internet

Social media icons on a window

How social media has changed society

It draws us in and riles us up — but we still can’t look away.

How social media has changed society
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

An FCC vote to dismantle net neutrality is expected this week. Here’s what that means.

An FCC vote to dismantle net neutrality is expected this week. Here’s what that means.
Captcha

CAPTCHAs are supposed to separate humans from robots online, but now AI can crack them

CAPTCHAs are supposed to separate humans from robots online, but now AI can crack them
An internet activist in 2014.

What could happen to net neutrality under the new FCC?

What could happen to net neutrality under the new FCC?
network cables

October’s cyberattack used the 'internet of things' to attack the internet itself. Here’s why it could happen again.

October’s cyberattack used the 'internet of things' to attack the internet itself. Here’s why it could happen again.
Activists in Turkey are silhouetted against a screen showing President Tayyip Erdogan during a pro-government demonstration in Ankara, Turkey, July 17, 2016.

Turkish authorities owe their very survival to the free press they attempt to throttle

When Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to reach out to those who opposed the attempted coup last week, he didn't dial-in to a government-supported media outlet.

Turkish authorities owe their very survival to the free press they attempt to throttle
computer

From the Internet's founders, a warning

More than three decades after the worldwide communications network was born, David Clark and Yochai Benkler say they’re deeply concerned that the Internet is headed in a dangerous direction that its founders never intended.

From the Internet's founders, a warning
Screenshot from the YouTube video announcing Anonymous' war against ISIS

What exactly does a 'war' against ISIS entail?

Anonymous recently declared war on ISIS, even though they've technically been at war since the attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo last year. So, what does that 'war' mean, exactly?

What exactly does a 'war' against ISIS entail?

Trawl the Depths of YouTube with YouHole.tv

A new site called YouHole.tv serves up random, wonderful videos that you can't pause or share — you just have to experience them in the moment. How Zen!

Trawl the Depths of YouTube with YouHole.tv

Five Things You Had To See Online This Week

Kanye West, Kermit the Frog, and an army of abrasive ducks win the internet this week. 

Five Things You Had To See Online This Week
Voting

Why we're still waiting for the Internet to revolutionize politics

According to author Micah Sifry, the promise of the Internet's early days hasn’t exactly been realized.

Why we're still waiting for the Internet to revolutionize politics

Five Things You Had to See Online This Week

Literary road trips are mapped, the "Jurassic" movies in high heels, scaffolding enthusiasts find a home, one voice changes in different spaces, and Alex Trebek finally sings Rihanna.

Five Things You Had to See Online This Week
Reddit HQ

In the battle of the Internet, the trolls are winning

The recent resignation of Reddit's CEO, cheered by thousands of her site's users, and many other battles over standards of decency and taste in online communities illustrate how the Internet is starting to grapple with — and question — the principle of unlimited free speech it was founded upon.

In the battle of the Internet, the trolls are winning

An Artful Ransom Note Generator

Need a ransom note, but don't have any magazines lying around? The National Library of Poland has you covered with this random typeface generator built from its digitized collection.

An Artful Ransom Note Generator
A man looks at smartphones on display at a shop at Wuse II business district in Abuja December 9, 2014.

Internet cafes in Nigeria are quickly becoming a thing of the past

It used to be that if you wanted to go online in Nigeria, you had to stop by an Internet cafe. But as more and more people get access to smartphones, the cafes are becoming a thing of the past.

Internet cafes in Nigeria are quickly becoming a thing of the past