The Death of BuzzFeed News Was a Facebook Murder-Suicide
Online media companies got exactly what they said they wanted.
Social Media
Elon Musk Warns Tucker Carlson: The Feds Are in Your Twitter DMs
The feds invoke national security to take away more of your rights and pretend they're keeping you safe.
California School District Sues Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok for Creating 'Youth Mental Health Crisis'
The lawsuit blames the companies for stoking "anxiety, depression, thoughts of self-harm, and suicidal ideation."
Feds See the Document Leak as an Opportunity for Surveillance and Control
Never underestimate officials’ ability to turn embarrassing moments into awful opportunities.
The Media and Politicians Keep Trying To Censor Things That Turn Out To Be True
The COVID-19 lab leak theory was labeled "misinformation." Now it's the most plausible explanation.
Make Americans Debate Again
Intelligence Squared U.S. has a new name and ambitions to host presidential debates.
Elon Musk Throttles Substack, Clashing With Twitter Files' Matt Taibbi
Plus: Dueling court decisions on an abortion drug, an update from Riley Gaines, and more...
Is Telling Someone To 'Die' on Facebook Protected by the First Amendment?
A Colorado man was convicted under an anti-stalking law for sending hostile messages online.
A TikTok Ban Would Set a Dangerous Precedent. Live With Taylor Lorenz and Peter Van Valkenburgh
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion about Congress' attempt to ban TikTok with the RESTRICT Act.
Rand Paul Is Right: Banning TikTok Would Be Idiotic
Three reasons not to ban the popular social media app
The RESTRICT Act Would Restrict a Lot More Than TikTok
Once again, politicians use popular fears to push for open-ended power.
The Statistically Flawed Evidence That Social Media Is Causing the Teen Mental Health Crisis
Jonathan Haidt's integrity and transparency are admirable, but the studies he's relying on aren't strong enough to support his conclusions.
Banning TikTok Is a Power the Federal Government Doesn't Deserve
Today, TikTok. Tomorrow, who knows?
Now Is the Best Time To Embrace Artificial Intelligence
Which sentence in this podcast was generated using A.I.?
Utah Law Gives Parents Full Access to Teens' Social Media
Plus: Theatrics at the House hearing on TikTok, doomsday merger predictions haven't panned out, and more...
Banning Chinese Products in the Name of 'National Security' Could Have Disastrous Consequences
It would result in shortages, decreases in productivity, and higher production costs affecting millions of American workers and nearly every consumer.
Kids Are Stealing Hyundais and Kias. Government Officials Blame Hyundai and Kia—and TikTok.
Federal, state, and local officials will always threaten to weaponize the state against private actors they don't like. The "Kia Challenge" provides the latest example.
The Crusade Against 'Malinformation' Explicitly Targets Inconvenient Truths
The legal challenge to censorship by proxy highlights covert government manipulation of online speech.
Of Course, the Trump Indictment Is Political
Plus: A listener asks the editors if the nation is indeed unraveling or if she is just one of "The Olds" now.
Researchers Pressured Twitter To Treat COVID-19 Facts as 'Misinformation'
The latest Twitter Files shows a partnership between Stanford University researchers and government-funded organizations encouraged social media companies to police true information.
Review: The Progressive Backlash Against Influencer Moms
Momfluenced bemoans unrealistic expectations set on American mothers but then establishes new ones.
House Republicans Pass Bill To Prevent Federal Meddling in Online Speech
The bill is overbroad and could have unintended consequences.
Spoonies: The Culture of Staying Sick
Online communities have made their diagnoses their identity.
Is Internet Spoonie Culture Keeping People Sick?
While the FDA keeps experimental treatments out of reach, the spoonie world makes a diagnosis into an identity.
Yes, There Are Libertarians During Bank Runs
Plus: The editors recommend the best books for sparking interest in free market principles.
Ayn Rand Would Hate the New Spotify Video Feed
Turning every streaming service into TikTok is bad for the internet. It'll be disastrous for music.
Democrats Deride the Twitter Files Reporters as 'So-Called Journalists'
Members of Congress showed their true colors at a Thursday hearing.
NetChoice Seeks Injunction Against California's Disastrous Internet Law
The trade association says the overbroad and vague A.B. 2273 places unconstitutional burdens on speech.
FTC Seeks Names of All Journalists With Whom Musk Shared Twitter Documents
Plus: U.S. special forces seeks “next generation” deepfake tech, the economic cost of the PRO Act, and more…
TikTok and How Congress Treats Americans Like 'Unruly Children'
Plus: The editors puzzle over Donald Trump’s latest list describing his vision for America.
TikTok Admits It's as Clueless on Teens as the Rest of Us
A new 60-minute screen time warning on TikTok won’t stop kids from scrolling.
The SAFE TECH Act Is Anything but Safe
The latest bid to amend Section 230 would threaten free speech and creators' ability to monetize content while also subjecting tech companies to a flood of frivolous lawsuits.
Review: Are Memes Upending Democracy?
In Meme Wars, so-called "disinformation" experts call for the suppression of more ideas and speakers to protect democracy.
Conservatives at CPAC Criticize—and Misunderstand—Section 230
A senator, a state attorney general, and a former congressman excoriated the law while getting much of it wrong.
U.S. Energy Department Endorses Lab Leak Theory of COVID-19's Origins
The push to label the lab leak thesis a racist conspiracy theory now looks even more foolish.
Any of These Supreme Courts Cases Could Crush the Internet
The Court’s decisions in Gonzalez and subsequent cases could lead to impossible, incompatible consequences.
Social Media Making Kids Depressed? Send Them Outside To Play
When society criminalizes outdoor independence, it makes smart phone addiction more likely.
Colorado Is the Latest State To Consider Rent Control
Plus: The U.S. Supreme Court considers another internet free speech case, the Department of Transportation pushes expensive new rail regs, and more...
Is Ketanji Brown Jackson a Greater Threat to Big Tech Than Clarence Thomas?
The Supreme Court’s newest member weighs in on the meaning of Section 230 in Gonzalez v. Google.
Nostr and the Decentralized Future of Social Media Is Here: Live with NVK, Will Casarin, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion of the decentralized protocol Nostr with NVK, Damus app creator Will Casarin, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller.
Facebook Says Noting the CDC's Scientific Misrepresentations 'Could Mislead People'
The social media site slapped a warning on a column in which I criticized the CDC for exaggerating the evidence supporting mask mandates.
Google Supreme Court Case Tests Whether Tech Firms Are Liable for User Content
Section 230 helped the internet flourish. Now its scope is under scrutiny.
Ohio Train Derailment Is Another Excuse for Mudslinging and Conspiracy Theorizing
Plus: Did the Pentagon shoot down a hobby radio balloon?, Kentucky abortion ban can be enforced, and more...
District Court Halts New York Law Forcing Online Platforms To 'Respond' to 'Hateful' Speech
"Today's decision is a victory for the First Amendment that should be celebrated by everyone who hopes to see the internet continue as a place where even difficult and contentious issues can be debated and discussed freely," said one attorney.
Josh Hawley's Social Media Ban Will Make Kids More Depressed
When COVID-19 and the U.S. government stopped kids from seeing each other, social media was their lifeline.
Section 230 and the Curse of Politics
Gonzalez v. Google presents the Supreme Court’s first opportunity to weigh in on Section 230.
Dave Cicirelli: Does Selfie Culture Destroy Real Individualism?
The "interactive artist" inspired by Jack Kirby and Barry Goldwater challenges social media and intellectual conformity.
