D.I.Y. Coronavirus Solutions Are Gaining Steam
From Ireland to Seattle, makers and engineers are creating open-source versions of much-needed medical equipment.
Home / Archive for March 2020
Coronavirus Ended the Screen-Time Debate. Screens Won.
We’ve tried all sorts of things to stop us from staring at our devices. Digital detoxes. Abstinence. Now? Bring on the Zoom cocktail hour.
Coronavirus Prompts Instacart and Amazon Strikes Over Health Concerns
The two companies are the latest targets of labor action by groups fearing virus exposure on the job.
New York Attorney General Looks Into Zoom’s Privacy Practices
As the videoconferencing platform’s popularity has surged, Zoom has scrambled to address a series of data privacy and security problems.
Hive Mind of Makers Rises to Meet Pandemic
Tinkerers, sewers and scientists bring their ideas and 3-D printers to bear on the shortage of medical supplies.
The Quarantine Diaries
Around the world, the history of our present moment is taking shape in journal entries and drawings.
Facebook Aims $100 Million at Media Hit by the Coronavirus
With grants and marketing spending, the social media giant hopes to support outlets doing essential local reporting but struggling with a dr...
Trump Won the Internet. Democrats Are Scrambling to Take It Back.
In the era of big data, memes and disinformation, the Democrats are trying to regain their digital edge as the president and his loyalists d...
How Russia’s Troll Farm Is Changing Tactics Before the Fall Election
The Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency, which interfered in the 2016 election, is using different methods to hide itself better.
Facebook, Google and Twitter Struggle to Handle November’s Election
After spending billions to avoid a repeat of 2016, the tech giants are careening from crisis to crisis as their foes change tactics.
A Single Gesture Behind Trump Fuels an Online Conspiracy Theory
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration’s most outspoken advocate of emergency virus measures, has become the target of claims that he is mobi...
At Two Fashion Resale Warehouses, Workers Fear for Their Safety
As New Jersey orders nonessential workers to stay home to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, employees of the RealReal, a luxury resal...
As Life Moves Online, an Older Generation Faces a Digital Divide
Uncomfortable with tech, many are struggling to use modern tools to keep up with friends and family in the pandemic.
The Week in Tech: We’re Testing How Much the Internet Can Handle
We are more dependent on technology than ever. Can it handle the strain?
Nonprofits Built Themselves on a Dream. Their New Mission: Survival.
Upended by the coronavirus outbreak, nonprofits are laying off workers, seeking help from stretched donors and trying to stay alive.
GoFundMe Confronts Coronavirus Demand
Americans are turning to crowdfunding to cover coronavirus-related costs while the government prepares to deliver on its stimulus plan. But ...
A.I. Versus the Coronavirus
A new consortium of top scientists will be able to use some of the world’s most advanced supercomputers to look for solutions.
Surging Traffic Is Slowing Down Our Internet
With people going online more in the pandemic, internet traffic has exploded. That’s taking a toll on our download speeds and video quality....
Nextdoor Pivots to Neighborliness
Homebound city dwellers are turning to a neighborhood app to connect, organize and help each other without risking physical contact.
The Dos and Don’ts of Online Video Meetings
Do your co-workers really need to make their pets or toddlers part of the call? No.
Lawmakers Question Start-Ups on At-Home Kits for Coronavirus Testing
The makers of unauthorized kits designed for consumers to collect their own saliva or throat swabs faced scrutiny from Congress.
How to Look Your Best on a Webcam
Check your lighting and be deliberate about the background you’re showing the world.
‘A Week of Snow Days’? Ha! Families Deal With Cabin Fever
As people become hostages in their own homes, hired clowns and costume nights may not be enough to maintain sanity.
Suspect Held in South Korean Crackdown on Sexually Explicit Videos
Cho Joo-bin was accused of blackmailing dozens of young women, including at least 16 minors, into making sexually explicit video clips of th...
Drivers Say Uber and Lyft Are Blocking Unemployment Pay
States like New York and California have made gig workers eligible for jobless benefits and sick days. But the companies have resisted compl...
