Self-Checkout Is Under Fire Across the Country. Is Theft Really the Reason?
The restrictions are often framed as a crime prevention measure. But the fine print points to a different motivation: adding union jobs.
Science & Technology
A Journalism Tax Is a New Front in Australia's War on American Tech
A new bill would compel Meta, Google, and TikTok to pay for Australian journalism.
The Self-Driving Car Fight in Congress Isn't Really About Safety at All
Bootleggers, Baptists, and the fight over who gets to write America's self-driving car rules.
China Blocks Tech Acquisitions To Weaken America. The U.S. Shouldn't Follow Suit.
China ordered Meta to roll back its acquisition of AI startup Manus on Monday.
You Should Press the Red Button, Never the Blue Button
A MrBeast post is going viral on X, and the correct answer is obvious.
CRISPR Genome Editing and the Future of Down Syndrome Treatment
The ethics of using safe gene therapies to improve the health and cognition of Down syndrome children and adults.
Polo Officials Ban Genetically Enhanced Ponies To Save 'the Magic of Breeding'
(Don't) hold your genetically enhanced horses.
Is Reason's Video on Climate Change Alarmism a 'Masterclass in Manipulation'?
A response to the popular science communicator Hank Green
All New Cars Could Have Mandatory Surveillance Tech Unless Congress Stops This Mandate
Cars are already spying on drivers. A 2021 law requires manufacturers to install more tracking technology.
Andy Serkis: What Orwell Understood About Tyranny
Andy Serkis discusses the corrupting nature of power, what Animal Farm says about modern authoritarianism, and whether technology expands or diminishes human creativity.
A SCOTUS Case Exposes the Dangers of 2 Misguided Fourth Amendment Doctrines
"Geofence" searches illustrate the perilous combination of modern technology and deference to law enforcement.
The Evidence Revolution: Why 'Take Nobody's Word for It' Really Matters
Beyond Belief explains how the "evidence revolution" is helping practitioners, policymakers, and the public understand what really works.
SCOTUS Weighs 'Geofence Warrants' and the Future of Digital Privacy
The government wants access to millions of cell phone location histories. The Supreme Court will decide what the Fourth Amendment allows.
Swarms of Termite Moviemakers Have Made Cinema More Personal
Screens have become less passive, more participatory, and more open to all kinds of moving pictures.
Civil Liberties Groups Sue for Information on ICE's Speech-Chilling Subpoenas
The feds have been demanding that tech companies identify the administration's anonymous online critics. That violates the First Amendment.
Medical Marijuana Rescheduling Is Legally Puzzling but a 'Huge Win' for Patients, Suppliers, and Scientists
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's distinction between medical and recreational cannabis is hard to reconcile with the relevant scientific and statutory criteria.
A New Age-Verification Bill Could Make You Show ID To Use a Computer or Smartphone
Plus: The war with Iran is raising condom prices, increased legal liability for chatbot advice could backfire, and more...
A Grim Diagnosis, but New Science Is Rewriting the Story of Pancreatic Cancer
The day draws nearer when it is no longer "a death sentence."
Kodak Invented This Film for World War II Spy Planes. Then It Became Art.
Aerochrome photography is a beautiful example of a warlike technology being turned toward peaceful ends.
This Big Tech Firm Wants To Reinstate the Draft
A look at Palantir’s bootlicking new manifesto.
Elon Musk's Mistaken Call for a 'Universal High Income'
AI will not create a jobless dystopia. Paying people a lot of money not to work would.
Most Young Australians Successfully Evade the Country's Social Media Ban
The anxious generation is proving more tech savvy than regulators.
San Jose's 'Creepy' and 'Deeply Intrusive' ALPR Camera System Is Unconstitutional, a New Lawsuit Says
The city has created a network of nearly 500 cameras that routinely monitor innocent people as they go about their daily lives.
ICE Is Determined To Unmask a Reddit User Whose Only Crime Seems To Be Criticizing ICE
After withdrawing a summons in the face of a legal challenge, the government is seeking a grand jury subpoena.
The FTC's Probe of Media Matters for America Is a Blatant Assault on Freedom of Speech
In the guise of investigating "potentially unlawful advertiser boycotts," the commission is punishing the organization for its views.
Trump's Reaction to the Jesus Flap Compounds Concerns About His Mental Acuity
The president claims he was oblivious to the picture's blasphemous implications, which is troubling if true.
Is Trump Investigating the NFL Because He Failed To Buy a Team So Many Times?
Plus: the insanity of investigating the NFL on antitrust grounds, and should golf be harder?
Is the War in Iran Totally Pointless?
Plus: Viktor Orbán loses in Hungary, Kamala Harris and Eric Swalwell raise questions about Democratic candidate quality, and Anthropic’s newest AI model is too dangerous to release
Photo: Ring Calls Off the Search Party
Following a backlash to its Super Bowl commercial, Ring owner Amazon announced that it was canceling a planned partnership with Flock Safety.
Keonne Rodriguez on Bitcoin, Privacy, and Going to Prison
"We thought we were on the right side of the law," the Samourai Wallet co-founder tells Reason.
Democrats and Republicans Both Want To Regulate AI. They Just Can't Agree on How.
As lawmakers of both major parties hustle to regulate their preferred villains, they're losing sight of the big picture. The possible gains to humanity from AI are enormous.
A.I. NIMBYs
Plus: Bitcoin tolls at the Strait, Trump vs. MAGA, inflation rises, and more...
Lawsuits Targeting Social Media Are an Attack on Free Speech
Tech companies that create social media apps should not be blamed for the complex mental issues of everyone who might use them.
Review: A Cognitive Neuroscientist's Take on How AI Models Think
Author Christopher Summerfield engages seriously with skeptics who claim that large language models are really thinking.
Sam Altman's (Not So) New Deal for Superintelligent AI
The plan’s deregulatory planks merit praise. Its calls for central planning and redistribution do not.
The Rise of the Information State
Jacob Siegel discusses how the internet reshaped political power, the rise of technocratic rule, and why information control keeps failing.
'Every Bridge in Iran Will Be Decimated'
Plus: Artemis astronauts set record, D.C.'s terrible electricity policy, Ye returns, and more...
Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?
Plus: Trump’s budget ignores the deficit, NASA’s Artemis program faces delays and rising costs, and a listener asks about libertarian alternatives to Medicare for All.
Ro Khanna: Congress Has Surrendered on War
The California congressman discusses the Iran war, unchecked executive power, California’s wealth tax debate, and the search for a shared American identity.
'I Am Blowing Up Everything'
Plus: There is no exit strategy in Iran, Artemis II approaches the Moon, federal taxpayers get to beautify D.C., and more...
Maine Bill Proves States Are Capable of Adopting Bad Data Center Policies Without Federal Intervention
A week after Bernie Sanders introduced legislation to pause AI data center construction indefinitely, Maine is poised to institute the first statewide ban.
Bye-Bye, Bondi
Plus: pro-tech media sells to big tech, Trump's new tariffs, jobs numbers, and more...
War and/or Peace
Plus: back to the moon, one year since "Liberation Day," birthright citizenship at the Supreme Court, Jonathan lives, and more...
Artemis II Launches a New Era of Lunar Exploration
Artemis might return astronauts to the moon, but only after years of delays and a price tag far exceeding the government’s projections.
