There’s $2B for Broadband on Reservations. It Won’t Be Enough
The recently approved US infrastructure law aims to close the digital divide for Native peoples. But the demand far outstrips the money allocated.
The Hidden Dangers of ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Apps
Services such as Afterpay, Affirm, and Klarna are soaring in popularity and valuation. But consumer advocates say they make it easy to get overextended.
The ‘Broadband Gap’ Is Now a Housing Problem
Many people eligible for Covid-era rent assistance have trouble navigating a “tangled web” of agencies because they don’t have reliable internet access.
Borrowed a School Laptop? Mind Your Open Tabs
Students—many from lower-income households—were likely to use school-issued devices for remote learning. But the devices often contained monitoring software.
Advocates Struggle to Control Police Use of Surveillance Tech
A key backer of a 2018 Oakland law to rein in tools like automated license plate readers says the city is not following the rules.
Chicago Claims DoorDash and Grubhub Misled Customers on Fees
The city capped commissions on restaurant deliveries amid the pandemic, but it says the apps added new fees and marketed deceptive promotions.
Explosion in Geofence Warrants Threatens Privacy Nationwide
New figures from Google show a tenfold increase in the requests from law enforcement, which target anyone who happened to be in a given location at a specified time.
The Push for Ad Agencies to Ditch Big Oil Clients
An activist coalition is pressuring firms to stop promoting fossil fuel companies—some of which have advertised oil and gas as “climate friendly.”
The NYPD Had a Secret Fund for Surveillance Tools
Documents reveal that police bought facial-recognition software, vans equipped with x-ray machines, and “stingray” cell site simulators—with no public oversight.