Facebook Is ‘Just Trying to Keep the Lights On’ as Traffic Soars in Pandemic
The social network is straining to deal with skyrocketing usage as its 45,000 employees work from home for the first time.
As Businesses Close, WeWork Tries to Lure Workers Back
The shared office space company is offering its workers $100-a-day bonuses to come to its locations amid the coronavirus crisis.
Start-Ups Jump the Gun on Home Kits for Coronavirus Testing
After a federal warning, companies have stopped marketing kits that let consumers collect their own saliva or throat swabs and send them to ...
The Coronavirus Revives Facebook as a News Powerhouse
More than half of all news consumption on Facebook in America is about the virus, according to an internal report.
Trump Administration Gives Apple More Tariff Relief
Trade officials approved the company’s request to remove tariffs on the Apple Watch.
There Is a Racial Divide in Speech-Recognition Systems, Researchers Say
Technology from Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM and Microsoft misidentified 35 percent of words from people who were black. White people fared mu...
There Is a Racial Divide in Speech-Recognition Systems, Researchers Say
Technology from Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM and Microsoft misidentified 35 percent of words from people who were black. White people fared mu...
Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever
Amazon is hiring aggressively to meet customer demand. Traffic has soared on Facebook and YouTube. And cloud computing has become essential ...
Big Tech Could Emerge From Coronavirus Crisis Stronger Than Ever
Amazon is hiring aggressively to meet customer demand. Traffic has soared on Facebook and YouTube. And cloud computing has become essential ...
When Coronavirus Closes Your Lab, Can Science Go On?
Plenty of work can be done from home, but the pandemic is forcing some parts of the scientific process to be put on the shelf.
As Coronavirus Surveillance Escalates, Personal Privacy Plummets
Tracking entire populations to combat the pandemic now could open the doors to more invasive forms of government snooping later.
Trump’s Embrace of Unproven Drugs to Treat Coronavirus Defies Science
Doctors and patients also worry that the president’s rosy outlook for the treatments will exacerbate shortages of old malaria drugs relied o...
‘Zoombombing’: When Video Conferences Go Wrong
As its user base rapidly expands, the videoconference app Zoom is seeing a rise in trolling and graphic content.
Trump’s Embrace of Unproven Drugs to Treat Coronavirus Defies Science
Doctors and patients also worry that the president’s rosy outlook for the treatments will exacerbate shortages of old malaria drugs relied o...
The Week in Tech: How to Stop Coronavirus ‘Doomsurfing’
The internet is a pretty scary place right now. Here are some ways to make it better.
The Coder and the Dictator
Gabriel Jiménez hated the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. But he loved cryptocurrency. When he built the regime a digital coin, he near...
Former Uber Executive Pleads Guilty to Trade Theft
Anthony Levandowski was charged with stealing driverless-car plans when he left Google to form a company, which Uber then acquired.
Translating a Surveillance Tool into a Virus Tracker for Democracies
Health officials in Britain are building an app that would alert the people who have come in contact with someone known to have the coronavi...
True Tales of Quarantined Socializing
Digital dance raves. Streaming soundbaths. Book readings by phone. Now we’ve gotta get creative.
Big Rigs Begin to Trade Diesel for Electric Motors
Tractor-trailer fleets will take time to electrify, and start-ups and established truck makers are racing to get their models on the road.
True Tales of Quarantined Socializing
Digital dance raves. Streaming soundbaths. Book readings by phone. Now we’ve gotta get creative.
Love Is Blind in Quarantine
A new project aims to turn social distancing into a dating game, taking a cue from “Love Is Blind.”
Coronavirus Test Obstacles: A Shortage of Face Masks and Swabs
Hospitals and doctors say they are critically low on swabs that are needed to test patients for the coronavirus, as well as face masks and o...
The Tech Headaches of Working From Home and How to Solve Them
From shoddy Wi-Fi to digital distractions, our tech can make remote work miserable. Here’s how to overcome the problems.
Abel Prize in Mathematics Shared by 2 Trailblazers of Probability and Dynamics
Hillel Furstenberg, 84, and Gregory Margulis, 74, both retired professors, share the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel Prize.
