From what I read in one of the stories, somebody found an online group where guys were promoting this practice and giving tips on how to do it and not get caught, and brought it to the attention of a reporter, which is why it’s suddenly in the news.
This topic is in the news because a law journal recently ran a law student’s article about the practice, arguing that it did not fit within existing criminal or tort law and that a new tort should be created to allow a victim of the practice to recover damages. Note that she argues for the issue to be characterized as one of nonconsensual touching rather than reproductive transparency, because she does not want to promote increased potential liability for false representations by a woman about birth control or by an HIV+ person about infection status. There is no indication that the practice is increasing; she’s simply saying that it has been inadequately punished under the law.
The article has been publicized because the author is a public figure. She was one of the complainants who sued Yale for allegedly inadequate responses to campus sexual assaults, and she has written about the topic of campus sexual assault frequently.