Eighty years ago, Isaac Asimov dreamed up three rules to ensure machines would serve humanity. It’s a framework that has shaped decades of debates about AI ethics, but it needs an update. Here are four laws of robotics for the real world.

Social media isn’t entirely to blame. Elaborate conspiracy theories would gain less traction if the government kept fewer unnecessary secrets.

A little-noticed group of government-funded researchers is developing a clever inoculation against the disinformation and violence threatening American democracy.

A new mother makes a reluctant return to Facebook in the face of pandemic isolation and finds that she's far from alone.

"Unwinding Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms would only create more, separate echo chambers from which people get their 'curated' news."

These companies need to prioritize the protection of online communities from incitement to far-right extremist violence, to deliver effective moderation, and to prevent the abuse of their platforms.

Twitter and Amazon may be hypocritical, but whom to do business with is up to them.

"As with most things, the key to saving ourselves from tech addiction is balance."

Tech companies and other digital advocates typically resist regulation by saying they’re standing up for freedom of speech. But they’ve been pushing a warped version of the idea.

Facebook, Google, and Twitter currently pose a danger to democracy. The government must break up the big companies, and philanthropies and public agencies should invest in new online public squares.