A broken Wordle streak might not be a bad thing–it might even clarify whether you’re still enjoying the game at all.
Why it matters: Wordle players have been stressing about their streaks over the last two days. The game’s transition to its new owner, the New York Times, broke some users' cherished daily count of correctly guessed words.
Much of Africa has gotten a taste of the internet thanks to cellular technology, but high-speed access remains scarce on the continent thanks to a lack of consumer spending power and a fractured, unreliable power grid. Cassava Technologies, a spinout of an African telecom firm, aims to change that equation.
Why it matters: Africa is home to 54 countries and 1.3 billion people and covers an area larger than India, China and Western Europe combined. That's too big a chunk of the planet to be stuck with spotty, expensive internet access.
Robot dogs could soon help patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.
Why it matters: Both political parties have long said U.S. Customs and Border Protection needs more technology to monitor the 2,000-mile terrain, but some Democrats and advocates say the border is already overly militarized.
Three-quarters of Americans say that U.S. democracy could be at risk without stronger regulation of false information online, according to a poll by bipartisan advocacy group the Future of Tech commission, results of which were shared first with Axios. The same survey found broad bipartisan support for stronger privacy regulation and increased spending on cybersecurity.
Why it matters: Congress is considering a range of new restrictions on tech, including bills related to privacy, competition and possible limits to Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which protects online platforms from being sued for user-contributed content.
Limiting tech's liability shield in the name of fighting online child sexual exploitation is once again on Congress' agenda.
Driving the news: The EARN IT Act, which removes tech platforms' immunity for violations of laws related to online child sexual abuse material, will be voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday.
The biggest video game companies are gobbling up the competition faster than ever while so far escaping significant resistance from antitrust regulators.
Why it matters: Gaming has grown into one of the world's largest media industries but has yet to face the scrutiny other tech sectors routinely encounter over how business practices affect competition, consumers or workers.
