Technology

This Meme Tricks People Into Registering to Vote

Kanye and Kim have not broken up.

• Taylor Lorenz
• Oct 18, 2018

The End of Cheap Shipping From China

The White House wants to put an end to low-cost shipping from overseas, a move widely supported among U.S. e-commerce sellers.

• Alana Semuels
• Oct 17, 2018

The Problem with Popular Mechanics’ Love Letter to Elon Musk

The magazine’s editor acknowledged the cover story is a “puff piece,” but stood by his decision to defend the billionaire in dramatic fashion.

• Marina Koren
• Oct 17, 2018

The Secretive Organization Quietly Spending Millions on Facebook Political Ads

Meet the liberal group that’s running a new breed of digital campaign.

• Alexis C. Madrigal
• Oct 17, 2018

In Fraud Detection, Everything You Do Online and Off Is a Clue

Companies are employing new techniques to detect fraud and tax evasion, from license-plate readers to the way you hold your phone.

• Sidney Fussell
• Oct 16, 2018

Paul Allen Shows It’s Hard to Give Away $10 Billion

The Microsoft co-founder was one of the most prolific philanthropists in the world—but he still died with $20 billion.

• Alana Semuels
• Oct 16, 2018

A Long-Term Solution for Scooter Sharing

San Francisco’s scooters are back, and newly regulated. But is regulation enough to make them work in the long term?

• Alexis C. Madrigal
• Oct 15, 2018

How Instagram Saved Poetry

Social media is turning an art form into an industry.

• Faith Hill and Karen Yuan
• Oct 15, 2018

Instagram Has a Massive Harassment Problem

The platform has cast itself as the internet’s kindest place. But users argue harassment is rampant, and employees say efforts to stem it aren’t funded well or prioritized.

• Taylor Lorenz
• Oct 15, 2018

The High Stakes of Surfing’s Wave-Pool Arms Race

With the Olympics ahead, artificial-wave makers appear to be one-upping one another in their attempt to bring surfing to the world.

• Kimball Taylor
• Oct 14, 2018

When Pop-Up Books Taught Popular Science

Before they were relegated to the domain of children, books with movable mechanisms explained anatomy, astronomy, and more to adults. An Object Lesson.

• Kathleen Crowther
• Oct 14, 2018

Alexa Wants to Know How You’re Feeling Today

Amazon has patented technology that would allow its devices to read your emotional and physical state, and sell advertisements based on them. Are we entering the era of the mood-targeted ad?

• Sidney Fussell
• Oct 12, 2018

YouTube Stars Are Being Accused of Profiting Off Fans’ Depression

Viewers are outraged that some of the site’s biggest celebrities have partnered with a controversial online counseling service.

• Taylor Lorenz
• Oct 12, 2018

Mark Warner Is Coming for Tech’s Too-Powerful

The senator from Virginia says he’s “very annoyed” with Silicon Valley’s “pathetic” response to security concerns.

• Franklin Foer
• Oct 11, 2018

Silicon Valley Sieve: A Timeline of Tech-Industry Leaks

Just a few years ago, tech employees said nothing. Now they can’t stop talking.

• Alexis C. Madrigal
• Oct 10, 2018

Teens Are Being Bullied ‘Constantly’ on Instagram

Harassment on the platform can be uniquely cruel, and for many it feels like there’s no escape.

• Taylor Lorenz
• Oct 10, 2018

The Newest Password Technology Is Making Your Phone Easier for Police to Search

For the first time, police have compelled a suspect to unlock his phone using Face ID. The case reveals an interesting inversion: More advanced password technology is less protected from police seizure.

• Sidney Fussell
• Oct 9, 2018