On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a law that could effectively ban TikTok if the company does not divest from ByteDance, its Chinese owner, in the next 12 months. But the law, which sped through the House and Senate, could face a significant uphill battle in US courts for potentially …
Read More »The Next US President Will Have Troubling New Surveillance Powers
The ability of the United States to intercept and store Americans’ text messages, calls, and emails in pursuit of foreign intelligence was not only extended but enhanced over the weekend in ways likely to remain enigmatic to the public for years to come. On Saturday, US president Joe Biden signed …
Read More »Big Tech Says Spy Bill Turns Its Workers Into Informants
A trade organization representing some of the world’s largest information technology companies—Google, Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft among them—say its members are voicing strong opposition to ongoing efforts by the Biden administration to dramatically expand a key US government surveillance authority. The US Senate is poised to vote Thursday on legislation …
Read More »US Infrastructure Is Broken. Here’s an $830 Million Plan to Fix It
There’s one word that will get any American fuming, regardless of their political inclination: infrastructure. Pothole-pocked roads, creaky bridges, and half-baked public transportation bind us nationally like little else can. And that was before climate change’s coastal flooding, extreme heat, and supercharged wildfires came around to make things even worse. …
Read More »A TikTok Whistleblower Got DC’s Attention. Do His Claims Add Up?
The United States government is currently poised to outlaw TikTok. Little of the evidence that convinced Congress the app may be a national security threat has been shared publicly, in some cases because it remains classified. But one former TikTok employee turned whistleblower, who claims to have driven key news …
Read More »The Influencers with as Much Presidential Access as the Press
Campaigns and politicians have experimented with influencer marketing over the past four years. But recruiting content creators to reach voters is already happening more than ever in 2024. The Biden campaign has built out a powerful digital operation with a few staffers specifically focused on online persuasion. The White House …
Read More »The White House Puts New Guardrails on Government Use of AI
The US government issued new rules Thursday requiring more caution and transparency from federal agencies using artificial intelligence, saying they are needed to protect the public as AI rapidly advances. But the new policy also has provisions to encourage AI innovation in government agencies when the technology can be used …
Read More »RFK Jr. Announces VP Pick Is a Tech Entrepreneur Who Has Given His Campaign a Lot of Money
After weeks of speculation, anti-vaccine activist and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced today that he had chosen Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate. Shanahan, 38, an attorney and tech entrepreneur, has donated millions to a super PAC supporting Kennedy’s campaign. “I’m so proud to introduce …
Read More »The White House Is Briefing Dozens of Online Creators on Biden’s State of the Union Address
Dozens of digital creators are being briefed on President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address ahead of his Thursday speech, the administration has confirmed to WIRED. Around 70 creators, digital publishers, and influencers are set to meet with the administration to amplify the White House’s message across social media. …
Read More »The Biden Campaign Fills Out Its Digital Team Ahead of Super Tuesday
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is staffing up on digital, with four key hires ahead of the Super Tuesday primary elections. On Sunday, the campaign named Ryan Thompson as chief mobilization officer and Kate Conway as creative director. Cat Stern was named director of digital persuasion and Clarke Humphrey is …
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