Pixar Pioneers Win $1 Million Turing Award
Ed Catmull and Pat Hanrahan created computer techniques that remade animation, special effects, virtual reality and artificial intelligence....
Pandemic Erodes Gig Economy Work
Gig companies promoted their flexible hours as an economic lifeline for workers. In the coronavirus outbreak, it has been anything but.
Customers Want Customization, and Companies Are Giving It to Them
From start-ups to big brands, businesses are offering personalized product options to extend their product lines and increase sales.
To Focus on Necessities, Amazon Stops Accepting Some Items in Warehouses
The three-week pause, which affects products like consumer electronics, allows the e-commerce company to deal with a surge in demand for hou...
Amazon Bans, Then Reinstates, Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
To Focus on Necessities, Amazon Stops Accepting Some Items in Warehouses
The three-week pause, which affects products like consumer electronics, allows the e-commerce company to deal with a surge in demand for hou...
Amazon Bans, Then Reinstates, Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’
The retailer is trying to do two contradictory things: Ban hate literature but allow free speech.
Glued to the Screen in the Time of Coronavirus
More Netflix. Less ESPN. The pandemic means a greater number of television viewers in the short term, but signals a potential threat to the ...
The Coronavirus Crisis Is Showing Us How to Live Online
We’ve always hoped that our digital tools would create connections, not conflict. We have a chance to make it happen.
Coronavirus Fight Lays Bare Education’s Digital Divide
In China, many rural students lack the connections or hardware to learn remotely. More nations will confront the same reality as the outbrea...
Coronavirus Testing Website Goes Live and Runs Into Confusion
The site from Google’s sister company, Verily, was rolled out to two Northern California counties in hopes of guiding people to local virus ...
So We’re Working From Home. Can the Internet Handle It?
With millions of people working and learning from home during the pandemic, internet networks are set to be strained to the hilt.
France Fines Apple $1.2 Billion for Antitrust Issues
The fine comes as the iPhone maker deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Muting Coronavirus Anger, China Empowers Its Internet Police
Online enforcers are dragging in hundreds for questioning as an assault on online speech continues. They are a sign how Beijing has given ce...
American Teenagers Are Declaring ‘Virginity Rocks’
A clothing item inspired by a YouTube star has found its way into malls and schools, stumping adults along the way.
When Facebook Is More Trustworthy Than the President
Social media companies are delivering reliable information in the coronavirus crisis. Why can’t they do that all the time?
The Man With 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer Just Donated Them
A Tennessee man had planned to sell his stockpile at marked-up prices online. Now he is under investigation for price gouging.
When Facebook Is More Trustworthy Than the President
Social media companies are delivering reliable information in the coronavirus crisis. Why can’t they do that all the time?
Ahead of the Pack, How Microsoft Told Workers to Stay Home
Its executives, with headquarters just a few miles from one of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, were among the first to confront t...
Trump Oversold a Google Site to Fight Coronavirus
After Jared Kushner liked the idea, President Trump inflated the concept. The disconnect is the latest example of the president exaggerating...
Internet Providers Won’t Cut Off Users Over Unpaid Bills for 60 Days
The pledge some companies took, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, also calls for them to open public Wi-Fi hot spots and waive late f...
Apple Closes Most of Its Stores for 2 Weeks
The tech giant, which will keep its stores in the China region open, becomes one of the first retailers to shut its doors in an effort to ha...
Fact Check: Trump's Claims About His Response to the Coronavirus
The president inaccurately described travel restrictions he had announced, falsely blamed his predecessor for testing shortages and misstate...
He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them
Amazon cracked down on coronavirus price gouging. Now, while the rest of the world searches, some sellers are holding stockpiles of sanitize...
He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them
Amazon cracked down on coronavirus price gouging. Now, while the rest of the world searches, some sellers are holding stockpiles of sanitize...
Trump’s False Claims About His Response to the Coronavirus
The president inaccurately described travel restrictions he had announced, falsely blamed his predecessor for testing shortages and misstate...
