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TECHNOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST
PUBLIC HEALTH
|
EDUCATION
|
SECURING DEMOCRACY
|
CIVIL RIGHTS
|
CLIMATE CRISIS
IDEAS | FRANK PASQUALE
Now that science fiction is reality, it’s time for new laws of robotics
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.
IDEAS | GABRIEL NICHOLAS
Our disinformation problem has been 70 years in the making
Social media isn’t entirely to blame. Elaborate conspiracy theories would gain less traction if the government kept fewer unnecessary secrets.
IDEAS | DAVID SCHARFENBERG
Inside the race to develop a vaccine for our other pandemic: Hate
A little-noticed group of government-funded researchers is developing a clever inoculation against the disinformation and violence threatening American democracy.
IDEAS | MEGHAN NESMITH
I know Facebook is garbage. But in the pandemic, it’s a lifeline for parents like me.
A new mother makes a reluctant return to Facebook in the face of pandemic isolation and finds that she's far from alone.
LETTERS
Social media, antisocial media, and everything in between
"Unwinding Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms would only create more, separate echo chambers from which people get their 'curated' news."
Vidhya Ramalingam
Big Tech stepped up in the fight against far-right extremism. Where does it go from here?
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.
JEFF JACOBY
Freedom of association and the Big Tech purge
Twitter and Amazon may be hypocritical, but whom to do business with is up to them.
LETTERS
It doesn’t take cold turkey for heavy tech users to disconnect
"As with most things, the key to saving ourselves from tech addiction is balance."
IDEAS | DAVID GOLUMBIA
Trump’s Twitter ban is a step toward ending the hijacking of the First Amendment
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.
EDITORIAL
Move fast and break things
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.