Taylor Hatmaker
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Facebook users are buying and selling pangolin parts, even though it’s illegal
In spite of their protected status under international laws, pangolins remain one of the most trafficked animals in the world — and at least some of that trade is taking place right out in the open
Twitter runs a test prompting users to revise ‘harmful’ replies
In its latest effort to deal with rampant harassment on its platform, Twitter will look into giving users a second chance before they tweet. In a new feature the company is testing, users who use R
We need more video games that are social platforms first, games second
During these long, mundane physically-distant days, stretching on into an uncertain future like an ever-lengthening beigeish corridor, it’s impossible not to miss hanging out with friends. Espec
Powerful House committee demands Jeff Bezos testify after ‘misleading’ statements
Amazon is in hot water with a powerful congressional committee interested in the company’s potentially anticompetitive business practices. In a bipartisan letter sent Friday to Jeff Bezos, the H
Banjo suspends state surveillance contracts after report details founder’s white supremacist past
Following an explosive report about the dark past of its founder and CEO Damien Patton, Utah-based company Banjo is facing a backlash in its own backyard. After revelations of Patton’s former ti
CZI teams up with UCSF and Stanford to research COVID-19’s prevalence in the Bay Area
With $13.6 million in funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a new collaboration will pull together researchers at UCSF, Stanford and CZI-adjacent medical research nonprofit the Chan Zuckerber
TripAdvisor will cut almost 25% of its workforce as the travel industry languishes
In a blog post, TripAdvisor CEO and co-founder Stephen Kaufer announced that the company would be reducing its workforce in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has wrought particular havoc on the tr
AOC and Elizabeth Warren call for a freeze on big mergers as the coronavirus crisis unfolds
The coronavirus pandemic has paralyzed the global economy, but large tech companies remain relatively well-positioned to reach into their deep pockets to make big moves. In an effort to call attention
House passes COVID-19 relief package to replenish PPP loan funding
On Thursday, the House passed the newest federal stimulus package aimed at providing financial relief for businesses and institutions hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. The bill lingered in the Senate f
New bill calls for cannabis companies to be eligible for federal COVID-19 help
With another major round of COVID-19 federal financial assistance around the corner, two lawmakers in states with previously booming cannabis businesses are asking for the federal government to bring
Senate passes new $484 billion relief bill to replenish small business loans, fund hospitals and testing
A new federal aid package designed to provide economic relief to businesses still immobilized by the coronavirus just passed in the Senate. The $484 billion in total aid passed after two weeks of nego
With the coronavirus, usually distinct conspiracy groups turn to a shared interest
The coronavirus pandemic’s global presence and ubiquity in everyday life is a perfect storm for misinformation, as conspiracy theorists from different corners of the web converge on a shared new
Facebook launches COVID-19 data maps for the US, will take its symptom tracking efforts global
Many, many symptom trackers have launched during the coronavirus pandemic, but few have the potential to reach even a bucketful of Facebook’s vast ocean of users. Facebook launched a symptom tra
Trump’s hype for state lockdown protests puts Twitter and Facebook’s new COVID-19 policies to the test
A new flurry of tweets from President Trump is pushing the limits of social platform policies designed explicitly to keep users safe from the spread of the novel coronavirus, both online and off. In a
Facebook wants content reviewers back ASAP, slows return plan for most employees
On his personal Facebook account, Mark Zuckerberg offered an update on the company’s roadmap for bringing employees back to work in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In the post, he acknowle
Pro-Iran accounts blamed the US for the coronavirus in latest social media disinformation campaign
As the coronavirus wreaks havoc on economies and populations around the globe, the chaos also presents a unique opportunity for disinformation efforts. According to a new report from social analytics
Vote-by-mail should be having its moment. Will it?
It’s a mark of 2020 that the image of throngs of Americans flocking to polling places to exercise their right to vote, once a heartening symbol of democracy in action, is now a nightmare scenario th
Coronavirus conspiracies like that bogus 5G claim are racing across the internet
As the U.S. and much of the world hunkers down to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, some virus-related conspiracy theories are having a heyday. Specifically, a conspiratorial false claim that
Bernie Sanders ends his historic campaign for the presidency
On Wednesday, two-time presidential Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders announced that he would conclude his bid for the party’s nomination, marking an end to a deeply influential political camp
Borderlands 3 bridges the gap between citizen science and blockbuster games
The Borderlands series has long offered players a chaotic loot scramble of explosive cel-shaded cartoon violence and intricately tuned shooting that leaves anything that isn’t the fun part on th