The Luddites' Veto
Beware of activists touting "responsible research and innovation." The sensible-sounding slogan masks a reactionary agenda.
Science & Technology
TikTok and How Congress Treats Americans Like 'Unruly Children'
Plus: The editors puzzle over Donald Trump’s latest list describing his vision for America.
TikTok Admits It's as Clueless on Teens as the Rest of Us
A new 60-minute screen time warning on TikTok won’t stop kids from scrolling.
The SAFE TECH Act Is Anything but Safe
The latest bid to amend Section 230 would threaten free speech and creators' ability to monetize content while also subjecting tech companies to a flood of frivolous lawsuits.
Review: Are Memes Upending Democracy?
In Meme Wars, so-called "disinformation" experts call for the suppression of more ideas and speakers to protect democracy.
Conservatives at CPAC Criticize—and Misunderstand—Section 230
A senator, a state attorney general, and a former congressman excoriated the law while getting much of it wrong.
Be Skeptical of the New Artificial Sweetener Scare
Plus: Liberal teens are more depressed than conservative ones, the outsize role of immigrants in U.S. innovation, and more...
The Government Is Subsidizing Microchip Firms—While Making It More Expensive To Produce Microchips
Politicians say they want to subsidize various industries, but they sabotage themselves by weighing the policies down with rules that have nothing to do with the plans.
Hester Peirce, Nic Carter: The Government vs. Cryptocurrencies
Meet the SEC commissioner who hates regulation and the bitcoin booster who says the crypto industry needs to police itself better.
Copyright Is the Latest Battle in the War Over A.I.
The U.S. Copyright Office determined that images produced by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted, even though they are generated by user-written prompts.
Where Do We Go To Get Our Mask Apology?
Plus: The editors reveal their favorite issues and articles from the Reason magazine catalog.
U.S. Energy Department Endorses Lab Leak Theory of COVID-19's Origins
The push to label the lab leak thesis a racist conspiracy theory now looks even more foolish.
Any of These Supreme Courts Cases Could Crush the Internet
The Court’s decisions in Gonzalez and subsequent cases could lead to impossible, incompatible consequences.
Social Media Making Kids Depressed? Send Them Outside To Play
When society criminalizes outdoor independence, it makes smart phone addiction more likely.
Vanderbilt DEI Administrators in Trouble for Using ChatGPT To Write a Statement About Michigan Mass Shooting
But DEI administrators' statements have always been pointless and generic
Copyright Office: No Copyright Protection for Certain AI-Generated Works
Law from the dawn of the dawn of the AI age.
The FDA Will Let the Soy Boys Have Their Milk
Plus: Google blocks news to Canadian users in advance of pending media law, Arizona considers zoning reform bill, and more...
The Answer to Population Decline Is More Immigration
Politicians' go-to fixes like child tax credits and federal paid leave are known for creating disincentives to work without much impact on fertility.
Colorado Is the Latest State To Consider Rent Control
Plus: The U.S. Supreme Court considers another internet free speech case, the Department of Transportation pushes expensive new rail regs, and more...
Did Biden Just Commit America to Another Forever War in Ukraine?
Plus: the editors field a listener question on intellectual property.
Is Ketanji Brown Jackson a Greater Threat to Big Tech Than Clarence Thomas?
The Supreme Court’s newest member weighs in on the meaning of Section 230 in Gonzalez v. Google.
Nostr and the Decentralized Future of Social Media Is Here: Live with NVK, Will Casarin, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion of the decentralized protocol Nostr with NVK, Damus app creator Will Casarin, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller.
Facebook Says Noting the CDC's Scientific Misrepresentations 'Could Mislead People'
The social media site slapped a warning on a column in which I criticized the CDC for exaggerating the evidence supporting mask mandates.
Google Supreme Court Case Tests Whether Tech Firms Are Liable for User Content
Section 230 helped the internet flourish. Now its scope is under scrutiny.
