Is It Easier to Imagine the End of the World Than the End of the Internet?
A recent book by James Bridle, “New Dark Age,” argues technology is clouding our understanding of the world around us and making that world more dangerous.
Technology
Inside the Wild West World of Gift Card Bitcoin Brokering
“I might sound to you like a scammer. Don’t worry, I won’t take it the wrong way.”
Google and Facebook Ended Mandatory Arbitration for Sexual Harassment Claims. Will Workers Outside the Tech Industry Benefit?
Employee advocates caution that the arbitration changes are a response to pressure and could be reversed.
Amazon's Accent Recognition Technology Could Tell the Government Where You’re From
A new patent shows how Alexa could derive ethnic origin and emotion by analyzing speech. Experts think the government could come after the resulting data.
Google’s “Smart City of Surveillance” Faces New Resistance in Toronto
Local organizers in Toronto have united to push Google out of their government.
Election Insecurity
One Little-Watched Race Has Huge Implications for Election Hacking and Voter Suppression in Georgia
A December 4 runoff for secretary of state will help determine how Georgia handles decisions around securing voting machines and purging voter rolls.
Facebook Allowed Advertisers to Target Users Interested in “White Genocide” — Even in Wake of Pittsburgh Massacre
Despite efforts to debunk "white genocide" theory, Facebook sold advertisers ability to market to users with interest in the myth just days after bloodshed.
Google Dragonfly
Google CEO Tells Senators That Censored Chinese Search Engine Could Provide “Broad Benefits”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai refused to answer a list of questions from a bipartisan group of six senators.
Making a Killing
Some Silicon Valley Superstars Ditch Saudi Advisory Board After Khashoggi Disappearance, Some Stay Silent
Some major players in tech are distancing themselves from Saudi's Neom “smart city” project after the reported assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.
Government Report: "An Entire Generation" of American Weapons Is Wide Open to Hackers
Testers were easily and routinely able to take over real weapon systems using simple tools against “mission-critical cyber vulnerabilities.”