Watch out for sharks: the bizarre history of internet outages

In a world where a single point of failure can throw our machines into chaos, everything from sharks to authoritarian governments to old ladies have brought the web to its knees.

The FTC Is Rewriting the Web’s Rules Just In Time for an AI Sea Change

An interview the FTC's consumer protection chief on how the agency is turning privacy laws upside down to pave the way for the internet we all deserve.

Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky Is Trying to Save the Internet

Dorsey thinks his Twitter copycat app called Bluesky can undo his mistakes, saving social media and perhaps the whole world along the way. It comes down to "custom algorithms." They ask bold question: if users control their feeds, will it save social media?

Google Experiment Reassures Ad Tech Bros That They’ll Be Just Fine

Google is going to block third-party cookies in Chrome, killing one of the main ways companies track you for targeted ads. To replace cookies, Google has a suite of tools it calls Privacy Sandbox, and a new test shows they work almost as well.

Sul Sul: Study Mixes ChatGPT With ‘The Sims’ to Delightful Effect

A new study answers one of AI's biggest questions: can we make ChatGPT play The Sims? Researchers whipped up a pixel-art game to test whether you can make an AI simulate human behavior. The AI-powered sprites interact, form memories, and even plan parties.

Discord Revises Its Privacy Policy After Backlash Over AI

Users noticed when Discord quietly removed promises not to store data about screen recordings, voice calls, and video chats. After a critical article, Discord quickly reinstated the guarantees. The changes coincide with a slew of new AI features.

DuckDuckGo Releases Its Own ChatGPT Search Engine, DuckAssist

DuckDuckGo's new DuckAssist tool launched in beta Wednesday, bringing ChatGPT powered results to users of its apps and browser extensions. DuckAssist's answers are limited to sources like Wikipedia to avoid the AI insanity we've seen from similar tools.

How to Send Exploding Texts on iPhones

The meme wars in my group chat are cutthroat, but when all else fails, exploding texts are my secret weapon. Nothing is funnier when you deploy it with tact. All it takes is a couple of lesser-known iPhone tricks to impress your friends and scare your enemies.

Hall of Shame: 9 Ways Apple Makes Your Life Worse

Green unencrypted messages, the App Store tax, lightning cables, compatibility problems—there isn't even a calculator on the iPad. Seriously. Nobody's perfect, but Apple could fix these problems. In some cases they're accused of making it worse on purpose.

Texas Is Trying To Scrub Abortion Off the Internet

A new Republican bill in Texas would make it illegal for ISPs to let people read about abortion pills, and criminalize websites related to reproductive rights. It's part of an effort to create a special Texas internet where the First Amendment doesn't apply.