Internet
How Authoritarian Regimes Use the Internet to Exert Control Over Citizens
While once relatively concentrated in a few countries like China and Russia, digital authoritarianism online is spreading.
Gen Z'ers Are More Cautious Online Than Previous Generations
They grew up with phones in their hands—and learned early not to blindly trust the Internet.
What Happens if the Law Starts Treating Facebook and Twitter Like Traditional Publishers?
The little-known provision that empowers tech companies to experiment with new ways of imposing and enforcing norms on new sites of discourse could be changed.
Russia Is Planning to Unplug From the Internet. Here's Why.
Welcome to the return of Internet nationalism.
Why Is the FCC Making It Harder for Low-Income Americans to Get Broadband Access?
The government-administered Lifeline is designed to make the Internet more affordable, but Ajit Pai's FCC has kneecapped the program.
How Tumblr Taught Social Justice to a Generation of Teenagers
Tumblr's unique culture normalized queerness and social justice. Without it, where will Gen Z turn?
Deleting Cyber Abuse One Case at a Time
Private security firms—like Fortalice Solutions—are taking on cases of cyber abuse and bullying when law enforcement and technology companies won't step in.
Does Vezt Provide Songwriters With Their Business Model of the Future?
Vezt trumpets itself as the savior of the struggling performer. But can the fledgeling start-up help artists get by? And can the company itself survive long enough to find out?
PS Picks: The Endless Complexity of r/relationships
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
Rural Americans Suffer the Costs of Faulty FCC Broadband Data
A recent vote further damages the government's ability to accurately study the nation's access to broadband—and it could damage the 2020 census.
How China Is Gaining Political Influence Through Social Management
The Chinese Communist Party is exploiting and exporting technological innovations to establish a panoptic form of governance—one through which it becomes possible for the state to constantly monitor individuals.
When Radical Online Political Speech Transitions to Physical Violence
As more time is spent recruiting and spreading ideology online, more of this speech will spill over into the real world.
Internet Access May Be the Biggest Hurdle to Medicaid Coverage for Many Arkansans
The state government has started to institute work requirements for its medicaid program that includes logging work hours online, but broadband coverage in the state is sparse—at best.
Moral Outrage Can Backfire When It Goes Viral
As negative comments accumulate, they start to come across as bullying—even if they're justified.
Tensions Between Openness and Security Could Determine the Future of the Internet
If liberal-democratic countries don't do more to challenge trends toward authoritarian Web practices, the reigning view of the Internet may soon become far more restrictive.
One More Thing That Lowers People's Trust in the News: Seeing Others' Ratings of Articles
Lack of trust in the news in the U.S. runs deep.
The FCC Is Threatening to Gut a Program That Provides Internet Access to Minorities
This move threatens to leave millions of Americans, particularly from communities of color, without the opportunities that come with connectivity.
Medicaid Officials Explain Why They Removed Obamacare Pages
A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesman says the scrubbing was part of "routine updates and maintenance."
Information About Obamacare Disappears From Medicaid.gov
The scrubbing is part of a larger effort to weaken the Affordable Care Act, according to one health policy expert.
Dylann Roof's Fateful Google Search
A new book explores the racial implications of the algorithms that structure our lives.
The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else)
Ken Auletta's latest book explores the chaotic world of contemporary advertising.
Making Sense of the Challenges to the FCC's Net Neutrality Rollback
On Wednesday, the Senate made use of an obscure legislative procedure to challenge the FCC's proposed changes to net neutrality regulations. We chatted with a law professor to break down the specifics.
Who Are the 'Incels' of 4chan, and Why Are They So Angry?
A recently uncovered social media post by Alek Minassian, the suspected Toronto killer, provides further evidence of 4chan's slow descent from chatroom for the esoteric into incubator for hatred.
How Facebook Is Throwing Our Brains Into Overdrive
Has Facebook fundamentally transformed human behavior—and is such damage irreparable?