Trump's TikTok, WeChat Ban Won't End Up Blocking Fortnite and League of Legends
An ambiguous presidential order affecting a Chinese company connected to several popular video games sows confusion.
Technology
How the Government Created RCA
A century before its threats against TikTok, Washington pried a different media company out of foreign hands.
Democrats Sharpen Tech Antitrust Messaging at Historic House Hearing
This isn't a debate about consumer needs. It's all about political control.
What Should Have Happened at the Big Tech Antitrust Hearing
Siri, what color is the kettle?
Microsoft May Save TikTok From Trump's Clutches, After President Proposes Ban on Chinese Video App
Plus: U.S. small business relief checks went to Chinese companies, teen charged in massive Twitter hack, and more...
Congress Wants To Regulate Big Tech. They Still Don't Understand It.
Plus: Trump suggests election delay, and more...
Telemedicine Abortion Gets Green Light From Federal Court
Plus: "Heartbeat law" ruled unconstitutional, introducing the Atlas of Surveillance, Brave New World reimagined, and more...
How China's Clamp Down on Hong Kong Could Affect the Global Internet
Will tech companies resist orders to cooperate with demands for information to root out dissidents?
Why Is California Targeting the Tech Firms That Drive Its Economy?
There's no need to pity successful companies or grant them special deals, but state officials shouldn't be so blinded by an anti-corporate ideology that they drive businesses away, either.
Public and Private Sectors Clash on Contact Tracing
Apple and Google’s API promises to put privacy first. State health authorities have other ideas.
Twitter Is Shifting to Remote Work. Will Other Firms Follow?
Will changes to how many of us work outlast the pandemic?
Sen. Josh Hawley Is the Ultimate Karen
Karen wants to speak to your manager. The senator from Missouri wants to become your manager.
Working From Home May Be a Permanent Feature of the Post-Pandemic World
That has interesting implications for where people will base themselves in the future.
Prager University and Tulsi Gabbard Lose Censorship Suits Against Google
Forcing Google to behave like a public utility would probably not serve the interests of those demanding that designation—or the rest of us.
This App Protects Privacy While Tracing COVID-19 Infections
Stanford researcher Tina White and the new nonprofit Covid Watch are committed to protecting both individual rights and public health.
Will Americans Actually Use Contact Tracing Apps?
Apps that track users are being hyped as the way to lift lockdowns. But there are reasons to be skeptical.
Cellphone-Tracking Can Help Fight the Pandemic Only If Governments Resist Their Snoopy Instincts
Contact tracing might offer hope for slowing the spread of the pandemic—or fulfill every Big Brother-ish fear privacy advocates have ever raised.
No, Rep. Ilhan Omar: Amazon's Decision To Fire Three Workers Isn't a 'National Disgrace'
The congresswoman claimed that Amazon is "refusing to provide basic protective equipment to workers." That's not true.
Hospital Technicians Ignore Copyright Law to Fight COVID-19
They trade tips and manuals through a decentralized information-sharing network. Biomedical technicians say it's the fastest and easiest way to get life-saving information.
Texas Teen Booked on Terror Charge for COVID-19 Snapchat Video
She posted on social media about deliberately spreading the disease, but she's not actually sick.
No, 5G Is Not Spreading Coronavirus. That Doesn't Even Make Sense.
These theories are dumb. Destroying 5G infrastructure is not going to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Zoom Is Keeping Pandemic-Stricken America Connected. Cue Congress's Tech Panic.
Plus: Court upholds Texas abortion ban, Americans say they're choosing to stay at home, a doctor's view on hydroxychloroquine, and more...
How Coronavirus Is Kickstarting the 21st Century
A global pandemic has done what 30 years of internet manifestoes never accomplished: a mass migration into our screens.
How Techies Ignored the Bureaucrats and Helped the COVID-19 Response
They were mocked for sounding the alarm. Now they're the ones providing the solutions.
Should the Government Break Up Companies Like Amazon and Facebook? A Soho Forum Debate
Law professors Tim Wu and Richard Epstein went head to head at a live event.
Should the Government Break Up Big Tech? A Soho Forum Debate
Tim Wu vs. Richard Epstein on whether antitrust laws should be applied to firms like Amazon and Facebook.
The EARN IT Act Is the New FOSTA
The new bill takes aim at internet freedom and privacy under the pretense of saving kids.
COVID-19 Reminds Us: Social Media Is Good, Actually
Will coronavirus help rehabilitate tech's rep?
No, Google Didn't Violate Tulsi Gabbard's First Amendment Rights, Federal Judge Rules
"Google is not now, nor (to the Court's knowledge) has it ever been, an arm of the United States government," wrote District Judge Stephen Wilson.
'Conservatives Will Cease To Exist Online': CPAC Speakers Fret About the Tech Bogeyman
Some panelists at the conservative conference want to give the government more power over social media.
Encryption Foes in Washington Won't Give Up
Government officials keep trying to make us expose our data to them—and the criminals who ride on their coattails.
PragerU's Attempt To Violate YouTube's 1st Amendment Rights Shot Down By 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
The conservative nonprofit Prager University alleged the company should not be allowed to place its videos on "Restricted Mode."
George Hotz: Fully Self-Driving Cars Are a 'Scam' and Silicon Valley 'Needs To Die'
The hacking wunderkind thinks Big Tech's approach won't work. He built a $999 autonomous driving system that runs on a smartphone.
Newspaper Lobbyists and Encryption Foes Join the Chorus Against Section 230
How the press learned to stop worrying and love censorship.
Future Tense Fiction
"A good science fiction story can help re-sensitize us" to the peril and promise of the new.
At This Year's Vegas Porn Expo, Everything People Think They Know About the Internet and Adult Entertainment Is Wrong
The internet has turned adult performers into media entrepreneurs.
Senators Propose Limits on Police Use of Facial Recognition
Some privacy activists say the bill still falls short.
Trump and Comey Are United Against Encrypted Communications
Don’t worry—America’s ruling factions still disagree over who should be in charge of the snooping.
Thanks to Late-Stage Capitalism, You No Longer Need To Leave Your House
It's the end of the decade, and groceries, birth control, and weed can all be delivered straight to your door.
If You Want To Defend Free Speech Against a New Wave of Attacks, Support Reason Today!
Today's censors are using tech policy and social-media outrage to attack your right to think and say what you believe.
Massachusetts Police Test Out Robot Dogs. Is Dystopia on Its Way?
Don’t be afraid of the robopups, but make sure we leash law enforcement to keep officers from misusing them.
Doorbell Surveillance Networks Have Arrived. Should We Be Scared?
Cops can now request access to videos recorded by Ring, bypassing that pesky step of obtaining a search warrant first.
Andrew Yang's 'Department of the Attention Economy' Is Why Libertarians Don't Trust Democrats
The answer to real and imagined problems is always spend more, regulate more.
Andrew Yang Proposes Making Social Media Algorithms Subject to Federal Approval
The presidential hopeful on Thursday released a plan to regulate tech giants.
Judge to PragerU: You Do Not Have a Free Speech Claim Against YouTube
Tech bias, real or alleged, does not violate free speech rights.
If Facebook Can Get Rid of Dick Pics, It Can Stop All Drug Deals Too, Claim Activists
Gutting Section 230 would make it harder to track drug deals, not easier.
Kamala Harris Demands That Warren Promise To Ban Trump From Twitter
The California senator has asked CEO Jack Dorsey to delete Trump's account.