The US Supreme Court has previously ordered the government to obtain search warrants before seeking information that may “chronicle a person’s past movements through the record of his cell phone signals.” In the landmark Carpenter v. United States decision, the court found that advancements in wireless technology had effectively outpaced people’s ability to reasonably appreciate… Continue reading The NSA Is Lobbying Congress to Save a Phone Surveillance ‘Loophole’
Author: Wired Magazine
Meta Just Proved People Hate Chronological Feeds
For three months in late 2020, nearly 7,200 US adults on Facebook and 8,800 on Instagram received a radically different experience than the services’ billions of other users. When they scrolled through their newsfeed, Facebook and Instagram showed them the newest posts as determined by the clock, not those judged most relevant by an algorithm.… Continue reading Meta Just Proved People Hate Chronological Feeds
Meta’s Election Research Opens More Questions Than It Answers
In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, Meta set out to conduct a series of ambitious studies on the effects its platforms—Facebook and Instagram—have on the political beliefs of US-based users. Independent researchers from several universities were given unprecedented access to Meta’s data, and the power to change the feeds of tens of thousands… Continue reading Meta’s Election Research Opens More Questions Than It Answers
More Battlefield AI Will Make the Fog of War More Deadly
The United States military is not the unrivaled force it once was, but Alexandr Wang, CEO of startup Scale AI, told a congressional committee last week that it could establish a new advantage by harnessing artificial intelligence. “We have the largest fleet of military hardware in the world,” Wang told the House Armed Services Subcommittee… Continue reading More Battlefield AI Will Make the Fog of War More Deadly
Our Top Song of the Summer Picks
Music is a sport, and summer is the most competitive time of the year for artists. Which musician will reign supreme? What song will be played on repeat? What anthem will color the nostalgia of our sun-smooched days? The Song of Summer is among the most coveted trophies because it lives with us forever, locked… Continue reading Our Top Song of the Summer Picks
8 Best Deals From the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (2023): Dyson Hair Tools, Fellow Grinder, Strollers
If you’re not tapped out from Amazon Prime Day, then we’ve got some new deals that might interest you. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is happening right now through August 6, and we’ve scanned dozens of webpages to find the very best deals on WIRED-tested gear, such as Dyson hair tools, Le Creuset cookware, and a… Continue reading 8 Best Deals From the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (2023): Dyson Hair Tools, Fellow Grinder, Strollers
Why Scientists Are Clashing Over the Atlantic’s Critical Currents
So much on this planet depends on a simple matter of density. In the Atlantic Ocean, a conveyor belt of warm water heads north from the tropics, reaching the Arctic and chilling. That makes it denser, so it sinks and heads back south, finishing the loop. This system of currents, known as the Atlantic Meridional… Continue reading Why Scientists Are Clashing Over the Atlantic’s Critical Currents
11 Best Couches You Can Buy Online (2023): Armchairs, Sectionals, Sofas, and More
Maybe you have a hand-me-down couch or a thrifted floral confection that isn’t cutting it. Or maybe your seat cushions are sunken in and worse for wear. If you need a new sofa, you’ve come to the right place. A few of us here on the WIRED Gear team have spent several months testing a… Continue reading 11 Best Couches You Can Buy Online (2023): Armchairs, Sectionals, Sofas, and More
Social Media Has Run Out of Fresh Ideas
Social media is having its quarter-life crisis, if a quarter-life crisis is a thing, if we can even put a lifespan on social media, which might in fact play a role in our society from now until the end of time. After 25 years of status updates, news feeds, clever tweets, performative photos, and endless… Continue reading Social Media Has Run Out of Fresh Ideas
X Isn’t a Super App. It’s Just Twitter
The last time Elon Musk flipped the bird at his users, it was to switch Twitter’s logo to a grinning Shiba Inu—a hilarious inside joke that pumped the value of the dogecoin cryptocurrency, in which Musk was an investor, by 30 percent. A class action is still pending. Over the weekend, the former richest man… Continue reading X Isn’t a Super App. It’s Just Twitter