Cops Can't Take a Joke? The First Amendment Doesn't Care
Plus: Behind the bipartisan war on internet speech, New York "decriminalizes" pot (but you'll still get fined), and more...
Science & Technology
Section 230 Is the Internet's First Amendment. Now Both Republicans and Democrats Want To Take It Away.
From Josh Hawley to Kamala Harris, online free speech is under attack.
Tulsi Gabbard's $50 Million Lawsuit Against Google Is Another Attack on Online Free Speech
The presidential hopeful alleges the company violated her First Amendment rights when it suspended her campaign advertising site for 6 hours.
The Justice Department's 'Big Tech' Antitrust Investigation Is Unnecessary Political Theater
Both Democrats and Republicans are cheerleading for government action against Facebook, Google, Amazon, and the rest, but Americans should be skeptical.
E.U. Regulators Can't Detect the Gene-Edited Crops They Banned
The difference between two identical genes—one edited and the other a natural mutation—is entirely metaphysical.
The Erica Thomas Incident Wasn't National News, But That Never Stops Our Outrage-Hungry Media
A trivial encounter between two irate grocery shoppers becomes a viral story, then a hate hoax.
Outraged Politicians and Official Statistics Miss the Benefits of Tech
Many innovations' benefits aren't captured by the GDP.
The Feds Are Finally Getting Involved in the Fight Over Right To Repair
Right to Repair has become a national policy issue.
The Apollo Missions Were Cool, But Private Enterprise Has Been Better for Innovation
People are happier, healthier, and wealthier because freer markets have opened the floodgates of innovation, research, and development.
Anti-Vaping Researchers Claim E-Cigarettes Cause Heart Attacks Before Smokers Try Them
A study suggesting that e-cigarettes double the risk of a heart attack ignored crucial information on timing.
San Francisco Has Ditched Its Dumb 'IPO Tax' (For Now)
The tax was actually on much more than initial public offerings of stocks, and likely would have driven the next generation of startups to locate somewhere else.
Facebook's Libra Yields Before Congress. Bitcoin Can Never Be Controlled.
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez will never get to interrogate Satoshi Nakamoto.
Corey Atchison Freed After Serving 28 Years for a Murder He Didn't Commit
His case reminds us that the misuse of government power is still the biggest threat to liberty.
Dennis Prager, Who Boasts 1 Billion Video Views a Year, Decries YouTube 'Censorship'
The pundit made the claim at a Senate hearing on allegations of tech censorship against conservatives.
Renegade University's Thaddeus Russell Wants To Blow Your Mind
This historian and online-education entrepreneur says runaway slaves, ladies of the evening, bootleggers, and other dropouts and discontents made America free.
The Folly of Government-Imposed Social Media 'Neutrality'
Trump supports a bill that would encourage censorship in the name of free speech.
Trump and Others Scared of Cryptocurrency Echo Earlier Fears About Cash
If there’s one thing government types can agree on, it’s that nobody should be allowed to buy and sell stuff without permission.
Before Bashing Big Tech, Politicians Should Visit an Apple Store
One of the best ways to succeed long-term in capitalism is by treating customers well rather than ripping them off. That's something you won't hear Democrats or Republicans admit these days.
Humans Are Building Better Versions of Themselves
From insulin to prosthetics, technology makes this the best moment yet to be living with a disability.
Another Study Finds Trigger Warnings Are Useless, or Even Harmful
A scientific consensus has emerged that trigger warnings just don't work—and student activists should stop demanding them.
Donald Trump Doesn't Think 'the Mainstream Media Is Free Speech'
At his social media summit on Thursday, the president ranted incoherently about the media's "crooked," "dishonest," and "dangerous" speech.
Trump Is Hosting a Very Weird Social Media Summit at the White House
Plus: Air-launched rockets, the GOP becomes the party of Trump, and Pelosi feuds with AOC.
Google Told Employees to Delete Politically Incorrect Language From Code
"The cost of not doing this is the harm done to other Googlers every time they encounter these terms," says the company's diversity and inclusion team.
Trump To Convene 'Social Media Summit' Over Accusations of Anti-Conservative Bias
The president invited Republican lawmakers as well as social media stars who claim that tech giants are suppressing free speech.
