This will likely go down as the year in which technology, once envisioned as an empowering and equalizing force, finally went headlong down the path toward dystopia and oppression. Our story this summer about Google planning to return to China with censored search at first shocked Silicon Valley, but it was the dark nature of what followed — internal dissent squelched, executives dissembling, Chinese users to be closely tracked — that proved most surprising.
Other depressing developments seemed right out of an ominous sci-fi film like “Blade Runner,” whether it was reporting that revealed the National Security Agency’s prowess at voice recognition, Facebook’s plans to use artificial intelligence to predict users’ future behavior, or just how badly ultrawealthy Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was exploiting underlings. As tech enters 2019, its brightest days seem to be well behind it.
Google Plans to Launch Censored Search Engine in China, Leaked Documents Reveal
By Ryan Gallagher
The Government Wants Airlines to Delay Your Flight So They Can Scan Your Face
By Sam Biddle
Forget About Siri and Alexa — When It Comes to Voice Identification, the “NSA Reigns Supreme”
By Ava Kofman
Amazon Gets Tax Breaks While Its Employees Rely on Food Stamps
By H. Claire Brown
As Twitter Suspends Alex Jones, Should We Worry About Silicon Valley Regulating Speech?
By Briahna Gray
Amazon’s Accent Recognition Technology Could Tell the Government Where You’re From
By Belle Lin
Leaked Files Show How the NSA Tracks Other Countries’ Hackers
By Kim Zetter
Facebook Uses Artificial Intelligence to Predict Your Future Actions for Advertisers, Says Confidential Document
By Sam Biddle
Google’s “Smart City of Surveillance” Faces New Resistance in Toronto
By Ava Kofman
One Little-Watched Race Has Huge Implications for Election Hacking and Voter Suppression in Georgia
By Kim Zetter
State Election Officials Didn’t Know About Russian Hacking Threat Until They Read It in the News, Emails Show
By Sam Biddle
Can #MeToo Change the Toxic Culture of Sexism and Harassment at Cybersecurity Conferences?
By Ava Kofman
Here’s the Email Russian Hackers Used to Try to Break Into State Voting Systems
By Sam Biddle
You Can’t Handle the Truth About Facebook Ads, New Harvard Study Says
By Sam Biddle