World

These Men's Rights Activists Literally Worship Elon Musk
Critics on Twitter called an Indian group's ceremony "cringe" and "embarrassing."

A South African City Says It's Putting QR Codes On Informal Settlement Cabins To Help Services. But Residents And Privacy Experts Are Uncertain.
A new pilot program by city officials says documenting the settlements will help residents get repairs and services. But some are wary.

A Former Twitter Employee Was Found Guilty Of Spying For Saudi Arabia
Ahmad Abouammo was convicted of passing user information to the Saudi government in exchange for cash and a gold watch.

How Amazon Exported American Working Conditions To Europe
After Amazon workers in Germany began striking, the company expanded eastward, where looser labor laws brought record productivity.

She Was One Year Away From Going To College. Then The Taliban Banned Her From School.
The policy prohibiting girls from attending school after sixth grade contradicts the regime’s previous promises to loosen restrictions on education rights.

The Taliban Have Started Searching People's Homes In Afghanistan
“The world is preoccupied with the Ukraine crisis," one activist said. "We have been relegated to the back-burner.”

Elon Musk Will Fund His Twitter Deal With Money From Countries That Suppress Free Speech
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said he looked forward to joining his “‘new’ friend” Musk on his journey.

Russia Has Banned Facebook And Instagram After Labeling Meta's Activities “Extremist"
Individuals won’t be held liable for using the two social media networks, but paying for ads can be regarded as financing an “extremist” group.

A New Bill Aims To Prevent Sanctioned Russian Oligarchs From Hiding Their Assets Using Cryptocurrency
But the head of Ukraine’s biggest crypto exchange fears that regulation of digital assets markets could hurt ordinary Russians’ ability to push back against Putin.

How Russia’s Top Propagandist Foretold Putin's Justification For The Ukraine Invasion Through This Dramatic Film
“Putin’s chef” Yevgeny Prigozhin’s network of state media sites used commissioned Cameo videos from Donald Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani to publicize another film that reimagines Russia’s role in the 2016 election.

Inside Project Texas, TikTok’s Big Answer To US Lawmakers’ China Fears
TikTok is rebuilding its systems to keep US user data in the US and putting a new US-based team in control. But for now, that team reports to executives in China.

Facebook And Twitter Have Been Blocked In Russia
Russia’s communications regulator said it blocked Facebook because of “discrimination against Russian media and information resources." Twitter was blocked shortly after.

Federal Lawmakers Worry Russian Leaders Are Using Crypto To Avoid Sanctions
US officials continue to scrutinize cryptocurrency markets for their potential role in aiding Russia’s avoidance of sweeping sanctions.

Google Maps Blocked Edits After People Falsely Claimed It Was Used to Coordinate Russian Air Strikes
Ukrainian-language accounts claimed edits targeted gas stations, schools, and hospitals in cities like Kyiv.

Apple Halted All Product Sales In Russia And Disabled Maps Features In Ukraine
"Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. Apple Pay and other services have been limited. RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the App Store outside Russia."

Hackers Answered Ukraine's Call For Help. Experts Fear It Isn't Enough.
“Nobody's ever crowdfunded or crowdsourced cyber defense before. So we're in uncharted territory.”

Ukraine Tweeted Its Cryptocurrency Wallet And Got $4 Million In Donations To Help Fight Russia
A source who confirmed the government’s fundraiser believed the funds would go to “exterminate as many Russian occupants as possible.”

From China To Kazakhstan To Texas: The Great Crypto Migration To The US Is Underway
Bitcoin miners keep picking up their operations and moving to more lucrative destinations. Now, their sights are trained on the US.

Operation Tulip: Inside Facebook’s Secretive Push To Build Holland’s Biggest Data Center
In a wild twist, Facebook demanded that its data center be designated a project of “national importance.”

Big Tech Thought It Had A Billion Users In The Bag. Now It Might Be Forced To Make Hard Choices To Get Them.
Long viewed as the world’s biggest market for “the next billion users,” India is fast becoming Silicon Valley’s biggest headache.

The Nigerian Government Banned Its Citizens From Using Twitter, And The Consequences Are Steep
The ban has been applauded by Donald Trump while young Nigerians are being forced to find ways around the rule at great personal risk.

Apple Did Business With A Wind Energy Company That Has Close Ties To Xinjiang
The company, Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology, once sought “labor exports” in the region. Forced labor is a major part of China’s campaign against Muslims in Xinjiang.

Amid Israeli–Palestinian Violence, Facebook Employees Are Accusing Their Company Of Bias Against Arabs And Muslims
As Facebook contends with internal allegations of censorship, unequal enforcement, and pro-Israel bias, employees are worried it is once again bungling a politically charged issue with potential for violence.

The Israeli–Palestinian Conflict Has Further Stoked Anti-Muslim Bias All The Way In India
The world's largest democracy has become a source of hate and lies about the violence in the Middle East.

Police In Delhi Have Descended On Twitter’s Headquarters In The Country
An elite crime squad searched Twitter’s New Delhi offices after the company labeled tweets from members of the ruling party “manipulated media.”

Instagram Censored Posts About One Of Islam’s Holiest Mosques, Drawing Employee Ire
The photo-sharing app mistakenly removed content about the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the site of clashes between Israeli police forces and Palestinian worshippers, after associating the site with terrorism.

COVID-19 Is Devastating India. Its Government Is Trying To Censor Social Media.
As thousands of people die each day, the Modi government is cracking down on people criticizing it online.

As Indians Face A COVID-19 Crisis, Facebook Temporarily Hid Posts With #ResignModi
On Wednesday, the world’s largest social network hid posts with the text #ResignModi for a few hours, before restoring them.

Twitter Is Blocking Tweets That Criticize How The Indian Government Has Handled The Pandemic
More than 50 tweets are now blocked in India.

I Thought My Job Was To Report On Technology In India. Instead, I Got A Front-Row Seat To The Decline Of My Democracy.
I love writing about tech. But covering how a Hindu nationalist government is using it to destroy a secular democracy isn’t what I signed up for.