For many of us who lived in and worked on the Syrian conflict, the events unfolding throughout Ukraine are a bit of tortured deja vu. From the fabricated claims to justify an invasion, to refugees fleeing the violence, to the accelerating pace of indiscriminate attacks against civilians. Despite the similarities shown in extensive hours of digital content, there are notable differences. Russia has so far been unable to change or even muddy the global narrative on Ukraine. The world i
Following England’s Euro 2020 final defeat in July 2021, social media platforms were flooded with racist abuse targeted at Black soccer players. The online trolling was carried out by thousands of anonymous social media accounts, highlighting how a lack of accountability enables anti-social and criminal behavior. The scary reality is that this latest incident is only the tip of the iceberg. Teenage suicides related to cyberbullying, election interference, and even terrorism recruitment ar
Ukraine is winning the information war, if not the ground war, in its conflict with Russia. On social media, the Ukrainian people are seen—and rightly so—as human, brave, sympathetic, and, most important, right. This impression has been helped by the savvy social media game of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But Vladimir Putin cares more about how his move into Ukraine is playing with the Russian people. As the conflict goes on, the level of Russian support may determine t
Apple’s terrible podcast app has finally taught me a lesson about myself—and I don’t like it. If I were already mad at the app before, I’m utterly incensed at it now, due to all this unwanted introspection. Before revealing the substance of what I’ve reluctantly learned, allow me to recap the drama surrounding this bewildering app. Apple’s podcast player was never quite a fan favorite, but its reputation took a massive hit after a disastrous update last
In the spring of 2021, Motorola added support for two Indigenous languages spoken in Latin America as part of a push to make its products more inclusive and accessible. Now, any Motorola phone running Android 11 or up has access to Kaingang and Nheengatu. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated Kaingang as “definitely endangered.” This means that children no longer learn it as their first language at home. And with only about 6,
Amid a global outcry over Russia’s war on Ukraine, major tech companies have started taking action against RT, the global news outlet backed by Russia, along with the state-owned outlet Sputnik. The RT News app is widely available on phones, tablets, smart TVs, and streaming devices. It pitches itself as providing perspective that viewers won’t get from mainstream media but does not always clearly disclose its ties to Russia. (Per RT’s iOS App Store listing: “The chan
Online pharmacy Ro has acquired Dadi, a sperm collection and testing startup, for approximately $100 million, say people with knowledge of the deal terms. The acquisition comes on the heels of a recent $150 million fundraising round from existing investors at a $7 billion valuation. It’s also happening during a transitional period for telehealth companies, which are having to figure out their main value proposition as the pandemic winds down and people are no longer confined to their home
I recently heard from a reader who asked about the best software for remotely accessing and controlling another computer. While I haven’t tried every solution, I’ve been a happy Chrome Remote Desktop user for years. The free software from Google lets you control another computer from any web browser, or from the Chrome Remote Desktop app on iOS and Android, and I’ve found it to be both reliable and responsive. I use the software to manage my Mac Mini’s Plex and Channe
Tech companies are currently stumbling over themselves to see who can make a bigger bet on the metaverse. However, beyond a massive financial commitment, exactly what it will take to win is still largely unproven. Will it simply be a “copy and paste” of the current digital landscape? Will our ad-filled 2D screens simply morph into privately owned virtual worlds overflowing with 3D ads? I think we all hope for something more. In the end, brands that actively try to right what the so
Over the weekend, Meta said it was giving Facebook users in Ukraine special tools to lock their profiles and make their friends’ lists unsearchable. Meta fears that the Russian military or its supporters could target Ukrainians via their social media accounts. Now Meta’s director of security policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, tells Fast Company in a tweet late Sunday that it will soon expand those same protections for Facebook users in Russia. The Russian military, after all, could use so