The FBI's Anti-Encryption Campaign
The loss of public key encryption service providers would make us all more vulnerable, both physically and financially.
Technology
These Senators Want the Federal Government To Verify Your Age Online
Requiring users to verify their age to use social media will degrade their privacy and cybersecurity.
NBA MVP Joel Embiid Learned To Shoot by Watching YouTube
Politicians attack social media for spreading conspiracies and so-called misinformation. But what about when social media helps someone become an NBA star?
Hollywood Strike: Writers Demand More Pay, New Limits on ChatGPT
Their last strike previewed the struggles of the streaming era. This one might be giving us an early taste of the age of artificial intelligence.
A Fake Drake Song Shows the Potential for A.I.'s Future
Meanwhile, content creators and corporations want copyright regulations for artificial intelligence.
Review: M3GAN Meets the Demand for Tech Panic
Predictably, the machine-learning robot starts killing.
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."
Review: Nothing, Forever Is Funny, but Not the Way Seinfeld Is Funny
In one sequence, the Jerry Seinfeld stand-in stood onstage at a comedy club for minutes without saying a word.
New York City Brings Back Dystopian Robot Police Dogs
'Digidog is out of the pound," New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared, not ominously.
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.
Debate: Bitcoin Is the Future of Free Exchange
Where am I supposed to spend my cryptocurrency?
Apocalypse Tomorrow: Trump's Looming Indictment
Plus: the terrible case for pausing A.I. innovation
Study: Around the World, Internet Use Linked to Greater Well-Being
Plus: Tennessee drag law halted, the FTC's proposed ban on negative option marketing, and more...
Debate: Artificial Intelligence Should Be Regulated
Is an A.I. "foom" even possible?
The RESTRICT Act Would Restrict a Lot More Than TikTok
Once again, politicians use popular fears to push for open-ended power.
Elon Musk, Andrew Yang, and Steve Wozniak Propose an A.I. 'Pause.' It's a Bad Idea and Won't Work Anyway.
For good and ill, human beings advance through trial and error. The same will be the case with A.I.
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.
Could the RESTRICT Act Criminalize the Use of VPNs?
Plus: States consider mandatory anti-porn filters, tariffs create baby formula shortages (again), and more...
Welcoming Our New Chatbot Overlords
After launching, ChatGPT hit 1 million sign-ups much faster than Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter did.
Now Is the Best Time To Embrace Artificial Intelligence
Which sentence in this podcast was generated using A.I.?
Vague Visa Rules Leave Laid-Off Twitter Worker Unable To Return to U.S.
Foreign-born tech workers in the U.S. have been especially vulnerable as tech giants lay off large shares of their work forces.
Federal Agencies Are Still Using Our Phones as Tracking Beacons
Our mobile devices constantly snitch on our whereabouts.
Congress Asks Is TikTok Really 'An Extension of' the Chinese Communist Party?
TikTok's CEO served as little more than a punching bag for lawmakers with a dizzying array of big tech grievances.
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.
Maybe A.I. Will Be a Threat—To Governments
The designer of China's Great Firewall sees new A.I. tech as a concern for public authorities.
Feds Say A.I.-Generated Art Is Ineligible for Copyright
Copyright law is just one area that must adapt to account for revolutionary A.I. technology.
TikTok Is Too Popular To Ban
Plus: Police sue Afroman for using footage from raid, California bill could ban popular junk foods, and more...
The FTC Is Closing In on Amazon
Plus: "No such thing" as a "harmless drag show" says university president, aggressive code enforcement in Florida, and more...
Who Owns Your Brain Data?
Nita A. Farahany's The Battle for Your Brain shows how neurotech can help, or hurt, human liberty.
Blame America's Air Traffic Control System for Your Flight Delay
In countries that privatized, there are fewer delays and costs are lower. But labor unions and the private plane lobby stand in the way.
Spoonies: The Culture of Staying Sick
Online communities have made their diagnoses their identity.
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.
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.
Politicians Use Subsidies To Squeeze Semiconductor Manufacturers
When politicians manipulate industry, the public pays the price.
Lie Detectors Are Junk Science, but We Keep Using Them
Amit Katwala’s Tremors in the Blood explores how unreliable technologies have been used in our criminal justice system.
The Luddites' Veto
Beware of activists touting "responsible research and innovation." The sensible-sounding slogan masks a reactionary agenda.
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.
The Government Is Subsidizing Microchip Firms—While Making It More Expensive To Produce Microchips
Politicians say they want to subsidize various industries, but they sabotage themselves by weighing the policies down with rules that have nothing to do with the plans.
Copyright Is the Latest Battle in the War Over A.I.
The U.S. Copyright Office determined that images produced by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted, even though they are generated by user-written prompts.
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.
The FDA Will Let the Soy Boys Have Their Milk
Plus: Google blocks news to Canadian users in advance of pending media law, Arizona considers zoning reform bill, and more...
The Answer to Population Decline Is More Immigration
Politicians' go-to fixes like child tax credits and federal paid leave are known for creating disincentives to work without much impact on fertility.
Did Biden Just Commit America to Another Forever War in Ukraine?
Plus: the editors field a listener question on intellectual property.
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.
