Palantir’s God’s-Eye View of Afghanistan

The company’s software can sift through enormous amounts of data, and those metrics can be used to make life-or-death decisions.

16h

Facebook Can’t Fix What It Won’t Admit To

Plus: Zuckerberg’s community manifesto, how to hold platforms accountable, and an accidental admission in Congress.

5d

AI-Powered Text From This Program Could Fool the Government

A Harvard medical student submitted auto-generated comments to Medicaid; volunteers couldn’t distinguish them from those penned by humans.

5d

An Algorithm Is Helping a Community Detect Lead Pipes

The model had shown promise in Flint before officials rebelled. Now Toledo is using it, while incorporating more public input.

6d

The Local Politics of Airbnb’s Ban on DC Rentals

Residents and city officials traumatized by last week’s unrest fear a repeat for Biden’s inauguration.

6d

The Parler Bans Open a New Front in the 'Free Speech' Wars

Apple, Google, and Amazon booted the site from their own platforms. But who moderates the moderators?

1w

Job Screening Service Halts Facial Analysis of Applicants

But it’s still using intonation and behavior to assist with hiring decisions.

2w

Google’s New Union Is Already Addressing Political Issues

The Alphabet Workers Union isn’t seeking better pay and benefits. It wants to influence the company’s policies on social and other issues.

2w

A Startup Will Nix Algorithms Built on Ill-Gotten Facial Data

The FTC applies a novel remedy, going a step further than simply deleting the source photos.

2w

The Tweets That Got Trump Banned Were Far From His Worst

In the end, what took down @realDonaldTrump was not what he tweeted, but how it was interpreted.

2w