Severalapps and technological solutions have been launched over the past decadein an attempt to help de-escalate police encounters.
Why it matters: Technology has played a significant role in exposing police abuse. But activists say it can only be one tool in leading to change — and some technologies have raised civil liberties concerns.
Public figures are speaking out about Twitter's change in ownership, with sentiments ranging from enthusiastic support to despair.
Why it matters: Like Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk will likely be bombarded with a continuous flood of user feedback — particularly about what content is allowed and what's not — and his responses will likely reveal patterns and inconsistencies in decision making along the way.
Elon Musk said Friday that Twitter restored the account of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, before Musk's official takeover of the social media company.
The latest: Twitter "did not consult with or inform me" before restoring Ye's page, said Musk, who announced Friday plans to form a new content moderation council before making any major profile reinstatements.
There's a distinctly dot-com-ish feel at the moment, as even tech companies that once seemed untouchable are taking massive tumbles in the stock market, Axios Markets author Matt Phillips reports.
Why it matters: Stocks that led the market for much of the past decade have fallen on hard times after surprisingly weak earnings from major tech companies.
Telegram has just created a big source of demand for the cryptocurrency built to collaborate with the hugely popular messaging app.
Driving the news: The company is going to start allowing people to buy and sell Telegram handles (user names on the app), but they have to use a cryptocurrency called toncoin (TON) to do it, as TechCrunch reported.
A set of new cybersecurity guidelines from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) gives critical infrastructure operators details about what security issues they can afford to fix while operating on tight budgets and little staff.
Driving the news: CISA unveiled a highly anticipated list of voluntary "cybersecurity performance goals" on Thursday detailing what security practices critical infrastructure operators should follow — such as implementing multifactor authentication or changing default passwords on purchased technologies.
Elon Musk "freed" the bird on Thursday night, and with his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, he is already turning to the changes he has said he wants to implement.
State of play: Even after months of dramatic attempts to renege, Musk has talked for a while about the things he would want to change about the social media platform, from ending permanent bans to limiting content moderation.
It's finally over. Elon Musk owns Twitter, after seven months, two lawsuits and one poop emoji.
Why it matters: Twitter remains the global public square, despite its aging audience. When politicians or other power brokers want to share information or opinions, they usually do so via Twitter.
Twitter employees — including people in senior roles and those with lots of stock at stake — were left in the dark Thursday night as Elon Musk closed his deal to take over the company. They got the news on Twitter.
Why it matters: Employees have been through a wild ride over the past few months, being forced to continue operating a company without any assurance that their jobs or work would remain intact after the deal closed.
Google is squaring off again against familiar competitors like Microsoft and Amazon — but this time it's for lucrative contracts with the federal government.
Why it matters: Google sees an opening to chip away at Microsoft's dominance in federal government contracting, to keep making more money off its Cloud service and to nip at the heels of its other main competitor, Amazon Web Services.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers urged Google, Amazon Web Services and other tech companies Thursday to expand access to online tools and services for Iranian protestors after the U.S. Treasury Department relaxed restrictions last month.
Why it matters: Iranians protesting the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody are trying to evade internet disruptions and government restrictions of social media platforms.
In just the past year, Microsoft, Facebook and Google parent Alphabet have all seen their headcount rise by upwards of 20%. As Big Tech companies shift from growth to belt tightening, they will have to reckon with just how many employees they've hired since the pandemic began.
Why it matters: Hiring freezes may not do enough to cut costs, as companies' payroll will rise significantly just due to all the employees hired in the last year.
