WhatsApp’s case against alleged hackers might be an uphill battle

PLUS: Trans athletes' big wins, Kanye West's new album, and Ford's upgraded cars. View this email in your browser  10.30.19   GENDER LINES Trans Athletes Are Posting Victories and Shaking Up Sports BY CHRISTIE ASCHWANDEN Transgender athletes at all levels of sport are winning medals, spurring a contentious debate over the future of gendered competition.   MUSIC The Empty Innovation of Kanye West's Gospel Album BY JASON PARHAM It has moments of brilliance, but Jesus Is King falls apart when old Kanye jockeys for position with new Kanye.   DISPLAY WARS Ford Is Bringing Huge Screens—and Live Updates—to Its Cars BY ALEX DAVIES The bigger screens can display a map, phone, and radio simultaneously. Ford says it won't be too distracting.    CFAA WhatsApp's Case Against Alleged Hackers May Be an Uphill Battle BY ANDY GREENBERG The Facebook-owned messaging company is taking on a notorious malware vendor, but it won't be easy. GET WIRED Get 1 year of WIRED access for just $10.   When information is cheap, context is more valuable than ever.   Subscribe now   BACKCHANNEL The Super-Optimized Dirt That Helps Keep Racehorses Safe BY LEXI PANDELL Dozens of horses died at Santa Anita Park last year. So engineer Mick Peterson is deploying everything from sensors to satellites to keep accidents down as the Breeders' Cup approaches.   BOO! Hellvetica Puts a Spooky Twist on the World's Most Popular Font BY ARIELLE PARDES The minds behind the unsettling typeface were inspired by their office Halloween party.   CONGRESS Should Tech CEOs Go to Jail Over Data Misuse? Some Senators Say Yes BY MATT LASLO Ron Wyden turned heads this month with a bill that would put tech executives behind bars, but not all of his colleagues agree it would be effective—or constitutional.   BIRTHDAYS Welcome to Year 50 of the Information Age BY ADAM ROGERS You and I, internet, we're both quite a bit older than when I first started writing about you. I'm not sure how well either of us have aged.   VIDEO How Lasers Work, According to the World's Top Expert BY DANIEL OBERHAUS Lasers help us pay for groceries and zap us back into health, but what's their secret? Nobel laureate Donna Strickland steps us through the science.     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