Meta
How CrowdTangle predicted the future
Meta is killing off a pioneering tool for platform transparency — but the movement it kickstarted is just beginning
Casey Newton
Founder and editor of Platformer, a publication about the intersection of tech and democracy. Prior to founding Platformer in October 2020, Newton was the longtime Silicon Valley editor of The Verge.
AI
The rise of mediocre AI
It only kind of works. It’s everywhere anyway
OpenAI
Sam Altman gets what he wants
He has his board seat back, and a new vote of confidence. Will he keep it?
TikTok
A new TikTok ban gains steam
After a year of laying low, ByteDance’s crown jewel faces a serious new threat
Google's India problem
From developer fees to chatbot criticisms, the Modi government is ratcheting up the pressure on platforms
Apple
Europe takes a bite out of Apple
The company accuses Spotify of being greedy — but fails to acknowledge how its own greed got us here
Google's risky new news tool
The company says it wants to free up journalists to do better work — but it might be automating more jobs away
Content Moderation
Content moderation comes to the Supreme Court
Justices seem skeptical that the Florida and Texas laws are constitutional
Google hits pause on Gemini’s people pictures
After a diversity initiative proved disastrous, it’s time to loosen chatbot guardrails
AI
The AI-generated propaganda is working
Nearly half of people found influence campaigns written by GPT-3 effective, a new study finds
Meta
Meta punts on politics
The company won't show you political content on its apps unless you're looking for it. Should it?
AI
Google’s next top model arrives
The company finally has an answer to GPT-4 — but OpenAI is about to change the questions
Bluesky
Bluesky is back
Twitter’s natural heir is finally open to the public — and it has some big ideas for social networking
AI
Scenes from a dying web
Child Safety
The Senate blasts tech CEOs over child safety
After another empty spectacle, can anyone find a path forward?
Child Safety
The social networks head back to Congress
Everyone is unhappy with the state of child safety online. Can senators break the logjam?