Jimmy Wales: What Wikipedia Got Right About Social Media
The co-founder of "the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit" talks about the power of decentralization and the rise in subscription models for journalism.
Science & Technology
New DHS Board Seeks To Counter What It Thinks Is Disinformation
The board's head says she is dedicated to "protecting free speech," but she has also expressed direct opposition to "free speech absolutists."
Europe Escalates the Threat to Online Free Speech
While Americans debate what should be allowed on social media, the EU wants government to decide.
No, Florida Republicans Do Not Care About Crony Capitalism
The state has 1,288 independent special districts. But we aren't hearing significant GOP complaints about anyone's but Disney's.
Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales Has Already Solved the Internet's Problems
The online encyclopedia's decentralized, Hayekian approach provides a model for Elon Musk as he assumes control of Twitter.
Aella: Libertarian Sex Worker Turned Data Scientist
"I am not okay with you making laws that prevent me from doing what I feel is good for me."
How 'Cranks' Advance Science
A major lesson of the pandemic is that science is "not a priesthood," says Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer, a general surgeon and senior fellow at the Cato Institute.
Twitter, Facebook, Netflix, and the Myth of Permanent Platform Power
Today's big powerful companies could become tomorrow's also-rans, no government intervention required.
Elon Musk's Takeover Will Not Destroy Twitter or Democracy
"I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means," said Musk.
YouTube Algorithms Don't Turn Unsuspecting Masses Into Extremists, New Study Suggests
A new study casts doubt on the most prominent theories about extremism-by-algorithm.
Texas' Social Media Law Recycles Left-Wing Media Theory
Forcing private companies to host speech violates the First Amendment.
Jared Polis: The Most Libertarian Governor in America?
The Colorado Democrat supports abortion rights, school choice, letting kids play unsupervised, an end to COVID-19 overreach, and an income tax rate of "zero."
Elon Musk Buys Twitter, Twitter's Biggest Egos Melt Down
The SpaceX/Tesla founder and billionaire has articulated lofty free speech ideals. Can he make them reality?
YouTube ISIS Videos Mean the Supreme Court Could Reconsider Section 230
Plus: A court rejects a "discriminatory harassment" ban at a Florida university, a private space mission heads back to earth, and more...
Running Bitcoin Miners Out of Town
Trying to sue or zone bitcoin mines out of town is the wrong response to the tradeoffs the industry presents.
Facing Fauci's Fury: Q&A with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya
The Stanford professor and Great Barrington Declaration coauthor stands up to COVID-19 autocrats and disastrous lockdowns by following the science.
The Feds Spent $22 Million Researching Invisibility Cloaks, UFOs, and a Tunnel Through the Moon
However wonderful it is to imagine a world in which these things are possible, the government shouldn’t be shelling out millions to entertain speculation.
Europe Targets Self-Hosted Bitcoin Wallets—and Financial Privacy
Proposed EU rules would be equivalent to tracking all cash transactions
Why Does Elon Musk's Potential Twitter Takeover Scare the Media So Much?
"I think it's very important for there to be an exclusive arena for free speech," says Musk.
The Demand for Political Misinformation is a Bigger Danger than the Supply
Harvard Law Professor Guy-Uriel Charles has some useful insights on the problem.
The CDC Extends Its Mask Mandate on Planes, Trains, and Buses…Again
Plus: Elon Musk offers to buy all of Twitter, China's "zero COVID" policy is reaching its limits, and more...
Shanghai's Lockdowns Result in Starvation and Quarantine Enforcers Being Attacked
More than 25 million people remain locked down in Shanghai, with Guangzhou—a city of 18 million—looking primed to follow.
It's Not 'Bullying' To Satirize a Student Organization
When a college sophomore mocked Young Americans for Freedom for its stance on trans athletes, the conservative group ran to the university to file a complaint.
Why Is Facebook Censoring Articles About How BLM Used Donations To Buy a $6 Million House?
Reporting that makes Black Lives Matter look bad should not be covered up by social media companies.
The Media and Big Tech Covered Up These Stories. Where's the Reckoning?
Left-leaning outlets and tech giants tried to label them disinformation—until they no longer could.
Elon Musk's Twitter Stake Is Promising, but Not a Permanent Fix for Free Speech
Protections for open communication require more than the commitment of a single person.
Elon Musk Buys 9.2% of Twitter, Mysteriously Polls Users About State of Free Speech
A regulatory filing indicates that Musk is now the company's largest shareholder.
Why Does Border Patrol Need the Ability To Delete Messages?
A lawsuit attempts to find out how federal agents are implementing Wickr, a communications service that has an auto-erase function.
Elizabeth Warren Compares Buying Bitcoin to 'Buying Air'
The Massachusetts senator also came out in favor of creating a central bank digital currency
'Geofence Warrant' for All Cell Location Data From Area Near Robbery Is Ruled Unconstitutional
Plus: New rules on sex discrimination in education, economists warn of housing market exuberance, and more...
A Federal Judge Says a Victim of Retaliatory Prosecution Can Sue a Cop Who Treated Criticism As a Crime
An Arkansas police officer used trumped-up charges to punish a man who criticized him for violating the Constitution.
Do Studies Show Gun Control Works? No.
Out of 27,900 research publications on gun laws, only 123 tested their effects rigorously.
Nathan Rabin: Why Gen X Is Super Media-Literate
The Joy of Trash author talks about how D.A.R.E., bad TV, Weird Al Yankovic, and 9/11 created a generation of ironic idealists.
Nathan Rabin: Confessions of a Trash-Culture Connoisseur
Nathan Rabin celebrates The Joy of Trash—and Gen X irony and cynicism—one terrible movie, book, and TV show at a time.
Bitcoin Won't Help Russia Bypass World Sanctions
Cryptocurrencies are not the threat to U.S. financial power the elites want to present.
Tom Sachs: Taking NFTs Where No Man Has Gone Before
The artist's Rocket Factory project, which lets users build and own their own virtual spacecraft, is changing how we think about reality.
Artist Tom Sachs: 'Apple Could Never Make Anything as Shitty as the Things I Make'
The Rocket Factory NFT project stands at the intersection of crypto, the metaverse, and persistent human longing for the new frontier.
Lambda Literary Awards Reject LGBTQ Author After She Defended a Friend Accused of Transphobia
"I am a queer woman, and I was silenced most of my life," writes Lauren Hough, author of Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing.
Weather Is Not Climate. Or Is It?
For years, experts warned that any given hurricane or heat wave cannot be attributed to long-term changes in average temperatures. But it turns out that climatologists and meteorologists sometimes can establish such causal relationships.
The Hunter Biden Laptop Story Makes Another Case Against 'Misinformation' Bans
Plus: Fiona Apple fights for transparent courts, Missouri bill takes aim at out-of-state abortions, and more...
Mike Solana: 'Thought Crime' Is Essential to Progress
The Founders Fund vice president and Pirate Wires author on supporting heretics as a means of social and economic innovation.
Biden Has His Eye on Bitcoin
The president's anticipated executive order stopped short of feared regulations but suggests federal unease with uncontrolled development.
Encryption Protects Ukrainians, Dissident Russians, and You
No class of governments can be trusted with access to people’s private communications.
The Canadian Government Couldn't Stop Bitcoin
Honk Honk HODL raised more than $1 million of bitcoin for the Canadian truckers. About two-thirds of it got to them.
On Facebook, You Can't Threaten Violence…Unless It's Aimed at Invading Russians
Plus: More evidence against masking schoolchildren, Amazon's no-checkout grocery store, and more...
