Piracy Fuels the Fashion Industry
When, in 2011, Oprah Winfrey asked Ralph Lauren how he “keeps reinventing,” Mr. Lauren answered: “You copy. Forty-five years of copying; that’s why I’m here.” M…
Other Writing
Keep Nude Photos offline? Here's a Better Idea
"If you want to keep something private, keep it offline."This has been a popular reaction to stories about the targeted attack on celebrities' clo…
Two Reasons Why Extreme Social Surveillance Doesn't Replace Privacy
More than a few people maintain that if we all knew everything about each other, the world would be a better place. The total transparency argument takes many f…
We Must Secure America’s Cell Networks—From Criminals and Cops
This month, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler revealed, in response to a letter from Congressman Alan Grayson, that his agency is assembling a task force “to combat the…
Nixing Net Neutrality Would Produce More Healthcare.govs
Cross-posted from Slate. Last week, the White House hired a head of the U.S. Digital Services to get the whole government to adopt technology processes like th…
Access To User Data: If Microsoft Wins, Do Startups And Innovators Lose?
With user trust at an all-time low, keeping the FBI’s hands off foreign users’ data seems like good business sense for U.S. companies. Microsoft says it’s fight…
Here’s a Terrible Idea: Robot Cars With Adjustable Ethics Settings
Do you remember that day when you lost your mind? You aimed your car at five random people down the road. By the time you realized what you were doing, it was t…
Don’t fear the robot car bomb
Within the next few years, autonomous vehicles—alias robot cars—could be weaponized, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fears. In a recently disclosed…
The Case for Net Neutrality
For all the withering criticism leveled at the White House for its botched rollout of HealthCare.gov, that debacle is not the biggest technology-related failure…
Did PCLOB Answer My Eight Questions About Section 702?
TL;DR: A little bit, but not enough. Yesterday, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) issued a massive report about the legally and technolog…
The Facebook Experiment: Gambling? In This Casino?
Cross-posted from Recode. By Jules Polonetsky and Omer Tene Critics have spent the last few days castigating Facebook for a large-scale experiment conducted b…
How to Stop Facebook From Making Us Pawns in Its Corporate Agenda
Cross-posted from Wired. You didn’t know it, but Facebook used some of you to manipulate your friends. Even though you can’t anticipate how a company will int…