The US Government Needs to Invest in Digital Design
Imagine if, when the president addressed the nation in those early, frightening days of March 2020, he had announced the launch of a user-friendly digital hub for citizens to access…
The DC Riot Is the Sandy Hook of the Disinformation Crisis
The violent insurrection against the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, may prove to be a critical juncture in terms of how our media ecosystem treats disinformation and the individuals…
Crime Rates Dropped in 2020—Just as They Did in 1918
When the pandemic hit the US last spring, and states went into lockdown, policymakers and experts wondered about the trade-offs. Which would end up worse: damage to the economy from…
How to Get More Plant-Based Meat Onto Plates in 2021
Faux burgers and chicken nuggets are having a moment. In 2018, Impossible Foods, the Silicon Valley–based alternative meat company known for its plant-based burger that “bleeds” like the real thing,…
The Capitol Attack Doesn’t Justify Expanding Surveillance
They took our Capitol, stormed the halls, pilfered our documents, and shattered the norms of our democracy. The lasting damage from Wednesday’s attack will not come from the mob itself,…
Platforms Must Pay for Their Role in the Insurrection
President Trump and his enablers in government and right-wing media will shoulder the blame for Wednesday’s insurrection at the US Capitol, but internet platforms—Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, in particular—have…
Call Trump’s Scheme What It Is: Autocracy
Yesterday, mobs of President Trump’s supporters encircled and stormed the US Capitol as Congress was confirming incoming president Joe Biden’s election victory. Congress was evacuated as rioters smashed windows and…
Opinion: Timnit Gebru’s Exit From Google Exposes a Crisis in AI
This year has held many things, among them bold claims of artificial intelligence breakthroughs. Industry commentators speculated that the language-generation model GPT-3 may have achieved “artificial general intelligence,” while others…
Nice Try, Facebook. iOS Changes Aren’t Bad for Small Businesses
It’s true that small businesses generally depend on advertising. In recent years, because of the overwhelming popularity of social media, and Facebook’s monopoly in that space, that’s meant that many…