Trump's TikTok, WeChat Ban Won't End Up Blocking Fortnite and League of Legends
An ambiguous presidential order affecting a Chinese company connected to several popular video games sows confusion.
Science & Technology
Trump Is Trying To Take Away Americans' Access to Popular Apps by Executive Order
Plus: the latest unemployment numbers, Biden apologizes for comment on diversity, Ohio governor gets flip-flopping COVID-19 results, and more…
Blocked and Reported
Hosts Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal dissect the latest in internet outrage, employing humor, nuance, and a healthy appreciation for absurdity.
How the Government Created RCA
A century before its threats against TikTok, Washington pried a different media company out of foreign hands.
Manned SpaceX Capsule Returns From Orbit Without a Hitch
Two American astronauts splashed down to Earth after over 60 days aboard the International Space Station
Democrats Sharpen Tech Antitrust Messaging at Historic House Hearing
This isn't a debate about consumer needs. It's all about political control.
Ted Cruz Isn't the Only Politician Talking Nonsense About Tech Companies and Election Integrity
Unpacking TikTok freakouts, mail-in voting controversies, and money printers going brrr, on the Reason Roundtable podcast.
What Should Have Happened at the Big Tech Antitrust Hearing
Siri, what color is the kettle?
Microsoft May Save TikTok From Trump's Clutches, After President Proposes Ban on Chinese Video App
Plus: U.S. small business relief checks went to Chinese companies, teen charged in massive Twitter hack, and more...
The Extremely Online Are Less Informed About Political News, More Informed About Conspiracy Theories
Plus: Congress moves forward on encryption backdoors, largest school districts aren't reopening, and more...
Congress Wants To Regulate Big Tech. They Still Don't Understand It.
Plus: Trump suggests election delay, and more...
Congress Used the Antitrust Hearing To Peddle Petty Grievances Against Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google
The scary monopoly power on display Wednesday was the federal government's.
A Congressman Asked Mark Zuckerberg Why Facebook Censored Donald Trump Jr., but That Was Twitter
"I think you might be referring to what happened on Twitter."
The Private Space Race
Competition is cutting the cost of space travel to a fraction of what it was.
'The President's Speech Police': Trump Pushes Forward With Regulating Bias Online
Plus: The EARN IT Act is "a wolf in sheep's clothing," Joe Biden's "Agenda for Women," and more...
The Space Force Has a Horse. Of Course.
The horses used to belong to the Air Force, which makes only slightly more sense.
When Choosing What To Believe, People Often Choose Morality Over Hard Evidence
In new studies, many people "reported that morally good beliefs require less evidence to be justified, and that, in some circumstances, a morally good belief can be justified even in the absence of sufficient evidence."
Twitter Boots 7,000 QAnon Conspiracy Theorists
Plus: Congress rejects demilitarization of police, Jorgensen polling at 3 percent, and more...
The Army Tries To Use Esports as a Recruiting Tool, Gets Trolled, Grabs the Banhammer
By kicking out critics on Twitch and Discord, is the military running afoul of the First Amendment?
Don't Put Too Much Faith in the Experts
“There is no such thing as expertise on the future.”
Telemedicine Abortion Gets Green Light From Federal Court
Plus: "Heartbeat law" ruled unconstitutional, introducing the Atlas of Surveillance, Brave New World reimagined, and more...
How China's Clamp Down on Hong Kong Could Affect the Global Internet
Will tech companies resist orders to cooperate with demands for information to root out dissidents?
Facebook Civil Rights Audit Signals Bad News for Free Speech
Plus: Controversy around "open debate and toleration" letter, grim economic forecasts, and more...
Lindsey Graham's Terrible Anti-Privacy 'EARN IT' Act Passes Senate Committee
This isn't a bill about fighting child porn. Don't fall for it.
Why Is California Targeting the Tech Firms That Drive Its Economy?
There's no need to pity successful companies or grant them special deals, but state officials shouldn't be so blinded by an anti-corporate ideology that they drive businesses away, either.
Devin Nunes Can Sue Cow Account but Not Twitter, Says Judge
Plus: Time to cancel U.S. propaganda outlets, Twitch sued over sexy women, new Assange indictment, social-justice symbolism, and more...
Bayer Surrenders to Trial-Lawyer Extortion Over Bogus Glyphosate Weedkiller Cancer Claims
The chemical company has agreed to create a $10 billion settlement fund
Senators Propose a Cool New Contest To Destroy Your Online Privacy
A new, terrible anti-encryption bill with a twist
The CIA Can't Protect Its Own Hacking Tools. Why Should We Trust Government Privacy and Security Proposals?
The very idea that our intelligence agencies could keep encryption bypasses secret is absurd.
Was the Search Warrant for the Drug Raid That Killed Breonna Taylor Illegal?
The information in the no-knock warrant application was based purely on guilt by association.
COVID-19 Is No Excuse for Suspicionless Searches of Electronic Devices at the Border
The coronavirus is not in your phone. Why should it be used to justify border searches?
NBC Said Google Is Demonetizing The Federalist for Spreading Fake News; Google Says the NBC Report Is Fake News
The NBC News Verification Unit sadly did not live up to its name.
Public and Private Sectors Clash on Contact Tracing
Apple and Google’s API promises to put privacy first. State health authorities have other ideas.
Is Asymptomatic Spread of COVID-19 Very Rare? Depends How You Define 'Asymptomatic'
Plus: Netflix out-trademarks the U.S. government, contraception shortages, and more...
Alone Together in the Pandemic
How we lost our social spaces and how we found them again
After Nearly 30 Years, Pennsylvania's Walter Ogrod is Released From Death Row
False testimony and prosecutorial misconduct put Walter Ogrod on death row.
Face Mask Volunteers DIY Their Own Kind of Division of Labor
Making masks, face shields, and other protective equipment is the bottom-up, COVID-19 version of rolling bandages or knitting socks for the troops.
It's Hard To Take Either Side in Trump's Twitter Spat Seriously
The president promises penalties he has no power to impose, while the company promises moderation it cannot deliver.
What Should We Do If YouTube Censors on Behalf of the Chinese Communist Party?
Technological—not political—solutions will secure true freedom of speech online
Australian Court Rules Media Outlets Are Responsible for Facebook Users' Comments
Online censorship is coming, and it’s going to be bad news for everybody.
NASA Astronauts Hitch a Ride With Elon Musk's SpaceX
Today's Crew Dragon launch marks the first time a private company has sent humans into orbit.
Trump's Illegal, Impossible Plan to Teach Twitter a Lesson
Plus: unrest in Minneapolis, Twitter labels Trump tweet, and more...
Trump's Executive Order on Twitter Is a Total Mess
Plus: the weird new battle lines on warrantless surveillance, more CDC incompetence, Minneapolis on fire, and more…
