Why cyberattacks could be war crimes
Cyberattacks are the new normal, but, when they come from abroad, they can raise panic about an invisible cyberwar. If international conflicts are unavoidable,…
Publication
Even the intellectual left is drawn to conspiracy theories about the right. Resist them.
It’s always hard in politics for people to take their opponents’ views seriously, but it has become ever harder in Trump’s America. People are more engaged with…
Most of what you think you know about human reasoning is wrong. Here’s why.
Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber are the authors of “The Enigma of Reason,” a new book from Harvard University Press. Their arguments about human reasoning have pot…
Autonomous Navigation: How To Drive Neighborhoods Crazy
In the first of this two-article series, we saw how augmented reality (AR) is causing friction between individual liberty and public interest. AR appmakers are…
Trump’s plan to work with Putin on cybersecurity makes no sense. Here’s why.
President Trump announced Sunday on Twitter that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin were talking about forming an “impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to pre…
Court Orders Prolific Patent Troll Shipping & Transit LLC To Pay Defendant’s Legal Bill
Shipping & Transit LLC, formerly known as Arrivalstar, is one of the most prolific patent trolls ever. It has filed more than 500 lawsuits alleging patent i…
Stupid Patent of the Month: Using A Computer To Count Calories
This month’s stupid patent, like many stupid patents before it, simply claims the idea of using a computer for basic calculations. U.S. Patent No. 6,817,863 (th…
McMansion Hell Responds to Zillow’s Unfounded Legal Claims
Earlier this week, Zillow sent an aggressive cease and desist letter [PDF] to Kate Wagner, the creator of the McMansion Hell website. Zillow demanded that Wagne…
‘NotPetya’ ransomware attack shows corporate social responsibility should include cybersecurity
As the “NotPetya” ransomware attack spreads around the world, it’s making clear how important it is for everyone – and particularly corporations – to take cyber…
Political Parties as Critical Infrastructure?
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson testified Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee as part of the House investigation into Russian in…
Supreme Court Defends Privacy in Cell Phone Location Data Collection
Consulting Director of Privacy at the Stanford Law Center for Internet and Society, Albert Gidari, comments on the landmark U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on loc…
We need our platforms to put people and democratic society ahead of cheap profits
Fake news captures attention and is corrosive. Like many similar social problems online, it is a symptom of surveillance capitalism. Surveillance capitalism exp…