After days of deliberation, a jury in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday said that Meta and YouTube were negligent in a landmark trial where a 20-year-old woman said that her use of social media in her teens addicted her to the platforms and made her depression worse.  Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay […]

The biggest obstacle to electric-vehicle charging infrastructure is turning out to be the neighbors. Communities across dozens of countries are fighting EV charging station installations, citing fire hazards, ugly design, lost parking, and potential property damage. In New York City, U.S., parents demanded the city pull the plug on a station near their children’s school. […]

Adoption of artificial intelligence is on the rise worldwide, but the pace is uneven. As the global economy shifts increasingly toward AI-driven production and processes, wealthier nations are reaping the benefits faster, and poorer countries risk being left further behind, exacerbating economic and social divides, the United Nations has warned. At the same time, Silicon […]

Wars have always targeted the infrastructure of their age. Medieval armies burned granaries. Modern ones target communications and energy installations. The Iranian regime has been true to historical form. Under attack by the U.S. and Israel, it has been striking back at the oil and gas infrastructure of its Gulf neighbors, and has closed the […]

In the early hours of March 1, my screaming phone jolted me out of a Netflix binge in my Abu Dhabi apartment. The sound bypassed silent mode, overrode every setting, and demanded attention. It was from the United Arab Emirates’ National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, NCEMA, warning of incoming ballistic missiles and telling […]

Surveillance technology in Africa is increasingly being shaped by China. Eleven African countries have collectively spent over $2 billion on artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems, according to a new study by the U.K.-based Institute of Development Studies and the African Digital Rights Network. Several components of these surveillance tools have been purchased from China, and private […]

Earlier this month, nearly a thousand people lined up outside TencentiTencentBest known for its super-app WeChat, Tencent is a Chinese technology conglomerate and a major player in the video gaming industry.READ MORE’s headquarters in Shenzhen to get a piece of software installed on their devices. The crowd — which included students, retirees, and general office […]

Chinese cities are offering free apartments and converting idle data centers into incubators as they compete to attract “one-person companies,” or OPCs — startups run by a single founder with the help of artificial intelligence. AI automation tools such as vibe-coding agents and video generators have enabled individuals to build tech products on their own, […]

From medieval monks who banned tools to weavers burning looms in the 17th century, people have long resisted technologies that they thought would take their jobs or otherwise hurt them. More recently, there has been a wave of resignations at frontier artificial intelligence companies, and opposition to data centers. What do past resistances have in […]

Can a $40 smartphone bring Africa online? On March 3, the GSMA, a global advocacy and lobby group for the mobile communications industry, announced partnerships to pilot $40 smartphones in Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda in 2026. “Affordable 4G smartphones at scale could bring tens of millions of people online, unlocking access to […]