A New Kind of Labor Movement in Silicon Valley
Employees at Google and elsewhere are protesting their bosses’ business decisions. Will that evolve into a more sustained labor movement?
When Shadows Are Not What They Seem
By picking up on patterns too subtle for humans to notice, non-line-of-sight imaging can see around corners and through walls.
There Is No Pickup-Truck Emoji
There are 12 train emoji and one scooter emoji. And yet.
The Online Gig Economy’s ‘Race to the Bottom’
When the whole world is fighting for the same jobs, what happens to workers?
How ‘LOL’ Changed the Way We Talk
The acronym has ushered in a new era of informal communication.
How Misinfodemics Spread Disease
Researchers are finding more and more that online misinformation fuels the spread of diseases such as tooth decay, Ebola, and measles.
Why Technology Favors Tyranny
Artificial intelligence could erase many practical advantages of democracy, and erode the ideals of liberty and equality. It will further concentrate power among a small elite if we don’t take steps to stop it.
Why Google Doesn't Rank Right-Wing Outlets Highly
Mainstream media organizations are better-resourced and do far more reporting than smaller, explicitly politicized outlets.
Big Tech's Newest Experiment in Criminal-Justice Reform
The unicorn start-up Slack is launching an apprenticeship program for formerly incarcerated people. But will the industry ever hire from the inside en masse?
Trump Has Changed How Teens View the News
Young people can see the president’s tweets as jokes, but they still often share his negative feelings about the press.
Making a Living Before Making It Big on YouTube
In the tough ecosystem of social-media celebrity, wannabe stars are flocking to fledgling apps to stay afloat as they wait to make it big.
The Murders That Sparked China’s Rideshare Boycott
In the past two years, four women have been killed by drivers for the popular Chinese ride-hailing app Didi. Users have had enough.
The Irony of the Jacksonville Mass Shooting
Two former athletes were killed playing a supposedly safer, video-game alternative to football.
Why Married Women Are Using Two Last Names on Facebook
Unhyphenated double surnames used to be somewhat rare, but the desire to be searchable online is bringing them back.
Welcome to the Age of Privacy Nihilism
Google and Facebook are easy scapegoats, but companies have been collecting, selling, and reusing your personal data for decades, and now that the public has finally noticed, it’s too late. The personal-data privacy war is long over, and you lost.
Crazy/Genius Season 2: Five Radical Ideas to Save the World
A pill for aging, a search engine for memories, and other visions the future.
Waymo’s Robot Cars, and the Humans Who Tend to Them
People are always the hack that make automated systems work.
Posting Instagram Sponsored Content Is the New Summer Job
As long as you’re a teen with a following.
How a Wells Fargo Counting Error Cost Hundreds Their Homes
Calculating homeowners’ eligibility for mortgage modifications should have been straightforward. But an automated decision-making tool contained an error for five years.
‘We Are All Accumulating Mountains of Things’
How online shopping and cheap prices are turning Americans into hoarders