Clarence Thomas Declares War on Big Tech
Like a number of other modern conservatives, Thomas seems to think that Twitter and other tech companies are effectively censoring right-of-center views.
Technology
The Bipartisan Antitrust Crusade Against Big Tech
How reactionary politicians are using monopoly concerns as cover to pursue pre-existing political agendas
United Airlines Wants To Bring Back Supersonic Air Travel. Will the FAA Let It?
The company has agreed to purchase 15 supersonic airliners from Denver-based aerospace startup Boom.
Get Ready for Another Big Deplatforming Debate, Because Facebook Is Tweaking Its Rules Again
Plus: Prosecutors are big lobbyists for new crime bills, Biden floats compromise on corporate taxes, and more...
Conservative Attacks on 'Big Tech' Are Turning the Constitution on Its Head
No, states can't use the 10th Amendment to overturn the First Amendment.
Supreme Court Places Limits on What Actions Violate Federal Hacking Law
Prosecutors like to use the law against people who clearly weren't engaged in hacking. The Court is trying to rein them in.
America's Semiconductor Industry Doesn't Need $52 Billion in New Subsidies To Stay Ahead of China
Industrial policy is the wrong answer to a problem that mostly doesn't exist.
D.C.'s Attorney General Is Suing Amazon To Force It To Feature Worse Deals
A new antitrust suit targets third-party seller agreements.
Section 230 Haters Aren't Going Away
Though Trump is gone, the desire to bend the internet toward partisan goals is alive and well.
Immigration Is the Most Important Way To Beat China
The Senate’s Endless Frontier Act aims to spur innovation but leaves out immigration reform.
'The Intellectual Johnny Appleseed of the Counterculture'
A conversation with Whole Earth Catalog founder, Merry Prankster, and woolly mammoth de-extinctionist Stewart Brand.
Why COVID-19 May Be the Last Pandemic
Medical breakthroughs mean we will never again suffer through diseases like the novel coronavirus—if politicians will get out of the way.
Both the Left and the Right Are Exaggerating the Threat Posed by Facebook
Facebook can't kill, jail, or tax you. It can only stop you from posting on Facebook.
Florida Legislators Exempt Their Favorite Companies From Social Media Bill
"It's very obvious that nobody involved in [the bill] consulted a First Amendment lawyer," says TechFreedom's Berin Szóka.
Oversight Board Upholds Facebook's Initial Suspension of Trump, but Says Company Must Reassess
"At the time of Mr. Trump's posts, there was a clear, immediate risk of harm."
Court Says Snapchat Can Be Sued for Deaths of Trio Using App During Fatal Crash
Plus: The challenges of free speech on Twitter, the case against baseball bailouts, and more...
Basecamp Becomes the Latest Tech Company To Ban Talking Politics at Work
Silence isn't violence, and recusing your company from political discourse, as Basecamp and Coinbase have done, is a perfectly valid line to draw.
Is International Surveillance of Cryptocurrency Use on Its Way?
Say what you will about the U.S., but its financial reporting rules are at least consistent.
'See Something, Say Something' Returns
A new bill repurposes the war on terror's pro-snitching mantra by requiring that tech companies share user data with the federal government.
Biden Applauds Derek Chauvin Guilty Verdict, Condemns Violent 'Agitators and Extremists'
Plus: An anti-tech crusader could be joining the FTC, threats to free speech at Columbia University, and more...
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.
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."
Why Biden's Broadband Bonanza Is Likely to Fail
We already know how to affordably expand connectivity; government-run networks ain’t it.
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...
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...
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.
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.
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.
