NYT: Tech Crackdowns Are Only Bad When Other Countries Do Them
By invoking the magic of good intentions, the Times justifies the U.S. acting like Russia and China.
Science & Technology
Why Americans Are Suckers for Quick Fixes From Psychologists
From "power poses" to the self-esteem movement to implicit bias tests, we want to believe one small tweak will solve our problems, says Jesse Singal.
Can Schools Punish Kids for Off-Campus Snapchats?
"The notion that a school can discipline a student for that kind of...non-harassing expression is contrary to our First Amendment tradition."
Jesse Singal: Why We Keep Falling for Psychological Quick Fixes
From "power poses" to the self-esteem movement to implicit bias tests, Americans are suckers for bad ideas from psychologists.
Why Biden's Broadband Bonanza Is Likely to Fail
We already know how to affordably expand connectivity; government-run networks ain’t it.
Biden's $2.3 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Is Teeming With Cronyism
Democrats never miss an opportunity to rail against big corporations. Yet they're eagerly subsidizing their big corporate friends.
Justice Thomas Wonders When Supreme Court Will Have To Consider Social Media's Private Deplatforming Power
A moot case about Trump blocking tweets leads to concerns that tech companies have too much control over speech.
Free Speech Under Threat from E.U. Campaign Against 'Terrorist Content'
Civil liberties advocates warn that the legislation threatens activism, journalism, and satire.
We Are As Gods: Stewart Brand & The Fight to Bring Back Woolly Mammoths
From "stay hungry, stay foolish" to "try everything, take nothing off the table."
Are NFTs Dumb, a Scam, or Secretly Useful?
Non-fungible tokens for art can seem a lot like Tulipmania. But distinct digital tokens have real use cases for things like online address management.
Elizabeth Warren Wants To Break Up Amazon So It's 'Not Powerful Enough To Heckle Senators With Snotty Tweets'
She said the quiet part out loud.
Congress Grilling Tech Companies on COVID-19 Misinformation Is a Bit Rich
What about the federal government's own health experts?
Perhaps Facebook Supports Section 230 Reform Because It Could Make Big Tech Even More Powerful
Even minor tweaks to the law could shore up Mark Zuckerberg's dominance.
New Bill Would Empower Trolls, Make It Easier for States To Sue Tech Companies
Plus: Atlanta shooter blames "sex addiction," Maryland wants new occupational licensing requirements, and more...
Stewart Brand: We Are (Still) As Gods
The former Merry Prankster and Whole Earth Catalog founder talks about psychedelics, computers, bringing back woolly mammoths, and his new documentary.
A New 'War on Terror' Would Be Just as Disastrous as the Original
"We don't need to use a faulty model and apply it to the very real terrorism problem that we have at home," says terrorism expert Max Abrahms.
The Texas Bill That Prohibits Social Media Censorship Is a Mess
The whole thing is arguably voided by Section 230.
These Big Tech Bills Are Unconstitutional. State Lawmakers Don't Care.
Plus: Problems with the PRO Act, what libertarian feminism isn't, and more...
Sierra Club Inches Toward Accepting Genetically Modified Chestnut Trees
Let's restore this giant to America's forests.
Cultivated Meat Projected To Be Cheaper Than Conventional Beef by 2030
And produced with a much lower environmental footprint
Twitter Sues Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Accusing Him of Retaliating Against the Company for Banning Donald Trump
Plus: Iowa limits early voting, a prominent sex trafficking "rescue" group relies on psychics, and more...
The Great Vaccine Fiasco
Federal predictions that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by the end of 2020 were off by an order of magnitude.
Some Jobs Are More Equal Than Others
All professions deserve the same constitutional protections that speech-heavy industries get.
Josh Hawley's Toxic Populism
Is the senator's authoritarian grandstanding the dark future of the GOP?
Government, Not Big Tech, Is the Biggest Threat to Free Speech
One bill would require lengthy disclaimers on all online political ads.
Democrats Demand Social Media Users Talking Politics Disclose Certain Foreign Connections
Plus: The era of sovereign influencers, a new experiment in universal basic income, and more...
Facebook Restores News Links in Australia After Getting Some Concessions
Big outlets get subsidies. The government still gets to pick winners and losers.
So Long as You Carry a Cellphone, the Government Can Track You
A phone in your pocket may as well be a GPS beacon strapped to your ankle.
'Ghost Gun' Bans Are Doomed from the Start
The DIY firearms movement specifically evolved to put personal armaments beyond the reach of the government.
We Should Keep Expanding Telehealth, Even After the Pandemic
Senators and state officials are proposing ways to sweep aside nonsensical regulations that place geographic limits on telehealth.
The Best Way for Florida to 'Take on Big Tech' Is to Keep Welcoming the Crypto Community
Platform censorship results from centralized design. Cryptocurrency techies are building decentralized alternatives.
Support Encryption for Everybody or Place Your Faith in Government Snoops
Government agencies have repeatedly proven themselves to be abusive.
The Fairness Doctrine Was the Most Deserving Target of Rush Limbaugh's Rage
He was no libertarian, but he absorbed an important lesson about regulating speech.
TikTok After Trump
TikTok may have outlasted the Trump administration, but whether it will find another enemy in Biden is unclear.
How To Fight Deplatforming: Decentralize
Meet the visionaries building a new, un-censorable, peer-to-peer web using the tools of encryption and cryptocurrency.
'That System Is Being Used Against You': Edward Snowden Makes the Case for Internet Privacy. Is He Right?
Online companies might not be as nefarious as you think.
FBI Arrests Activist Daniel Baker Over Posts About Police Abuse and Self Defense
Plus: The aftermath of the New York Times' anti-Pornhub crusade, and more...
What The New York Times' Hit Piece on Slate Star Codex Says About Media Gatekeeping
"Silicon Valley's Safe Space" has misinformed readers.
Maryland's Legislature Just Imposed a New Tax on Digital Advertising by Overriding Gov. Larry Hogan's Veto
The first-in-the-nation tax is an expensive and regressive policy that's also possibly unconstitutional.
This Gun Shop Says It Won't Do Business With Biden Voters
Tech companies should have the same freedom to choose their customers.
Journalists Worried About People Having Conversations on Clubhouse
A person you know might be having an online conversation without a transcriptionist and a fact-checker right now, and we have to stop it.
Substack
The paid online newsletter service allows writers the opportunity to keep more of the fruits of their labors.
Will Biden 'Listen to the Science' on GMOs?
The USDA under the Trump administration streamlined some outdated and scientifically unwarranted regulations of modern biotech crops.
New York Never Built a Good System for Scheduling Vaccine Appointments, so a Random Software Engineer Did It in His Spare Time
Why didn't Cuomo and De Blasio build a decent, user-friendly website?
