Social Media Beats Censorship in Iran
The vigorous debate over censorship shows how much Iran has changed in recent years.
Technology
Cambridge Analytica Was Doing Marketing, Not Black Magic
There's no reason for alarm (yet) over a Facebook data "breach" that benefited a firm with ties to Trump's campaign.
5 Reasons Not to Feed the Russian Troll Hysteria
"If voters are making [stupid] decisions," says Senior Editor Jacob Sullum, "that's not the Russians' fault."
Facebook Bans Nationalist Anti-Muslim Group Britain First
"We do not do this lightly, but they have repeatedly posted content designed to incite animosity and hatred against minority groups."
Climate Change Problems Will Be Solved Through Economic Growth
"How bad will climate change be? Not very."
Judge Tells Trump to Pretend to Listen to Twitter Haters
A lawsuit leads to a suggestion that the president engage in a kinder, gentler ignoring.
A Jailed Model Claims to Have Evidence of Russian Meddling in U.S. Elections. Her Story Is Even Weirder Than You Think.
Rybka has spent the past several years as a protegee of pickup artist and seduction coach Alex Lesley-and picked up a plausible claim to 2016 election dirt along the way.
$20 Fee for Porn Access Proposed in Rhode Island
Device makers would be required to block porn, prostitution hubs, and all content that fails "current standards of decency."
Stone Age Statue Was Too Racy for Facebook
How can a company be expected to arbitrate "fake news" when it can't even tell ancient artifacts from porn?
House Passes 'Anti Sex-Trafficking' Bill Opposed by Both DOJ and Trafficking Survivors
The bill makes "promoting prostitution" a federal crime, holds websites legally liable for user-posted content, and lets states retroactively prosecute offenders.
Balaji Srinivasan: Technology Will Lead to a Borderless World
The Silicon Valley entrepreneur says cryptocurrencies, virtual reality, and mobile devices are helping individuals escape failed institutions.
'Crisis Actors,' Conspiracy Theories, and the Fear of Social Media
Yes, kooky rumors can spread quickly online. In this case, the angry reactions to those rumors may be spreading even faster.
Don't Feed the Russian Troll Hysteria
The "information warfare" described in Friday's indictment is not an existential threat to American democracy.
Feds Announce Indictments of Russian Nationals for Attempting to Influence American Elections
Thirteen individuals and three companies accused of conspiracy against the U.S., wire fraud, and identity theft.
Consumers Are Open to Superhuman Vision and Cognitive Enhancements. Are Regulators?
The first comprehensive survey on attitudes about human enhancement finds Americans are open to some crazy new technologies.
What's Hot in Porn Tech: Blockchain, Cam Girls, and Snapchat
New technologies are helping the adult industry adjust to government regulations and give more power to performers.
This Boring British Cops Clone May Show the Future of American Mass Surveillance
Mass surveillance is up and running on Britain's roads. Will ours be next?
Free Banking for Bitcoin? How the Lightning Network Could Help
How do we scale the system for broad use?
No, Russians Bots Aren't Responsible for #ReleaseTheMemo
But partisan Democrats tried to use a fake news scare to quash it anyway.
Tomi Lahren Thinks Tons of Teens Really Are Eating Tide Pods, Blames Liberals
Parents aren't neglecting to keep their kids safe from laundry detergent. If anything, teens are overprotected.
FakeApp: Finally, a Program that Will Let You Seamlessly Put Donald Trump in Porn!
Fake news just took a giant step forward. Here's why that's good news.
Dianne Feinstein Ignores GOP Lawmakers, Blames #ReleaseTheMemo on Russians and Social Media Instead
Any excuse to try to censor the internet
Regulations Prevent Some People from Using Google Arts & Culture's Portrait-Matching Feature
Illinois and Texas think biometric identifiers are a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Government Will Protect Us From Bad Speech? That's the Fakest News of All.
When government officials suppress critics, they do so only to help themselves.
Your Social Media Post Does Not Have To Be Socially Useful
Critics of free speech use the same old arguments on new technologies.
Playboy Sues Boing Boing Over Link to Playboy Centerfolds
Boing Boing has filed a motion to dismiss.
Major Computer Chip Bugs Show the Need for Open Security Research
Have you heard about "Meltdown" and "Spectre"? Here's what you need to know.
Breaking News Before Local Cops Do Lands Laredo Vlogger With Felony Charges
Sharing arrest and accident info on Facebook before cops can tell "official" media is not OK, say Laredo police-and nevermind that one of their own was the source.
Government Is the Cause of—Not the Solution to—Online Censorship
As people worry about the net neutrality vote, public officials threaten our rights to free speech.
Posting or Hosting Sex Ads Could Mean 25 Years in Federal Prison Under New Republican Proposal
A related measure would open digital platforms to liability for past crimes committed by users.
You Don't Lose Your Right to Anonymity Just Because You Lost a Lawsuit
An appeals court defends anonymous speech.
Cops Brag That They Bullied a Woman Out of Town After a Neighbor Said She Sells Sex
An investigation would've taken months, so Larksville Police decided to skip that part.
Markets Deliver Social Justice Better Than Government Does
Elizabeth Nolan Brown argues in The New York Times that we can thank "feminism, but also free markets" for the ongoing purge of predatory men.
You Probably Should Have Bought Bitcoin, Because It's Almost at $10,000
Libertarians understood the power of bitcoin early on. Now it's booming. So where are the cryptocurrency tycoons?
FCC Head Ajit Pai: Killing Net Neutrality Will Set the Internet Free
Promises that "we're going to see an explosion in the kinds of connectivity and the depth of that connectivity" like never before.
Twitter Cracking Down on Promoting Violence—With a Major Exception
The government is regularly excluded when we use the word "violence."
The Whiskey Making Was Hard, But the Government Was Easy
Our first president might be shocked at the regulatory machinery imposed on distillers.
Government Protection From Russian Misinformation Would Be 'Cure' Far Worse Than Disease
Information-and, yes, misinformation-flows more easily and cheaply than ever, making access nearly universal. That's a good thing.
Sen. Feinstein's Threat to 'Do Something' to Social Media Companies Is a Bigger Danger to Democracy Than Russia
Do not ignore the self-interest of elected officials in controlling online political messaging.
The Never-Ending Search for Foreign Subversives
Stop scapegoating Russia for America's divisions—and stop using Moscow as an excuse to call for restrictions on speech.
Social Media Executives Echo Politicians' Hysteria About 'Russian Disinformation'
If our democracy cannot survive another 43 hours of political videos on YouTube, it is already doomed.
Politicians—Unsurprisingly—Want to Regulate Political Ads on Facebook
Russian panic is the excuse to try to control online speech.
Technological Advances Offer Optimism For The Future
Genetically-engineered hens, embryo surgeries, and robot farmers.
