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We’ve had several episodes and posts lately all about NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, looking at both the great work it does and some of the problems that plague it. One thing we’ve often been especially concerned about is the center’s advocacy efforts, such as pushing for FOSTA and KOSA. This […]

Remember when Elon told advertisers not to advertise on ExTwitter? Remember how he told them to “go fuck” themselves? Well, now he’s suing those companies for the serious crime (he claims it might be RICO) of not wanting to advertise on his site. Oh, and it’s even dumber than that. Because, as we detailed, just […]

The Complete Big Data Master Class Bundle has 9 courses to help you learn about big data. You’ll start with an introduction to Python and move on to learn about Hadoop, Seaborn, Plotly, Pandas, and more. It’s on sale for $30. Note: The Techdirt Deals Store is powered and curated by StackCommerce. A portion of […]

One of the things that’s supposed to separate us from the animals is the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Supposedly, that’s also one of the traits that puts cops on one side of the Thin Blue Line and the rest of us on the other side. But, when given the opportunity, it often […]

While it tends to get buried by the press, one thing is very true: the U.S. is too corrupt to pass a federal privacy law. For as long as the internet has existed, policymakers have prioritized making money over the common good and public safety. The end result is exactly what you’d expect: a steady […]

Well this is a real punch in the gut. For years, we have been talking about a strange lack of interest within the video game industry when it comes to game preservation. In far, far too many cases, both single player and multiplayer video games that rely on backend checks to start the game, or […]

It hasn’t been a fun few years for once-respected tech news outfit CNET. After being purchased by private equity backed marketing firm Red Ventures in 2020, the company has been in a downward spiral due to brunchlord mismanagement, facing scandal after scandal surrounding everything from softening its coverage to please advertisers, to using fake “AI” […]

What began as an attempt to challenge the constitutionality of the DMCA’s terrible anticircumvention provision has now backfired. A court ruling will limit our rights to fair use and free expression in favor of Hollywood’s ability to lock stuff down with digital locks. It’s not great. I had thought we had gotten past the era […]

Election security is still an issue that demands close attention. Unfortunately, the political rhetoric in this country has been controlled by Republicans who continue to insist the last election was “stolen,” despite a complete lack of evidence. This isn’t helping anything. And raiding the Capitol to overturn election results accomplished little else than allowing people […]

This DevDojo Pro subscription gives you access to a set of tools to help you build your next great idea. Start with the Page Creator, where you’ll find Tailwind CSS Page Builder, a tool for crafting beautiful landing pages. Then, move on to Wave SAAS Starter Kit, where you’ll learn how to build your Software […]

I am excited to announce that I am joining the board of Bluesky, where I will be providing advice and guidance to the company to help it achieve its vision of a more open, more competitive, more decentralized online world.  In the nearly three decades that I’ve been writing Techdirt I’ve been writing about what […]

We recently noted how the telecom industry, with the help of the recent Chevron ruling, was gearing up to deliver what it hoped would be the killing blow to popular net neutrality protections (read: broadly popular FCC rules designed to prevent telecom monopolies from abusing their market power to screw customers and competitors). AT&T, Comcast, Verizon […]

Here’s yet more anecdotal evidence demonstrating why we’re be better off routing mental health calls to mental health professionals, rather than to people who tend to respond to things they can’t immediately control with violence. The good news is more cities are experimenting with multiple options for 911 response. The better news is that those […]

There’s nothing more self-congratulatory than a government announcing it’s DOING SOMETHING ABOUT SOMETHING. That’s the New York City government at the moment, lauding its efforts to reduce crime in the city’s subways by installing tech even the tech manufacturer has stated isn’t capable of doing what’s being asked of it. In mid-May, Mayor Eric Adams […]

Well, here’s something unexpected. Apparently Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has a new book coming out this week called “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law.” And, one of the examples in the book is about the ridiculous criminal case against Aaron Swartz and his eventual tragic decision to take his own life […]

It is almost impossible to believe, as the nation stands on the precipice of one of the most important elections in our lifetime, if not the nation’s history, that Democrats would want to stick it to young people, whose enthusiasm and activism they desperately need to prevail in November. But in trying to ram through […]

MagStack is the perfect on-the-go wireless charging station that also transforms into a phone stand for FaceTime or video playback while charging. This 3-in-1 foldable design featuring 3 wireless charging spots, enables charging for up to 3 devices simultaneously, including iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods Pro, AirPods with Wireless Charging Case, other Qi-compatible Android phones, and […]

If you’re a swing state voter who thought AmericaPAC was helping you register to vote, think again. The Elon Musk-backed SuperPAC seems more interested in your personal info than your civic participation. It appears to be misleading visitors in order to collect all sorts of data, specifically on swing state voters, according to an incredible […]

There’s been significant progress, but many popular consumer electronics brands are still building hardware that’s often impossible to repair despite a flood in new state “right to repair” laws around the country. That’s at least the conclusion of this new report by the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). PIRG examined 21 different mainstream tech […]

This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is Thad with a comment on our post about Democrats moving from fact-checking to vibe-checking: I think describing it as “vibes” is reductive. The vibe is certainly part of it, but it’s not just about vibes. It’s about substance, too. When we talk about how […]