Consumer Tech

How Chilean Protesters Took Down a Drone With Standard Laser Pointers

The low-powered presentation tool/dangerous children’s toy is becoming a weapon of choice for protesters around the world trying to take down or disable surveillance tech.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Laser Pointers Can Hijack Your Virtual Assistants

So maybe keep them out of windows.

  • By Nicole Casal Moore, Futurity

The Not-Com Bubble Is Popping

The unicorn massacre unfolding today is exactly the opposite of what happened in 2000.

  • By Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

What America Didn’t Anticipate About China

For too long, policy makers ignored the possibility that China could transform the U.S., rather than the other way around.

  • By John Pomfret, The Atlantic

Tech Giants Fight Digital Right-to-Repair Bills

Twenty states considered bills to allow independent repair shops and tinkerers to fix broken smartphones, laptops and other equipment.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

VA to Launch Adaptive Game Therapy Program

The agency also announced it will introduce adaptive esports into its national game competition during a visit with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Tech Companies Are Quietly Phasing Out a Major Privacy Safeguard

More and more companies are failing to issue transparency reports to tell consumers how much of their information governments have demanded.

  • By Rob Pegoraro, The Atlantic

The World Wants Less Tech. Amazon Gives It More.

The world’s largest online retailer is diving headfirst into the techlash.

  • By Sidney Fussell, The Atlantic

State Attorneys General Launch Google Antitrust Probe

The investigation of Google’s advertising practices is the latest to target tech companies.

  • By Andrea Noble

I Tried to Limit My Screen Time

It didn’t go well.

  • By Ian Bogost, The Atlantic

Apple iPhones Could Have Been Hacked for Years—Here's What to Do About It

As there is no visible sign of infection on the device, it is likely users are completely unaware of the risks they’re facing.

  • By Leslie Sikos and Paul Haskell-Dowland, The Conversation

This Site Shows the Security Risks of Your Smart Devices

A new website can help you understand the security risks internet-connected devices might bring into your home.

  • By John Toon, Futurity

The Unsettling Rise of the Urban Narc App

It’s getting easier for city residents to use technology that can report bad drivers who block bike lanes. Welcome to the self-surveillance era of traffic safety.

  • By Sarah Holder, CityLab

People Are Starting to Realize How Voice Assistants Actually Work

The secrecy surrounding AI products makes even basic information about them a scandal.

  • By Sidney Fussell, The Atlantic

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Do Our Electronic Devices Make It Tough to Grasp Science?

Researchers found the frequent e-device use was negatively correlated with activity in brain areas that are critical for integrating multiple sources of information.

  • By Matthew Swayne, Futurity

The Benefits of High-Tech Job Growth Don't Trickle Down

A new study from the U.K. finds that although high-tech and digital industries spur job growth, less-skilled workers don’t even get spillover benefits.

  • By Richard Florida, CityLab

Video-Game Violence Is Now a Partisan Issue

For decades, both Republicans and Democrats saw games as cultural dangers. That changed after the Parkland shooting.

  • By Ian Bogost, The Atlantic

Work Ruined Email

It’s not too late to fix it.

  • By Ian Bogost, The Atlantic

The Scheduling Woes of Adult Friendship

To avoid the dreaded back-and-forth of coordinating hangouts, some friends are repurposing the shared digital calendar, a workplace staple, to plan their personal lives.

  • By Tori Latham, The Atlantic

The Arguments for Weakening Encryption Aren't Any Better Under Trump

Law-enforcement backdoors would still make everyone less safe, even as U.S. officials set their sights on broader access to data.

  • By Matthew D. Green, Defense One

What Restaurant Reviews Reveal About Cities

Where official census data is sparse, MIT researchers find that restaurant review websites can offer similar demographic and economic information.

  • By Linda Poon, CityLab