Two Lawsuits Argue That Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Blocking of Twitter Critics, Like Trump's, Violates the First Amendment
The New York congresswoman's use of Twitter seems similar to the president's in constitutionally relevant ways.
'Killer' Walkman, 'Insane' Bicycles, and Novels Will Rot Your Brain: Pessimist Archive's Jason Feifer on 'Why We Resist New Things'
Jason Feifer's podcast explores "why we resist new things" and tells great stories about panics over the novel, the elevator, the waltz, margarine, and more.
The Backlash Over The Little Mermaid Casting a Black Ariel Is Fake News
Few people who tweeted #NotMyAriel were actually upset about Halle Bailey portraying the mermaid princess.
2nd Circuit Agrees That Trump Cannot Constitutionally Block Critics on Twitter
The court says the "interactive space" created by his account is a public forum, meaning that the president's viewpoint discrimination violates the First Amendment.
An Iowa Man Wins His Free Speech Suit After Being Charged for a Facebook Rant Against a Cop
Jon Goldsmith was charged with third-degree harassment after calling Deputy Cory Dorsey a "stupid sum bitch" online.
Because Politicians Are for Sale, They Think Everyone Else Is Too
Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.) has proposed a dreadful bill that would give the government control of internet content. He thinks the only reason anyone could be opposed is because they've been bought off.
The Sinister, Unconstitutional Effort to Ban Secure Encryption Is Back
It’s the ‘90s all over again, and the White House is in no mood to humor tech companies right now.
When the Government Says You're Fake News
Countries across the world tackle political misinformation with authoritarian censorship.
Ted Cruz Wants To Punish Google Because Execs Didn't Vote for Trump
Plus: a bipartisan batch of U.S. lawmakers proposes more plans to take over tech, San Francisco bans e-cigs, Tiffany Cabán wins Queens DA primary, and more...
A Social Media Platform Has Banned Support of Trump
It's Ravelry, and it's not just a "knitting site."
Incensed by Warrantless Border Searches of Americans' Tech Devices? These Senators Have the Cure.
Ron Wyden and Rand Paul team up to stop Border Patrol from snooping in your stuff without good reason.
Sen. Ron Wyden: Conservatives Are 'Totally Wrong' About Political Neutrality Under Section 230
"Section 230 has nothing to do with neutrality. Nothing. Zip. There is absolutely no weight to that argument," Wyden says. He oughta know. He wrote the damn thing.
That Story About Kids Growing Horns Because of Smartphones Is Fake News
Researchers made no effort to link the two.
How Europe Censors What Americans Say Online
Stanford Law professor and former Google attorney Daphne Keller says tech giants are facing pressure from governments worldwide to clamp down on content.
Almost No One Digs Josh Hawley's Internet Censorship Proposal, Thank Goodness
Plus: Immigration officials confirm Trump tweets about new raids, Elizabeth Warren talks sex work decriminalization, and more...
Josh Hawley Introduces Bill to Put Washington In Charge of Internet Speech
Hawley is selling it as a way to fight tech-company "bias" against Republicans. Don't believe him.
Can $1 Billion From Google Really Solve the Housing Crisis in the Bay Area?
The tech giant's plan to add 20,000 homes will require lots of government permission slips and other investors' money.
Facebook's Libra 'Cryptocurrency' Aims to Disrupt Payments. Bitcoin Aims to Disrupt Government Power.
Mark Zuckerberg’s latest venture won't compete with Satoshi Nakamoto’s project for undermining central banking, tyranny, and the financial surveillance state.
Let God Tweet
I shouted out, who killed online freedom of speech? When after all, it was you and me.
Bayer to Waste $5.6 Billion Trying to Appease Anti-Pesticide Activists
This will fail and more pressing problems will be neglected
We're From the Government and We're Here to 'Ghost' Read Your Emails
Habitually untrustworthy snoops still demand we trust them to monitor our communications.
Muscular Content Moderation Is a Really Bad Idea That's Impossible To Implement Well
Be afraid as more journalists and politicians start calling for stronger policing of online speech.
The Case for Designer Babies
We already give our kids music lessons, braces, and tutoring. Why not also give them better genes?