Bill Gates Stepping Down From Microsoft’s Board
Mr. Gates, who founded the company with Paul Allen four decades ago, will also step down from the board of Berkshire Hathaway.
Coronavirus Is Causing Chaos for Travel Influencers
When your income depends on promoting travel, staying home comes at a cost.
Baby Brezza, a $200 Formula Maker, May Pose Health Risks to Infants
Pediatricians say the automated Baby Brezza dispenser may produce watery bottles of formula.
The Week in Tech: Gigs at Home, but Not What Start-Ups Intended
Many tech employees have the luxury of working from home in an emergency. But companies like Uber, Airbnb and WeWork could end up hurting.
Pentagon Asks to Reconsider Awarding Huge Cloud Contract to Amazon
The action came after Amazon had contended that it lost the deal because of potential interference from President Trump.
How to Work From Home Now That Your Boss Doesn’t Want You Coming In
If your company is making you work from home during the coronavirus outbreak, here’s what you need to make that transition work.
Where Westchester Teens Get Their Coronavirus News
High school students are turning to meme accounts on Instagram to get real-time updates on the new coronavirus.
This Movie Is Streaming Only. Should We Lower Our Expectations?
As more films skip theaters and head straight to streaming, we asked our critics to talk openly about what many whisper about: that many of ...
As Coronavirus Testing Increases, Some Labs Fear a Shortage of Other Supplies
Lab directors and federal officials are keeping a close eye on the supply of other materials needed to conduct the tests.
New Data Rules Could Empower Patients but Undermine Their Privacy
New federal data-sharing requirements will enable people to use consumer apps to retrieve their medical information directly from their doct...
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Review: A Folding Phone That’s a Dud
Samsung wants to excite you by offering a device with a foldable screen. Too bad it’s tedious to use (and bulky in a pocket).
Doctors and Patients Turn to Telemedicine in the Coronavirus Outbreak
The use of virtual visits climbs as a way of safely treating patients and containing spread of the infection at hospitals, clinics and medic...
‘It’s Just Everywhere Already’: How Delays in Testing Set Back the U.S. Coronavirus Response
A series of missed chances by the federal government to ensure more widespread testing came during the early days of the outbreak, when cont...
How Your Airbnb Host Is Feeling the Pain of the Coronavirus
Online travel sites, including Booking.com and Airbnb, are facing a world of hurt as people all but stop taking trips.
New Data Rules Could Empower Patients but Undermine Their Privacy
New federal data-sharing requirements will enable people to use consumer apps to retrieve their medical information directly from their doct...
You Can’t Fight City Hall. But Maybe You Can Fight Google.
Faced with an array of opponents for its sensor-laden city of tomorrow in Toronto, a Google sibling has dramatically dialed back plans. The ...
Sorry, but Working From Home Is Overrated
Home-cooked lunches and no commuting while we deal with coronavirus can’t compensate for what’s lost in creativity.
Twitter Reaches Deal with Activist Fund That Sought C.E.O.’s Ouster
Elliot Management had tried to oust C.E.O. Jack Dorsey after accumulating a stake in Twitter.
Manipulated Biden Video Escalates Online Speech War With Trump
For the first time, Twitter applies its policy against fake and misleading videos and labels one.
Surge of Virus Misinformation Stumps Facebook and Twitter
Secret labs. Magic cures. Government plots. Despite efforts by social media companies to stop it, false information about the coronavirus is...
South by Southwest Is Canceled as Coronavirus Fears Scuttle Festival
Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to arrive in Austin next week, but a number of companies had pulled out and on Friday, city of...
Quibi Is Coming. Here Are the Famous People Making Shows for It.
The bite-size video start-up debuts April 6, and nearly everyone in Hollywood seems to be involved. Here’s what we know so far.
‘Close Call’: NASA-Boeing Investigation of Starliner Flight Finds Lapses
The uncrewed December space mission could have ended in disaster.
How to Make Money in Your Sleep
Some TikTok users are going viral, gaining followers and even making cash by live-streaming themselves overnight.
The Week in Tech: Welcome to the Age of Mandatory Videoconferencing
Telling employees to work from home. Bearing down on misinformation removal. Here is how the coronavirus is affecting the industry.
