Sam Biddle
Sam Biddle is a reporter focusing on malfeasance and misused power in technology. While working at Gizmodo and Gawker, he covered stories ranging from vast corporate data breaches and celebrity hackers to trafficked webcam models and Facebook privacy. As the editor of Valleywag, he provided a critical, adversarial view of the startup economy and Silicon Valley culture. His work has also appeared in GQ, Vice, and The Awl.
The Coronavirus CrisisCoronavirus Monitoring Bracelets Flood the Market, Ready to Snitch on People Who Don’t Distance
A crop of “new” body-worn devices issue alerts about hospital patients, the quarantined, people under house arrest, and workers who fail to social distance.
The Coronavirus CrisisThere’s No Telling What Data Facebook Will Collect If You Use Its Zoom Clone
Messenger Rooms won’t “watch or listen” to your calls. But Facebook won’t say how it will handle metadata like who you chat with and when.
The Coronavirus CrisisThe Inventors of Bluetooth Say There Could Be Problems Using Their Tech for Coronavirus Contact Tracing
Judging distance based on the strength of a radio signal is a fraught process that can be stymied by physical obstructions.
The Coronavirus CrisisPrisons Launch “Absurd” Attempt to Detect Coronavirus in Inmate Phone Calls
Jails and prisons in at least three states are using software called Verus, financed by Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy, to scan calls for Covid-19 keywords.