The recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius served as a stark reminder of how quickly misinformation can travel in the digital age. Almost as soon as the first reports hit the wires, the internet became a hotbed for familiar, debunked narratives. Figures with large followings—some wielding medical credentials—began promoting unproven treatments like ivermectin, misinterpreting the drug’s biological function to claim it could treat a viral illness for which there is currently no cure. This pattern of “outbreak déjà vu” is increasingly predictable: fear-mongers immediately pivot to blame vaccines, falsely cite clinical trial monitoring documents as evidence…

The recent class-action lawsuit filed against the artificial intelligence company Anthropic marks a significant turning point in the relationship between AI developers and their paying customers. At the center of the dispute is the “Claude” AI assistant, a tool widely used for complex tasks like software development, creative writing, and data analysis. The legal complaint, initiated by plaintiff Karl Khan in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that the company has been misleading subscribers about the actual capacity of its high-end service tiers. While Anthropic markets specific usage multipliers for its premium plans, users are…