Facebook Removes Misleading Trump Census Ads
The social media company has had a permissive policy about truthfulness in political content. But it drew the line on interfering with the n...
Workplaces Begin Coping With Coronavirus
The deadly disease has arrived in some offices, and employers are trying to adapt.
U.S. to Hold Tech Firms Accountable for Spread of Child Sex Abuse Imagery
New legislation would take the extraordinary step of removing legal protections for tech companies that fail to police the illegal content.
How to Prepare Now for the Complete End of the World
Lynx Vilden teaches people how to live in the Stone Age.
Do You Honestly Find Spas Kind of Boring?
With virtual reality headsets, some clients are now being not just pampered in place but “transported.”
A Chatty Auction Site Is Taking the Classic Car World by Storm
Bring a Trailer has 100,000 registered bidders and listed 11,000 cars in a banner 2019, while the traditional auction market shows signs of ...
Before Clearview Became a Police Tool, It Was a Secret Plaything of the Rich
Investors and clients of the facial recognition start-up freely used the app on dates and at parties — and to spy on the public.
Star Engineer Who Crossed Google Is Ordered to Pay $179 Million to Company
Anthony Levandowski, who helped pioneer self-driving cars and was accused of taking Google’s trade secrets to Uber, also filed for bankruptc...
Tulsi Gabbard’s $50 Million Suit Against Google Is Dismissed
The Democratic presidential candidate had accused the tech giant of infringing on her free speech when it temporarily suspended her advertis...
Tulsi Gabbard’s $50 Million Suit Against Google Is Dismissed
The Democratic presidential candidate had accused the tech giant of infringing on her free speech when it temporarily suspended her advertis...
When Voyager 2 Calls Home, Earth Soon Won’t Be Able to Answer
NASA will spend 11 months upgrading the only piece of its Deep Space Network that can send commands to the probe, which has crossed into int...
DoorDash Faces Its Latest Challenge: Wooing Wall Street
The food delivery app is losing money, battling rivals, facing lawsuits — and trying to go public. What could go wrong?
DoorDash Faces Its Latest Challenge: Wooing Wall Street
The food delivery app is losing money, battling rivals, facing lawsuits — and trying to go public. What could go wrong?
Can You Really Hire a Hit Man on the Dark Web?
A collection of online stores offer murder for pay. Researchers say they are scams, but people who want someone dead aren’t listening.
Get the Most Out of Your Fancy Smartphone Camera
The latest Apple and Google models have software that automatically enhances your photos, but you can also take control to get your perfect ...
Review: ‘Devs’ Is a Cold and Beautiful Machine
The sci-fi director Alex Garland constructs a tech thriller in his first series, which accents both his strengths and weaknesses.
What’s Old Can Be New Again for Businesses
Remanufacturing involves taking products to a like-new condition and is accomplished through a variety of processes and advanced by new tech...
Tesla Isn’t the Only Start-Up Disrupting the Car Business
The shift to battery power has inspired a wave of new companies to challenge the automotive dinosaurs.
High-Flying Trading App Robinhood Goes Down at the Wrong Time
Robinhood remained down part of Tuesday as the markets bounced around, leaving customers angry and nursing big losses.
Waymo Includes Outsiders in $2.25 Billion Investment Round
Alphabet’s self-driving unit, a pioneer in autonomous vehicle research, has been expanding its commercial efforts.
Apple Agrees to Pay Some iPhone Owners $25 Each
A settlement for as much as $500 million would resolve a lawsuit accusing Apple of slowing old iPhones as it released new ones.
Silicon Valley Leaders’ Plea to Democrats: Anyone but Sanders
Their tech employees are a different story.
In Coronavirus Fight, China Gives Citizens a Color Code, With Red Flags
A new system uses software to dictate quarantines — and appears to send personal data to police, in a troubling precedent for automated soci...
Intel’s Culture Needed Fixing. Its C.E.O. Is Shaking Things Up.
Robert Swan, who leads the world’s biggest chipmaker, is pushing his 110,000 employees to confront internal problems more openly.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)