Category: Technology

Wisconsin’s S.B. 130 / A.B. 105 is a spectacularly bad idea. It’s an age-verification bill that effectively bans VPN access to certain websites for Wisconsinites and censors lawful speech. We wrote about it last November in our blog “Lawmakers Want to Ban VPNs—And They Have No Idea What They’re Doing,” but since then, the bill […]

(This appeared as an op-ed published February 12, 2026 in the San Jose Spotlight, written by Huy Tran (SIREN), Jeffrey Wang (CAIR-SFBA), and Jennifer Pinsof.) As ICE and other federal agencies continue their assault on civil liberties, local leaders are stepping up to protect their communities. This includes pushing back against automated license plate readers, […]

Report from EFF, Center for Just Journalism, and IPVM Helps Cut Through Sales Hype SAN FRANCISCO — A new report released today offers journalists tips on cutting through the sales hype about police surveillance technology and report accurately on costs, benefits, privacy, and accountability as these invasive and often ineffective tools come to communities across […]

Each year as Ramadan approaches, more than 2 billion Muslims around the world prepare for a month of fasting, prayer and communality. But Ramadan does not begin on the same day everywhere in the world. This year, some countries will commence the month of fasting on Thursday, February 19, whereas other countries may begin it […]

After weeks of relentless rain and flooding, and even more forecast, 2025’s droughts and hosepipe bans feel like ancient history. But they shouldn’t. The UK is increasingly caught between these wetter winters and warmer, drier summers. What if this year’s summer brings water shortages again? The seemingly endless rainfall causing flooding across the UK right […]

Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock Self-driving cars have made impressive progress. They can follow lanes, keep their distance, and navigate familiar routes with ease. However, despite years of development, they still struggle with one critical problem: the rare and dangerous situations that cause the most serious accidents. These “edge cases” include sharp bends on wet roads, sudden […]

Natalia Deriabina/Shutterstock Why don’t humans have tails anymore? Olivia, 12 , the Netherlands. Great question, and it gets to the heart of what we are as humans. Think about your own family – do you have cousins? If so, you and your cousins share grandparents and these are your common ancestors. Now imagine going back […]

For years, big tech companies have placed the burden of managing screen time squarely on individuals and parents, operating on the assumption that capturing human attention is fair game. But the social media sands may slowly be shifting. A test-case jury trial in Los Angeles is accusing big tech companies of creating “addiction machines”. While […]

Mix and Match Studio/Shutterstock Another cold snap is approaching. Some people deal with it by taking an invigorating walk outside, while others hibernate with a cozy blanket and biscuits. But one thing seems to be common when temperatures drop: we like talking about how cold it feels. Comments such as “I am so cold, I […]

Government departments across South Africa are increasingly relying on digital tools to evaluate public programmes and monitor performance. This is part of broader public-sector reforms. Their aims are to improve accountability, respond to audit pressure and manage large-scale programmes with limited staff and budgets. Here’s an example. National departments tracking housing delivery, social grants or […]