New Test Data Show That COVID School Closures Rapidly Accelerated U.S. Learning Losses
Nearly two years after most children returned to the classroom, educational losses continue to grow.
Internet
It Takes 6 Clicks To Cancel Amazon Prime and the FTC's New Lawsuit Says That's Too Many
The ideal number of clicks to cancel an online subscription may be four or five instead of six, but we don't need government to make that decision.
Small Porn Producers Will Be Hurt Most by New Age Verification Laws
New mandates in states like Utah and Virginia will lock in large incumbents like PornHub while discouraging positive trends and self-regulation in the industry.
Online Learning During COVID-19 Linked With Lower Test Scores
A new study has found that the more schools kept kids online, the worse their pass rates on state standardized tests were.
E.U.'s Digital Services Act Threatens Americans' Free Speech
Online platforms should resist binding us all to the rules of censorship-happy jurisdictions.
YouTube Abandons Election Misinformation Policy That Censored Political Speech
"We find that while removing this content does curb some misinformation, it could also have the unintended effect of curtailing political speech."
The Economics of Prohibition Doom Plans To Reduce Drug Use by Busting Online Dealers
A study suggests that "selectively targeting large-scale drug vendors" on the dark web can succeed where all previous enforcement efforts have failed.
California Lawmakers Want To Make Tech Companies Subsidize News Media
Plus: Debt ceiling deal passes House, Congress wants to childproof the internet, lactation consultant licensing law is unconstitutional, and more...
Childproofing the Internet
How online “child protection” measures could make child and adult internet users more vulnerable to hackers, identity thieves, and snoops.
Not Every Study on Teen Depression and Social Media Is Bad. Only Most of Them.
The few good studies on teen depression and social media undercut attempts to establish causal connections between the two.
How Ron DeSantis, Tucker Carlson, and Elon Musk Will Change the Section 230 Debate
Expect the very foundations of the internet to come under attack from politicians and the mainstream media.
Section 230 Is Safe (for Now) After Supreme Court Rules on Google and Twitter Terrorism Cases
Plus: A new lawsuit in Montana over the state's TikTok ban, the economic realities of online content creation, the rights of private companies, and more...
Review: Everything I Need I Get from You Gives a Fangirl's View of the Internet
Author Kaitlyn Tiffany offers a history of fandoms.
Montana Sets Itself Up for First Amendment Lawsuits With TikTok Ban
Plus: Americans are increasingly changing religions, court pauses rejection of "free" preventative care mandate, and more...
Joel Embiid Became an NBA Superstar by…Watching YouTube?
The amount of knowledge that's freely available on the internet is staggering. Politicians shouldn't try to restrict that.
Jaan Tallinn and Robin Hanson: Should We Pause A.I.?
The co-creator of Skype says yes. The George Mason University economist says no.
Jacob Siegel: 'Disinformation' Is the Hoax of the Century
From Russiagate to COVID discourse, elites in government and the media are trying to control and centralize free speech and open inquiry.
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.
TikTok Goes From Silly to Serious
The Chinese app has become a magnet for every possible cultural concern.
Ben Smith: Why It Matters that Gawker, BuzzFeed News, and Breitbart News Failed
A decade ago, online startups seemed poised to vanquish legacy media. That didn't happen.
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?
New Senate Bill Would Turn Online Services Into Narcs
An expanded surveillance state can’t solve problems created by drug prohibition.
Supreme Court To Consider Whether Politicians Can Block You on Social Media
Plus: Missouri attempts to ban gender transition treatments for adults, another bad social media bill hits Congress, and more...
The Dormant Commerce Clause, the Internet, and Geolocation
A response to Professors Goldsmith & Volokh
College Subjected Student to 'Extended Inquisition' Into Her Political Beliefs, Lawyer Claims
Morgan Bettinger might sue the University of Virginia for violating her First Amendment rights.
How an Ill-Informed Internet Mob Ruined a UVA Student's Life
Morgan Bettinger was accused on social media of telling protesters they would make good "speed bumps." It was more than a year before investigations cleared her.
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.
Feds See the Document Leak as an Opportunity for Surveillance and Control
Never underestimate officials’ ability to turn embarrassing moments into awful opportunities.
Taylor Lorenz, Peter Van Valkenburgh: Why Banning TikTok Is Stupid and Unwarranted
The bipartisan RESTRICT Act is an infringement on a host of civil and economic rights that will strangle free speech and cryptocurrencies.
Biden's 'Buy American' Rules Are Getting in the Way of Biden's Rural Broadband Push
Industrial policy is never as simple as it seems.
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...
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.?
Internet Archive Loses Lawsuit Over National Emergency Library, Will Appeal
Plus: "Sensitivity readers" rewrite Agatha Christie, a Little Free Library battle, and more...
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...
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.
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.
TikTok Is Too Popular To Ban
Plus: Police sue Afroman for using footage from raid, California bill could ban popular junk foods, and more...
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.
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.
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.
Ron DeSantis Disavows Bill That Would Require Political Bloggers To Register With the Government
State legislators "have independent agency to do things. I don't control every single bill that has been filed," said DeSantis on Tuesday.
Gigi Sohn Withdraws FCC Nomination Due to Politics, Policy, and Police Pressure
While Sohn’s record raises ethics and judgment questions, some attacks against her lacked merit.
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…
All Porn Is 'Violence Against Women,' U.K. Parliamentary Committee Says
Plus: The SAFE TECH Act, Reason talks to young conservatives at CPAC, and more...
