Lindsey Graham Wants to Use Mistrust of Big Tech To Destroy Your Right to Online Privacy
Online platforms would have to "earn" speech protections by compromising encryption—all in the name of fighting child porn.
Science & Technology
Elizabeth Warren Wants To Make It a Crime To Give Out Fake Info About Voting
When politicians call to punish “disinformation,” we should worry about what that definition encompasses.
Feds Ground 800 Drones Over Fears About Chinese-Made Tech
But without specifying an actual cybersecurity risk, the policy comes off looking like a wasteful protectionist maneuver that will likely put human pilots back in riskier situations.
At This Year's Vegas Porn Expo, Everything People Think They Know About the Internet and Adult Entertainment Is Wrong
The internet has turned adult performers into media entrepreneurs.
How Worried Should You Be About the Wuhan Coronavirus?
We will soon learn if humanity's increasing biotechnical prowess can prevent a modern pandemic.
DNA Testing Could Prove That Arkansas Executed an Innocent Man Three Years Ago
The ACLU and the Innocence Project are suing to uncover the evidence.
How a Fake Rationing Scare Highlighted the Absurdity of California's Actual Water Policies
No, Californians aren't banned from showering and doing laundry on the same day. But the fact that so many people believed that lie says something about how insane the state's real water laws are.
Molly Jong-Fast on Trump's Impeachment, Democratic Candidates, and Why Twitter Is Great
"I don't think you should do Twitter if you think you're better than Twitter."
Senators Propose Limits on Police Use of Facial Recognition
Some privacy activists say the bill still falls short.
Will Robots Lead to Widespread Joblessness and Economic Inequality?
Martin Ford and Antony Sammeroff debate the future of robotics and its potential economic impacts at the Soho Forum.
Joe Biden Wants To Destroy Free Speech on Social Media
Biden tells the New York Times he would revoke Section 230 protections and hold Facebook (and other sites) liable for their content.
Will Robots Cause Mass Unemployment? A Soho Forum Debate
Martin Ford and Antony Sammeroff debate the impact of robotics on the economy
Trump and Comey Are United Against Encrypted Communications
Don’t worry—America’s ruling factions still disagree over who should be in charge of the snooping.
The FBI Wants Access to a Mass Shooter's iPhone. Will They Demand a Back Door?
A deadly shooting on a Naval base in Florida may lead to a new battle against encryption.
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How Truth Became a Casualty of the War on Smoking
Different types of nicotine consumption pose different amounts of risk.
Vermont Bill Criminalizing Cell Phone Use for Anyone Under 21 Is a Brilliant Troll
The proposal is parodying, not endorsing, the nanny state.
Writer Meghan Daum Thinks You Need To Toughen Up
"If 2018 was the year that the concept of 'cancel culture' went mainstream, then 2019 may be the year that cancel culture cancels itself."
Leftist YouTuber ContraPoints Explains Why Cancel Culture Mobs Should Drop the Pitchforks
"I have no faith left in call-out vigilante justice."
What Did Reason Get Wrong in 2019?
And what predictions will we shank in 2020 and beyond?
The 2010s: When the Media Lost Their Gatekeepers
Media theorist Marshall McLuhan's work best explains how the world changed in the 2010s—and what we can expect in the decade ahead.
The Vaping Panic Is a Major Setback for Public Health
"There's no question public health would benefit dramatically if everybody switched completely to e-cigarettes."
Study Finds Almost 40 Percent of People in Eight European Nations Would Like to Live "in a World Where Chemical Substances Don't Exist"
Such scientific ignorance is common in th US as well, and can have a harmful influence on government policy.
Can Jack Dorsey Reinvent the Internet by Making Twitter More Like Email?
The case for a technical free speech fix
Thanks to Late-Stage Capitalism, You No Longer Need To Leave Your House
It's the end of the decade, and groceries, birth control, and weed can all be delivered straight to your door.
If You Think Encryption Back Doors Won't Be Abused, You May Be a Member of Congress
In the middle of a scandal over FISA surveillance, leaders want still more power to snoop on your secret stuff.
Right To Be Forgotten
Sharyn Rothstein's sharp new play is a smart and timely look at how to balance free speech and privacy in a wired age.
Republicans, Democrats Agree to Dump $738 Billion More Into the Forever War and Space Force
Plus: Tulsi Gabbard's new Afghanistan bill, SCOTUS rejects abortion case, and more...
If You Want To Defend Free Speech Against a New Wave of Attacks, Support Reason Today!
Today's censors are using tech policy and social-media outrage to attack your right to think and say what you believe.
Ro Khanna Hopes This Bill Will Pave the Way to Repealing FOSTA
Since FOSTA passed in 2018, "sex workers have faced increased violence" and "have been forced onto the streets," the California congressman says.
Here's What Happens When a Government Demands a 'Fake News' Label on Social Media
Singapore ordered Facebook to attach a "false information" message to a news story written by a government critic.
Escape from Earth
Was rocketry pioneer Frank Malina written out of some histories of space exploration for his political sins?
Massachusetts Police Test Out Robot Dogs. Is Dystopia on Its Way?
Don’t be afraid of the robopups, but make sure we leash law enforcement to keep officers from misusing them.
How Can Our Dumb Infrastructure Accommodate Smart Cars?
We’re going to need a lot more sensing equipment—and fast. Here’s how to do it.
Does It Matter That Impeachment Enthusiasts Are Lousy on Foreign Policy?
The Reason Roundtable panelists ask: Why so many hawks in the anti-Trump clump?
Sacha Baron Cohen's Anti-Facebook Rant at the ADL Summit Was Pure Moral Panic
The comedian thinks misleading information on social media is ruining society. That's a bit rich, coming from him.
Doorbell Surveillance Networks Have Arrived. Should We Be Scared?
Cops can now request access to videos recorded by Ring, bypassing that pesky step of obtaining a search warrant first.
Tennessee Court Refuses To Test DNA Evidence That Could Exonerate a Man the State Already Executed
According to the law, the deceased Sedley Alley is the only person who can file a petition for post-conviction DNA testing.
Andrew Yang's 'Department of the Attention Economy' Is Why Libertarians Don't Trust Democrats
The answer to real and imagined problems is always spend more, regulate more.
If Biden Won't Support Legalization Until We Know Whether Marijuana Is a 'Gateway Drug,' He Will Never Support Legalization
The correlation between cannabis consumption and use of other drugs is clear, but its meaning remains controversial and probably always will.
Andrew Yang Proposes Making Social Media Algorithms Subject to Federal Approval
The presidential hopeful on Thursday released a plan to regulate tech giants.
Federal Government Can't Just Allow 3D Gunmaking Software To Proliferate Without a License, Federal Judge Declares
Various states sued to stop the feds from allowing such gun-making files to circulate legally. Now, a federal judge says the decision to not prohibit them was "arbitrary and capricious."
Environmental Protection Agency
Is Trump's EPA Seeking To Gut Good Science?
Congress wants to know if the agency is strengthening transparency or silencing science.
Joe Biden Has Officially Joined the Misguided Crusade Against Online Free Speech
In comments to CNN on Monday night, Biden expressed a willingness to smash Section 230 in order to settle a feud his campaign is having with Facebook. That's a terrible idea.
