Author Archives

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How Amazon, Google, and Facebook Helped Fund the Campaign to Overturn Roe
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the country’s top internet companies quickly responded with commitments to help employees in states that moved to ban abortion. In an implicit signal of support for abortion rights, the companies said they… Read More ›
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Hill TV Censors Segment on Rashida Tlaib's Description of Israel as "Apartheid Government," Bars Reporter
Executives at a major broadcasting company stepped in this week to block the airing of a segment on Hill TV that defended Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., amid an ongoing controversy inside the Democratic Party. Tlaib had been attacked by colleagues… Read More ›
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In Reviewing Wolves’ Endangered Status, Martha Williams Confronts Her Montana Past
Martha Williams is at a crossroads. As director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for enforcing the Endangered Species Act, Williams is arguably the most important official in Washington for saving wildlife amid the ongoing mass extinction… Read More ›
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The CIA Just Invested in Woolly Mammoth Resurrection Technology
As a rapidly advancing climate emergency turns the planet ever hotter, the Dallas-based biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences has a vision: “To see the Woolly Mammoth thunder upon the tundra once again.” Founders George Church and Ben Lamm have already racked… Read More ›
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No, Elon Musk's Starlink Probably Won’t Fix Iranian Internet Censorship
Elon Musk is once again suggesting his business interests can solve a high-profile crisis: This time, the SpaceX CEO says Starlink satellite internet can alleviate Iran’s digital crackdown against ongoing anti-government protests. Iranian dissidents and their supporters around the world… Read More ›
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Former NSA Chief Signed Deal to Train Saudi Hackers Months Before Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder
In early 2018, former National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander worked out a deal with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the cyber institute led by one of his closest aides, Saud al-Qahtani, to help the Saudi ruler train… Read More ›
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The Dark Odds Facing Iran's Brave Protesters
Iranian demonstrators take to the streets during protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 21, 2022. Photo: Obtained by AFP via Getty Images Over the past week, thousands of Iranians, young and… Read More ›
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Is Crypto a Big Scam?
Last week, the White House released a proposed framework for the regulation of cryptocurrency. The document gives the green light to regulators to continue crafting rules around the industry, and even explores the creation of a “CBDC”: a central bank… Read More ›
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Facebook Report Concludes Company Censorship Violated Palestinian Human Rights
Facebook and Instagram’s speech policies harmed fundamental human rights of Palestinian users during a conflagration that saw heavy Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip last May, according to a study commissioned by the social media sites’ parent company Meta. “Meta’s… Read More ›
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Detroit Cops Want $7 Million in Covid Relief Money for Surveillance Microphones
Detroit’s city council will soon vote on whether to spend millions in federal cash meant to ease the economic pains of the coronavirus pandemic on ShotSpotter, a controversial surveillance technology critics say is invasive, discriminatory, and fundamentally broken. ShotSpotter purports… Read More ›