Why Biden's Broadband Bonanza Is Likely to Fail
We already know how to affordably expand connectivity; government-run networks ain’t it.
Technology
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.
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.
The Texas Bill That Prohibits Social Media Censorship Is a Mess
The whole thing is arguably voided by Section 230.
Josh Hawley's Toxic Populism
Is the senator's authoritarian grandstanding the dark future of the GOP?
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.
TikTok After Trump
TikTok may have outlasted the Trump administration, but whether it will find another enemy in Biden is unclear.
New York Never Built a Good System for Scheduling Vaccine Appointments, so a Random Software Engineer Did It in His Spare Time
Why didn't Cuomo and De Blasio build a decent, user-friendly website?
Is America Too Bound by Red Tape to Support Space Entrepreneurs?
Regulators haven't kept up with the times when it comes to the changing nature of ventures into space.
Why WallStreetBets and Bitcoiners Got So Excited About GameStop
Some of them like the stock, but all of them think our financial system is broken.
Tech Companies Could Form Their Own Governments Under a New Nevada Proposal
Plus: Replacing cops with health care workers saves lives, tech policy advice for President Biden, and more...
Americans Abandoning Free Speech Better Brace for the Consequences
Government will happily suppress misinformation in favor of misinformation of its own.
What Tech Policies Should We Expect from the Biden Administration?
Some trends to look for over the next four years
Instacart Fires 10 Workers Who Voted To Unionize and Around 1,990 Others
Plus: How the U.S. covered up the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington school district is suing to force its teachers back to the classroom, and more...
Is the Great Deplatforming of 2021 an Assault on Free Speech?
No, says Techdirt's Mike Masnick, but it is cause for expanding Section 230 and building a more decentralized internet.
Mike Masnick: In Defense of Section 230 and a Decentralized Internet
Techdirt's founder wants to give end users, not politicians and tech giants, more control over what we can say and see online.
Millions of Users Are Flooding Encrypted Apps After Social Media Purges
Plus: Supreme Court declines more election challenges, Lisa Montgomery gets temporary stay of execution, and more...
A Silicon Curtain Descends
Trump escalated America's war against Huawei and China. Biden should beware burgeoning technonationalism.
Don't Give the Capitol Rioters Power Over Tech and Policing Policy
Plus: National Association of Manufacturers calls on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, Trump's response to the riot, and more...
The Fracturing of Communist Cuba's Propaganda Machine
"When I started my blog," says journalist Yoani Sánchez, "it was like an exorcism of something that was inside of me."
Congress Targets Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google for Being Popular
After a 16-month investigation into the big four tech companies, it seems the most that congressional busybodies can accuse them of is routine business practices and having popular services.
Suppressing 'Hate Speech' on Social Media Drives Users to New Platforms
The more that big social media companies act like they can control what people say, the more competition they encourage.
Pornhub Isn't the Problem. That Won't Stop the Politicized Crusade Against It.
The case against the popular pornography site rests on misleading data and hidden agendas.
Stop Saying Lockdown Is 'Not That Hard'
Staying isolated from family and friends is wrenchingly difficult, even when it’s the right thing to do.
The Ultimate 2020 Libertarian Gift Guide
Reason's writers and editors share their suggestions for what you should be buying your friends and family this year.
Remote Work Is Here to Stay and That's a Good Thing
Able to do our jobs from where we please, life for many of us will reflect a bit more of what we want rather than what we have to do to get by.
Sometimes Bigger Is Better
Republicans and Democrats are working together on an antitrust push against big tech. It will backfire big-time.
Facial Recognition Programs Are Getting Better at Recognizing Masked Faces
Time to add a hat and sunglasses!
Sneaking Section 230 Reform Into the Defense Bill Is a Terrible Idea
Plus: Bar food police strike in New York, study finds COVID-19 circulating in the U.S. last December, and more...
Still Waiting for Drone Deliveries
At the end of August, the FAA finally gave Amazon approval for its Prime Air drone delivery fleet.
Senators Once Again Berate Twitter and Facebook CEOs for Content Decisions They Dislike
But what one side likes, the other side hates. There's no way Twitter and Facebook can appease them both.
TikTok Will Outlast Trump
Plus: Homeland Security says this election was "the most secure in American history," Chicago asks residents to stay home again, and more...
Sacha Baron Cohen, Rudy Giuliani, and the Death of 'Disinformation' As a Useful Term
The Hunter Biden story has exposed the media's selective skepticism.
The Republican Antitrust Suit Against Google Is a Progressive Dream
The government is going after Google not to stop consumer harm but to level the business playing field.
Ted Cruz Threatens To Force Facebook and Twitter Heads To Testify About Hunter Biden Article
Plus: Supreme Court won't stop Pennsylvania from counting late ballots, proposed amendment would limit Court to nine justices, and more...
Americans Are Moving Where They Want. Will It Be a Win for Choice or Polarization?
We can increasingly live where we please while working jobs of our choice. What we do with that bonanza is up to us.
Big Tech Is Just the Beginning: House Dems Seek Major Changes to Antitrust Law
Enforcement is supposed to be about protecting "consumer welfare." Overturning that goal would be bad for all of us.
Does Google Secretly Manipulate Us To Vote for Democrats? The Evidence Is Flimsy.
Republicans have seized on the dubious claims of a psychologist who thinks Big Tech is shifting millions of votes to the left.
House Antitrust Report Hits Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google
Plus: Tech companies respond, proposed H-1B visa changes, and more...
Senate Democrats and Republicans Strike Deal To Subpoena Big Tech CEOs
Bipartisanship isn't dead, sadly.
Section 230's Latest Attacker: The Justice Department
A new DOJ proposal aims to bring the internet communications law in line with Trump's personal interpretation of it.
The Julian Assange Case Threatens All Journalists Who Scrutinize Government Conduct
U.S. officials claim their espionage laws apply to the world, but constitutional protections do not.
Australia's Confused Tech Regulators Are Cracking Down on Google for Using Links
If the new trustbusters get their way, tech platforms might be forced to pay money to traditional news outlets for the privilege of linking to their content.
Innovators Are Crafting Decentralized Social Media Alternatives. Will App Stores Pull Them Down?
How can we build a culture that welcomes alternative tech?