Ohio Train Derailment Is Another Excuse for Mudslinging and Conspiracy Theorizing
Plus: Did the Pentagon shoot down a hobby radio balloon?, Kentucky abortion ban can be enforced, and more...
District Court Halts New York Law Forcing Online Platforms To 'Respond' to 'Hateful' Speech
"Today's decision is a victory for the First Amendment that should be celebrated by everyone who hopes to see the internet continue as a place where even difficult and contentious issues can be debated and discussed freely," said one attorney.
Josh Hawley's Social Media Ban Will Make Kids More Depressed
When COVID-19 and the U.S. government stopped kids from seeing each other, social media was their lifeline.
Section 230 and the Curse of Politics
Gonzalez v. Google presents the Supreme Court’s first opportunity to weigh in on Section 230.
Innovation Drives Down the Cost of Powering Electric Cars
Americans are increasingly buying electric cars. Electrochemists and their innovations will drive down the cost of powering them.
Renegade SEC Commissioner Wants To Save Crypto: Live With Hester Peirce, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET for a discussion of what the SEC's settlement with crypto giant Kraken means for the future of decentralized finance
Dave Cicirelli: Does Selfie Culture Destroy Real Individualism?
The "interactive artist" inspired by Jack Kirby and Barry Goldwater challenges social media and intellectual conformity.
Lawmakers Use Kid Safety as Excuse To Violate Adults' Rights
Plus: New York "hate speech" law is likely unconstitutional, FTC Commissioner quits because of chair Lina Khan's antics, and more...
The Perils of Trying To Curtail Hazily Defined 'Disinformation'
A government-supported organization's controversial ratings of online news sources illustrate the challenge of deciding what qualifies as disinformation.
Sex, Lies, and Social Media
Artist Dave Cicirelli challenges his audience to create meaning.
Studies Find Conservatives More Committed to Free Speech Online, Federalism
Plus: Government regulation of speech is on trial, biohackers flock to experimental charter city in Honduras, and more…
Can the Feds Prosecute Douglass Mackey for His Twitter Trolling?
Because of a series of misleading memes, a troll has been charged with conspiracy "to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate one or more persons in the free exercise and enjoyment of a right and privilege secured to them by the Constitution and laws of the United States."
The Shameless Attack on a Climate Change Dissenter
We couldn't find any negative review of physicist Steven Koonin's Unsettled that disputed its claims directly or even described them accurately.
The New York Times Warns That Freedom of Speech 'Threatens Public Health' and 'Democracy Itself'
The paper is unfazed by First Amendment objections to the Biden administration's crusade against "misinformation" on social media.
Biden's Foolish Rush To Regulate How Kids Use Tech
Instead of empowering the government to intervene, we should look more holistically at the experience of young people online.
House Oversight Committee Is Fighting Twitter Censorship the Wrong Way
Congress should set its sights on bad government actors who pressured social media companies.
The FTC's Antitrust Radicals Are Rebuked Again in Federal Court
The FTC is trying to seize new powers to regulate the economy.
Marc Andreessen: What the World Needs Most Is More Elon Musks
The Netscape co-founder and legendary venture capitalist talks about the future, innovation, and your next beach read.
Marc Andreessen on A.I., Crypto, Nietzsche, and Why We Need More Elon Musks
The venture capitalist and prognosticator on his hopes for the future and his fears about the present.
Joe Biden, Travel Agent in Chief
Plus: Bill would make all social media platforms check IDs, appeals court rejects rent control challenge, and more...
A New Federal Bill Could Require You To Show Facebook and Twitter Your Government ID
The age verification proposal is a disaster for both children and adults.
5 Technologies That 5 Billion Will Use by 2050
Possibly changing the way we live just as profoundly as the internet did.
Masks Make 'Little or No Difference' on COVID-19, Flu Rates: New Study
The Cochrane Library's review of masking trials should sound the death knell for mask mandates everywhere.
