribe now.   ENCRYPTION | 4-MINUTE READ WhatsApp Has a Secure Fix for One of Its Biggest Drawbacks BY LILY HAY NEWMAN Starting with a beta that launches today, you'll no longer have to route all of your messages through your smartphone.   GLOBAL RIVALRY | 3-MINUTE READ The US Needs to Get Back in the Business of Making Chips BY WILL KNIGHT Pandemic-induced supply disruptions and competition from China put more pressure on US companies to manufacture semiconductors at home.   HOT TAKE | 6-MINUTE READ The Latest Twist in the Life-on-Venus Debate? Volcanoes BY KATRINA MILLER Last fall, researchers said the presence of phosphine in the planet's atmosphere could indicate life. But a new study says there could be a geological explanation.   SLOW INTERNET | 5-MINUTE READ Is Social Media Making Us … Better People? BY LAURENCE SCOTT One painful interaction at a time, we're mastering the gateway virtue of the networked world: tact.   ACCESS DENIED | 7-MINUTE READ Germany Is About to Block One of the Biggest Porn Sites BY MATT BURGESS, WIRED UK Regulators are trying to force adult sites to introduce age checks for users. Now one of the largest in the world faces a total block for refusing to do so.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or Manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.